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The choreography of inevitability: Uganda’s 2026 electoral charade

The choreography of inevitability: Uganda’s 2026 electoral charade

IN the sterile halls of Uganda's national tally centre in Lweza, electoral officials are performing an elaborate pantomime of democracy. They are counting votes, announcing percentages, updating spreadsheets with bureaucratic precision. The theatre is meticulous. The outcome was never in doubt. As tallies from nearly half of polling stations emerged Friday, President Yoweri Museveni commanded 76 percent of the vote, his main challenger Bobi Wine trailing with roughly 20 percent. The numbers scroll across screens like a script written long before the first ballot was cast. For this is not an election in any meaningful sense - it is a…
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Trump’s visa freeze hits 26 African nations: what it means and where to turn

Trump’s visa freeze hits 26 African nations: what it means and where to turn

THE United States has suspended immigrant visa processing for 26 African countries, effective January 21, in a sweeping crackdown that affects nearly half the continent and raises serious questions about America's hosting of the FIFA World Cup in just five months. The freeze targets citizens from Algeria, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Libya, Morocco, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, The Gambia, Togo, Tunisia, and Uganda. Washington claims nationals from these countries rely on public assistance "at unacceptable rates" and pose…
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Uganda Election 2026: Democracy under siege

Uganda Election 2026: Democracy under siege

VOTES have been cast in Uganda, under conditions that international observers have characterised as fundamentally incompatible with free and fair elections, as 81-year-old President Yoweri Museveni seeks to extend his iron grip on power into a fifth decade against the backdrop of systematic repression, widespread violence, and a government-imposed internet blackout. The election represents a critical rematch between Museveni and his primary challenger, 43-year-old pop star-turned-opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, known as Bobi Wine, who has galvanised millions of young Ugandans with promises to dismantle what he characterises as a brutal dictatorship. Yet the contest unfolds under circumstances that reveal the…
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Malawi’s cabinet dogs: When German shepherds sparked a political storm

Malawi’s cabinet dogs: When German shepherds sparked a political storm

IN a plot twist that would make even the most creative political thriller writers blush, Malawi has found itself embroiled in what can only be described as the world's most expensive dog custody battle. Move over, bitter Hollywood divorces - this one involves 80 policemen, a former president barricaded in his home, and four very confused German Shepherds worth $2,300. The Great Canine Caper Picture this: It's September, and Lazarus Chakwera, the 70-year-old pastor-turned-president, has just lost his re-election bid to 85-year-old Peter Mutharika, who's staging his own political comeback tour (tagline: "Return to Proven Leadership"). As Chakwera prepares to…
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American family trapped in Nigeria after Trump immigration order blocks adopted child’s entry

American family trapped in Nigeria after Trump immigration order blocks adopted child’s entry

AN American family remains stranded in Nigeria after President Donald Trump's latest immigration proclamation blocked their newly adopted special-needs infant from entering the United States, marking what advocates say is an unprecedented restriction on international adoptions. The Wilson family, whose case has drawn attention on social media, cannot return home because Presidential Proclamation 10998 — signed shortly after Trump's January 20 inauguration — removed the traditional exemption for adopted children from travel restrictions affecting 39 countries, including Nigeria. "No parent should have to choose between staying in a dangerous place or leaving their child behind," the family wrote in advocacy…
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Uganda deploys army, bans rights groups as internet blackout grips nation before elections

Uganda deploys army, bans rights groups as internet blackout grips nation before elections

ARMED soldiers patrolled the streets of Uganda's capital on Wednesday as the government intensified a sweeping crackdown on the eve of contentious elections, deploying military forces to intimidate opposition supporters while the country remained cut off from the internet. The military deployment follows the government's shutdown of internet services Tuesday evening and the banning of two prominent civil society organisations, marking an escalation in what human rights groups describe as an unprecedented assault on democratic freedoms in the East African nation. The Uganda Communications Commission ordered mobile service providers to shut down public internet connections from 6 p.m. local time…
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Millionaire investor loses safari empire after Zimbabwe court invalidates lease

Millionaire investor loses safari empire after Zimbabwe court invalidates lease

A 73-year-old businessman who poured millions into one of Zimbabwe's premier safari destinations has been stripped of his investment after the country's Supreme Court cancelled his lease, leaving him facing eviction without compensation in a ruling that has sent shockwaves through the investment community. Terry William Kelly, whose Chewore Lodge has hosted international tourists for 15 years and generated substantial revenue for both his company and the Zimbabwean government, now stands to lose everything after judges ruled his 25-year lease agreement was invalid — despite years of government acceptance of his rental payments and operational permits. The court's decision hinged…
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Pope Leo’s Africa visit signals strategic pivot for Catholic Church’s fastest-growing continent

Pope Leo’s Africa visit signals strategic pivot for Catholic Church’s fastest-growing continent

POPE LEO will visit Angola as part of a multi-nation African tour, the Vatican's ambassador has announced, marking what could be the first overseas journey of 2026 for a pontiff whose tenure may define the Catholic Church's relationship with its most vital demographic frontier.Archbishop Kryspin Dubiel, the Holy See's envoy to Angola, told journalists in Luanda that Leo has accepted an invitation from President João Lourenço, though dates and itinerary details remain under negotiation. "The Holy Father has accepted the invitation… (but) we are currently in the process of preparing the plan and programme," Dubiel said.The announcement carries profound strategic…
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Armed groups weaponize rape in eastern Congo as US aid cuts leave survivors without care

Armed groups weaponize rape in eastern Congo as US aid cuts leave survivors without care

SEXUAL violence has surged across eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as armed groups systematically deploy rape as a weapon of war, while abrupt cuts to U.S. funding have left thousands of survivors without access to life-saving medical care, according to a report released Sunday. The Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group, the Congolese military, and at least five other armed factions have committed widespread sexual violence against women and girls in North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri provinces, Human Rights Watch and Congolese women's rights organization SOFEPADI documented. The United Nations recorded over 80,000 rape cases in the region between January and…
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From badge to dock: Lesotho’s fallen top cop grapples with murder charge in bail rollercoaster

From badge to dock: Lesotho’s fallen top cop grapples with murder charge in bail rollercoaster

IN a stunning reversal of fortunes, retired Police Commissioner Molahlehi Letsoepa – once the iron-fisted guardian of Lesotho's law and order – now sits uncomfortably in the accused's dock, staring down a murder charge that has flipped the script on his storied career. Accused alongside a cadre of former officers in the 2025 slaying of Police Constable Mokalekale Khetheng, Letsoepa was granted bail Monday by the High Court in a ruling that underscores the kingdom's turbulent quest for justice amid allegations of police-on-police violence. Justice Mafelile Ralebese, presiding with unflinching resolve, slapped Letsoepa with a M7,000 bail deposit, ordering him…
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