AFRICA

Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Gabon is to withdraw its forces from the UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic, a force known by its initials of MINUSCA The cabinet on Thursday endorsed a request by the defence ministry to pull out the country’s troops in MINUSCA, “given the …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | UN chief Antonio Guterres on Friday hailed “progress” towards holding long-delayed elections in DR Congo but criticised the government for brutally putting down demonstrations against President Joseph Kabila. Kabila was due to stand down from office in December 2016, ending his second elected term. …

Lome, Togo | AFP | Opposition groups in Togo said Friday they were suspending upcoming protests against President Faure Gnassingbe at the request of Ghana, which is mediating in the crisis. “The facilitator, Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, received a delegation from the (opposition) coalition on Wednesday in Accra and asked us …

Port Louis, Mauritius | AFP | Mauritian President Ameenah Gurib-Fakim is to resign after becoming embroiled in a financial scandal, Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth announced on Friday. Gurib-Fakim, who is the only female head of state in Africa, has been accused of using a bank card provided by an NGO to …

Nairobi, Kenya | PSCU | President Uhuru Kenyatta and Opposition leader Raila Odinga have resolved to work together to unite the country. Addressing the Press after they held talks at Harambee House, Nairobi, today, President Kenyatta and  Odinga said time has come for the country to stop allowing political differences …

Nairobi, Kenya | THE INDEPENDENT | Raila Odinga, who was recently inaugurated as Kenya’s “People’s President”, has in a surprise move met President Uhuru Kenyata in Nairobi. According to Nzoika Waita, the chief of staff in the office of the president, “Kenyatta has reached out to Opposition Leader Raila Odinga. …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday met with Zimbabwe’s new President Emmerson Mnangagwa and discussed possible military co-operation as well as plans to boost economic ties. Lavrov, who is on a tour of Africa, is the first high-profile Russian official to visit Zimbabwe since veteran …

Freetown, Sierra Leone | AFP | Sierra Leone’s election chief called for patience on Thursday as ballots from its general election are counted, with tensions high after a police raid on an opposition leader’s home. More than 3.1 million Sierra Leoneans were eligible to cast their ballots for a new president, …

Conakry, Guinea | AFP | Guinean President Alpha Conde will carry out a “major cabinet reshuffle”, his office said Thursday, following weeks of strikes and demonstrations in the country after disputed local elections. Conde will install ministers “who listen to the people,” a statement said. It was released after Conde was …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP |  Zimbabwe’s ex-leader Robert Mugabe sent shockwaves through the party he dominated for decades when he posed with the retired general who will take on the ruling ZANU-PF in this year’s election. Mugabe grinned broadly in the posed photo, standing beside brigadier general Ambrose Mutinhiri, …