Bamako, Mali | AFP | Twenty-four Malian soldiers and 17 jihadists fighters were killed in clashes in the east of the country, the army said, as security in the west African nation deteriorates further. Mali and Niger forces were carrying out a joint operation when a patrol was attacked Monday by …
Read More »Nigeria’s ruling party wins election in key oil state
Yenagoa, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s ruling party on Monday won the key oil-rich state of Bayelsa, the electoral body said, a sign of President Muhammadu Buhari’s growing influence in opposition strongholds. Forty-five candidates had taken part in the gubernatorial election on Saturday which was marred by sporadic violence, including killings, …
Read More »Ethiopia to vote on breakaway state highlights battles over autonomy
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Members of Ethiopia’s Sidama ethnic group are expected to vote Wednesday to form a breakaway regional state — a milestone that risks further destabilising the country ahead of next year’s national elections. The Sidama push for statehood already triggered days of unrest in July that …
Read More »SAA: South African unions threaten to ‘shut down’ aviation sector
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South African unions on Sunday called on all aviation workers to join striking South African Airways (SAA) staff after the cash-strapped airline failed to meet their demands. The country’s embattled flag carrier has been losing 52 million rand ($3.5 million) per day since more …
Read More »Celebrations as Ugandan-born Priest takes charge of South African Diocese
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | It was all celebrations this weekend in Wakaliga, a Kampala suburb, the birthplace of Msgr. Joseph Kizito, a Ugandan-priest who has been appointed as the ninth Bishop of Aliwal Catholic Diocese in South Africa. The jubilation has also extended to Rubaga hill, the …
Read More »Supporters of Sudan’s Bashir oppose handover to ICC
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Supporters of ousted Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir held a protest Saturday vowing to oppose any move by the country’s new authorities to hand him over to the International Criminal Court. Dozens of his supporters, carrying Bashir’s portrait, gathered outside the Khartoum court where he is …
Read More »Cameroon plans February polls under shadow of violence
Yaounde, Cameroon | AFP | Cameroon is poised to hold parliamentary and municipal elections in February but a bloody separatist conflict and political tensions are set to cloud the vote, experts say. Anglophone separatists are fighting government troops in western Cameroon while the north of the country has come under attack …
Read More »South African Airways hit by crippling strike
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South African Airways workers on Friday embarked on an indefinite strike for higher wages and against the national carrier’s retrenchment plan, forcing the cash-trapped airline to ground hundreds of flights. The strike has forced South Africa’s largest carrier to cancel more than 200 domestic, regional …
Read More »Kenya, Somalia agree to normalise ties after tensions
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenya and Somalia have agreed to “normalise” relations and start reissuing travel visas to each other’s citizens after a long-running dispute over marine borders strained ties between the neighbours. The agreement, announced by Kenya’s presidency late Thursday, followed a meeting in Nairobi between President Uhuru Kenyatta …
Read More »Two years after coup, Zimbabweans grow more despondent
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Two years ago, Linos Mutepera was among hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans who celebrated the toppling of long-time ruler Robert Mugabe with tears of joy. Today, he looks back at that time with bitterness, his hope of a better life dashed on the rocks of poverty …
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