In Nigeria today, there is renewed agitation for the creation of the separatist Biafra republic. The 3-year Biafra war led to the death of some 3 million Igbo people, according to Biafra supporters. Here is a summary of five Igbo demands, each one a memorial symbolising their resilience in surviving five decades of the longest, continuous running genocide of recent history.

Western powers and their media clergy have no right to give lessons of democracy to China. They should first correct their ugly behavior in the places they control.

Climate change has brought on a severe drought in Swaziland. The solution to the crisis is literally to pray for rain, says the country’s absolute monarch. No, we need a democratic government that does not treat its people as enemies, says a young activist.

Why does Ghana want to be put on a list of countries who have defined themselves as those who tacitly approve of senseless US actions that often cause the deaths of innocent people, including women and children? Did this African country consider its own security when accepting the Al Qaeda men?

Islamic militancy which targets non-Muslims, often Christians, is deeply rooted in the historical discord that exists within Islam itself. Prophet Mohammad preached peaceful co-existence particularly with Christians. Muslims who promote wanton violence in the name of their religion are simply misguided about its true teachings.

At least 300 Shia sect members, and likely many more, were killed and hundreds more injured in December when the Nigerian army confronted the group in the north of the country. This deadly encounter reveals – once again – a country that is sleepwalking to a catastrophe.

East and Central Africa’s largest media house, Kenya’s Nation Media Group, has this week sparked a national storm after suspending a senior newspaper editor for publishing an editorial sharply critical of the government of President Uhuru Kenyatta. Kenyans are wondering whether the disciplining of Denis Galava indicates NMG’s growing coziness with the scandal-ridden regime that is relentlessly dragging the country back to dark days of dictatorship. Below is the controversial editorial published by Daily Nation on January 2, 2016.

Namibian President Geingob's image as a flamboyant intellectual filling the shoes of a skilled statesman is showing wear and tear. Intolerance and temper limit his ability to engage with critical views constructively. Add to that an aloof and dismissive attitude bordering on arrogance, and the people of Namibia have reason to worry about the prosperity promise.

The first generation of African leaders had some excellent qualities like nationalism, patriotism, vision and less corruption. But they suffered from the grave original sin of staying in power too long by undemocratic means. The continent is still harvesting the sour fruits of their legacies in the likes of Mugabe, Museveni and Kagame.

In my interactions with the youth, I have discovered that we are in a very serious situation in this country. The average Nigerian youth is not independent, but their mind is focused on conformity and adherence to the rules. If the youthful minds of our country are busy doing what they have been told, then who will challenge the status quo?

In September, there were high hopes in some parts of Swaziland’s civil society and democratic movement that a dialogue with the county’s absolute monarch King Mswati III was on the table. Not least because of pressure from the Commonwealth, the USA and the EU. Three months later no such meeting has taken place and that hope seems all but shattered.

Self-described Africa scholar Gerald Caplan’s recent praise of Canada’s relations with Uganda is superficial and misleading. He ignores Canada’s support for imperialism in East Africa that goes back to the days of the slave trade.

China’s cooperation with Africa promises great benefits for the continent. But the Chinese government owes it to its people not to allow the fruits of the suffering of the Chinese to be monopolised by corrupt African elites. They must carry out thorough due diligence before they give the Chinese people's money as loans to African regimes.

It is a matter of international solidarity to side with the oppressed, advocating their rights and thereby also promoting fundamental human rights universally. Namibia itself benefitted from such solidarity in its struggle for freedom. So how come the country is withdrawing from the International Criminal Court?

As the violence escalates to a kill a week – sometimes more - illegal evictions continue unabated, women are are raped by gun-toting triggermen, and freedom of movement and association has ground to a halt in this poor South African neighbourhood, anyone who suggests ‘bringing warring factions together at the ‘negotiation table’ has clearly been drinking Molotov cocktails, or they are on the thugs’ payroll.

A child born in the U.S.A. will consume more—and cause more greenhouse gas emissions—during his lifetime than several children born in a developing country. It is no longer in doubt that there exists a clear link between population and the climate crisis.

The government-appointed Commission was wound up last month and directed to compile its report by 30 November. The report is expected to be published on 15 December. The Commission faced a lot of huddles deliberately thrown on its way including a campaign mounted by government figures to discredit it.

Joseph Kabila is doing everything to remain in power in DR Congo. He knows that he cannot hold on to power solely by force, hence he is in a mad pursuit to establish any form of legitimacy to justify holding on to the presidency. His options are increasingly limited and in the end, his schemes are likely to fail.

Our identity no longer resides in the nation-state but is located rather as human earthlings within the unfolding evolutionary journey of the universe. A new ethic of care and compassion to build our common home – the Cosmos - is essential.

In the light of the recent attack at Bamako’s Radisson Blu Hotel, Cameron Duodu looks at the context of Malian political instability, and how French involvement needs to be re-strategized if it is to have a positive impact.