East Africa

As part of their efforts to prevent the recent escalating tensions between factions from turning into a new war, a group of East African countries called on South Sudan's Government to release officials detained and lift security measures. South Sudan is officially at peace after a 2018 deal that ended a five year civil war in which forces loyal to President Salvakiir fought against those loyal to First Vice President Riek Machar, and nearly 400,000 died. The relationship between the two rivals who have dominated the political scene of the oil producer for decades remains strained. Many people believe that...

Uganda's chief of the military said on Tuesday that his country has deployed special forces to South Sudan's capital Juba in order to "secure" it, as tensions between Salva Kiir's and his First Vice-President Riek Machar stoke concerns about a return to civil conflict. In recent days, tensions in South Sudan have risen after Kiir’s government arrested two ministers, as well as several senior military officials who were allied to Machar. Since then, one minister has been released. The arrests and clashes that took place in the town of Nasir, a northern town, are seen by many as a threat...

After the arrests and tensions escalated, a spokesman of Machar announced that the South Sudanese loyalists to President Salva Kir have released the minister of peacebuilding, a key ally for First Vice President Riek Machar. Security forces have arrested or placed under house arrest, between Tuesday and Thursday, several allies to Machar. These include the Petroleum Minister, the Peacebuilding Minister and a Deputy Head of the Military. This has put at risk a peace agreement that ended the civil war between fighters loyal Kiir and Machar. Stephen Par Kuol, the minister of peacebuilding who was illegally detained by National Security...

Signatories al-Hadi Idris, and Ibrahim al-Mirghani said that Sudan's Rapid Support Forces had signed a charter late Saturday night with allied political groups and armed forces to create a "government for peace and unity". Abdelaziz al-Hilu is one of the charter's signatories. He is a powerful leader in South Kordofan who controls large swathes territory and has troops there. This government is unlikely to be widely recognized, and has already raised concerns from the United Nations. It is another sign of the country's splintering during the civil war, which has lasted for almost two years. RSF has taken over most...

Mozambique's global bonds toppled previously today after a report that the new government in Maputo is weighing a financial obligation restructuring following months of postelection chaos. Below are a few of the issues dealing with the resource-rich southern African country of 35 million people. WHAT IS MOZAMBIQUE'S FINANCIAL OBLIGATION CIRCUMSTANCE? Concerns about federal government finances have actually been installing in current years due to an Islamist revolt in northern Mozambique that has actually postponed plans to establish substantial gas fields. Although Mozambique's public debt-to-GDP, was up to 93.7% in 2023 from 100.3% the previous year, it is categorized by the...

Kenya has actually begun conversations with the United Arab Emirates to secure funding to finish a regional railway, President William Ruto stated, after China cut facilities funding to the task. The railway connecting the Kenyan port of Mombasa with landlocked neighbours, as part of China's Belt and Road Effort, ended in the Rift Valley in 2019, 468 kilometres ( 290 miles) short of the border with Uganda, after Beijing withdrew support. We are checking out a partnership arrangement with the United Arab Emirates to extend the Requirement Gauge Railway to link Kenya, Uganda and South Sudan, Ruto stated on X...

India's benchmark indexes ended largely the same on Wednesday as concerns over slowing corporate revenues and the increasing possibility of fewer U.S. rate cuts balance out a rise in Reliance Industries and Tata Consultancy Providers. The Nifty 50 shed 0.08% to 23,688.95, while the BSE Sensex was down 0.06% at 78,148.49. Both the benchmarks fell about 0.8% each during the session before paring losses in the last two hours. Recent company updates from business, including Dabur India and Hero MotoCorp, have actually not led financiers to believe that business earnings growth in the 3rd quarter will be any better than...

Peru's government on Thursday stated an ecological emergency situation in a northern coastal area, where state oil company Petroperu last weekend spilled a crude oil delivery into surrounding waters of the Pacific Ocean. A vessel carrying out pre-shipment maneuvers triggered the spill on Saturday at a terminal of Peru's Talara refinery in northern Peru. Petroperu has actually not stated how much crude was spilled into the sea, however Peru's ecological watchdog OEFA stated in a. preliminary report it has affected some 10,000 square meters of. surface seawater, and the environment ministry said it has. impacted a minimum of seven beaches,...

Kenya has actually further extended an oil supply deal with 3 Gulf firms that has helped to eliminate pressure on its shilling currency, it stated on Tuesday. The handle Saudi Aramco, Abu Dhabi National Oil Business and Emirates National Oil Company was at first agreed in March in 2015 and was extended in September 2023 until this month. The Cabinet said in a declaration outlining choices made in its most current meeting that it had actually approved another extension, however did not state for how long it would run. Products from the three firms permitted Kenya to switch from the...

Kenya's energy minister stated on Thursday there was no bribery or corruption involved in the award of a contract to an unit of India's Adani Group to construct power lines in the East African country. Adani Energy Solutions in October signed a 30-year, $736. million public-private collaboration deal with the Kenya. Electrical Transmission Company. A court suspended the agreement. in the very same month. Energy Minister Opiyo Wandayi stated the deal was above board. There has actually been no case of corruption or bribery as far as. PIP (Privately-initiated proposal) with Adani Energy Solutions. is concerned, he told Kenya's Senate...

Elon Musk's Starlink is looking for security clearance for a licence to use satellite broadband services in India and will get an authorization if it satisfies all conditions, the telecoms minister stated on Tuesday. Starlink has actually been aiming to get in India for many years and its strategies got a major boost last month when New Delhi stated it wouldn't auction spectrum for satellite broadband but rather award it administratively - just as Musk desired. Competing Indian telecom billionaire Mukesh Ambani had wanted an auction. Indian telecom minister Jyotiraditya Scindia stated on Tuesday that Starlink was in the process...

Japanese trading house Sumitomo Corp stated on Thursday it had actually resumed production at the Ambatovy nickel and cobalt task in Madagascar at endOctober after a pipeline issue a month before, but is evaluating future output volumes. Sumitomo has actually been having a hard time to stabilise production and improve success at the Ambatovy project, which released in 2005. The job produced about 10,000 metric tons of nickel in April-September, or a half of the volume in the exact same period a. year earlier, the company said on Thursday, without supplying a complete. year output forecast, which it stated is...

Alphamin Resources' shares fell further in Toronto on Friday after the miner announced that it had temporarily stopped its tin mining operations in the volatile eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo as rebels advanced toward the operations. Early trading in Toronto saw a drop of up to 36%. Alphamin shares have fallen 52% this year according to LSEG. The company announced that activities at the Bisie tin mining site in Congo's North Kivu were halted after "insurgent militants groups recently advanced westward toward the mine's position in DRC, occupying Nyabiondo," according to a statement. Alphamin stated that "all...

Alphamin Resources announced that it will temporarily stop operations at its Bisie Tin Mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo because of unrest in North Kivu Province. The London Metal Exchange's (LME) soldering metal prices were up 3.3% to $34,530 per metric ton by 1401 GMT, after reaching $34,815 per ton - the highest price since July. Alphamin produced over 17,000 tons last year of the metal that is used in semiconductors. This represents more than 4% global total supplies, estimated to be around 380,000 tonnes. Alphamin stated in a press release that "this decision was taken after insurgent...

Officials in an Ethiopian region at a centre of tensions warned that Ethiopia and Eritrea, long-time enemies, could be heading towards war. This would risk another humanitarian catastrophe in the Horn of Africa. Analysts said that direct clashes between the two largest African armies could be the death blow to a historic rapprochement, for which Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Abiy Ahmed was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for in 2019. It may also attract other regional powers. This would likely cause another crisis in the region, where cuts in aid have made it difficult to help millions of people affected...

Angola announced on Tuesday that it will attempt to broker direct negotiations between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda-backed M23 M23 rebels within the next few days. The Congolese government has refused to engage in talks with M23 on numerous occasions and so far, there is no comment. The Southern African nation has been working to mediate for a long-lasting ceasefire, and deescalate tensions with Rwanda. Rwanda has been accused by the Congo of supporting the Tutsi rebel group. Rwanda denies that it has provided arms and troops to the M23 rebels and claims its forces are acting...

Residents reported that fighting between M23 rebels, and pro-Congo forces, was taking place in Nyabiondo on Sunday, 100 km north of Goma, in the eastern Congo. This comes days after an attack in the area left many civilians dead, according to both UN and NGO reports. Since the beginning of this year, the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group has taken over large areas of the mineral-rich east of Congo. Kipanda Bibiiri, a local official who was fleeing from the area, said that M23 had taken Nyabiondo at 11 a.m. (0900 GMT) following clashes. Telesphore Mitondeke is a civil society reporter in...

Residents reported that fighting between M23 rebels, and pro-Congo armed militias, was taking place in Nyabiondo on Sunday, 100 km north of Goma, in eastern Congo. This comes days after an attack in the area left many civilians dead, according to both UN and NGO reports. Since the beginning of this year, the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group has taken over large areas of mineral-rich eastern Congo. Kipanda Bibiiri, a local official who was fleeing from the area, said that M23 had taken Nyabiondo at 11am (0900 GMT) following clashes. Telesphore Mitondeke is a civil society reporter in Masisi. Nyabiondo lies...

The Wa State in Myanmar, a semiautonomous region, has finally broken a year-long silence about the fate of Man Maw Tin Mine. The mine is a jewel in Myanmar's crown of tin and its suspension, since August 2023 ostensibly to conduct an audit, has cut the flow of raw tin materials into Chinese smelters thereby reducing the output of refined metal. The Wa authorities now say they are ready for applications to be submitted for mining and processing licenses at Man Maw. This indicates that it is likely to return in the second half of this year. The International Tin...

The Wa State in Myanmar, a semiautonomous region, has finally broken a year-long silence about the fate of Man Maw Tin Mine. The mine is the crown jewel of Myanmar's tin industry. Its suspension in August 2023 - ostensibly to conduct an audit - has reduced the flow tin materials from Myanmar to Chinese smelters and thereby constrained the output of refined metal. The Wa authorities now say they are ready for applications to be submitted for mining and processing licenses at Man Maw. This indicates that it is likely to return in the second half of this year. The...

The United Nations reported on Monday that M23 rebels supported by Rwanda, who launched an offensive in eastern Congo last week abducted at least 131 sick and injured men from two Goma hospitals. In a statement, Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the U.N. Human Rights Office said that M23 fighters attacked CBCA Ndosho Hospital on February 28 and Heal African Hospital in the same night. They took 116 and 15 victims respectively. The men abducted were believed to be Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) soldiers or Wazalendo, a progovernment militia. Shamdasani, who called for the immediate release of these prisoners, said:...

Uganda signed its first mining sharing agreement (PSA), to redevelop an abandoned copper and cobalt-mine in the west of the country, near its border, with Democratic Republic of Congo. Government geologists estimate that the Kilembe Mine, located at the foothills the ice-capped Rwenzori Mountains, contains about 4,000,000 metric tons ore containing 1.98% cobalt and 0.17% copper, both of which will be needed to transition from fossil fuels. Energy and Mineral Development minister Ruth Nankabirwa said that under the PSA, Ugandan companies Sarrai Group Limited and Nile Fibreboard Limited would jointly develop the mine. She didn't say how much she would...

V.L., the Mines Secretary, said that India is looking at mining critical minerals in Zambia and Australia. Kantha Rao stated on Thursday that the fastest growing major economy in the world is looking to secure raw minerals such as lithium. Rao stated that companies like Coal India and ONGC Videsh explore critical minerals in Australia. India has been working to reduce its dependence on minerals like lithium, which is key for energy transition technologies. India is still developing the technology for processing lithium, a field dominated by China. Rao, in a press conference, said that the Zambian government had recently...

Impala Platinum's (Implats') CEO Nico Muller announced that the company could shut down its palladium mining operation in Canada sooner than expected if metal prices do not recover immediately. This was after a 43 percent drop in profits for the first half of 2012. Palladium's price has dropped the most of any platinum group metal (PGM), from a peak in March 2022 of around $3,440 per ounce down to its current level of $921. Muller stated that Implats may close the Canada Mine before the expiration of the remaining two years. However, no final decision was made yet. Muller told...