AFRICA

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | A South African inquiry into the forced sterilisation of dozens of HIV-positive pregnant women said Monday that their rights had been breached and called for government action. The investigation was launched in 2015, when two women’s rights organisations approached South Africa’s Gender Equality Commission …

Bangassou, Central African Republic | AFP | In Bangassou, splendid trees overlook elegant buildings slowly crumbling to ruin. Time here seems to have stood still, and Bangassou’s trauma too. The quiet little town in southeastern Central African Republic was relatively spared by a civil war which erupted in 2013 and mutated …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | A “bomb attack” on a rally in support of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed injured nearly 30 people Sunday, a police official said, in the latest sign of instability ahead of elections in August. The incident occurred in the town of Ambo, located roughly …

Juba, South Sudan | AFP |  South Sudan is the world’s youngest country and also one of the poorest, crippled by a devastating civil war that has left tens of thousands dead. As rebel leader Riek Machar was sworn in as vice president ahead of the formation of a new …

Lome, Togo | AFP |  The home of a key Togo opposition candidate was surrounded by security forces just hours after polls closed Saturday in elections widely expected to see President Faure Gnassingbe claim a fourth term in power. Troops could be seen outside the house of Agbeyome Kodjo, considered …

Khartoum, Sudan | THE INDEPENDENT | Without joint planning and investment, Nile Basin countries miss out on opportunities of development, which benefit the Nile people, says Sudan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. Speaking during the Regional Nile Day 2020 celebrations in Khartoum, Sudan, guest of honour Asma Mohamad Abdalla, said, “The event’s …

✳ Dr. Riek Machar Teny, First VP ✳ Dr. James Wani Igga, VP ✳ Taban Deng Gai, VP ✳ Rebecca Nyandeng Garang, VP Juba, South Sudan | AFP | South Sudan rebel leader Riek Machar was sworn in as first vice president on Saturday, formally rejoining the government in the …

Lome, Togo | AFP |  Togo votes Saturday in an election expected to see President Faure Gnassingbe claim a fourth term in power and extend his family’s half-century domination of the West African nation. The incumbent, 53, has led the country of eight million since 2005 following the death of his …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The people of South Sudan have been deliberately starved in different parts of the country for ethnic and political reasons, and sexual violence against women and men as a weapon of war is ongoing, UN investigators have said. The three-member commission, appointed by the …

Maseru, Lesotho | AFP | Lesotho premier Thomas Thabane failed to show up on Friday at a court where he was due to be charged with murdering his estranged wife, as his aide said he had gone to South Africa for medical checks. The 80-year-old prime minister is accused of …