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The content originally appeared on: CNN Earlier in the day, Suu Kyi was sentenced to four years in prison on charges of incitement and breaking Covid-19 rules, in the first verdict against the Nobel Peace Prize winner since the military seized power in February. Suu Kyi, 76, was Myanmar's state counselor and de facto leader of the country before she was ousted and detained by the military 10 months ago and hit with almost a dozen charges that add up […]
In May, Burundi held a presidential election which was won by Evariste Ndayishimiye, candidate of the ruling National Council for the Defense of Democracy - Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) party.
Ndayishimiye was hurriedly sworn in after the untimely death of president Pierre Nkurunziza in June.
Rights violations continue
The Council encouraged donor countries which had suspended aid to Burundi to continue dialogue towards resumption of development assistance.
A report by a UN watchdog in September said human rights violations were still being committed in Burundi, including sexual violence and murder.
The country was plunged into a crisis in April 2015 when Ndayishimiye’s predecessor Pierre Nkurunziza decided to run for a controversial third term, which he ultimately won in July 2015.
His candidature, which was opposed by the opposition and civil society groups, resulted in a wave of protests, violence and even a failed coup in May 2015.
Hundreds of people were killed and over 300,000 fled to neighboring countries.
Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister, Gedu Andargachew has rejected Egypt’s call to refer the dispute over Addis Ababa’s construction of the giant Nile dam to the United Nations Security Council.
The $4.6 billion project, on the Blue Nile in Ethiopia, would create the most powerful hydroelectric dam in Africa.
“The issue with the dam can be solved right here instead of taking it to the UN Security Council.
Truth be told, if they are thinking like that their issue is not with Blue Nile (dam), it is with a country called Ethiopia.
Unless this is a longing for war, the dam in fact encourages development, brotherhood, and creating ties”, the Ethiopian foreign minister added.
[Addis Standard] Addis Abeba -- In a letter from Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Demeke Mekonnen and sent to the United Nations Security Council, Ethiopia says it \"rejects the unwelcome meddling by the League of Arab States on the matter of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).\"
In 1997, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), an international court established by the United Nations Security Council to judge people responsible for the genocide, indicted Kabuga on seven criminal charges including genocide.
Bubacar Jallow spoke to Al Jazeera about the significance of Kabuga's arrest.
Bubacar Jallow: We had clear evidence that he left Rwanda after the genocide and had gone to Kenya.
Al Jazeera: Had Kabuga travelled to Kenya under his own name?
Bubacar Jallow: In addition to the process of justice, you need other elements such as healing in the community to bring closure.
The Ministry of Health today said that four more persons who tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) have died.
The article COVID claims four more lives appeared first on Stabroek News.
[CAF] The CAF inspection team on Sunday, 23 May 2021, visited the city of Garoua in the northern region of Cameroon as part of the inspections and preparations for next year's Total Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon 2021.
Ralph J. Bunche confirmed by United Nations Security Council as acting UN mediator in Palestine.
[CAF] The Total CAF Super Cup in Doha, Qatar on Friday night, 28 May 2021 will be played in a biologically safe environment (bio-bubble).
The Normative Status of the 2015 Agreement on the Declaration of Principles
Can making a declaratory agreement on the existing principles of international water law between countries be a treaty per se and puts a treaty obligation onto the parties to this declaratory agreement?
Principle of cooperation, Principle of Equitable and Reasonable Utilization, Principle not to cause significant harm, principle of exchange of information and data, principle of sovereignty and territorial integrity, and principle of peaceful settlement of disputes are the principles agreed by Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan in their agreement of declaration of principles.
Hence making an agreement on the known principles is not a treaty which can be regulated by international law and the agreement has no any subject matter than reaffirming the principles of international law.
Hence the DoP which was signed between the three countries is not a treaty as it does not have a subject matter than being a gadget of pre-existing principles of international law.
The DoP is a mere restatement of general principles of international law and making an agreement on any issue is not a treaty.
Kenya and Djibouti will later today know which of them will take Africa’s non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, UNSC.
Regional votes were split between the two competing nations with Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia siding with Djibouti whiles Eritrea voted for Kenya.
“The story of how tiny Djibouti outflanked Kenya, a regional power, to obtain 78 votes for the UNSC seat is fascinating.
The Security Council is the U.N.’s most powerful body and has five permanent members — the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France — and 10 members elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms, with seats allocated to regional groups.
Normally, ambassadors from the 193 U.N. member states would meet in the horseshoe-shaped assembly chamber at U.N. headquarters overlooking New York’s East River and vote by secret ballot for new Security Council members.
[Nation] Kenya's Lilian Chemweno finished second in the Nedbank Runified: Breaking Barriers ultra-marathon 50 kilometres race in Port Elizabeth, South Africa Sunday.
Addis Ababa — The Extraordinary African Union (AU) Bureau of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government Vide-Teleconference Meeting, held on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, (GERD) issued on June 26, 2020 the following communiqué:-
COMMUNIQUE OF THE EXTRAORDINARY AFRICAN UNION (AU) BUREAU OF THE ASSEMBLY OF HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT VIDEO-TELECONFERENCE MEETING ON THE GRAND ETHIOPIAN RENAISSANCE DAM (GERD), 26 JUNE 2020
President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa of the Republic of South Africa, and Chairperson of the African Union (AU) convened a video-teleconference Meeting of the African Union (AU) Extraordinary Bureau of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, on 26 June 2020, to discuss developments pertaining to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
The Meeting of the Bureau was held pursuant to consultations undertaken by His Excellency, President Ramaphosa, in his capacity as the Chairperson of the Union with the three Negotiating Parties concerning the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), namely, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan.
The Bureau of the Assembly was addressed by His Excellency, President Abdel Fattah al Sisi of the Arab Republic of Egypt; His Excellency, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmad of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia; and His Excellency, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok of the Republic of Sudan, with regards to their respective positions pertaining to the GERD matter.
In this regard, the Bureau of the Assembly agreed to augment the Tripartite Committee dealing with the GERD issue consisting of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan with the participation of observers, namely South Africa in its capacity as Chairperson of the AU, Members of the Bureau of the AU, and experts from the Commission, with a view to addressing outstanding technical and legal issues.
The Bureau of the Assembly and participating Heads of State and Government welcomed the intervention of H.E. President Ramaphosa and expressed their deep gratitude for his initiative to bring together the three Parties to the GERD in order to find a negotiated solution on outstanding matters.
Press Release - Alleged Killings by Military, Armed Islamist Groups Go Unpunished
[Nation] The Chinese government says Beijing is stepping up support for Africa's post-pandemic recovery, with initial focus on vaccine access, as a \"public good\"
[Tunis Afrique Presse] Tunis/Tunisia -- 684,173 COVID-19 vaccines were administered until May 19, including 466,895 first shots and 217,278 booster shots.
[The Conversation Africa] Following a maritime boundary dispute, Somalia instituted proceedings against Kenya at the International Court of Justice in August 2014. The two east African neighbours dispute 160 000 square kilometres of territory in the Indian Ocean with prospects of vast oil and gas deposits.
[The Point] From Israeli armed forces storming Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque on Monday morning to Israel pounding Gaza with air strikes and artillery on Thursday night in response to the rocket firing by Hamas, the Israel-Palestine conflict has escalated dangerously within days.
[State Department] Washington, DC -- Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed today. The Secretary stressed the need for all parties to the conflict to commit to an immediate, indefinite, negotiated ceasefire.
New York City schools will be all in person this fall with no remote options, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced... View Article
The post NYC mayor: Public schools will be all in person this fall appeared first on TheGrio.
C. Steven McGann joined the Foreign Service in 1992 and has since attained the status of Career member, Senior Foreign Service, with the rank of Minister-Counselor (FE-MC). His overseas posts have included Taiwan, Zaire, South Africa, Australia, and Kenya.
A member of the United States Mission to the United Nations (1998-2000), McGann was instrumental in working with peacekeeping operations in Georgia and Tajikistan; he also developed and implemented Security Council strategies for Afghanistan, Cyprus, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Chechnya. During this time, he also shepherded a resolution through the United Nations Security Council that endorsed Nelson Mandela as Special Envoy for Burundi.
As South Asia Bureau Deputy Director for Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh (2000-2002) he helped craft polices to restore democracy in Afghanistan. As Director for Asia and the Near East in the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (2003-2005), McGann oversaw $370 million in humanitarian assistance for Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Bhutan, and North Korea. He was next Senior Advisor in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs; succeeded by Director of the Office for Australian, New Zealand, and Pacific Island Affairs in the State Department’s Bureau for East Asian and Pacific Affairs (2006-2008).
C. Steven McGanns first ambassadorial assignment came with the responsibility of not just one, but five nations. Nominated by President George W. Bush on October 6th, 2008 and subsequently confirmed by the U.S. Senate, he arrived in Suva, the capital of Fiji, on November 24, 2008 and presented his credentials to the island government. He presented his credentials to four other nearby South Pacific island nations—Kiribati, Tonga, Nauru, and Tuvalu—on the same day. Resident at Suva, Ambassador McGann oversaw the construction of a new U.S. Embassy in that city and was also the first United States Representative to the Pacific Islands Forum, during which he served as principal interlocutor with the Secretariat of the
Makila James is currently serving as the U.S. Ambassador to Swaziland. James was nominated by President Barack Obama early in 2012. Following confirmation by the U.S. Senate on July 31, 2012, James arrived in Mbabane, the capital of Swaziland and presented her credentials to the King of Swaziland on September 20, 2012.
Makila James, one of ten children born to Albert and Eddie Mae James, was born in July 1957 in New York. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Cornell University in 1979, double majoring in Africana Studies and American History. She was one of the few African Americans inducted into Cornell’s Quill and Dagger Honor Society at the University. Three years later James received a Juris Doctor (law degree) from Colombia Law School and in 2010 she received a Master’s Degree in National Security from the National Defense University in Washington, D.C.
James’s career as a diplomat began when she joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1988. Her first overseas posting was as a Consular Officer in Kingston, Jamaica from 1989 to 1992. From 1993 to 1995 she was a Political/Economics Officer at the U.S. Consulate in Kaduna, Nigeria and she later served as Political Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Ambassador James also held positions at the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C. including Watch Officer at the Operations Center, Desk Officer for Sierra Leone and Gambia in the Office of West African Affairs, and International Relations Officer in the Department’s Office of International Organization Affairs. She was the State Department representative in the International Relations Office for Africa at the United Nations Security Council in New York City, New York. From 2002 to 2003 James was a Research Fellow at the Georgetown University Institute for the Study of Diplomacy in Washington, D.C.
From 2003 to 2006, James served as a member of the U.S. State Departments Policy Planning Staff. She returned to Africa between 2006 and 2007, to become the first full time Principal Officer at
[East African] The self-declared Republic of Somaliland marked 30 years of self-rule with festivities in the capital Hargeisa.
