AFRICA

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 …

Esigodini, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa said Friday that a report probing deadly election violence when soldiers opened fire on protesters would be released next week. The shootings triggered international outrage and undermined Mnangagwa’s attempts to present the July election as a fresh start for Zimbabwe after …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s military on Friday suspended UNICEF from operating in the country’s ravaged northeast over claims it was training “spies” who are supporting Boko Haram jihadists. The military said that the United Nations children’s agency had on December 12 and 13 held workshops in the northeast …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Title-holder Mohamed Salah of Egypt was among 10 African stars named Friday in a Premier League-dominated short-list for the 2018 CAF Player of the Year award. The 26-year-old scored 44 goals for Liverpool in all competitions last season, his first at Anfield afer moving …

Yaoundé, Cameroon | AFP | Nearly 300 people who were arrested in connection with Cameroon’s anglophone crisis will be released on Friday, a day after being pardoned by President Paul Biya, the defence minister said. “Those benefitting from the offer of clemency granted by the head of state will be …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The UN rights chief on Friday denounced violence targeting the opposition by DR Congo’s security forces, just days before a vote marred by an increasingly tense campaign. “I am deeply worried about the reports of excessive use of force, including live ammunition, by security forces …

Libreville, Gabon | AFP | The UN must conduct a “thorough investigation” into its peacekeepers’ actions in Central African Republic during a militia attack in which “up to 100 civilians were shot and burnt alive”, Amnesty International said Friday. In a new report, the London-based watchdog said troops in the …

United Nations, United States | AFP | The United States on Thursday called for “immediate and broad-based reconciliatory dialogue” in between Cameroon’s government and separatists, urging talks “without pre-conditions.” “We urge all sides to forswear violence, to restore peace, and to resolve their grievances through political dialogue,” said Jonathan Cohen, …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | The Nigerian government is taking oil giants Shell and Eni to court in London, requesting the return of $1.1 billion (969 million euros) as part of a case of alleged corruption dating back to 2011, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. Nigeria alleges that the money …