Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The deadly Ebola outbreak which has ravaged eastern DR Congo for nearly four months has claimed another 19 lives in just five days, the health ministry has said. The outbreak, which began on August 1, has now killed 241 people, the ministry said in …
Read More »Nigeria media unites against ‘fake news’ and ‘a million Trumps’
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | At least 15 Nigerian news organisations joined forces Wednesday to fight misinformation ahead of February’s elections in a collaborative first as the country’s main political parties trade accusations of fabrication and exaggeration. The CrossCheck Nigeria project aims to get normally competing newsrooms to work together …
Read More »Former employee says Facebook failing black people
San Francisco, United States | AFP | A former Facebook employee on Tuesday went public with a memo saying the company is failing to include black people in its workforce and on the social network. Mark Luckie said that he shared the message with all Facebook employees around the world …
Read More »Nigeria’s Buhari to visit troops fighting Boko Haram
Kano, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s Muhammadu Buhari will visit troops on the frontlines of the Boko Haram conflict on Wednesday and is to dispatch his defence minister to Chad following a jump in attacks. The presidential visit comes after months of deadly raids by the IS-affiliated jihadists on military …
Read More »DR Congo ex-militia chief goes on trial for mass rape
Goma, DR Congo | AFP | A former milita leader accused of mass rape and crimes against humanity in the Democratic Republic of Congo went on trial Tuesday at a military court in the eastern city of Goma. Ntabo Ntaberi Sheka and his militiamen are accused of raping more than …
Read More »Ethiopia PM discusses reforms for ‘free and fair’ vote
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Ethiopia’s prime minister on Tuesday met with dozens of opposition parties to discuss reforming the electoral system ahead of national elections planned for 2020. Since taking office in April, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has unveiled an aggressive reform agenda that has included a promise …
Read More »Thousands rally as Tshisekedi returns to launch DR Congo presidential bid
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Tens of thousands of supporters turned out to welcome Congolese opposition scion Felix Tshisekedi as he returned to Kinshasa Tuesday to kick off his campaign to replace President Joseph Kabila in next month’s election. “We will go with the people and we will win,” …
Read More »Six civilians, rebel killed in eastern DR Congo
Beni, DR Congo | AFP | Six civilians and a rebel fighter were killed overnight during an attack by the ADF armed group in the troubled east of the DR Congo, civilian and military sources said Tuesday. The attack in the town of Oicha sparked a protest by several thousand …
Read More »Two killed in eastern DR Congo ADF ‘militant attack’
Beni, DR Congo | AFP | Two people have been killed in an attack by the militant ADF group in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a local official said Monday, on the eve of a peace march against the violence. The killings happened on the Mbau-Kamango road, north of Beni …
Read More »China’s ‘Plan B’ for African debt
Analysts fear move will accumulate more debt for African countries Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Africa could further sink into more debt if China goes ahead with plans to sell the continent’s debt to investors, starting next year, observers fear. Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation (HKMC), a leading Chinese banking conglomerate, …
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