AFRICA

Pretoria, South Africa | AFP | South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s ruling ANC was in touching distance of election victory Friday but with diminished support, complicating efforts to revive the country’s flagging economy and fight corruption, results showed. The African National Congress (ANC), in power since 1994, held a very …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Farm tractors, pick-up trucks and combine harvesters from former Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe’s dairy farm will go under the hammer to pay off debts, auctioneers announced Thursday. Mugabe, who ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years, owned several farms despite laws limiting individuals to one farm. He …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudanese protest leaders on Wednesday threatened to launch a nationwide campaign of civil disobedience after accusing the country’s military rulers of delaying the transfer of power to a civilian administration. Thousands of people remain camped outside the military headquarters in Khartoum nearly four weeks after the …

Three party leaders battle it out in S.Africa election Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa goes to the polls Wednesday with the leaders of the three main parties vying for votes in a race that could test the ruling ANC’s long-held dominance. Here is a look at the …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | After a day of abstaining from food and drink, Sudanese protesters Monday broke their fast on the first day of Ramadan with chicken soup and vowed to press their campaign for a civilian rule. As the call for the sunset prayer rang out, crowds gathered …

Paris, France | AFP | What lies behind the arrests of the powerful brother of Algeria’s deposed president Abdelaziz Bouteflika and two former intelligence chiefs? The three have long been considered among the most powerful men in Algeria, but they are now facing charges including “conspiring” against the state. – Who …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Yoweri Museveni has said Ugandans should get visas on entry in South Africa. Museveni was reacting to reports that several Ugandan tour operators recently had difficulty getting visas while others were denied entry to attend the Indaba Tourism Fair in Durban last week. …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudanese mediators have proposed two transitional bodies in a bid to break a deadlock in talks on a power handover from the military rulers to civilians, a protest leader said Sunday. The army and protesters are wrangling over how to replace the existing 10-member military …

Algiers, Algeria | AFP |  Said Bouteflika, the powerful brother of deposed Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, was arrested Saturday along with two former intelligence chiefs, a security source told AFP. General Mohamed Mediene, known as Toufik, who headed the secret service for 25 years and former intelligence coordinator Athmane Tartag …

Libreville, Gabon | AFP |  A Gabonese court has thrown out a bid by opposition activists to force President Ali Bongo Ondimba to have medical checks to see if he is still fit to rule. The court in Libreville rejected the request as “inadmissible”, according to the ruling seen by …