AFRICA

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 …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | A lesbian church leader lights pink, yellow, and purple candles and passes them around to worshippers as they pray for a court decision that will mean they no longer have to live a lie. “The Lord is in control,” she says, as swaying congregants yell out “Victory!” and a musician …

  Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Jude Ezeanyagu woke up last Saturday morning and texted guests the final reminders about his wedding the following week in Delta state, southern Nigeria. Then he got a reply. “My friend texted me back, ‘Have you not seen the news? They’ve shifted the elections’,” …