AFRICA

Antananarivo, Madagascar | AFP | Madagascan security forces on Wednesday fired tear gas to break up a protest by supporters of losing presidential candidate Marc Ravalomanana, who claims he was denied victory in last month’s election because of fraud. In the run-off vote on December 19, Ravalomanana won 44 percent …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa cut short his annual vacation Wednesday to try to resolve an impasse with doctors who have been on strike for a month, a government spokesman said. Hundreds of junior doctors in public hospitals across Zimbabwe withdrew their services in November demanding …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | DR Congo on Wednesday said it had pulled accreditation for a French radio journalist and cut off the station’s broadcasts amid tensions over the counting of votes in crucial elections. The authorities said accreditation for the Radio France Internationale (RFI) correspondent in Kinshasa, Florence …

Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP | Somalia’s government has ordered the UN top envoy to the troubled country to leave, accusing him of “deliberately interfering with the country’s sovereignty.” The order comes days after the official, Nicholas Haysom, raised concerns at the action of Somalia’s UN-backed security services in recent violence …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Supporters of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi are calling for constitutional changes that would allow him to stay in power once his second term ends in 2022. Backers of the former military chief, re-elected in March with over 97 percent of the vote, want parliament …

Bamako, Mali | AFP | Thirty-seven civilians were killed when armed men believed to be traditional Dogon hunters attacked a village of Fulani herders in central Mali Tuesday in the latest clash between the warring communities, the government said. The attack on Koulogon village near Bankass in the Mopti region …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | An Africa Cup of Nations with new dates and an expanded 24-team line-up will take centre stage this year in the continent, but the hosts have still to be decided. CAF will announce next Wednesday whether Egypt or South Africa stage the June 15-July …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa introduced its first minimum wage on Tuesday, with President Cyril Ramaphosa saying millions of workers would be better paid as he readies for a tricky election in May with the national economy struggling for growth. Trade unions have been split over whether …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Leading western powers on Tuesday called on the Democratic Republic of Congo to restore internet access, which operators say was cut on government orders a day earlier following presidential elections. They also backed a request by the main Congolese election monitoring organisations to have …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir ordered authorities Tuesday to set up a committee to investigate violence during anti-government protests, even as a range of political groups called for a “new regime” in the country. At least 19 people have been killed and hundreds wounded in protests …