AFRICA

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP |  An Ethiopian court has jailed 66 soldiers over a rare protest in the capital in October demanding better pay, state media reported Saturday. The Ethiopia Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) reported that the soldiers would be jailed from five to 14 years each. In October, hundreds …

Esigodini, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Saturday pledged to reform his party and promote democracy in his closing address to the ruling ZANU PF party’s annual conference. In a speech that marked the latest move in efforts to end his country’s international isolation, he told delegates: …

Zanzibar, Tanzania | UN | A year on from the brutal killings of 15 United Nations peacekeepers from Tanzania in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the head of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) paid a visit to some of the victims’ families on Friday, to honour the memory of the soldiers …

Katowice, Poland | UN | Africa is at a “tipping point” as global warming increases, and urgent action needs to be taken across the continent now, to mitigate risks and safeguard a decade of social and economic gains, according to a new report launched on Thursday by the United Nations Development …

Juba, South Sudan | UN | Widespread and systematic sexual violence across South Sudan, just a few months after the country’s top two politicians signed a renewed commitment to peace, was at the top of the UN Commission on Human Rights in the country’s agenda on Friday, as members ended …

Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | The Nigerian military lifted a ban on UNICEF operations in the ravaged northeast late Friday after earlier suspending the aid agency and accusing it of training “spies” supporting Boko Haram jihadists. The military earlier Friday said the United Nations children’s agency had this week held …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Former Ethiopian president Girma Woldegiorgis died on Saturday, two weeks short of his 95th birthday, state media reported. Girma was president of Ethiopia for twelve years between 2001 to 2013, a largely ceremonial role. His death was reported by the Ethiopia Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | At least 21 people have been killed in two days of fighting between ethnic groups in southern Ethiopia, the state-affiliated Fana radio reported Friday, The violence broke out near the town of Moyale, on the border with Kenya, in a region claimed by both …

Bangui, C.Africa | UN | Rising violence in the Central African Republic threatens to spill across the border into neighbouring countries, creating further instability, a senior United Nations official warned on Thursday, urging continued and coordinated regional efforts to bolster peace and security. In particular, a comprehensive and cautions approach …

Kigali, Rwanda | AFP |  At least two Rwandan soldiers in an attack by rebels who had crossed the border from the Democratic Republic of Congo, President Paul Kagame said on Friday. The Rwandan army blamed the December 9 assault in the country’s restive east on Hutu rebel group, the …