AFRICA

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP |  The Democratic Republic of Congo said Sunday that it had opened an inquiry after soldiers fired on Burundian refugees in the eastern South Kivu province, killing dozens. Government spokesman Lambert Mende also claimed that many of those killed during the clashes were members of …

THE LAST WORD: How Africa’s obsession with ‘governance’ issues is too much ado over little or nothing THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | Let me articulate a heresy: the argument that Africa’s failure to prosper economically is fundamentally due to “governance” i.e. that our leaders are greedy, selfish, …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has been hospitalised in South Africa after his health deteriorated, a senior party official told AFP Saturday, though a spokesman said his condition was stable. “He is in South Africa on account of a medical cause. He is being attended …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | A Tanzanian court has sentenced nine people to at least 25 years in prison for illegal possession of ivory, as part of efforts to discourage poaching in one of the worst-hit countries. According to court documents seen by AFP Saturday, the accused, including two police officers, …

Luanda, Angola | AFP | The leading opposition party in Angola said Saturday its lawmakers would take their seats in parliament, withdrawing a threat to boycott the assembly to protest last month’s election outcome. The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), which won 27 percent of the vote, …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  Doubts are growing over Kenya’s ability to hold a rerun of its presidential election in just one month as key players remain unable to agree on how to conduct a credible vote, analysts say. Bickering on all sides and confusion over the process have only …

Tel Aviv, Israel | AFP |  Tens of thousands of Africans who fled misery at home for safety in Israel are living in limbo, fearing deportation though some have lived in the country for more than a decade. Recognising a rising tide of discontent among Israelis over the migrants’ presence …

Fear, confusion as Uganda ‘serial killer’ murders pile up Entebbe, Uganda | Michael O’HAGAN |  AFP | “We keep finding bodies. It was once a month then once every two or three weeks then every week,” said Rose Nakasinge, a middle-aged farmer. “We had to do something.” In a gruesome spate …

Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Simmering unrest and clashes in the chronically unstable Central African Republic has led a “record number” of 1.1 million people — about a fourth of the population — to flee their homes, the UN said Friday. UN High Commissioner for Refugees spokesman Andrej Mahecic said the …

Lome, Togo | AFP | A parliamentary panel in Togo on Friday approved a controversial bill to revamp the constitution and introduce a presidential term limit, after days of protests against the regime of Faure Gnassingbe, the scion of Africa’s oldest political dynasty. After a closed-door session, ten members of the …