AFRICA

Daura, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerians voted for a new president on Saturday after a week-long delay that has raised political tempers, sparked conspiracy claims and stoked fears of violence. Some 120,000 polling stations opened from 0700 GMT, although there were delays in the delivery of some materials and deployment …

Sudan’s Bashir stands firm in face of protests Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, long wanted on genocide and war crimes charges, has declared a nationwide state of emergency as he bids to stay in power despite weeks of anti-regime protest. Demonstrators first took to the streets …

Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | President Muhammadu Buhari vowed Friday on the eve of troubled elections that Nigerians would be able to vote in security, despite a week-long postponement and violence in the north of the country. In a televised address, Buhari promised “adequate security measures are in place” for the ballot. “You will be …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenya’s High Court on Friday postponed a much-anticipated ruling on whether to scrap colonial-era laws which criminalise homosexuality, citing a heavy case load. “The files are above my height… we are still working,” said Chacha Mwita, one of the judges, who added that one of his colleagues was on leave …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Profiles of key suspects in last month’s terror attack in Nairobi point to the worrying rise of a new generation of Kenyan jihadists, analysts say. Police are hunting Ali Salim Gichunge, the suspected mastermind of the January 15 attack on the Dusit hotel and office complex …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Democratic Republic of Congo ex-president Joseph Kabila, who yielded power to Felix Tshisekedi after December elections, moved Wednesday to assert his political clout, making the leaders of his FCC coalition sign a loyalty pledge. Kabila’s Common Front For Congo remains the strongest force in parliament, …

Children who have no birth certificate cannot prove their age, parentage, or identity, or get official papers COMMENT | Dominique Nouvian Ouattara | A name, an official identity, and a nationality recognised by everyone: most of us take these things for granted. Yet, for nearly a quarter-billion children around the …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenya’s High Court on Friday issues a potentially historic ruling that could roll back colonial-era laws penalising same-sex relationships. Here is a selection of quotes illustrating the situation of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in sub-Saharan Africa: “Worse than pigs and dogs.” – Former Zimbabwean …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | While it’s unlikely that many Zimbabweans yearn for former ruler Robert Mugabe’s return, the occasion of his 95th birthday on Thursday has led some to see him in a softer light. “Comrade Bob” was toppled from 37 years in power in November 2017 following a brief …

The claim that democracy fares better in the West than in Africa is a mistake | STEVEN FRIEDMAN | One day, if they follow instructions, Africa’s new democracies will grow up to be “real” like those of Western Europe and North America. This assumption makes little sense – but it …