The Somali government announced that an explosion Tuesday in Mogadishu was an attempt on the president’s life by al-Shabaab terrorists.
The Information Ministry said President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s convoy was attacked at approximately 10.32 a.m. (0732 GMT) in the Xamar-Jajab district in Mogadishu.
It said Mohamud’s was en route to the Mogadishu International Airport to join troops on the frontlines in Hirshabelle state.
“The attack was thwarted, and the President safely arrived at his destination as planned,” it said.
It ministry added that the “cowardly act which resulted in the death and injury of innocent civilians” is a testament to the group’s growing desperation as “they suffer continuous defeats at the hands of the Somali National Army.”
Security forces launched an investigation into the attack that took place near a heavily fortified area of the capital.
“With the unity of our people and the support of our international partners, we will secure lasting peace and stability for Somalia,” it said.
Hussien Sheikh Ali, the president’s national security adviser, said earlier that the president is safe and is on the frontline towns.
“This nation cannot be intimidated by hypocrisy and exaggerated lies,” he wrote on X after the attack.
The al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab terror group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it attacked the president’s convoy that was headed to the airport. By Mohamed Dhaysane, Anadolu Agency
KMPDU Secretary General Davji Atellah,address his fellow doctors,outside parliament building on 18th March 2025.[Edward Kiplimo,Standard]
Health workers have threatened to go on strike if their demands for better terms are not met. During a demonstration Tuesday, doctors, members of the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers and staff hired under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme called for remittance of statutory deductions and payment of salary arrears.
They also want interns posted and the UHC staff put on permanent and pensionable terms.
In the march that started at the Kenyatta National Hospital to the Social Health Authority (SHA) offices, Afya House and then the Senate, the health professionals warned they would shut down the healthcare sector in May if they are not heard.
“We are ready to go on strike not just for ourselves but for interns, clinical officers, and UHC staff. This government has decided to kill both patients and doctors,” said Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentist union Secretary-General Davji Atellah.
He condemned SHA’s failures, stating that even basic health services remain inaccessible to many medical professionals.
“SHA is only working for politicians. Healthcare workers cannot access it every 9th of the month. This is unacceptable.”
The protesters also decried plans to slash their salaries, with concerns that their pay could be reduced from Sh70,000 to Sh40,000 despite the Ministry of Health’s budget standing at Sh3.7 billion.
The health workers cited frustrations with contractual jobs that leave them earning far less than their county government counterparts.
“We have been forced into three-year contracts, and now we are serving under an illegal extension beyond the initial five years,” said one UHC worker.
The union claims that over 8,500 UHC staff are stuck in an exploitative system where they earn only half of what their colleagues on permanent terms receive, with no allowances.
“We have been protesting for months, but the government refuses to listen. If they continue ignoring us, we will go on a full-blown strike,” said a staff.
Medical interns said they had been left stranded without postings, salaries or licences.
“I have had to work in catering just to survive because I have no licence to practice. I trained to be a doctor, but I’m cooking for people just to put food on the table,” said an intern.
In the meantime, SHA has pulled downthe payment list of Sh11.4 billion after the infiltration of the system by scammers.
Acting Chief Executive Officer Robert Ingasira said criminals downloaded and doctored the list.
“Some people had downloaded the list, doctored it and were using it to con hospitals, telling them they are helping hospitals to be paid,” he said.
The public had poked holes into inconsistency in relaying information about hospital payments, after the list of Sh11.4 billion pay was made public, only for it to be pulled down.
Ingasira said a number of hospitals complained that unknown individuals were calling them claiming to be reconciling National Hospital Insurance Fund debt.
“Hospitals reported to us that individuals who posed like SHA employees reached out to them, asking them to share their details so that they could help them process claims for NHIF debt,” he said.
The complaints were raised on Thursday and Friday last week, and the list was pulled down over the weekend. SHA cautioned healthcare providers and the public that the payment analysis document was fake and should be disregarded.
He said the list would be put up on the website soon.
In the list published last week, hospitals ranging from private, public, mission and faith based facilities received their two months pay, from December 3, 2024 and February 3. By Mercy Kahenda and Maryann Muganda, The Standard
North West Regional (NWRC) has awarded three scholarships to asylum seekers living and studying in Derry, offering them the chance to pursue their academic and professional goals.
Diana Tamayo from Colombia, Ghadeer Fatouh from Syria, and Micheal Mutebi from Uganda are the 2024/25 recipients of the NWRC Asylum Seeker Scholarship, an initiative that seeks to support the college’s ongoing commitment to inclusivity and diversity.
Chukwuka Frank Nwanonenyi, who was awarded the scholarship last year, has gone on to complete his course and has decided to continue his education at NWRC with a Foundation Degree in Applied Science.
Mum-of-one Diana Tamayo moved to Derry in 2020. Having already achieved a degree in Psychology in Colombia she decided to enrol on a Higher National Diploma course at the college and hopes to pursue a career in Early Years. Diana has volunteered in day cares, special needs settings and in local primary schools.
Ghadeer Fatouh (17) who studies the Level 2 in Beauty Therapy as well as GCSEs at NWRC is an asylum seeker from Syria. Ghadeer wants to progress with her education so she can help support her family – her mum doesn’t speak any English. Her brother Ahmed is also in the city and is hoping to enrol with NWRC in the future. By NWRC
Today, Belgium was informed of Rwanda’s decision to sever diplomatic relations with Belgium and to declare Belgian diplomats in Kigali persona non grata.
“Belgium regrets this decision, which is disproportionate and illustrates that when we disagree with Rwanda, it prefers to avoid dialogue,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxime Prévot.
“I invited my Rwandan counterpart, Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe, to meet me during his visit to Brussels last week, but he declined the meeting, despite an open offer to find a mutually convenient time. It appears that the Rwandan government has likely preferred to settle for a unilateral and biased interpretation of our position. However, cutting off channels of discussion never facilitates the resolution of disputes.”
Belgium refutes President Paul Kagame’s statements over the weekend, as well as the reasons invoked to justify Rwanda’s decision. Belgium does not seek to punish or weaken Rwanda, let alone based on a colonial past from which it has long distanced itself. This is a complete distortion of the facts.
“Belgium’s only guiding principle will remain the respect for human rights, the rule of law, and international humanitarian law,” said Minister Prévot. This position is shared by the entire EU as well as other international partners, including the G7. This demonstrates that it is not an isolated stance and that Belgium does not need to convince its allies.
Belgium’s position on the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda remains unchanged, and we reaffirm it. Belgium has unequivocally condemned the genocide against the Tutsi and has assumed its share of responsibility, including by formally apologizing for its shortcomings. Belgium remains committed to enforcing the law against genocide denial and will maintain strong judicial cooperation with Rwanda in prosecuting those responsible.
In response to the violation of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s territorial integrity and the ongoing violence in the east of the country, Belgium believes that a firm and unanimous response from the EU was necessary. This morning, the Council of the European Union adopted individual sanctions against senior Rwandan military officials as well as members of the M23 and AFC.
One individual and one Rwandan company were also sanctioned for their involvement in the illegal trafficking of natural resources from the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is likely that today’s decision by Rwanda is not unrelated to the unanimous adoption of these sanctions at the European level.
The goal of these measures is to apply pressure so that all parties cease hostilities and come to the negotiating table. Belgium welcomes the progress made in recent days through regional mediation and strongly encourages these efforts. The Democratic Republic of Congo must also take responsibility, not only to enable conflict resolution but also to reform its own governance.
Belgium calls for genuine engagement in regional and national dialogues, while also ending any cooperation with the FDLR and sanctioning any speech or actions that incite hatred against Rwandophones.
Rwanda’s decision has not gone unanswered. Minister Maxime Prévot has decided to implement reciprocal measures: summoning Rwanda’s acting chargé d’affaires, declaring Rwandan diplomats persona non grata with an order to leave Belgian territory within 48 hours, and terminating our bilateral governmental cooperation agreements (based on Article 11.3).Kingdom of Belgium Foreign Affairs
In response to a rapidly escalating humanitarian crisis, the European Union has allocated €200,000 in emergency humanitarian aid to support Congolese asylum seekers arriving in Burundi. The funding will provide life-saving assistance to thousands in urgent need.
The ongoing armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has triggered a mass exodus of people, with over 65,000 people fleeing to Burundi—a number that continues to rise daily. Most are escaping violence in the eastern DRC provinces of North and South Kivu. Many refugees face dire conditions, including overcrowded shelters and inadequate sanitation. The influx of refugees has further intensified existing challenges, putting additional strain on the local economy and infrastructure while exacerbating the already precarious living conditions of host communities.
The EU funding will bolster the efforts of the Burundi Red Cross Society in delivering much-needed relief including emergency shelter, essential relief supplies, clean water, healthcare and hygiene support. The project will also set up humanitarian service points at key entry locations, and enhance protection and safeguarding measures for at-risk populations.
This four-month project, to be implemented until the end of June 2025, is expected to provide immediate life-saving services to at least 6,000 asylum seekers, while benefitting a total of 20,000 displaced individuals and host community members. The funding is part of the EU’s overall contribution to the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
Background
The European Union together with its Member States is the world's leading donor of humanitarian aid. Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity towards people in need around the world. It aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by natural disasters and human-made crises.
Through its European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, the European Union helps millions of victims of conflicts and disasters every year. Headquartered in Brussels and with a global network of field offices, the EU assists to the most vulnerable people, based on humanitarian needs.
The European Commission has signed a €14.5 million humanitarian contribution agreement with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to support the Federation's Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF). Funds from the DREF are mainly allocated to “small-scale” disasters – those that do not give rise to a formal international appeal.
The Disaster Response Emergency Fund was established in 1979 and is supported by contributions from donors. Each time a National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society needs immediate financial support to respond to a disaster, it can request funds from the DREF. For small-scale disasters, the IFRC allocates grants from the Fund, which can then be replenished by the donors. The contribution agreement between the IFRC and ECHO enables the latter to replenish the DREF for agreed operations (that fit in with its humanitarian mandate) up to a total of €14.5 million. EEAS
Informer East Africa is a UK based diaspora Newspaper. It is a unique platform connecting East Africans at home and abroad through news dissemination. It is a forum to learn together, grow together and get entertained at the same time.
To advertise events or products, get in touch by info [at] informereastafrica [dot] com or call +447957636854. If you have an issue or a story, get in touch with the editor through editor[at] informereastafrica [dot] com or call +447886544135.
We also accept donations from our supporters. Please click on "donate". Your donations will go along way in supporting the newspaper.
