AFRICA

Luanda, Angola | AFP |  When Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos steps down and his successor is chosen in Wednesday’s elections, it will bring to an end a 38-year reign dominated by his unrelenting authoritarian style. Though seldom seen in public, he has been a looming presence in daily …

  Luanda, Angola | AFP |  Angola goes to the polls Wednesday in a historic election marking the end of President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos’s 38-year reign, with his party set to retain power despite the country’s economic crisis. The MPLA (People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola), which has …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | A controversial online auction of rhino horn set to open Monday has been delayed by two days after a legal challenge delayed the South African permit for the sale, the organisers announced. Outraged conservationists say the three-day auctoin could undermine the global ban on rhino …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Imagine a language without an alphabet, held together without grammar or spelling, which changes every day but is nonetheless spoken and understood by more than 75 million Nigerians. So how would a global mega-broadcaster like the BBC go about reaching this vast, young and un-tapped audience? …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | A South African court on Sunday gave the go-ahead for an online auction of rhino horns that has outraged conservationists. South African authorities had moved to ban the three-day auction which they feared would undermine the global ban on rhino trade, refusing to issue a …

Bangui, Central African Republic | AFP | Thirteen people have been killed in a town in Central African Republic, a local doctor said Sunday, as the toll from sectarian violence that has sparked fears of genocide continued to rise. The clashes took place in Bria, in the centre of the country …

Abuja, Nigeria | THE INDEPENDENT |  In his first address since his return from treatment abroad, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has warned about divisive comments on social media. “Nigerians are robust and lively in discussing their affairs, but I was distressed to notice that some of the comments, especially in …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s vice president has returned home from neighbouring South Africa where he was flown for emergency medical care for suspected food poisoning, a privately-owned newspaper reported Sunday. Emmerson Mnangagwa, 74, who is seen as a favourite to succeed President Robert Mugabe, fell ill at a rally …

‘Raila fatigue’ favours status quo in Kenya election Kenya |  YVONNE ROWA WOODS  | Kenya’s 2017 polls will be remembered as the election of minor gains and confounding contradictions. In the run up to polling, public discontent appeared to have been largely driven by the unprecedented sophistication in graft and …

ALERT: South Africa granted diplomatic immunity to Grace Mugabe Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s first lady Grace Mugabe flew home from South Africa on Sunday, state media said, ending a week of confusion over her whereabouts after she allegedly assaulted a model. Mugabe, who had been sought by police for …