AFRICA

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP |  Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir on Sunday told police to abstain from using excessive force against anti-government demonstrators as the UN called for a probe into deaths during the violent protests. At least 19 people have been killed since December 19 during protests sparked by Khartoum’s …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Presidential elections that will shape the future of one of Africa’s biggest and most unstable countries were underway in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday after a two-year delay. Queues formed at polling stations, where observers reported early hitches, including with electronic voting …

Paris, France | AFP | Some 15 suspected jihadists have been killed near the Niger-Mali border by a joint franco-nigerien task force, the French military high command said. “On the night of December 27 (…) an air raid mounted by fighters and Tiger attack helicopters struck” jihadists gathered near Tongo …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | A prominent Sudanese rebel chief from war-torn Darfur on Saturday rejected a government charge that his fighters were behind violence during demonstrations and had plans to kill protesters. Deadly protests have rocked Sudan since December 19 after a government decision to raise the price of …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The World Health Organization chief warned Friday that growing unrest in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo was disrupting efforts to rein in an Ebola outbreak, threatening gains made in fighting the deadly virus. The security situation in the Ebola-hit Beni and Butembo areas has deteriorated …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP |  Nineteen people have been killed so far in protests following calls for more demonstrations against a rise in bread prices. UN on Friday called on the authorities in Sudan to investigate the deaths. Sudanese police broke up several protests held after Friday prayers, as security agents …

United Nations, United States | AFP | UN experts are accusing a warlord in the Democratic Republic of Congo of leading horrific gang rapes in South Kivu during which women were held captive in a cave and treated like sex slaves, according to a confidential report obtained by AFP on …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Tanzania’s tough-talking president John Magufuli has earned respect by fighting corruption, but international donors are now concerned by crackdowns on human rights. The European Union, Tanzania’s biggest development partner, and the World Bank have recently taken measures to sanction repressive policies. Magufuli’s reputation was boosted …

Bukavu, DR Congo | AFP | A notorious DR Congo militia chief whose men have been accused of systematic rapes has been arrested, the army said on Friday. Isaac Chirambiza was seized on Tuesday with three of his men in a military operation in South Kivu province, regional spokesman Captain …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP | An Egyptian court has sentenced a 25-year-old woman to three years in prison for “sexually harassing” a monkey in the country’s north, state daily Al-Ahram reported Friday. A court in Mansoura city charged Basma Ahmed with “inciting debauchery” and “committing an obscene act in public”, …