South Sudan foes agree to withdraw forces from ‘urban areas’ Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | South Sudan’s government and rebels agreed Friday to withdraw troops from urban areas, a Sudanese official said, as they signed a deal aimed at ending a four-and-a-half year civil war. The deal comes a day …
Read More »Angola court acquits journalists of insulting the state
Luanda, Angola | AFP | Two Angolan journalists were acquitted by a judge on Friday over an article of accusing a former attorney general of corruption, in a verdict welcomed by press freedom activists. Investigative journalist Rafael Marques and editor Mariano Lourenco faced charges of insulting a public authority over …
Read More »Rift opens in Nigeria’s ruling party as elections loom
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Lawmakers in Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have formed a breakaway group in what is expected to be a prelude to defections as elections approach next year. President Muhammadu Buhari’s former ally, Buba Galadima, on Wednesday announced the creation of a group called the …
Read More »DRC: 7 killed in clashes between DR Congo, Ugandan navies
Goma, DR Congo | AFP | Four Ugandan soldiers and three civilians were killed Thursday in clashes on Lake Edward that lies between the two countries, a senior official in the Democratic Republic of Congo said. Other clashes in the region between DR Congo forces and Ugandan rebels as well as …
Read More »Inside Africa’s real tragedy
THE LAST WORD: How the ideology of a welfare state has destroyed our continent and impoverished its people THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | Everywhere I turn these days, Ugandans (and Africans generally) are complaining about the sorry state of our education and healthcare systems. There is a …
Read More »‘Yes’ votes ahead in Burundi constitutional referendum
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Burundi looked set to adopt constitutional reforms that could allow President Pierre Nkurunziza to remain in power until 2034, with official results on Friday showing a “yes” vote winning in 14 of 18 provinces. The official results, published by a coalition of 15 public and …
Read More »Ebola vaccine arrives in DR Congo amid outbreak
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Thousands of doses of Ebola vaccine arrived Wednesday in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is facing an outbreak of the deadly virus, the health ministry said. Congolese authorities declared the outbreak in the northwest region near Congo-Brazzaville on May 8, and three have …
Read More »COMMENT: Weaning African leaders off power
Democracy from below could be the antidote to addiction to power by leaders who refuse to leave office COMMENT | KEALEBOGA J MAPHUNYE | Some African countries have recorded democratic victories in the past 12 months. Ethiopia has a new leader whose ascent holds great promise for change, despite the country’s …
Read More »Zambian activist arrested after fleeing over song
Lusaka, Zambia | AFP | Zambian authorities on Wednesday arrested singer and activist Chama Fumba at Lusaka airport in a move condemned by Amnesty as a “shocking demonstration” of the government’s intolerance of criticism. Fumba, popularly known as Pilato, was picked up by plain-clothed police officers as he arrived home …
Read More »Egypt’s Sisi hails ‘breakthrough’ in Nile dam talks
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Wednesday that a “breakthrough” had been reached in talks with Sudan and Ethiopia over a controversial dam the latter is building on the Nile. The progress, which he did not specify, took place over the last two days …
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