AFRICA

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP |  Nelson Mandela’s family has expressed “indignation and dismay” at allegations that officials stole and misspent $22 million intended for the anti-apartheid icon’s memorial events after his death in 2013. The country’s anti-corruption watchdog last week said it had uncovered evidence that millions of dollars …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  Kenyan security forces raped, beat and assaulted civilians during violence in recent elections, Human Rights Watch said Thursday. “There was widespread sexual violence against women and girls, and sexual attacks on men,” HRW said, in a report titled, “They were men in uniform.” The violence, …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP |  Zimbabwe’s former president Robert Mugabe, 93, who was ousted from power last month, has flown to Singapore for a medical check-up, his ex-spokesman said Thursday. Mugabe and his wife Grace have not been seen in public since he was forced to resign after a military …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | The United States on Wednesday said it was “troubled and saddened” by clashes in Ethiopia that local reports said has left at least 18 people dead. The violence was reported to be most intense in the eastern town of Chelenko, near the volatile border between …

Bukavu, DR Congo | AFP | A dozen militiamen in eastern DR Congo were jailed for life Wednesday for raping about 40 children, including a baby, in what was judged a crime against humanity. The defendants were said to belong to a militia group called “Djeshi ya Yesu” — meaning “Army …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza has launched a campaign to promote a referendum to change the constitution that could see him rule until 2034. “It’s the day you’ve been waiting for,” Nkurunziza told a crowd of thousands of farmers in the central Gitega district on Tuesday, threatening …

Washington, United States | AFP | US forces in Somalia conducted an air strike Tuesday against a bomb-laden vehicle outside Mogadishu that was deemed an “imminent threat” to the capital, officials said. The strike occurred about 65 kilometers (40 miles) southwest of Mogadishu and comes after as many as 512 people …

Lome, Togo | AFP | Togo’s main opposition coalition, which has led protests against President Faure Gnassingbe for more than three months, on Tuesday boycotted government consultations for talks on ending the political impasse. The international community has called for talks between the two sides to end the stalemate over constitutional …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | As soon as Ethiopian opposition activist Henok Gabisa read the email, he knew something was not right. With the subject line “Democracy in Ethiopia: Can it be saved?”, the message seemed tailor-made for him. Yet the US-based academic, who teaches law at Washington and Lee …

Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | The runoff in Liberia’s presidential elections will be held on December 26, the country’s electoral overseer announced on Tuesday, clearing a last hurdle in a protracted saga. It means the final round of voting between the two leading candidates — ex-footballer George Weah and Vice …