AFRICA

Maiduguri, Nigeria | AFP | Twelve people were killed Wednesday evening after four suicide bombers struck in the regional capital of Maiduguri in northeast Nigeria, rescue workers told AFP. Two men and two women blew themselves up in the Muna neighbourhood at around 1700 GMT, the chief security officer of Borno …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Eleven people have died after a plane belonging to a safari company crashed in northern Tanzania, according to the aircraft’s owners, Coastal Aviation. “We are deeply saddened to report that eleven people have died after a single-plane accident this morning in Northern Tanzania,” the company said …

Ottawa, Canada | AFP |  Canada will boost its support for UN peacekeeping missions by mobilizing a rapid response force of 200 soldiers, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Wednesday. As an initial step, Canada will send a Hercules aircraft to the UN regional support center in Entebbe, Uganda, which backs …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  Eleven people have died after a plane belonging to a safari company crashed in northern Tanzania, according to the aircraft’s owners, Coastal Aviation. “We are deeply saddened to report that eleven people have died after a single-plane accident this morning in Northern Tanzania,” the company …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Dozens of people were arrested in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday, following warnings from authorities that they would break up planned protests against the extended rule of President Joseph Kabila. The Lucha citizen movement said at least 27 were detained by police in …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Emmerson Mnangagwa appears well-placed to return to a leading role in Zimbabwe following the army’s takeover in response to President Robert Mugabe’s sacking of the former vice president. Nicknamed “Ngwena” (The Crocodile) because of his fearsome power and ruthlessness, the 75-year-old has a reputation for taking …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Dozens of Sudanese journalists on Wednesday demonstrated in Khartoum against a proposed new press law that aims to tighten restrictions on media freedom in the African country. “United Against the New Law” and “Free Press or No Press,” read banners held up by demonstrators who say …

London, United Kingdom | AFP |  Britain on Wednesday expressed cautious optimism after the military took control of Zimbabwe, but warned against any transition “from one unelected tyrant to the next”. “The situation is still fluid, and we would urge restraint on all sides because we want to see and …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  Kenya’s Supreme Court on Wednesday began hearing two petitions to annul last month’s presidential election, which was already a re-run ordered by the court after it annulled an earlier vote. The court hearing is the latest in a long and winding legal drama that has …

Luanda, Angola | AFP |  Angolan President Joao Lourenco on Wednesday fired his predecessor’s daughter from her influential post as head of the Sonangol state oil company, the presidency said in a statement. Her appointment to the oil giant last year was widely criticised as a symbol of the nepotism …