AFRICA

Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP | Two explosions rocked Somalia’s internal security ministry in the capital Mogadishu on Saturday morning, a police officer said, in the latest attack claimed by Shabaab militants. “There were two blasts targeting the internal security compound near parliament,” said Ibrahim Mohamed, a police commander, adding gunfire …

Uganda’s Kashamba: For migrants in Spain, survival means squats, odd jobs Barcelona, Spain | AFP | Francis Kashamba got 10 euros for a 14-hour day and Lamine Sarr survives as a street vendor. For these illegal migrants in Spain, Europe has proved to be more of a purgatory than the …

South Sudan foes agree to withdraw forces from ‘urban areas’ Khartoum, Sudan | AFP |  South Sudan’s government and rebels agreed Friday to withdraw troops from urban areas, a Sudanese official said, as they signed a deal aimed at ending a four-and-a-half year civil war. The deal comes a day …

Luanda, Angola | AFP |  Two Angolan journalists were acquitted by a judge on Friday over an article of accusing a former attorney general of corruption, in a verdict welcomed by press freedom activists. Investigative journalist Rafael Marques and editor Mariano Lourenco faced charges of insulting a public authority over …

Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Lawmakers in Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have formed a breakaway group in what is expected to be a prelude to defections as elections approach next year. President Muhammadu Buhari’s former ally, Buba Galadima, on Wednesday announced the creation of a group called the …

Goma, DR Congo | AFP |  Four Ugandan soldiers and three civilians were killed Thursday in clashes on Lake Edward that lies between the two countries, a senior official in the Democratic Republic of Congo said. Other clashes in the region between DR Congo forces and Ugandan rebels as well as …

THE LAST WORD: How the ideology of a welfare state has destroyed our continent and impoverished its people THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | Everywhere I turn these days, Ugandans (and Africans generally) are complaining about the sorry state of our education and healthcare systems. There is a …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Burundi looked set to adopt constitutional reforms that could allow President Pierre Nkurunziza to remain in power until 2034, with official results on Friday showing a “yes” vote winning in 14 of 18 provinces. The official results, published by a coalition of 15 public and …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP |  Thousands of doses of Ebola vaccine arrived Wednesday in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is facing an outbreak of the deadly virus, the health ministry said. Congolese authorities declared the outbreak in the northwest region near Congo-Brazzaville on May 8, and three have …

Democracy from below could be the antidote to addiction to power by leaders who refuse to leave office COMMENT | KEALEBOGA J MAPHUNYE | Some African countries have recorded democratic victories in the past 12 months. Ethiopia has a new leader whose ascent holds great promise for change, despite the country’s …