AFRICA

A narrative trapped between elite pseudo optimism and hard realities of citizens By Elijah Kisembo Africa is not one country. It is a collection of many countries. A good defence put forward when one writes a story about the continent that is deemed damaging and retrogressive by the political elites …

Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP | At least six people were killed after a suicide car bomber targeted a popular restaurant in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Wednesday evening, security officials said. “The suicide bomber drove a car loaded with explosives into the building,” said Ali Mohamed, a police official, identifying the …

The Hague, Netherlands | AFP |  The International Criminal Court chief’s prosecutor Wednesday called for the “immediate arrest and surrender” of Moamer Kadhafi’s son Seif al-Islam, who was reportedly set free by a militia in Libya. An arrest warrant issued by the Hague-based ICC against Seif in 2011 “remains valid …

UN envoy fears ‘security vacuum’ in central Africa after Uganda withdraws United Nations, United States | AFP |  The United Nations said Tuesday it feared a “security vacuum” in central Africa after the withdrawal of Ugandan, South Sudanese and US troops formerly tracking Lord’s Resistance Army leader Joseph Kony. One …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP |  Leggy dancers in tight shorts, bottles of Moet champagne and flashy cars feature in Nigerian pop icon Wizkid’s bling-bling music videos. But the singer himself has now swapped the Versace T-shirts and low-slung jeans that show his underwear for traditional African dress — a new …

The Inga 3 dam is expected to generate 4,800 megawatts of power, equivalent to the output of three third-generation nuclear reactors. Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP |  The Democratic Republic of Congo said Tuesday it has asked Chinese and Spanish bidders of a colossal dam project to join forces and …

  Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  Rescue workers pulled a mother and two children from the rubble of a collapsed seven-storey building in the Kenyan capital Nairobi Tuesday, but several people were still missing. Officials said they had evacuated most residents before the building came down late Monday, but the …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP |  Zimbabwe has banned the import of corn after enjoying a bumper crop that authorities hope will be enough to feed the nation and stimulate home-grown production, state-owned media reported Tuesday. Zimbabwe was once known as the “breadbasket” of Africa for its fertile land and modern …

Lusaka, Zambia | AFP |  Zambia’s parliament on Tuesday suspended 48 opposition lawmakers who boycotted President Edgar Lungu’s address to legislators in March to protest his contested electoral victory. The lawmakers from the United Party for National Development (UPND) skipped Lungu’s address claiming he was not the legitimate winner of …

The IGAD Assembly of Heads of State and Government has supported President Salva Kiir’s decision to launch a national dialogue, but said the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (ARCSS) remains the only viable way to fully resolving conflict in the country. The  IGAD leaders welcomed the recent declaration …