Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | “We are counting on you in helping us make Zimbabwe great again,” said Zimbabwe’s number two top diplomat in a passionate appeal to the Pan African Parliament (PAP) on sanctions against his country. Citing the continued untold sorrow and deterioration of the well-being of his countrymen, …
Read More »Malawi troops protect demonstrators in rare African exception
Blantyre, Malawi | AFP | In a continent where armies often prop up governments, crush dissent and interfere in mainstream politics, Malawi in southern Africa has been an exception for decades. From Sudan to Zimbabwe to Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau, the military has had a long track record of being …
Read More »UN Libya special envoy Salame steps down
Tripoli, Libya | AFP | The UN’s envoy to war-plagued Libya, Ghassan Salame, announced his resignation on Monday citing health reasons, nearly three years after taking up the post. “I tried to unite Libyans and restrain foreign interference… but for health reasons I can no longer continue with this level …
Read More »African MPs urged on online child sexual exploitation laws
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Members of the Pan African Parliament (PAP) have been urged to make appropriate laws that protect victims of Online Child Sexual Exploitation (OCSE). Speaking to MPs of the continental parliament in South Africa, experts said that the interpretation of the laws on OCSE are ambiguous …
Read More »Guinea Bissau interim president quits after death threats
Bissau, Guinea-Bissau | AFP | The man appointed interim president of Guinea-Bissau by the side beaten in the December presidential election has stepped down because of death threats, less than two days after being nominated. “Given the death threats against me and my bodyguards, I have decided to give …
Read More »Ethiopia’s Abiy faces outcry over crackdown on rebels
Nekemte, Ethiopia | AFP | Desta Garuma, a 27-year-old rickshaw driver, never showed much interest in politics, so his family has no idea how soldiers concluded he was involved in a rebel movement active in Ethiopia’s Oromia region. But one day in January, five truckloads of soldiers followed him home, shouting …
Read More »Guinea delays constitutional referendum after criticism
Conakry, Guinea | AFP | Guinea’s President Alpha Conde announced a “slight postponement” of Sunday’s referendum on whether to adopt a new constitution, following mounting international criticism over the poll’s fairness. The government argues that the draft constitution would, among other things, codify gender equality and ban female circumcision and underage …
Read More »Nigeria braces as coronavirus hits megacity Lagos
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Residents of Nigeria’s economic hub Lagos scrambled for hygiene products Friday, after the chaotic megacity of 20 million announced the first confirmed case of new coronavirus in sub-Saharan Africa. Health Minister Osagie Ehanire said in a statement overnight that the infected person was an Italian citizen …
Read More »Angola prosecutors close in on dos Santos children
Luanda, Angola | AFP | Angola’s former first son Jose Filomeno dos Santos has spent hours contemplating the marble floor and wood-panelled walls of Luanda’s Supreme Court where he has been on trial since December. The 42-year-old child of Jose Eduardo dos Santos could soon hear whether he is guilty …
Read More »Guinea to vote on new constitution after months of unrest
Conakry, Guinea | AFP | Guineans will be called to vote Sunday on whether to adopt a new constitution, after months of protests sparked by charges that it is a trick by President Alpha Conde to stay in power. The government says the draft constitution will, among other things, codify gender …
Read More »