Washington, United States | AFP | The United States military said it killed four “terrorists” in airstrikes against the Al-Shabaab militant group in Somalia on Sunday, a day after the country’s deadliest attack in two years. US Africa Command (AFRICOM) conducted three airstrikes in two locations in the conflict-hit east …
Read More »Turkish military plane arrives to evacuate Mogadishu bomb victims
Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP | A Turkish military plane arrived in Mogadishu on Sunday to evacuate those gravely wounded in a devastating bombing that killed 79 people and overwhelmed local health services, in the latest attack on a city dogged by insecurity. The aircraft also brought doctors to help treat …
Read More »Zimbabwe journalists suffer as regime tightens grip
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Fanuel Mapfumo has been unable to lift heavy objects since a Zimbabwe police officer fractured his left arm as he was covering a story last August. The 28-year-old journalist was filming a banned protest in the capital Harare when it happened. Opposition supporters were voicing their …
Read More »The panama hat and the keffiyeh – Guinea Bissau’s presidential contenders
Bissau, Guinea-Bissau | AFP | Voters in Guinea-Bissau have a choice between two old political hands in Sunday’s presidential election run-off, although both have very different styles and backgrounds. Here are profiles of the two men: – Domingos Simoes Pereira – Former prime minister Pereira has been politically active since his …
Read More »Moroccans rally in support of journalist detained over tweet
Rabat, Morocco | AFP | Hundreds of people demonstrated Saturday outside Morocco’s parliament demanding the release of a journalist detained for criticising a judge in a tweet. Omar Radi, 33, was detained Thursday in Casablanca and immediately put on trial for the tweet about a judge prosecuting protest leaders, his …
Read More »Sixty years on, Africa still seeks right model for growth
Paris, France | AFP | As 1960 dawned, sub-Saharan Africa braced for historic change: that year, 17 of its countries were destined to gain independence from European colonial powers. But six decades on, the continent is mired in many problems. It is struggling to build an economic model that encourages …
Read More »Rhino said to be world’s oldest dies aged 57 in Tanzania
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | AFP | A black rhino believed to be the oldest in the world has died in Tanzania at the age of 57, according to authorities in Ngorongoro where the animal was living. The female rhino, named Fausta, died of what is believed to be natural …
Read More »SOMALIA: Massive car bomb kills at least 79 in Mogadishu
Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP | A massive car bomb exploded in a busy area of Mogadishu on Saturday, leaving at least 79 people dead and scores injured in Somalia’s deadliest attack in two years. At least 16 of those killed were students from the capital’s private Banadir University, who had …
Read More »Sudan, rebels, agree plan to end conflict in Darfur
Juba, South Sudan | AFP | The Sudanese government and nine rebel groups on Saturday signed an agreement on a roadmap towards ending the bloody conflict in the Darfur region. The deal outlines different issues the parties will need to negotiate during the latest round of talks in Juba. “We believe …
Read More »Survivors tell of France’s ‘dirty war’ in Cameroon independence
Ekité, Cameroon | AFP | It was a “dirty war” waged by French colonial troops but it never made headlines and even today goes untold in school history books. The brutal conflict unfolded in Cameroon, which on January 1 marks its 60th anniversary of independence — the first of 17 African …
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