Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | The parties of the Liberian presidential candidates who finished second and third in October 10 elections have lodged an appeal with the Supreme Court calling for a re-run of the vote. Incumbent Vice-President Joseph Boakai and veteran opposition leader Charles Brumskine brought the demand to …
Read More »Burundi talks get under way in absence of opposition
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | A new round of talks aimed at ending Burundi’s lengthy political crisis began Tuesday in Arusha, Tanzania, though the negotiations were marked by the main opposition group’s absence. Despite the absence of both the exiled leadership of the CNARED opposition and civil society and church …
Read More »Kenyatta sworn in for second term as protests leave two dead
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta was sworn in Tuesday for a second term, but his vow to heal the country’s divisions was overshadowed by bloody protests and a pledge from his rival to stage his own inauguration. Kenya’s schisms after a gruelling election period were on …
Read More »Franken ‘sorry’ as US Congress targets harassment
Washington, United States | AFP | An “ashamed” US senator said he would work to regain the people’s trust Monday after being accused of sexual misconduct, as Congress moved to root out harassment with allegations now targeting several sitting lawmakers. Democrat Al Franken, a former comedian and darling of the …
Read More »Teargas, chaos as Kenyatta to be sworn in for disputed second term
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenyan police fired teargas and clashed with both ruling party and opposition supporters Tuesday ahead of the swearing in as president of Uhuru Kenyatta after two disputed polls that have left the nation deeply divided. As foreign and local dignitaries poured into the 60,000-seat Kasarani …
Read More »Zimbabwe’s new president dissolves Mugabe cabinet
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa three days after his inauguration has dissolved the cabinet of his predecessor Robert Mugabe, who resigned after the military took control of the country, a senior government official said Monday. Mnangagwa “is in the process of putting together a new team of …
Read More »Obamas ‘delighted’ by British royal engagement
Washington, United States | AFP | Barack and Michelle Obama said Monday they were “delighted” to learn of the engagement of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, whose Invictus Games the former presidential couple has actively championed. Britain’s royal family announced earlier Monday that the one-time playboy royal would marry his …
Read More »Sacking of Sierra Leone’s former VP ‘void’: regional court
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Sierra Leone’s President Ernest Bai Koroma unlawfully dismissed his vice president after he was expelled from the ruling party, a West African regional court said on Monday. Samuel Sam-Sumana was kicked out of the All People’s Congress (APC) in March 2015 on suspicion of fomenting violence, …
Read More »Bye-bye Mugabe
How Zimbabweans kicked out 93-year old veteran leader Kampala, Uganda | IAN KATUSIIME | For most people, it was hard to keep up with events in Zimbabwe as the end of the 37-year reign of President Robert Gabriel Mugabe neared. In one week, Mugabe was placed under house arrest by the …
Read More »Kenyatta to start disputed second term
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta is due to be sworn in for a second term on Tuesday, an inauguration delayed by two disputed polls and a series of sometimes deadly street protests. At the same time, opposition leader Raila Odinga has promised to hold a “memorial rally” …
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