AllAfrica.com – Europe & Africa

[RFI] A British law to send unwanted migrants to Rwanda, which passed this week after months of wrangling, has generated fierce criticism at home and abroad. In Rwanda, opponents of the longtime president say the country is unfit to host asylum seekers - while accusing the UK of outsourcing its responsibilities.

[allAfrica] Geneva -- The heads of two UN agencies have again rung the alarm on the harmful impact the passage of the "Safety of Rwanda" Bill by the UK Parliament will have on global responsibility-sharing, human rights, and refugee protection.

[Capital FM] Nairobi -- President William Ruto says trade and investment between Kenya and at least 27 European Union States is expected to improve after the National Assembly on Wednesday ratified the Kenya-EU Economic Partnership Agreement.

[Thomson Reuters Foundation] What's the context? The European Union is paying countries outside its borders to stem migration - how much is it spending and will it work?

[Shabelle] Mogadishu, Somalia -- In a significant display of the strengthening ties between Somalia and Turkey, H.E. Hamza Abdi Barre, the Prime Minister of the Federal Government of Somalia, hosted a dinner for the Turkish navy officers and commanders aboard the Turkish Navy Ship Kinaliada F514.

[New Dawn] Brussels -- An investigation by Côte d'Ivoire NGO suggests that the European Union law on deforestation urgently needs to be implemented to significantly strengthen supply chain traceability mechanisms.

[The Herald] Zimbabwean archaeologist Shadreck Chirikure, who is Edward Hall Professor of Archaeological Science at the University of Oxford, is among four outstanding research leaders awarded a major European Research Council grant which he will use to map more precisely the expansion of Bantu-language speakers in Southern Africa.

[Shabelle] Mogadishu -- In a significant display of military cooperation and partnership, the first Turkish warship has docked at the port of Mogadishu, Somalia. This momentous occasion coincides with a high-level event in the port, attended by the heads of state of both nations.

[JusticeInfo.net] Dieudonné Niyitegeka and Eugène Mbarushimana are the only two surviving former members of the National Committee of the Interahamwe, the militia that spearheaded the genocide of Tutsis in Rwanda in 1994. They have never been prosecuted. Their testimony was eagerly awaited in Brussels in the trial of Emmanuel Nkunduwimye. But they bailed out at the last minute - one voluntarily and one involuntarily.

[UN News] UN experts have expressed concern over airlines and aviation authorities' involvement in the unlawful removal of asylum seekers from the United Kingdom to Rwanda under an agreement between the two governments and the proposed 'Safety of Rwanda' Bill.

[RFI] Senegal's new leader Bassirou Diomaye Faye has called for a rethink of the country's relationship with the EU during a visit by European Council President Charles Michel.

[The Herald] Western countries are mainly to blame for the worsening hunger and feminine in some parts of Africa.

[New Times] UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said that the UK-Rwanda migration deal will finally get operational within a period of 10 to 12 weeks as the first flight of illegal migrants from the UK will fly to Rwanda.

[Nyasa Times] Malawi has told the United States of America and European countries to lift sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe.

[Africa CDC] Nairobi -- To strengthen regional cross-border Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) readiness during public health emergencies, Africa CDC, UNICEF, IFRC, and WHO (the Collective Service core partners) as well as IOM, READY and the UK-PHRST, organized a simulation-based training from 15th to 19th April 2024 in Mombasa, Kenya.

[Observer] "The world's worst, most complex and cruel crisis", is unfolding in Sudan without making it into our prime-time news, according to UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

[Shabelle] Mogadishu -- The European Union (EU) has issued a stern warning against paying ransom to Somali pirates, citing concerns that such payments could fuel further hijackings in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden.

[RFI] Ouagadougou -- Burkina Faso has expelled three French diplomats for "subversive activities", according to a foreign ministry note seen by AFP on Thursday, in a further sign of mounting tensions between the African state and its former colonial master.

[Tunis Afrique Presse] Tunis -- Five companies from the agri-food sector, operating mainly in the olive oil, table olives, dates and by-products, pasta and couscous sectors, are taking part in the 10th edition of the World Food Poland international trade fair held in Warsaw (Poland) on April 16-18.

[Norwegian Refugee Council] "Life in Uganda is hard, but life in DR Congo is too dangerous to return. I don't know what to do." Like many Congolese refugees in Uganda, Maisha faces an impossible choice.

[Capital FM] Manchester, United Kingdom -- Real Madrid and England midfielder Jude Bellingham says football's authorities "need to do more" to tackle racism but he "doubts it will happen".

[The Herald] Reigning Athlete of the Year, Isaac Mpofu, has been hailed by the National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe president Tendayi Tagara after a remarkable sixth-place finish in the Boston Marathon in the United States on Monday.

[Namibian] This is a statement released by SPYL secretary Ephraim Nekongo on 13 April.

[Egypt Online] Egypt has presented humanitarian proposals and initiatives to deal with the Sudanese crisis during its participation in the Paris conference to support war-torn Sudan with the view to mitigating the war impacts on the Sudanese people.

[New Dawn] Coffee farmers in Liberia have high hopes as the International Trade Center (ITC) pushes to strengthen the country's coffee value chain.

[Norwegian Refugee Council] Statement by Will Carter, the Norwegian Refugee Council's country director in Sudan, on the outcomes of today's Paris conference:

[Daily Trust] Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki has been selected as the Nigerian Pavilion Commissioner for the 60th International Art Exhibition organised by La Biennale di Venezia. Leading a delegation from Nigeria, Governor Obaseki will attend the exhibition in the Veneto region of Italy from April 16 to 18.

[VOA] Gaborone, Botswana -- African diamond producers, led by Botswana, are demanding a review of the tracking and verification system that European Union and G7 nations introduced March 1.

[DW] Russian military personnel arrived in Niamey to train their soldiers and set up an air defense system. Russia has been trying to build stronger ties with several African nations currently ruled by military juntas.

[MAP] Marrakech -- Members of the Marrakech police prefecture arrested on Wednesday, on the basis of precise information provided by the services of the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance, a 35-year-old French national who was the subject of international arrest warrants issued by the French judicial authorities for cases linked to deliberate homicide and international drug trafficking, a security source said.