2020 in East Africa

The following lists events that happened during 2020 in East Africa. The countries listed are those described in the United Nations geoscheme for East Africa: Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mozambique, Réunion, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
The combined population of these 18 independent countries and two dependent territories is 445,405,606.
Burundi declared its independence from Belgium as a constitutional monarchy on 1 July 1962 and became the Republic of Burundi in 1965. Over the years the country has suffered through political instability including two civil wars and two instances of genocide. The political capital is Gitega and the economic capital is Bujumbura.
Comoros consists of three main islands and several smaller islands in the Indian Ocean. Comoros became independent of France on 6 July 1975. The capital of the Union of Comoros is Moroni.
Djibouti is located at the Bab-el-Mandeb strait between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. It is Africa's smallest country. Called the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas from 1967 until its independence on 27 June 1977, the capital of the Republic of Djibouti is Djibouti City.
Eritrea became independent on 24 May 1993, after a thirty-year struggle. Sporadic fighting continued over the years, resulting in the Eritrean–Ethiopian War that only ended in 2018. The capital of the State of Eritrea is Asmara.
Ethiopia is one of the world's oldest countries; with a civilisation stretching back to 1000 BC. Even though, it was occupied by Italy for five years, as the Italian Ethiopia in the early 20th century, after a difficult struggle during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War, it is regained its independence after World War II. It is thus the only country in Africa to have never been fully colonised. After the downfall of the Monarchy in 1974, it became the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the "Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia" in 1991. Ethiopia has gone through costly drought and a bloody war with Eritrea in recent years. The capital is Addis Ababa.
Kenya became independent of the United Kingdom on 12 December 1963; it became the "Republic of Kenya" a year later. The capital is Nairobi.
Madagascar freed itself from the French colonial empire in 1960; its official name is the "Republic of Madagascar" and its capital is Antananarivo.
Malawi was called Nyasaland until 1953 when it became part of Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. In 1964, Nyasaland became an independent country within the Commonwealth with the new name Malawi. In 1966 it became the "Republic of Malawi". The capital is Lilongwe.
Mauritius is a group of islands in the Indian Ocean that became independent within the Commonwealth on 12 March 1968. It became the "Republic of Mauritius" on 12 March 1992. The capital is Port Louis.
Mayotte is an overseas department and region of France.
Mozambique was colonized by Portugal from 1505 to 1975. The People's Republic of Mozambique was founded on 25 June 1975; after the Mozambican Civil War it joined the Commonwealth in 1995 and later became the "Republic of Mozambique." The capital is Maputo.
Réunion is an overseas department and region of France, first colonized in the 17th century. The capital is Saint-Dennis.
Rwanda became independent of Belgium on 1 July 1962. The Republic of Rwanda is a member of the AU, the Commonwealth, COMESA, OIF, and the East African Community. Its capital is Kigali.
Seychelles consists of about 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. The country became independent of the UK on 29 June 1976. The Republic of Seychelles is a member of the UN, the AU, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and the Commonwealth. The capital, Victoria, is located on the island of Mahé.
Somalia was formed by the merger of British Somaliland and the Trust Territory of Somaliland in 1960. It was the Somali Democratic Republic from 1969 to 1991, when the Somali Civil War broke out. The Federal Republic of Somalia is a member of the UN, the Arab League, AU, Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), and the OIC. The capital is Mogadishu.
Somaliland is the self-proclaimed successor to the State of Somaliland and claims independence from Somalia. Its capital is Hargeisa. The Republic does not enjoy international recognition and in 1998 a region in the northeast, the Puntland, declared itself "autonomous."
South Sudan
Tanzania
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe