AFRICA

Conakry, Guinea | AFP | Guinea’s President Alpha Conde has set March 22 for the constitutional referendum on his proposed reforms that opponents worry will allow him to bypass term limits and stay in power. The vote, originally set for March 1 but delayed over local and international concerns about its …

Museveni calls for equitable use of River Nile Entebbe, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Yoweri Museveni has said all the countries that share the Nile, the world’s longest river should use her waters for the benefit of all, not at the detriment of others. Museveni was on Friday speaking …

Juba, South Sudan | AFP | The cattle rustlers were asleep, resting ahead of a raid, when automatic gunfire tore through their camp. Ambushed by rival herdsmen, encircled and outgunned, they were cut down, one by one. Koba Ngacho was lucky. Shot three times and left for dead, the young rustler …

  Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudan’s economy has sunk into a deep crisis since the overthrow of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir almost a year ago, risking collapse and social unrest in a country in transition. Mass protests erupted in Sudan in late 2018 against a government decision to triple bread …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenya announced Friday the first confirmed case of coronavirus in East Africa, as the region so far unscathed by the global pandemic scaled up emergency measures to contain its spread. A 27-year-old Kenyan woman tested positive for the virus on March 12 in Nairobi, a week after returning from the …

Juba, South Sudan | THE INDEPENDENT | South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has named a new cabinet for the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU), handing the ministry of defence to Angelina Teny, wife of Vice President Riek Machar. The main opposition SPLM-IO that nominated nine, took the prominent cabinet dockets …

Dakar, Senegal | AFP |  Residents of Senegal’s booming capital Dakar are petitioning to transform one of the city’s last blank spaces into a leafy park, hoping to beat back an ever-rising tide of concrete. Seen from above, the coastal city is a sea of monochrome-sand colour, with almost no green …

Lubango, Angola | AFP |  Tehandjila Quessale’s heart sank every time her mother sent her to fetch water for their crops, up in the mountains of Angola’s southern Huila region. The 16-year-old had to leave school early and walk three hours to join a long queue of people at the nearest …

Tripoli, Libya | AFP |  Despite advice from health authorities to shun public gatherings, Moayed al-Missaoui and friends watched an Italian Serie A football match in a buzzing cafe in the Libyan capital Tripoli. While the novel coronavirus has affected more than 100 countries since December, many in Libya believe their …

  Johannesburg. South Africa | THE INDEPENDENT | MTN Group’s president and CEO Rob Shuter will step down in March 2021 at the end of his contract, the company confirmed Wednesday, as it released its financial results  for year ended 31 December 2019. “CEO Rob Shuter will be stepping down from …