Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian authorities declared a 24-hour curfew Sunday in Kaduna after clashes between young Christians and Muslims left at least 55 people dead. Governor Nasir El-Rufai posted a statement on Facebook from his spokesman stating: “The state government has declared a curfew in Kaduna metropolis and …
Read More »Opposition politician in Benin jailed for 20 years on drugs charges
Porto-Novo, Benin | AFP | A court in Benin on Thursday sentenced opposition politician Sebastien Ajavon to 20 years in prison on drugs charges and issued an international warrant for his arrest. The former presidential candidate was not at the hearing in the West African country’s administrative capital, Porto-Novo, which …
Read More »S.Africa president denies ignoring fraud at failed bank
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday denied accusations that he ignored widespread looting and financial misconduct at a major retail bank that collapsed weeks after he came into office. VBS Mutual gained notoriety in 2016 when it lent scandal-tainted former president Jacob Zuma $540,000 …
Read More »As rape crisis grows, South African pupils learn how to fight back
Soweto, South Africa | AFP | In a classroom in the South African township of Soweto, girls listen carefully, knowing they need to learn how to avoid the threat of rape that hangs over their daily lives. “You are going to pretend that it is the rapist’s testicles,” says trainer …
Read More »Keino one of 7 Kenyan officials charged over 2016 Olympics graft
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Two-time Olympic gold medallist Kipchoge Keino was one of seven Kenyan officials charged Monday in a scandal involving the mismanagement of funds during the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Four of the suspects were in court while the others, including former sports minister Hassan Wario …
Read More »ENTEBBE: DNA sleuths bolster case against three ivory cartels
Tampa, United States | AFP | DNA tests on smuggled elephant tusks have identified three major ivory cartels in Africa and are helping investigators bolster the criminal cases against some of the most dangerous traffickers, researchers said Wednesday. Around 40,000 African elephants are killed every year for their tusks, which …
Read More »Pop star Chris Brown named in sex assault lawsuit
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | A Los Angeles woman filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against Chris Brown and a fellow rapper, alleging she was repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted at Brown’s home during a drug- and alcohol-fueled party last year. The woman, identified only as Jane Doe, said …
Read More »45 dead in attack by armed bandits in northern Nigeria: civilian militia
Kano, Nigeria | AFP | Forty-five people died in an attack by armed bandits in northern Nigeria, civilian militia members said on Sunday, amid growing levels of rural violence often involving cattle theft, robbery and kidnappings for ransom. “The 45 bodies were found scattered in the bush. The bandits pursued …
Read More »Poachers shoot dead three rhinos inside Kenyan sanctuary
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Poachers have shot dead three critically endangered black rhinos in a specially-protected sanctuary in northern Kenya, the wildlife service said Thursday. Two adults and a calf were killed inside the 83 square kilometre (32 square mile) fenced rhino sanctuary in Meru National Park and had …
Read More »13 killed as cattle rustlers attack Nigerian village
Kano, Nigeria | AFP | Thirteen people were killed in prolonged clashes between cattle thieves and local civilian militia in northern Nigeria’s Zamfara state, police said on Thursday. The militia and cattle thieves fought a gun battle Tuesday through Wednesday in the remote village of Fankashi in the Maru district …
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