Yagma, Burkina Faso | AFP | “We have nothing,” says Belen Boureima, a 74-year-old farmer, as his weathered face contemplates the scrap of land in the remote village he and his family must now call home. “But it’s better to be alive here than to stay in Djibo and die.” …
Read More »Egypt detains more than 1,000 after anti-Sisi protests: NGOs
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Egyptian authorities have arrested more than 1,000 people, rights groups said Wednesday, broadening a crackdown that has seen prominent critics detained after rare protests calling for the ouster of general-turned-President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The wave of arrests comes ahead of a “million-man march” Friday called for …
Read More »Using Argentine know-how to grow crops in Uganda
Bueno Aires, Argentina | WORLDCRUNCH.COM | Argentina is known for its large-scale, high-tech and export-driven farming sector. But now, some of its engineers are using their expertise to improve the practices of small-scale, peasant farmers — in Africa. Such is the case of Juan Francisco Acutain and Francisco Podestá, who are …
Read More »Sisi, Egypt’s undisputed leader
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Since ascending to power in 2014, Egypt’s general-turned-president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has imposed himself as an uncontested leader, stamping out opposition despite criticism by rights groups. His government has taken no chances and arrested over 600 people after hundreds of Egyptians protested his rule last week. …
Read More »Cameroon’s anglophone region on tenterhooks ahead of peace talks
Buea, Cameroon | AFP | The mood in English-speaking Cameroon is a mix of anxiety, resignation and fatigue as the clock ticks. On September 30, the government will start hosting a national “dialogue” on the future of the anglophone territories, where separatist violence and a government crackdown have cost thousands of …
Read More »KAGAME: Rwandans are actually very happy
New York, US | THE INDEPENDENT | President Paul Kagame has held a meeting in New York with his Presidential Advisory Council (PAC), and hailed them for sticking with the country in its struggles to get back on its feet fully. “I sincerely want to thank all of you for staying …
Read More »Harry and Meghan join S.Africa’s fight against gender violence
Cape Town, South Africa | AFP | Prince Harry on Monday urged South African men to turn their back on toxic masculinity as his wife Meghan applauded girls for “standing up for what’s right,” as the British royal couple launched their first official tour since becoming parents in May. The pair …
Read More »Seven children killed, scores hurt after school collapses
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Seven children died and scores were injured early Monday when a school building collapsed in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, in an accident blamed on shoddy construction. “We can confirm that we have seven fatalities,” said government spokesman Cyrus Oguna. Education Minister George Magoha said in …
Read More »Second Ebola vaccine to be introduced in DRC in mid-October: WHO
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The Democratic Republic of the Congo is to introduce a second vaccine next month to combat the Ebola virus, which has killed more than 2,100 people in the country, the World Health Organization said Monday. The announcement came as the aid group Doctors Without Borders (MSF) …
Read More »Mugabe died of cancer, says Zimbabwe media
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s founding president Robert Mugabe had “advanced cancer” when he died in hospital in Singapore on September 6, the state-owned newspaper reported on Monday. The former guerilla leader, who died aged 95, came to power at the end of white minority rule in 1980 and …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price