Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who shared the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize as a champion of women’s rights, is stepping down after making history as Africa’s first elected female president in Liberia. Taking the reins of a nation that had just emerged from a civil war leaving …
Read More »Internet cut off, at least five dead in DR Congo protest crackdown
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | At least five people were killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday, the UN said, as the authorities cracked down on a banned protest against President Joseph Kabila. Witnesses said security forces fired live rounds and tear gas in Kinshasa to disperse …
Read More »More African billionaires
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Buoyed by rising stock markets and commodity prices, Africa’s billionaires are collectively wealthier than a year ago. The 23 billionaires that Forbes found in Africa – up from 21 billionaires last year — are worth a combined $75.4 billion, compared to $70 billion in January …
Read More »Four US, Canadian captives freed in Nigeria: police
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Two American and two Canadians who were kidnapped in an ambush by gunmen in northern Nigeria this week were freed on Saturday, police said. Nigerian security forces had launched a manhunt after the four were seized on Tuesday evening in the state of Kaduna by …
Read More »In DR Congo, cost of funerals is a crippling burden for the bereaved
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | In Kinshasa, perhaps just one thing beats the cost of living — and that’s the cost of being dead. Since the start of the year, funerals have become a common sight in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital, the tragic outcome of floods, cholera …
Read More »DR Congo on edge ahead of ‘banned’ protest
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | A heavy police presence is expected in the Democratic Republic of Congo capital Kinshasa on Sunday ahead of planned protests demanding that President Joseph Kabila leave power. Catholic church leaders have called for a mass peaceful demonstration against Kabila’s 17-year rule, three weeks after …
Read More »Thousands of women in anti-president protest in Togo
Lome, Togo | AFP | Thousands of women took to the streets of Togo’s capital Lome on Saturday to protest against the power of President Faure Gnassingbe. Since September, a coalition of 14 political parties has held almost weekly marches, where thousands have called for Gnassingbe to step down to …
Read More »S.Africa’s ANC vows change as Zuma exit looms
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa’s ruling ANC party said Saturday it would “act decisively” to rebuild its reputation, as local media reported that President Jacob Zuma could soon be forced from office. Zuma has been under growing pressure to resign since he was replaced as head of …
Read More »Egypt’s President Sisi says will stand for re-election
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Friday he would stand in a presidential election due to take place in March. “I announce to you in the honesty and transparency which we are used to… my candidacy for the post of president of the republic,” Sisi …
Read More »US says four Shabaab militants killed in Somalia strike
Washington, United States | AFP | US forces in Somalia said Friday that four Al-Shabaab militants were killed in an airstrike as part of the ongoing offensive against the jihadist rebels. The US Africa Command said the strike took place on Thursday in southern Somalia, around 50 kilometers (30 miles) …
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