AFRICA

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | A fire broke out in an electoral commission building in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo in early hours of Thursday, officials said, 10 days ahead of presidential elections that have been foreshadowed by violence. The blaze came after three people were killed …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Two South African men accused of cannibalism were given life sentences for murder on Wednesday, with the judge saying they were guilty of “the most heinous crime”, local media reported. Sitting at the Pietermaritzburg High Court, judge Peter Olsen sentenced Nino Mbatha, 33, and …

Rabat, Morocco | AFP | Morocco will not be a candidate to host the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations after Cameroon was stripped of the tournament, the country’s sports minister Rachid Talbi Alami said on Wednesday. “Morocco does not intend to run for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations and …

Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s main opposition party has blamed a “communication lapse” for its candidate not being present to sign a deal with other candidates for peaceful elections. Atiku Abubakar was a notable absentee at Tuesday’s ceremony in Abuja, at which President Muhammadu Buhari and dozens of other …

The Hague, Netherlands | AFP | France on Wednesday arrested a member of Africa’s top footballing body on war crimes charges in the Central African Republic, the International Criminal Court said. Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona, a former minister, is accused of being a top coordinator of armed groups in the conflict-hit country, …

Kalemie, DR Congo | AFP |  At least two people were killed Wednesday in clashes with police on the sidelines of an opposition rally in eastern DR Congo ahead of this month’s presidential elections, several sources said. The violence erupted in Kalemie, a town on Lake Tanganyika as opposition candidate …

Abidjan, Ivory Coast | AFP | Mining companies have invested at least $5 billion towards gold exploration in West Africa in the last decade but significant reserves are under-exploited, mineral industry experts said on Tuesday. Delegates at the Ecomof mining and petroleum forum in the Ivory Coast commercial capital Abidjan …

Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP | A bid to impeach Somalia’s president for alleged abuse of office was ruled “invalid” Tuesday after the parliamentary clerk said over a dozen MPs had denied signing the motion. “We have received written statements from 14 lawmakers who claim their names have been used wrongly …

  Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Egyptian authorities have unofficially restricted the sale of “yellow vest”, traders in Cairo told AFP Tuesday, signalling fears of possible protests inspired by those in France. The move comes ahead of the eighth anniversary of the uprising that toppled Egypt’s longtime president Hosni Mubarak …

Abuja, Nigeria | AFP |  Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari and a number of opposition leaders on Tuesday signed a deal for peaceful elections but the main challenger for the country’s top deal was not present. The 75-year-old former military ruler was joined by representatives of dozens of other parties to …