AFRICA

Birao, Central African Republic | AFP | A heavy silence hangs in the dusty alleys of Birao, in the extreme northeast of Central African Republic, where figures only rarely wander between the empty houses and reed hedges. Since September, Birao has been hit hard by fighting between armed groups despite a …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The second meeting between Uganda and Rwanda to address rising tension between the two countries and the border closure, has been called off indefinitely. According to the Uganda government spokesperson Ofwono Opondo, the meeting was called off at the request of Kigali. He said …

Dakhla, Western Sahara | AFP |  In the heart of disputed Western Sahara, a former garrison town has become an unlikely tourist magnet after kitesurfers discovered the windswept desert coast was perfect for their sport. In Dakhla, an Atlantic seaport town punctuated with military buildings in Morocco-administered Western Sahara, swarms of kitesurfers …

Goma, DR Congo | AFP | Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo Thursday introduced a second vaccine to fight the deadly Ebola virus in the east of the country, the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) charity said. It said the new vaccine, produced by a Belgian subsidiary of Johnson & …

Bamako, Mali | AFP |  If military operations depend on winning hearts and minds, the thousands of foreign troops deployed to the Sahel to combat jihadism seem to be on losing ground. At first welcomed, these troops find themselves today in the crosshairs as a growing number of locals in this …

Bamako, Mali | AFP | If military operations depend on winning hearts and minds, the thousands of foreign troops deployed to the Sahel to combat jihadism seem to be on losing ground. At first welcomed, these troops find themselves today in the crosshairs as a growing number of locals in …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  South Sudan’s president and its armed opposition leader have missed another 100-day deadline to form a power-sharing government, threatening a tenuous ceasefire that has paused years of bloodshed in the world’s youngest country. The warring camps were given another extension to join forces after a meeting …

Luanda, Angola | AFP | Angola’s opposition chief steps down this week after leading the party for 16 years, contending that the former rebel movement is on track to winning power. Isaias Samakuva, 73, took the helm of UNITA in 2003, a year after its founder Jonas Savimbi was killed in …

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | THE INDEPENDENT | Retired President Benjamin William Mkapa was joined by the current and two other former Tanzania Presidents as he launched his book “My Life, My Purpose” in Dar on Tuesday. In the memoir launched by President John Magufuli at the Uongozi (Leadership) Institute, Mkapa …

Africa Cup of Nations matchday 1 fixtures Matchday 1 Wednesday, Nov 13 Malawi v South Sudan, Central African Republic v Burundi (both 1300), Namibia v Chad, Cameroon v Cape Verde, Nigeria v Benin, Guinea-Bissau v eSwatini (formerly Swaziland), Sierra Leone v Lesotho (all 1600), Sudan v Sao Tome e Principe, Angola …