The Oxford City Council has announced that Councillor Chewe Munkonge is set to become the next Lord Mayor of Oxford, marking a historic milestone as the city prepares to appoint its first Black holder of the largely ceremonial office.

The nomination, confirmed at a council meeting on 23 March, was made by council leader Susan Brown, who also named Louise Upton as deputy Lord Mayor and Linda Smith as Sheriff for the 2026/27 civic year. Both Munkonge and Upton remain subject to re-election in May before formally taking up their posts.

If confirmed, Munkonge will assume a role steeped in centuries of tradition, representing the city at more than 300 engagements annually, ranging from royal visits and the Remembrance Sunday service to community initiatives and charitable events. He has chosen Sobell House and St Theresa as his official charities for the year.

The transition is due to take place during Oxford’s traditional “mayor making” ceremony at the Town Hall in May, when Upton, the outgoing Lord Mayor, will hand over the chains of office. The occasion will be marked by the ringing of bells at Carfax Tower, continuing a long-established civic ritual.

Born in Zambia, Munkonge moved to the UK in 2003 and settled in Oxford in 2008. He holds an MBA from Oxford Brookes University and works as a central administration officer for a local charity. First elected in 2014, he represents Quarry and Risinghurst ward and currently serves as cabinet member for a healthy, fairer Oxford, as well as the council’s small business champion.

His expected appointment reflects both the growing diversity of modern Oxford and the enduring ceremonial significance of the role, which dates back to the early 13th century. The city’s first recorded mayor, Laurence Kepeharme, served between 1205 and 1209, while the title of Lord Mayor was granted in 1962 by Elizabeth II.

According to Oxford City Council, the position remains a symbolic bridge between Oxford’s historic institutions and its contemporary communities—an office Munkonge is now poised to redefine.

Renowned globally as the home of the University of Oxford, one of the world’s oldest universities, Oxford combines deep academic heritage with a diverse and evolving civic identity—context that gives added resonance to this landmark appointment.

The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a Ghana-backed resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade the “gravest crime against humanity”, in a vote that exposed sharp divisions between the global south and several western powers.

The measure, introduced by Ghana, secured the backing of 123 countries on Wednesday. Three states, including the United States and Israel, voted against it, while 52 others — among them the European Union members and the United Kingdom — abstained.

The resolution formally recognises the transatlantic slave trade and slavery as crimes of exceptional gravity, underscoring their enduring impact on global inequality, racial injustice and development disparities. It calls for renewed international dialogue on reparations, including the possibility of formal apologies and compensation, reflecting mounting pressure from African and Caribbean states for historical accountability.

While General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, the vote is widely seen as the strongest collective stance yet taken by the UN on the legacy of slavery. Diplomats say it reinforces a growing push to place reparatory justice more firmly on the international agenda, even as western governments remain cautious about the legal and financial implications.

Speaking after the vote, Ghana’s foreign affairs minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, described the outcome as “a historic step forward”, arguing that the international community could no longer ignore the lasting consequences of centuries of exploitation.

Opponents, however, warned that the language of the resolution risks deepening geopolitical divides, particularly over questions of liability and redress. Despite those concerns, supporters insist the measure represents a moral reckoning long overdue — and a signal that calls for justice are gaining traction at the highest levels of global governance.

The First Lady of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denise Nyakéru Tshisekedi, narrowly avoided what Congolese officials described as a possible security breach at her Washington hotel while she was attending the First Ladies Summit of the Fostering the Future Together Coalition, an initiative linked to former U.S. First Lady Melania Trump. The summit brings together global advocates on women’s and children’s issues.

According to the X’s post  from the office of Dr Van Batten‑Montague‑York, L.C., at around 4:51 p.m. local time on Tuesday, initial reports were received suggesting a possible security incident involving the DRC’s First Lady. Preliminary information released and received to his cabinet alleges that individuals identified by security personnel as Rwandan nationals attempted an unlawful and hostile breach of the First Lady’s hotel room. Rapid intervention by her security team prevented what could have been a serious escalation, though details remain unclear. The suspects escaped the scene, with some accounts suggesting they fled in a vehicle believed to have official links to the Government of Rwanda. 

X’s post from Dr Van Batten‑Montague‑York, L.C

However, the nature of the incident has become a flashpoint in an already tense diplomatic context between Kinshasa and Kigali. A statement from the Rwandan Embassy in Washington strongly rejected Congolese claims, denouncing what it called “gross misrepresentation” of the events and accusing the DRC’s Minister of Information of dishonesty in recounting the episode. The Rwandan statement argued that the individual involved was part of a Rwandan VIP security detail at the same hotel and that any encounter with Congolese security was unintentional and occurred in a common area. According to Kigali’s version, the situation was resolved without escalation and the Rwandan team subsequently relocated to another hotel.

DRC government spokesman and Minister of Information, Patrick Muyaya, stated publicly that no individuals had yet been identified in connection with the incident.

The incident comes against a backdrop of enduring friction between the DRC and Rwanda, rooted in longstanding political, security and historical disputes. Relations between the two capitals have been strained particularly over accusations surrounding support for armed groups M23/AFC- and broader regional tensions.

For now, Washington’s role in hosting both the peace initiatives and this diplomatic row highlights the delicate interplay of security, diplomacy and regional politics in the Great Lakes Africa. The true motives behind the hotel incident — whether surveillance, intimidation, or a misinterpreted encounter — remain a matter of international scrutiny.

It remains unclear whether this was an attempted assassination, intimidation, or surveillance. What is certain is that the First Lady’s security team acted swiftly to prevent a potentially serious incident.