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More than twenty Muslim worshippers killed in mosque attack in Amhara, Ethiopia

Published

1 year ago

April 29, 2022

The Islamic Affairs Council of Amhara, a region in Ethiopia says more than twenty Muslim worshippers were killed in clashes with unidentified armed men.

The attack which happened in Gondar is described as a “massacre” by heavily armed “extremist Christians,” by the Islamist group.

Seid Muhammed, president of the Amhara Islamic Affairs Supreme Council, told a journalist on Wednesday that “the incident happened yesterday when Muslims were on their way to bury an individual.”

Seid said the armed men threw an explosive device at the Muslim crowd in the town of Gondar, killing three people and wounding five. The other victims died in the ensuing clashes.

“There were lootings of shops and there were attempts to set fire to three mosques. One mosque suffered minor damage where its mat was set on fire,” he said.

Forces under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed — the Ethiopian military, ethnic militias, and troops from neighboring Eritrea are fighting to oust the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, or T.P.L.F., from its stronghold in the northern region of Tigray.

The conflict in Ethiopia, Africa’s second-most populous country, has left thousands dead, forced more than two million people from their homes and pushed parts of the country into famine.

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Kenya, Russia sign deal to boost trade cooperation

Published

9 hours ago

May 29, 2023

Ifeoluwa Dada

Kenya’s presidency has revealed that the country is set to sign a trade pact with Russia focused on boosting cooperation between businesses.

President William Ruto’s office made the announcement on Monday, after hosting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Nairobi.

Lavrov is en route to Cape Town, South Africa for a summit of the foreign ministers of the BRICS group of rising economies, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, on June 1.

Beyond its growing defence ties with African countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mozambique and others, Russia has increased efforts to boost economic ties with Africa.

He commended the 60 years of friendship between his country and Kenya, saying Russia’s relationship with the continent has new momentum after the 2019 Russia-Africa Summit.

Russia also plans to hold an Africa-Russia summit in St Petersburg in July as it continues to attempt to wade off issues around relations with the West prompted by its invasion of Ukraine.

Since the commencement of the war in February 2022, African governments have failed to forge a unified position on it as most abstained from the vote in the first and second resolutions of the United Nations demanding that Russia ceases fire.

Kenya said its position remains respect for the territorial integrity of all countries. “Kenya calls for a resolution of the conflict in a manner respectful to the two parties,” a statement by the presidency said.

Source: https://www.president.go.ke/kenya-and-russia-to-boost-trade-relations/

Kenya, Russia to sign trade deal

Kenya’s presidency has revealed that the country is set to sign a trade pact with Russia focused on boosting cooperation between businesses.

President William Ruto’s office made the announcement on Monday after hosting Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov in Nairobi.

Lavrov is en route to Cape Town, South Africa for a summit of the foreign ministers of the BRICS group of rising economies, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, on June 1.

Beyond its growing defence ties with African countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mozambique and others, Russia has increased efforts to boost economic ties with Africa.

He commended the 60 years of friendship between his country and Kenya, saying Russia’s relationship with the continent had new momentum after the 2019 Russia-Africa Summit.

Russia also plans to hold an Africa-Russia summit in St Petersburg in July as it continues to attempt to strengthen ties with other allies even as relations with the West prompted by its invasion of Ukraine worsens.

Kenya said its position remained respect for the territorial integrity of all countries. “Kenya calls for a resolution of the conflict in a manner respectful to the two parties,” a statement by the presidency said.

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IMF approves $3 billion credit facility for Ghana

Published

2 weeks ago

May 18, 2023

Ifeoluwa Dada

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved about $3 billion 36-month Extended Credit Facility arrangement for Ghana.

The IMF Executive Board of the lender says the ECF arrangement is built on the government’s Post COVID-19 Program for Economic Growth (PC-PEG), which aims to restore macroeconomic stability and debt sustainability and includes wide-ranging reforms to build resilience and lay the foundation for stronger and more inclusive growth.

The body says the decision will enable an immediate disbursement equivalent to SDR 451.4 million (about US$600 million).

In a joint press conference with IMF Mission Chief, Stephane Roudet, Ghana’s Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta stated that there was no urgency to return to the international financial markets.

“Our expectation is that in managing our expenditure and increasing our revenue … we then get our ratings up and make the country more attractive for foreign investors,” Ofori-Atta said.

Ghana is one of many countries that are suffering from previously unheard-of delays in receiving bailouts. China is Ghana’s largest bilateral creditor, owing the country a total of almost $1.7 billion, although Western creditors and China disagree on the most effective means of debt relief.

The Paris Club at the weekend announced that official sector creditors of Ghana had formed a committee co-chaired by China and France for debt restructuring talks.