AFRICA

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday said foreign “greed” for its cobalt lay behind the “malicious” pressures weighing on the country’s electoral process. The DRC is in the grip of a crisis over plans to hold presidential elections, which were delayed by President Joseph …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | At least five children were killed Wednesday while playing with a grenade at a school in northern Tanzania, a local official told AFP. “We regret the death of five children, there are 23 others injured,” said Adroniz Rurindoli, a local government official in the Ngara region, …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | A diplomatic spat over cows and chickens has worsened already frosty ties between Kenya and Tanzania, with Nairobi lodging a formal protest against its neighbour, the foreign minister said Wednesday. The latest impasse between the two east African nations began last month when Tanzania seized and …

Lome, Togo | AFP | Togo’s opposition on Wednesday accused the security forces of “savage repression” after nearly 20 of its supporters were injured as they tried to protest against the ruling party. The opposition held the first of three planned demonstrations this week on Tuesday, calling for constitutional reform and …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s sacked vice president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, said Wednesday he had fled the country, as he issued a direct challenge to long-ruling President Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace. The ruling ZANU-PF party “is not personal property for you and your wife to do as you please,” …

Bamako, Mali | AFP | A senior UN official, on a visit to Mali, has warned about “violations committed during anti-terrorist operations” after Bamako said French troops killed Malian soldiers during a raid against jihadists. An official from Mali’s defense ministry on Tuesday confirmed that Malian soldiers captured by jihadists …

Abidjan, Ivory Coast | AFP | Two tusks and 46 elephant tails have been seized in Ivory Coast, activists said Tuesday, adding that a customs officer acting as an accomplice to traffickers was among four arrested. “Two impressive tusks of 1.6 metres each” were seized by a specialist unit from …

Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | Four parties on Tuesday discussed a “merger” to bolster Vice President Joseph Boakai in his fight against former international football star George Weah for Liberia’s presidency, a senior party official said. The talks took place on the day that a runoff vote between the two men, …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  The African Union’s mission in Somalia has said it will withdraw 1,000 troops fighting jihadists in the country this year, as part of plans to pull out all soldiers by December 2020. In a statement released Tuesday, the AU’s special representative for Somalia Francisco Madeira …

Lome, Togo | AFP | Thousands of people took to the streets in Togo’s capital on Tuesday in the latest protest calling for the long-standing President Faure Gnassingbe to step down. The demonstration is the first of three planned marches this week and comes after more than two months of nearly …