Politics

Somalia eyes new opportunities as it joins regional bloc, EAC

Published

8 months ago

November 25, 2023

Somalia has become the eighth member of the regional trade bloc, the East African Community (EAC), which consists of neighbours, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Somalia’s minister for information, culture, and tourism, Daud Aweis, said in a post on X, “Somalia officially joins the East African Community, reinforcing ties and opening new doors for progress and partnership.”

By adding Somalia, the bloc has gained access to a larger market as well as an extended coastline that stretches over 3,000 km (1,800 miles) and may contain offshore resources like gas and oil.

Somalia can now take advantage of the bloc’s substantial population, pre-existing customs union, and shared market, which attract investors.

Companies in Somalia stated that the dynamic private sector of the nation, which has persevered through great hardships to remain afloat, would introduce new, risk-taking businesspeople into the trade bloc and foster communication throughout the sizable Somali Diaspora.

“It will be simpler for the large Somali Diaspora living across East Africa to access financial services and products,” said Shuayb Haji Nur Mohamed, managing director of Salaam Somali Bank, one of Somalia’s major banks.

After the most recent evaluation of Somalia’s performance under the Extended Credit Facility agreement, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said that despite several obstacles, the country had made significant progress in putting recommended changes meant to boost the economy into practice.

The IMF announced last month that as a result of recent reforms to improve domestic revenue collection and transparency in the management of public finances, Somalia was almost certain to receive full debt relief from it and other creditors.

Related Topics:Featured president William Ruto Somalia

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Politics

Sierra Leone imprisons 11 military, police officers over coup attempt

Published

3 days ago

July 24, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Sierra Leone’s high court has sentenced 11 soldiers and police officers to hefty prison terms for their alleged roles in an attempted military coup last year.

On November 26, gunmen in Sierra Leone freed 2,200 detainees and killed over 20 in military barracks, a jail, and other locations.

After the coup attempt failed, 12 individuals were charged with treason in January. On Monday night, a unanimous jury found 11 guilty of 20 counts, including treason, murder, and military uniform use.

Due to health difficulties, the APC’s Bai Mahmoud Bangura, the twelfth accused, is being tried separately.

Amadu Koita Makalo, a retired army major and former bodyguard of ex-president Ernest Bai Koroma, received consecutive 40-70-year sentences for multiple counts.

Two female police officers were sentenced. Ramatu Kamanda Conteh received 30 years of harbouring Koita.

The government attributed the coup attempt to Koroma’s bodyguards, who were ultimately charged with four offences. However, the government let him leave the country on medical grounds.

Ex-president, Ernest Bai Koroma was accused of participating in a botched military coup attempt in November, and on January 3, was charged with four offences. However, a high court decided on Wednesday that Koroma was free to leave the nation.

His lawyers labelled the coup attempt “trumped up” and a “political vendetta” while Koroma condemned it.

Two decades after a 1991-2002 civil conflict that killed over 50,000 Sierra Leoneans, tensions have risen again.

Politics

Tanzania’s president fires foreign, information ministers

Published

4 days ago

July 23, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Tanzania’s President, Samia Suluhu Hassan, has announced the sack of two top officials, including the foreign minister, in a mini-cabinet reshuffle.

Hassan took steps to rebuild international trust in his economic and political reforms, including relaxing restrictions on opposition parties and media, which had been criticized for failing.

The presidency stated late Sunday that Hassan fired January Makamba, minister of foreign affairs and East Africa cooperation, and Nape Nnauye, minister of information, communication, and IT.

They are influential in Chama cha Mapinduzi, the ruling party.

No explanation was offered for their removal. Makamba and Nnauye responded slowly to calls for comment.

Nnauye was fired a week after a video showed him suggesting election results depended on who counts ballots and announces them.

Nnauye later apologized, saying it was a joke, but activists and social media users argued it harmed Hassan’s democracy efforts.

Muhammad Thabit Kombo became the foreign affairs minister and Jerry Silaa information, communication, and IT minister under Hassan.

While Silaa was minister of lands, housing, and human settlements development, Kombo was Tanzania’s ambassador to Italy. Two more ministers and deputy ministers were appointed, the presidency stated.

Since 2021, Hassan’s government has been lauded for rolling back her predecessor’s opposition and civil rights crackdowns. The arrests of a lawyer and an opposition leader last year have cast doubt on her government’s human rights record.