Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | South Sudan’s former rebel leader and ex-vice president Riek Machar has left the country following violent clashes last month and is now in a “safe” country in the region, his aides said. “(Machar) has now been safely evacuated to a safe country within the region …
Read More »Three dead in protests after DR Congo massacre
Beni, DR Congo | AFP | Three people, including a policeman, were killed Wednesday in clashes in a town in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after a massacre sparked angry accusations of security failures by the government, local officials said. Several hundred people rallied on the main street of …
Read More »Araptany crashes out, Kemboi disqualified in dramatic steeplechase
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | AFP | The Rio Olympic Games men’s 3,000m steeplechase final will be a race to forget for East Africans Jacob Araptany and Ezekiel Kemboi. Araptany looked comfortable in the leading pack when he slipped as he approached a hurdle as the race entered the finals laps. Video …
Read More »S.Africa’s ANC under fire 4 years after Marikana massacre
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South African opposition parties on Tuesday slammed the ruling ANC for failing to deliver on its promises, four years after police killed 34 Marikana miners in a massacre that shocked the world. “There has been no justice that has taken place for those who …
Read More »Chibok girls: ‘bargaining chip’ of Boko Haram insurgency
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Boko Haram’s list of victims — dead, displaced or abducted — grows longer by the day. The jihadist group has claimed more than 20,000 deaths, displaced 2.6 million people from their homes, and kidnapped thousands of children since it started fighting in 2009 for an …
Read More »Zambia president Lungu re-elected in disputed polls
Lusaka, Zambia | AFP | Zambia’s incumbent President Edgar Lungu was on Monday declared the winner of a closely-fought election in the southern African country that the opposition claimed was rigged. Election commission chief Esau Chulu announced that Lungu was “duly elected” after releasing the final results from Thursday’s …
Read More »South Sudan president considers new UN force
Juba, South Sudan | AFP | South Sudan President Salva Kiir said Monday he is not opposed to the deployment of a strengthened UN force while expressing “very serious concerns” over the internationally-backed plan. In a speech at the opening of parliament in the capital Juba on Monday, Kiir said …
Read More »ADF: 36 killed in troubled east DR Congo
Goma, DR Congo | AFP | At least 36 people have been killed in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the government said Sunday, calling it a massacre in revenge for military operations in the area. Three days of national mourning have been declared following Saturday night’s mass killing, the …
Read More »Zambia opposition leader angered by vote results delay
Lusaka, Zambia | AFP | Zambia’s opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema on Sunday blasted the national election commission for slow progress in releasing results from this week’s closely-fought presidential vote. Hichilema, the leader of the United Party for National Development (UPND) who has alleged fraud in Thursday’s vote, demanded to …
Read More »Drought ravages Lesotho as water is exported to S.Africa
Sephareng, Lesotho | AFP | For farmer Mohlakoane Molise, the view of the enormous Katse dam from his smallholding high in the mountains of Lesotho taunts him daily. His country is suffering through its worst drought in 35 years, but the vast and vital water reserves remain out of …
Read More »