Liberian minister denies sacking employees

Liberia’s Youth and Sports Minister has denied media reports that he has fired several employees of the ministry. D. Zeogar Wilson said that he only instructed that 92 persons who were not employees of the ministry but were on ‘special allowance’ as contractors and consultants to stay home until a thorough review can be conducted. […]

Republic of Congo jails three poachers

Three poachers responsible for slaughtering eleven elephants in and around Nouabale-Ndoki National Park in January were convicted to five years’ imprisonment by the local district court in the Republic of Congo last week, according to WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society). The poachers, who had ventured deep into the remote Ndoki forest and spent three weeks killing […]

Liberians voted for equal fighting chance

Registered voters in 14 of the 15 counties of Liberia voted overwhelmingly for George Manneh Weah for president over Joseph N. Boakai for equal fighting chance. They voted to end the old patronage political culture, which has been killing the country for more than a century; Jarwinken Wiah writes. Equal fighting chance is the one […]

Sweden, Wikipedia unite to make internet gender equal

Sweden’s Foreign Ministry and Wikimedia will on March 8 take joint global action to help make the internet more gender equal. Edit-a-thons, aimed at increasing the number of women on Wikipedia, will be organized in parallel in some 50 countries. Foreign Minister Margot Wallström will host #WikiGapSthlm at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Wikipedia is […]

Africa adopts protocol on rights of the disabled

The newly adopted Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights has great potential to strengthen the implementation of universal human rights for 84 million Africans with disabilities, a UN human rights expert has said. “I welcome the African Union’s historic adoption of a Protocol that deals specifically with the rights of people […]

Sweden’s Foreign Policy Statement for 2018

On 14 February, Minister for Foreign Affairs Margot Wallström presented the 2018 Statement of Foreign Policy in the Riksdag (Parliament): Mr/Madam Speaker, Honourable Members, Representatives of the Diplomatic Corps, Ladies and Gentlemen, This year marks 100 years since the Riksdag decided to make the right to vote universal and equal for both women and men. […]

US: Victims sue alleged Liberian war criminal

The Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA) on Monday filed a civil suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against Philadelphia resident Moses Thomas, a former colonel in the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) suspected of instigating the infamous Lutheran Church Massacre, which is widely considered one of the most […]

Protecting children today prevents conflicts tomorrow

In Yemen, one child dies every ten minutes because of extreme hunger and disease resulting from conflict. Close to 10 million children remain at risk; bearing the brunt of a crisis that they hold no responsibility for, or control over. In Syria, schools – where children should find safety – are regularly attacked; denying them […]

Election campaign underway in Sierra Leone

Campaigns have started across Sierra Leone as politicians seek to woo voters in the upcoming general elections. Voters will cast their ballots for a president and lawmakers on March 7. According to the National Electoral Commission (NEC), the campaign period spans between February 4, through to March 5 – two clear days to the day […]

Sweden contributes $370m to World Food Program

The Swedish Government and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Friday signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement, with Sweden making a historic commitment of approximately US$370 million in flexible funds to WFP over the next four years (2018 to 2021). The contribution is the largest ever made by a donor within a WFP Strategic Partnership […]