Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday suspended the country’s top judge just weeks from elections, triggering condemnation from opposition parties who accused him of “an act of dictatorship” and mounting “a judicial coup”. The former military ruler, 76, is seeking re-election at polls on February …
Read More »Tshisekedi vows to act on human rights as DR Congo’s new president
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi vowed to enhance DR Congo’s respect for human rights on Thursday after he was sworn in as president, the country’s first-ever peaceful handover of power. Tshisekedi took the oath of office flanked by outgoing head of state Joseph Kabila, whose 18-year …
Read More »African arms market to grow by 50 percent over five years: analyst
Abidjan, Ivory Coast | AFP | Africa’s arms market is likely to grow by 50 percent over the next five years, analyst Stephane Konan said at a four-day trade show in Ivory Coast. “The African market in defence represents only a drop of water in relation to the world market: 42.6 …
Read More »Nearly $1million in cash stolen from Mugabe’s house, court told
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Nearly a million dollars in cash was stolen from a suitcase owned by ousted Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, state media reported Friday, as three suspects including a relative of the former leader face trial for the theft. According to updated court papers Mugabe had filled …
Read More »IGAD: Security improving in region
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Inter-governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has said that the security and conflict situation in the IGAD Sub-region is rapidly improving. IGAD is a trade block comprising of Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan, Sudan, Djibouti, Eritrea, Somalia and Ethiopia. Dr Koang Tutlam Dung, the Representative …
Read More »A stitch in time to save Egypt’s ancient tentmaking craft
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Mohsen al-Khayami has for years watched sadly as his once lucrative craft business dwindled and fellow artisans deserted the ancient art known as Khayamiya, or tentmaking, for better paying jobs. The 68 year-old, a master of one of Egypt’s most traditional crafts, has been handstitching the …
Read More »DR Congo’s disputed presidential election
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Felix Tshisekedi was sworn in as the Democratic Republic of Congo’s new president Thursday after an election fraught with delays and doubts. Here is a recap. – Two-year delay – After being postponed three times, the elections go ahead on December 30, 2018 to chose …
Read More »Nigeria: Africa’s top oil producer, world’s extreme poverty capital
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | In the Ago Egun Bariga area of Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos, there is no road, no electricity, no running water and no rubbish collection. Now that high grass has blocked access to the water, there is no work either. The people of Ago Egun Bariga have …
Read More »DR Congo set for historic political transition
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Felix Tshisekedi is to be sworn in on Thursday as president of Democratic Republic of Congo, marking the country’s first-ever peaceful handover of power after chaotic and bitterly-disputed elections. At 55, opposition leader Tshisekedi takes over from Joseph Kabila who is stepping aside after 18 …
Read More »Mnangagwa loses ‘reformist’ claims after new crackdown
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | After Zimbabwe’s authoritarian leader Robert Mugabe was forced from power, his successor Emmerson Mnangagwa declared the country had turned the page on repression. Today, such claims sound deeply hollow as Zimbabwe reels from its second crackdown on protest in less than six months, analysts …
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