AFRICA

Kananga, DR Congo | AFP | A war of words has broken out between the United Nations and the DR Congo government which is shunning a donor conference in Geneva to raise $1.7 billion to tackle a humanitarian crisis that Kinshasa says has been vastly exaggerated by aid workers. Prime …

N’Djamena, Chad | AFP | A Chadian soldier and 20 Boko Haram members were killed in a clash in the restive Lake Chad region near Nigeria, a Chadian military officer told AFP Saturday. The incident occurred on Friday on an islet named Tchoukou Hadje, the officer said, adding that five …

Bunia, DR Congo | AFP | Six civilians were killed in attacks in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo where violence has claimed at least 130 lives since December, a local official said Saturday. Since late last year, scores of people have been killed in a flareup of clashes involving the …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Egyptians will choose their next president in elections starting Monday, with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi expected to easily secure a second four-year term. Some 60 million people in Egypt, the most populated Arab country, are registered to vote in three days of polling on March 26, …

Freetown, Sierra Leone | AFP | Sierra Leone’s High Court on Saturday issued an order to halt Tuesday’s presidential run-off until it resolves a legal dispute filed by a lawyer linked to the ruling party. Tensions are high ahead of the vote with a campaign marked by violent attacks and …

Washington, United States | AFP | The International Monetary Fund on Friday released an additional $257 million in funds for Tunisia as part of its four-year, $3 billion loan agreement. The IMF board approved the second review of the country’s economic performance under the financial aid package that was initially …

Kidal, Mali | AFP | Mali’s Prime Minister Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga made a landmark visit to the restive northern town of Kidal on Friday, the first since 2014 by a head of government to an area still in the hands of former rebels. Five French soldiers were wounded in Kidal …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP | With his trademark black sunglasses and blanket media presence, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi projects an air of benign paternalism. Whether the people love or loathe Sisi, see him as a bulwark of stability or as a domineering autocrat — there is little doubt that he …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday said it was shunning a donor conference in Geneva next month aimed at raising $1.7 billion to tackle what the United Nations has called a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Prime Minister Jose Makila said the UN had overreacted …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s main opposition party on Friday fired its deputy president and two other senior officials on misconduct charges, stoking fears of a split in the party ahead of key elections in July, a month after the death of founding leader Morgan Tsvangirai. The Movement for …