Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo have banned a protest march planned Sunday against President Joseph Kabila, after two similar rallies were brutally put down last month. Kinshasa governor Andre Kimbuta told the Catholic organisers in a letter on Saturday that without …
Read More »Private birthday party for Mugabe, 94
Harare, ZIMBABWE | AFP | Zimbabwe’s former president Robert Mugabe celebrated his 94th birthday on Saturday with a private black-tie party hosted by his family, three months after he was ousted from power. Mugabe’s birthday was previously a major public event in Zimbabwe, marked by an outpouring of fawning congratulations …
Read More »Egypt presidential race starts with Sisi favourite to win
Cairo, EGYPT | AFP | Campaigning began in Egypt’s presidential election on Saturday with incumbent Abdel Fattah al-Sisi likely to romp to victory in the absence of a serious challenger in the two-candidate race. The former army chief will face the head of the liberal Ghad party, Mussa Mustapha Mussa, …
Read More »No deal reached on DR Congo protest march
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | A protest march by opponents of DR Congo President Joseph Kabila looked set to go ahead Sunday after authorities and organisers failed to agree an official route, after two similar rallies were brutally put down last month. Kinshasa governor Andre Kimbuta on Saturday invited …
Read More »Ethiopia ruling party to pick new PM next week
Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA | AFP | Ethiopia’s ruling coalition will meet to choose a new prime minister next week, a party official said on Saturday. Hailemariam Desalegn resigned as prime minister last week after ordering a mass prisoner amnesty and days of protest in Africa’s second most-populous country. A state …
Read More »Philippine Catholics protest bill to legalise divorce
Manila, Philippines | AFP | Around 2,000 Roman Catholic Filipinos protested in Manila on Saturday against a push to legalise divorce, with church groups also using the “Walk for Life” march to slam President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly drugs war. The pre-dawn protest was organised by church groups worried about the …
Read More »EU warns violent attacks threaten Tanzania’s democracy
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | A recent spate of violent attacks in Tanzania threaten the country’s democracy, the European Union has said. “We note with concern the recent developments which threaten democratic values and the rights of Tanzanians,” the EU said in a statement Friday. The EU said it was …
Read More »E.Guinea’s attorney general says opposition party ‘must be dissolved’
Malabo, Equatorial Guinea | AFP | Equatorial Guinea’s main opposition party “must be dissolved”, the attorney general has said during the trial of 147 of its activists who are accused of “rebellion”. “The Citizens for Innovation (CI) party should be dissolved, there is violence wherever it holds meetings,” said David …
Read More »DR Congo braces for new anti-Kabila rally
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Efforts to force DR Congo President Joseph Kabila to quit face a key test on Sunday when protestors, backed by the Catholic church, return to the streets after two demonstrations that the authorities bloodily repressed. Fifteen people were killed by security forces on New …
Read More »Museveni tells EAC, ‘We are on the right side of history’
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT| Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has urged East African leaders to push for political integration in order to secure the future prosperity of the region. “I am happy that the negotiators have agreed on the initial step of the confederation and on the framing of …
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