AFRICA

Casablanca, Morocco | AFP |  A small van zips through the streets of Casablanca to deliver food to single mothers, as economic paralysis caused by the coronavirus crisis puts pressure on Morocco’s poor. “We have to be quick,” says Bouchra, a coordinator from NGO INSAF who is supervising the day’s rounds. …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | When Africa’s first case of coronavirus was detected in Egypt in February, the rest of the continent prepared for the brunt of a pandemic that has engulfed Europe and spread to the United States, infecting more than 1.6 million worldwide. Health experts warned of the …

Beijing, China | AFP | Africans in southern China’s largest city say they have become targets of suspicion and subjected to forced evictions, arbitrary quarantines and mass coronavirus testing as the country steps up its fight against imported infections. China says it has largely curbed its COVID-19 outbreak but a recent …

Ambovombe, Madagascar | AFP | “When my husband is under too much stress, he takes it out on me,” said Maharo Soarolahy, a 34-year-old Madagascan villager. Domestic violence is an evil that exists in every society. But in patriarchal Madagascar, the problem is entrenched and seems bound to worsen in the …

Libreville, Gabon | AFP |  Desperately needed aid for millions of people across sub-Saharan Africa is under threat as the deadly coronavirus pandemic sweeps a continent already facing a volley of crises. In some cases social distancing measures and border closures are preventing workers from distributing aid. In others, funding is …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Few generals would choose to fight a war on two fronts, against a foe that is nearly invisible and at times seems to have the terrifying ability to surface anywhere. Yet this is exactly the mission that Dr. Jean-Jacques Muyembe has taken upon himself, and …

Bujumbura, Burundi | AFP |  In Burundi, the delayed arrival of coronavirus was attributed to “God’s protection”. Now that the country has three cases, authorities again see divine intervention at work and little reason to interrupt everyday life. The ruling party has sought to reassure Burundians they need not worry about …

Kampala, Uganda | Isaac Khisa | The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has released its audited financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2019, showing strong and consistent growth, with total comprehensive income of $324.2 million. The results, which reflected a net income of $313.3 million, 14.3 percent increase over the 2018 …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | The World Bank warned Thursday that sub-Saharan Africa could slip into its first recession in a quarter of century because of the coronavirus pandemic on the world’s most impoverished continent. “We project that economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa will decline from 2.4 percent in 2019 …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | African Union officials said Thursday the continent is struggling to compete with rich countries for testing kits and other equipment necessary to curb the spread of the coronavirus. “We need aid for testing equipment,” Kwesi Quartey, the deputy chair of the African Union Commission, told …