AFRICA

Leer, South Sudan | AFP | Thousands of people at the epicentre of a man-made famine in South Sudan emerged from the safety of the swamps this past weekend hoping to receive emergency deliveries of food. For months now Bol Mol, a 45-year-old former oil field security officer, has struggled …

Banjul, Gambia | AFP |  Gambia’s President Adama Barrow has fired the head of the armed forces, General Ousman Badjie, a former loyalist of the ousted government, a military source said Monday. He was replaced by General Masanneh Kinteh, a special military adviser to Barrow since January. Barrow retook his …

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | AFP |  Tanzania on Monday backed out of its plan to publish a list of names of gay people accused of selling sex online, saying this would “destroy evidence”. Deputy health minister Hamisi Kigwangalla had called a press conference on Monday to publicise the list, …

Bangui, Central African Republic | AFP | UN peacekeeping mission MINUSCA said it had conducted airstrikes in the Central African Republic Sunday against a “heavily armed” group of fighters advancing on the city of Bambari. This is the second time in as many weeks the UN has fired on gunmen …

Rwanda is to host an India Innovation Growth Programme for the East African region, according to an agreement signed between the two countries on Feb. 20 in Kigali. Under the agreement, the India-Rwanda Innovation Growth Program is being launched to enable India expand ties in science, technology and innovation between …

Banjul, Gambia | AFP |  The Gambia’s new president has fired the head of the national prison system, officials said Sunday, taking aim at a service denounced for alleged abuses under the former regime. President Adama Barrow on Friday “sacked David Colley, the director-general of the Gambia Prison Service”, a …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP |  About 32,000 South Sudanese have entered Sudan since the start of the year, with tens of thousands more expected to arrive fleeing a famine in their country, the UN refugee agency said Sunday. On Monday, South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation formed after splitting from …

Bamako, Mali | AFP |  Dozens of young Muslims opposed to alcoholic beverages smashed bars and liquor stalls in the northern Malian city of Timbuktu on Saturday, saying they were “places of depravity”, local sources said. “The youngsters were very organised, having targeted what to destroy,” said a resident reached …

United Nations, United States | AFP |  UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is warning Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza against seeking a fourth term, saying such a move risks deepening the crisis in the African country. In a report obtained by AFP, the UN chief says he is “very concerned” by recent …

Matobo, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, who turned 93 this week, celebrates his birthday on Saturday with a lavish party attended by thousands of loyalists outside the second city of Bulawayo. The ruling ZANU-PF party is hosting the event for Mugabe, who has held power since 1980 …