AFRICA

Blantyre, Malawi | AFP |  Makeda Mbewe was just six years old when she was kicked out of her primary school in Malawi for wearing her hair in the dreadlocks of her Rastafarian religion. Two years later, she is back in the playground, thanks to a landmark court ruling in January forcing …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP |  Seven years ago, amid extravagant celebrations marking the African Union’s 50th anniversary, the continent’s heads of state declared they would “end all wars in Africa by 2020.” But as leaders travel to Addis Ababa this weekend for the latest summit of the 55-member bloc — …

  Kampala, Uganda  | THE INDEPENDENT | The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has announced a roadshow in Kigali to show the Rwandan private sector how it can become a primary beneficiary of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which will provide significant opportunities to access the largely untapped markets and …

Yaoundé, Cameroon | AFP |  Voters in Cameroon will cast their ballots Sunday in a country where the mood has been darkened by separatist violence and calls for an election boycott. Elections to renew the central African country’s legislature and local councils are taking place for the first time in seven …

Gaborone, Botswana | AFP | Botswana on Friday will hold its first major auction for trophy elephant hunting quotas since controversially scrapping a hunting ban last year, a wildlife official said. President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s government in May revoked a moratorium, just a year after he succeeded Ian Khama, an avid environmentalist, …

Washington, United States | AFP | Kenya’s president said Wednesday that African nations should be free to cooperate with both the United States and China, warning that foreign powers were exacerbating the continent’s divisions. President Uhuru Kenyatta was speaking on a visit to Washington, where speculation has built that the United …

Tripoli, Libya | AFP |  After 10 months of fighting that has torn their country apart, exhausted Libyans voice deep fears and say their fate is no longer in their own hands. The oil-rich North African country has been mired in chaos since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising that killed longtime dictator …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP |  Sudan’s military said Wednesday it backed a surprise meeting between the country’s leader and Israel’s prime minister in Uganda this week, saying the opening would help boost national security. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, chairman of Sudan’s ruling sovereign council, met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met …

Lilongwe, Malawi | AFP | Malawian President Peter Mutharika plans to challenge a court decision overturning his 2019 poll victory, his spokesman said on Wednesday, in a move that could spark fresh opposition protests. After six months of hearings that gripped the southern African country, five top judges on Monday ruled …

Lilongwe, Malawi | AFP | Malawian President Peter Mutharika plans to challenge a court decision overturning his election victory last year, his spokesman said on Wednesday, in a move that could spark fresh opposition protests. After six months of hearings that gripped the southern African country, five top judges on Monday …