AFRICA

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Attempts by authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo to crack down on dissent during tense vote counting could “backfire”, the UN said Friday, warning it was “watching carefully” as events unfold. Elections held last Sunday will determine who succeeds President Joseph Kabila, at the …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Around 16,000 people have fled into the Democratic Republic of Congo’s neighbour after inter-communal clashes erupted last month in the southwest of the country, the UN said on Friday. Violence in Yumbi, in the DRC province of Mai-Ndombe, prompted an exodus to the neighbouring Republic …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudanese police fired tear gas at protesters on Friday as they took to the streets after midday prayers to chant anti-government slogans in the capital’s twin city of Omdurman, witnesses said. Anti-government rallies have rocked cities across Sudan since December 19 when protests first broke …

Washington, United States | AFP | Egypt has asked CBS not to air an interview with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in which he discussed cooperation with Israel in the fight against Sinai jihadists, the US network said. The network said on its website Thursday that Sisi — a former army …

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe | AFP | Seven Chinese nationals appeared in a Zimbabwe court on Thursday after they were arrested last month with rhino horn pieces worth nearly a million dollars. They are facing charges of breaching the country’s wildlife laws. Zeng Dengui, 35; Peicon Jang, 35; Chen Zhiangfu, 30; …

United Nations, United States | AFP | Somalia on Thursday told the UN Security Council not to interfere in its national affairs after expelling a UN envoy who questioned the government’s decision to arrest an al-Shabaab defector running for election. Somali Ambassador Abukar Dahir Osman did not specifically mention his …

Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Five members of the Nigerian air force were killed when a helicopter crashed as Boko Haram militants ambushed a military base in northeastern Nigeria, a spokesman said Thursday. Air force spokesman Ibikunle Daramola said the five crew members had died when the helicopter “crashed in …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Former South African president Jacob Zuma’s plan to record an album of apartheid-era struggle songs sparked off a political row Thursday as opposition politicians slammed the project as a taxpayer-funded waste of money. Zuma, ousted from power last year amid multiple fraud scandals, is …

United Nations, United States | AFP | Muslim rebels who briefly seized power in the Central African Republic in 2013 have received fresh weapons supplies from traffickers in Sudan even as they take part in peace talks, according to a UN panel of experts. The panel tasked with monitoring sanctions …

Niamey, Niger | AFP | Niger’s army killed more than 280 Boko Haram militants near the southeast border with Nigeria in days of land and air raids, the defence ministry said Wednesday. More than 200 jihadists were killed in air strikes and a further 87 by ground troops since the …