International


Liberia: Liberia Losing Gold, Diamond Revenue to Sierra Leone and Guinea

May 29, 2018 | FrontPage Africa

Liberia is said to be losing a huge quantity of gold and diamond daily to Guinea and Sierra Leone due to the high export tax…


Afghanistan: Afghan Essential Oils in Demand by Foreign Perfume Industry

May 28, 2018 | TOLOnews

An Afghan company recently started exporting essential oils made from rose petals and orange blossoms for the foreign perfume industry.  The export company said the…


Liberia: In Buchanan, Grand Bassa: Storage Facility for Artisanal Fish Farmers Dedicated

May 28, 2018 | New Dawn

The storage facility, which has several compartments for the cold storing of fishery products, was constructed by the National Fish Farmers Union of Liberia (NAFUL)…


Sierra Leone: Sierra Leone War Criminal to Go Free after Ending Jail Term

May 28, 2018 | Channel News Asia

An ex-Sierra Leone militia leader was to walk free on Monday (May 28) after serving a 15-year sentence, the first to complete a term imposed for…


South Sudan: Oil-Mudslides Flooding South Sudan

May 28, 2018 | Terry Swartzberg, ViaNews

Triggerd by an oil spill and subsequent heavy rainfall, waves of oil and contaminants-soaked mud are rolling over South Sudanese villages and farmlands, reports the…


Afghanistan: Drought Adds to Woes of Afghanistan, in Grips of a Raging War

May 27, 2018 | Mujib Mashal, New York Times

Afghanistan, already torn by decades of intensifying violence, is grappling with a drought in two-thirds of the country that could lead to severe food shortages…


Myanmar: Kachin State Government, China Chasing Chinese Timber Smugglers

May 25, 2018 | Chan Thar, Myanmar Times

The Kachin State government is cooperating with Chinese authorities to arrest Chinese timber smugglers who stole some 2000 tonnes of seized timber in Hsawlaw township,…


Myanmar: US House Backs Measures to Sanction Myanmar's Military, Nudge Gem Sector Reform

May 25, 2018 | Zsombor Peter, Irrawaddy

The US House of Representatives has approved measures that call for targeted sanctions against more of Myanmar’s military leaders over human rights abuses in Rakhine…


Sierra Leone: Sierra Leone President to Push Review of Mining Law, Contracts

May 25, 2018 | Cooper Inveen, Reuters

Sierra Leone’s new president will follow through with campaign promises to review mining contracts and consider changes to the law that would ensure the West…


Myanmar: The Journey of the Blood Jade

May 25, 2018 | Lae Phyu Pya Myo Myint, Myanmar Times

“Journey of The Blood Jade”, a photo exhibition held on 16 to 18 May at The Yangon Gallery aimed to show just how bloody the…


Myanmar: License Renewals for Gem Blocks Suspended until New Law Stipulated, but Small-Scale Work Permitted

May 24, 2018 | Chan Mya Htwe and Khin Su Wai , Myanmar Times

More than 8,000 acres of jade and gem blocks backed by the State are expected to remain active until 2021, said U Aung Nyunt Thein,…


Afghanistan: Illegal Coal Mining on the Rise, Says Watchdog

May 24, 2018 | Mir Haidarshah Omid, TOLOnews

Integrity Watch Afghanistan has said the practice of illegal coal mining is steadily increasing, despite government’s decision to close mines because of the problem. Meanwhile,…


Colombia: Colombian Rural Peace 3: Indigenous Communities Influence Territorial Development Plans

May 24, 2018 | ICCO Cooperation

In January, ICCO was assigned a new project in Colombia called ‘Rural Peace’ by the European Union. Last month, Dutch minister of Foreign Affairs Stef…


Liberia: ‘Mandingos’ Sue Liberian Government for US$500 Million at ECOWAS Court

May 24, 2018 | Lennart Dodoo, FrontPage Africa

Before the Community Court of Justice of the Community of West African States (ECOWAS Court) is a lawsuit filed on behalf of the Mandingos in…


Ertharin Cousin Talks Food Insecurity, Conflict and Climate Change

May 23, 2018 | Holden Foreman, Stanford Daily

After a year as the Payne Distinguished Lecturer at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI), food security trailblazer Ertharin Cousin gave one last…


Myanmar: IFC’s Draft Hydropower SEA Report Released

May 23, 2018 | Myanmar Times

The draft strategic environmental assessment report which aims to improve the sustainability of the hydropower sector was released by the International Finance Corporation and the…


Myanmar: Military Officers Transferred over Jade Mine Bribes, Killings in Rakhine

May 23, 2018 | Htet Naing Zaw, Irrawaddy

Two high-ranking military officers have been transferred to the military’s auxiliary force for taking bribes from jade mines operating without a license in Kachin State’s…


Sierra Leone: How the Wealth from Sierra Leone’s Diamonds Fails to Enrich Local Communities

May 23, 2018 | Conversation

Ever since diamonds were discovered in Sierra Leone in the 1930s, they have had a significant impact on the country – socially, politically and economically.…


Sudan/South Sudan: AU Sets Date for Meeting between Sudan, S. Sudan on Disputed Abyei Area

May 23, 2018 | Xinhua

The African Union (AU) will hold a meeting for Sudan and South Sudan on the disputed Abyei area on May 30, the Sudanese Media Center…


Liberia: Liberia’s Second Largest Referral Hospital Turns to Agriculture for Sustenance

May 23, 2018 | FrontPage Africa

In order to generate revenue to sustain itself, Liberia’s second largest referral hospital, Jackson Fiah Doe Memorial Regional Referral Hospital in Nimba County, is now…


Kenya: Shalom (SCCRR) Adopts a Community Based Approach to the Management of Natural Resource Based Conflicts in Kenya

May 23, 2018 | Shalom Center

Conflict associated with natural environmental resources have in the recent past been a characteristic of life in most arid and semi-arid regions of Kenya. In…


Afghanistan: Baby Powder Helping Fund Islamic State in Afghanistan: Report

May 22, 2018 | Reuters

Islamic State fighters in Afghanistan are making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year from illegal mining of talc, much of which ends up in…


Colombia: 25,000 Evacuated as Hidroituango Dam Crisis Continues

May 22, 2018 | teleSUR

At least 25,000 people in Colombia have been evacuated after fresh floods caused by the Ituango hydroelectric dam on Monday followed the flooding of the Cauca river…


Myanmar: Illicit Drug Production Rages on in Conflict-Torn Areas of Myanmar

May 22, 2018 | Htet Naing Zaw, Irrawaddy

Illicit drug production rages on in conflict-torn regions in Myanmar, with supplies being smuggled into nearby countries but also reaching as far as Australia, said…


Afghanistan: Taliban, Islamic State Make Millions from Mining Afghan Minerals

May 22, 2018 | Eltaf Najafizada, Bloomberg

Rising global demand for cosmetics, marble and stainless steel is helping Taliban and Islamic State militants in Afghanistan fund their increasingly violent insurgencies, according to…


Afghanistan: Taliban, Islamic State Make Millions from Mining Afghan Minerals

May 22, 2018 | Eltaf Najafizada, Bloomberg

Rising global demand for cosmetics, marble and stainless steel is helping Taliban and Islamic State militants in Afghanistan fund their increasingly violent insurgencies, according to…


Myanmar: Resources Ministry Plans to Reforest 600,000 Acres over Next Decade

May 21, 2018 | Htoo Thant, Myanmar Times

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation targets to reforest 600,000 acres of denuded forest land in the next 10 years to mitigate the…


Egypt/Ethiopia: Solutions from Science Can Quell War over Nile Waters

May 21, 2018 | Otula Owuor, Nation

Hardly a week passes without a story about the impending Nile water wars between Egypt and Ethiopia. At the centre of the conflict is Africa’s…


Liberia: Presidential Committee Recommends Restitution, Charges in NOCAL Probe

May 19, 2018 | Lennart Dodoo, FrontPage Africa

The Special Presidential Committee set up by President George Manneh Weah to probe the NOCAL-ExxonMobile alleged bribery saga has recommended that officials who were mentioned…


Afghanistan: Farah’s War is over Water: Defense Minister

May 19, 2018 | Hayatullah Amanat, TOLOnews

Four days after the Taliban’s attack on Farah City, a senior government delegation on Saturday met with representatives of Farah - a meeting covered live…