AFRICA

Malabo, Equatorial Guinea | AFP | In a country awash with oil, the poorest survive in shantytowns a stone’s throw from smart modern apartments and family homes supposedly built to help those most in need. The government of Equatorial Guinea had billed the rows of state-subsidised housing as never-to-be-missed home-owning opportunities for the poor. But …

Cape Town, South Africa | AFP | South African lawmakers on Wednesday re-elected Cyril Ramaphosa as the nation’s president, two weeks after the ruling ANC party returned to power in legislative elections. Ramaphosa was “duly elected president of the Republic of South Africa,” chief justice Mogoeng Mogoeng told parliament. Ramaphosa …

Algiers, Algeria | AFP |  Algeria’s army chief said Wednesday he has “no political ambition”, days after the key powerbroker urged anti-government protesters to take part in presidential polls set for July. “I have personally committed myself repeatedly… to support the Algerian people” who are protesting “as well as the efforts …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Algeria has been officially recognized as malaria-free, becoming the third country in Africa to be officially declared malaria-free, after Mauritius, which was certified in 1973 and Morocco in 2010. The certification by the World Health Organisation is granted when a country proves beyond a reasonable doubt, …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP |  Over the course of his 66 years, Cyril Ramaphosa has experienced the poverty of Soweto, jail for fighting apartheid, trade union activism, fabulous wealth — and now elected leadership of his country. Ramaphosa, who became president last year through internal ANC politics, won a …

    Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP |  Zimbabwe on Tuesday announced a fresh increase in fuel prices, months after a price hike triggered nationwide protests and a brutal security crackdown as the country’s economy woes deepen further. Upping prices by about 46 percent, the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) said …

  Khartoum, Sudan | AFP |  Sudanese prosecutors said Tuesday that security agents guarding the house of former spy chief Salah Ghosh had prevented them from arresting him, despite a warrant issued by anti-graft authorities. Ghosh had resigned as chief of the country’s feared National Intelligence and Security Service soon …

  Lilongwe, Malawi | AFP | Malawi votes on Tuesday in a presidential race that could test President Peter Mutharika’s hold on power. Here are the leading contenders: – The elderly president – President Peter Mutharika, 78, won the 2014 election — two years after his elder brother Bingu wa …

  Lubumbashi, DR Congo | AFP | DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi on Monday named a government veteran, Sylvestre Ilunga Ilunkamba, as the next prime minister, a move that came nearly four months after his inauguration. Ilunga Ilunkamba was appointed under “the political agreement” between Tshisekedi and his predecessor Joseph …

Pietermaritzburg, South Africa | AFP | Former South African president Jacob Zuma said Monday that he was victim of a “witch hunt” over corruption charges as lawyers argued in court that he could not expect a fair trial. Zuma, who was forced to resign by the ruling ANC party last …