Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudanese security forces on Monday fired tear gas at thousands of protesters who had massed outside the army headquarters in Khartoum for a second night demanding that President Omar al-Bashir resign, witnesses said. Several vehicles carrying security personnel arrived in the early hours of the …
Read More »Rwanda remembers, quarter century after genocide
Kigali, Rwanda | AFP | Rwanda on Sunday commemorates the 25th anniversary of the genocide in which at least 800,000 mainly Tutsi people were beaten, hacked or shot to death in 100 days of slaughter. A quarter of a century on, the east African nation has recovered economically, but the …
Read More »Sudan opposition leader calls on Bashir to end emergency rule, resign
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudan’s top opposition leader on Friday urged President Omar al-Bashir to end a state of emergency and resign, calling for widespread rallies the next day against Bashir’s 30-year rule. Sadiq al-Mahdi, former prime minister and chief of Sudan’s main opposition National Umma Party, called on Bashir …
Read More »Algerians rally for Bouteflika allies to quit too
Algiers, Algeria | AFP | Algerians were gathering Friday for the first mass protests since the resignation of ailing president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, in a key test of whether the momentum for reform can be maintained. Activists took to social media calling for “joyful demonstrations” to “peacefully bring down a dictatorial regime”. …
Read More »Macron seeks to shine light on Rwanda genocide
Paris, France | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday appointed a panel of experts to investigate France’s actions in Rwanda during the country’s genocide 25 years ago, a subject that has dogged Franco-Rwandan relations since the 1994 massacres. The commission of eight researchers and historians “will be tasked with …
Read More »Macron under fire for skipping Rwandan genocide commemorations
Paris, France | AFP | When a smattering of leaders gather this weekend in Kigali to mark the 25th anniversary of Rwanda’s genocide there will be one conspicuous absence: French President Emmanuel Macron. Several African leaders and Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel are expected at events commemorating the 1994 massacre of …
Read More »‘Ethiopian crew followed procedure, but jet was out of control’
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | The crew of the Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed last month killing 157 people, repeatedly followed procedures recommended by Boeing, but were unable to regain control of the jet, the Ethiopian transport minister said Thursday. “The crew performed all the procedures repeatedly provided by …
Read More »COMMENT: Closing Africa’s energy gap
Developing economies across Africa are in a unique position to invest in cleaner sources of power at a lower cost COMMENT | BHAVTIK VALLABHJEE | Africa is a continent blessed with an abundance of natural resources – water, wind, thermal coal, natural gas, and of course plenty of sunshine – …
Read More »Algerians cheer end of Bouteflika era but want broader change
Algiers, Algeria | AFP | Flag-waving Algerians celebrated the resignation of ailing leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika after two decades in power, but vowed to keep protesting to demand sweeping change to the country’s whole political system. The 82-year-old president ceded power in the face of massive street demonstrations that have shaken the …
Read More »Algeria: from mass protests to Bouteflika resignation
Algiers, Algeria | AFP | Algeria’s ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigned on Tuesday, nearly six weeks after the start of unprecedented protests sparked by his bid for a fifth term. His resignation, announced by state television, came shortly after the army demanded the start of impeachment against him. Here is a …
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