AFRICA

  Libreville, Gabon | AFP |  Gabon’s presidency said Monday that a recent speech showed leader Ali Bongo was “firmly in control” of the country after he suffered a stroke 10 months ago that fuelled speculation about his ability to rule. The opposition has claimed that President Bongo is unfit …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudan’s deposed military leader Omar al-Bashir, who ruled the country for 30 years, arrived in court Monday in Khartoum for the start of his trial on corruption charges. The trial comes as a sovereign council was being formed, following Saturday’s signing of a transitional constitution by …

  Luanda, Angola | THE INDEPENDENT & AFP | President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and Rwanda’s Paul Kagame are expected to hold discussions in Angola next week, the second such meeting in two months. According to a press release from the Angolan presidency, they two leaders will be the second …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP |  Abdulmalik Abdulaziz, an Uighur student, was arrested and handcuffed by Egyptian police and when they removed his blindfold he was surprised to see Chinese officials questioning him in custody. He was picked up in broad daylight with friends, and taken to a Cairo police station where …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP |  Rapturous crowds filled the streets of Khartoum Saturday as Sudan’s generals and protest leaders signed a historic deal paving the way for civilian rule. Thousands of cheering people gathered around the Friendship Hall next to the Nile, where the documents that will govern the country’s 39-month …

Gabon’s Bongo attends independence parade in rare public appearance Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Gabon’s President Ali Bongo on Saturday made a rare public appearance to attend the country’s independence day celebrations, nearly ten months after suffering a stroke that fuelled speculation about his ability to rule. Bongo, whose every …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudan was poised Saturday to celebrate a historic deal between generals and protest leaders for a transition to civilian rule, which many hope will bring increased freedom and prosperity. During a ceremony to be held at a hall by the Nile in the capital Khartoum, members …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP |  Riot police in Zimbabwe on Friday fired teargas and beat demonstrators who defied a protest ban, as the opposition accused President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government of surpassing Robert Mugabe’s regime in brutality. Scores of people gathered in a square in the capital Harare to demonstrate against the …

Kampala, Uganda | AFP | Uganda and Zambia on Friday denied a report that employees of Chinese telecom giant Huawei had helped them spy on political opponents. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported this week that Huawei technicians helped the two African governments intercept communications and social media activity of their …

Bukavu, DR Congo | AFP | A woman has died of Ebola and her infant son was diagnosed with the virus in the first confirmed cases in DR Congo’s South Kivu province, reviving fears Friday the highly contagious disease could spread through the region. The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ebola epidemic …