World

Sudan: MSF urges respect for medical action after violent incursion

Khartoum, 15 May 2020 - Medical and humanitarian action needs to be respected by all armed groups in Sudan in order to preserve the safety of patients, staff and health facilities across the country, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said today. The call comes after a violent incursion occurred in an…

The African Utopia at the End of the COVID-19 Tunnel

MALABO, Equatorial Guinea, May 15, 2020 -- In 1990, when Cameroon's football team did the unthinkable and beat Argentina in the World Cup, the proportion of the world's population living below the poverty line was 37.1 per cent. Fast-forward 35 years later to 2015, following a global adoption…

Ethiopia: Forced evictions in Addis Ababa render jobless workers homeless amid COVID-19

ADDIS ABABA (HORN OBSERVER) Addis Ababa municipal authorities have demolished dozens of homes belonging to day labourers over the past three weeks, rendering at least 1,000 people homeless amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Amnesty International said today.

East Africa's Oil Industry: A New Story in the Making

NAIROBI, Kenya, April 29, 2020/ -- The recent acquisition by Total of Tullow Oil's entire interests in the Lake Albert Development Project in Uganda, including the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, marks the beginning of a new chapter for East Africa's energy industry. To dissect the deal and…

Letter Urging Somali Government to Protect Free Speech and End Violence Against Journalists

April 22, 2020 H.E. Mr. Mohamed Abdullahi 'Farmaajo' President of the Federal Republic of Somalia Re: Protecting Free Speech and Journalism and Ending Violence Against Journalists Your Excellency:

World Bank Predicts Sharpest Decline of Remittances in Recent History

WASHINGTON, April 22, 2020 — Global remittances are projected to decline sharply by about 20 percent in 2020 due to the economic crisis induced by the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdown. The projected fall, which would be the sharpest decline in recent history, is largely due to a fall in the wages and…

Saudi Arabia, Iraq, South Sudan, and Yemen bucked a global trend with spikes in executions

LONDON (Horn Observer) Saudi Arabia executed a record number of people in 2019, despite an overall decline in executions worldwide, Amnesty International said in its 2019 global review of the death penalty published today. The Saudi authorities put 184 people to death last year, the highest number Amnesty…

Minister of Petroleum of the Republic of South Sudan joins OPEC, Russia, and Saudi Arabia to stabilise the Oil Market

JUBA, South Sudan, April 13, 2020/ -- Hon. Puot Kang Chol, Minister of Petroleum of South Sudan, joined its other OPEC and OPEC+ counterparts today to agree on a historic deal to cut 9.7 million barrels of oil per day of supply starting May 1st, 2020. The agreement is historic in nature and should enable…

Africa: Armed conflicts and state repression fuel cocktail of human rights violations

Protesters across sub-Saharan Africa have braved bullets and beatings to defend their rights in the face of continuing conflict and state repression, Amnesty International said today as it published its annual review of human rights in the region.

COVID-19: Authorities must protect health of detainees, staff and ultimately surrounding communities

Geneva (ICRC) – Detaining authorities around the world who have not yet taken measures to prevent and mitigate the effects of COVID-19 inside places of detention are urged to do so immediately to protect the health of detainees, staff and wider society.

South Sudan Petroleum Minister Holds Talks with OPEC to Find Solutions on Oil Price War

JUBA, South Sudan -- While oil prices rebounded last week on hopes of successful negotiations between Saudi Arabia and Russia, they went back down again today following the negotiations' delay. Oil prices currently average $25 to $30 a barrel, maintaining their historic low and hurting producers…

CPJ: Ethiopian journalist Yayesew Shimelis detained following COVID-19 report

Nairobi, Kenya -- Authorities in Ethiopia should immediately and unconditionally release journalist Yayesew Shimelis and cease detaining journalists without charge, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Somalia Becomes 182nd Member of Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency

WASHINGTON DC, March 31, 2020 – The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), a member of the World Bank Group, is pleased to announce that the Federal Government of Somalia has become the 182nd member of the Agency, following normalization of its financial relationship with the World Bank.…

Covid-19: IFJ Issues Safety Guide for Media Workers

Brussels - A word from our General Secretary One of the fundamental rights of the citizen is to be well informed. Quality information, as understood by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the world's leading professional organisation with 600,000 members in 146 countries around…

UNESCO voices concerns about the safety of journalists when reporting on the global COVID-19 health crisis

The UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information today voiced concerns about the safety of journalists when reporting on the global COVID-19 health crisis.

Somalia to Receive Debt Relief under the Enhanced HIPC Initiative

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank's International Development Association have determined that Somalia has taken the necessary steps to begin receiving debt relief under the enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. Somalia is the 37th country to reach this…

In Zanzibar, the African Development Bank gives a second chance to young students

Amid the gently swaying palm trees of the Indian Ocean island of Zanzibar sits a school with a difference. The Raha Leo Alternative Learning Centre provides training to young students who may have otherwise missed out on education altogether.

Somalia clears arrears to World Bank Group Bank Group

WASHINGTON, March 5, 2020 –The Federal Government of Somalia today cleared its arrears to the International Development Association (IDA), completing the process of normalizing its financial relationship with the World Bank Group. With this clearance, Somalia has fully re-established its access to…

Somalia To Reestablish Financial Relations with The World Bank Group After Thirty Years

WASHINGTON, February 27, 2020 — The World Bank Group Board of Executive Directors today moved toward normalizing its relations with the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) after thirty years. This will open up opportunities for Somalia to access concessional financing from the World Bank's International…

Somalia: African Development Bank Group approves framework to clear nation's arrears

The African Development Bank and African Development Fund today approved a framework for $122.55 million to clear Somalia's arrears, paving the way for the Bank Group to fully reengage with Somalia and opening opportunities for enhanced financing for the country.