AFRICA

Vatican City, Holy See | AFP |  Pope Francis is supporting a series of aid projects in South Sudan, the Vatican said Wednesday, sending money in his place after a trip to the war-torn country was ruled out. The Vatican will donate 462,000 euros ($515,000), which will be divided among …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP |  Devastating conflicts, violence and persecution in Syria, South Sudan and elsewhere left a record 65.6 million people uprooted from their homes by the end of 2016, the UN said Monday. That number marks a jump of just 300,000 from the end of 2015, but is …

Clashes erupt in C. Africa a day after peace deal Bangui, Central African Republic | AFP | Intense fighting in the Central African Republic killed at least 40 people Tuesday and injured dozens more, dashing hopes for stability in the strife-torn country the day after the signing of a ceasefire deal. …

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso | AFP |  A second set of tests on the suspected remains of Burkina Faso’s iconic ex-president Thomas Sankara have returned inconclusive, with “no DNA profile” to confirm it was his body, the family’s lawyer has said. Sometimes referred to as Africa’s “Che Guevara”, Sankara died during …

Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP |  At least 10 people were killed when Shabaab Islamists drove an explosives-laden minibus into local government offices in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Tuesday, according to the security ministry. The minibus was rammed through a security barrier outside offices in the southern district of Wadajir, …

  Birmingham, UK | NIC CHEESEMAN |   Unrigging Kenyan election The race for State House in Kenya is heating up. After a long period during which President Uhuru Kenyatta looked a shoo-in for re-election, the presidential race is looking increasingly competitive. Although the most reliable polls still give the incumbent a strong lead …

Cotonou, Benin | AFP |  Benin President Patrice Talon underwenttwo surgeries during a prolonged stay in Paris, one procedure due to doctors finding a lesion in his prostate, his office said Monday. The admission comes weeks after Talon’s absence, which lasted nearly a month, had been a hot topic in …

Zitto Kabwe: The arrest of Rugemalira and Seth is the ‘single most bold step by President Magufuli against corruption’ Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  Two Tanzanian energy magnates on Monday became the first big industrialists to be charged over a multi-million-dollar graft scandal that led to the sacking of several …

Rome, Italy | AFP |  Central African Republic’s government on Monday signed an “immediate ceasefire” deal with rebel groups during a meeting in Rome aimed at ending violence in the strife-torn country. The truce will see armed groups be given representation in the political arena in exchange for an end …

  Uganda receives most new refugees worldwide, new displacement figures show  Oslo, Norway| NRC | The Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council has called for worldwide support for Uganda that received the largest number of new refugees last year of more than half a million people. “The system protecting refugees will …