Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | Liberian President George Weah faces a key test on Friday when demonstrators take to the streets of Monrovia to protest at inflation and corruption. The nation’s football icon is being challenged over the same issues on which he campaigned in his historic ascent to the …
Read More »Drawing the pain: Sketch therapy for C. Africa’s war-torn children.
Kaga Bandoro, Central African Republic | AFP | The scratching of crayons on paper fills the air as the children at Lazare camp in war-ravaged Central African Republic draw scenes from daily life. They draw armed men. Armoured vehicles. And they use red. Lots of red. In a makeshift tent, glasses perched on her …
Read More »Museveni silent on Uganda-Rwanda conflict, disturbing-Opposition
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Members of the opposition have said that President Yoweri Museveni’s silence on the ongoing conflict between Uganda and Rwanda is a disturbing development. They argue that President Museveni’s State of the Nation address, delivered this evening, was inadequate and merely ceremonial because it left …
Read More »Gabon’s economic woes arouse nostalgia for Omar Bongo
Franceville, Gabon | AFP | He died a decade ago, but residents of Franceville in southeast Gabon hark back with deep nostalgia to the rule of former president Omar Bongo. His heyday was a time of seemingly endless oil wealth and optimism. But the river of dollars has dried up and …
Read More »Sudan protesters reject talks after 108 killed in crackdown
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudanese protest leaders on Wednesday turned down an offer by the ruling military council for talks and demanded justice for a crackdown that doctors said has left 108 people dead. Security forces moved in to brutally disperse a protest sit-in on Monday. The Rapid Support Forces, …
Read More »Sudan protesters reject talks after 101 killed in crackdown
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudanese protest leaders on Wednesday turned down an offer by the ruling military council for talks and demanded justice for a crackdown that doctors said has left 101 people dead. Security forces moved in to brutally disperse a protest sit-in on Monday. The Rapid Support …
Read More »Sudan military offers to talk after 60 die in protest crackdown
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudan’s army ruler said Wednesday he was open to negotiations even as gunfire crackled across the capital after a crackdown that doctors close to protesters said left at least 60 people dead. Despite mounting international concern at what demonstrators called a “bloody massacre”, a bid at …
Read More »Putting Africa’s secondary cities first
By linking remote and rural areas to larger urban centers, they are nodes in larger economic activity | Ibrahim Assane Mayaki | In the latest Mercer Quality of Living City Rankings, the highest-ranked African city, Port Louis, Mauritius, comes in at 83rd out of 231. That appears to be in …
Read More »Gunfire echoes in Khartoum as protest crackdown leaves 60 dead
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Gunfire crackled in Sudan’s capital Wednesday as tensions remained high after a two-day crackdown that doctors close to the country’s protest movement said had left at least 60 people dead. Despite mounting international concern at what demonstrators called a “bloody massacre”, a bid at the UN …
Read More »Sudan protesters reject army election plan after deadly crackdown
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudan’s protest movement called Tuesday for fresh rallies and rejected the military rulers’ election plan after nearly 40 people were killed in what demonstrators called a “bloody massacre” by security forces. Protest leaders called on their supporters to take part in “total civil disobedience” to topple …
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