AFRICA

Paris, France | AFP | A former DR Congo army colonel who threatened an uprising against President Joseph Kabila has been arrested in neighbouring Tanzania, which may be preparing to extradite him, a rights group said Thursday. John Tshibangu, who deserted to rebel against Kabila in 2012, said in a …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenya’s High Court ordered authorities to allow three major broadcasters to temporarily resume service Thursday, after they were switched off for covering the opposition leader’s mock inauguration, prompting outrage over press freedom violations. Judge Chacha Mwita ordered the two-week reprieve in order to hear a …

Food, shelter, health, and good sanitation should be more relevant for Africans than the vote COMMENT | SIMPLICE A. ASONGU | Africa’s policymakers understand that strong economic and political leadership is essential to growth and stability. For years, African economies have fared better than expected, owing to a commitment to improving …

Bangui, Central African Republic | AFP | The pot-holed streets of Bangui’s Muslim quarter are lined with stalls plying their trade to a cacophony of honking horns and cars backfiring — a comforting image of bustling life in Central African Republic’s capital. But beneath this veneer of normalcy, many traders …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Funmi Ilori once had a dream about creating the biggest library in Africa. Now she drives vans packed with books to poor areas of Lagos to help children discover a love of reading. “Readers are what?” she asks about 15 youngsters, sitting on little plastic …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | With Zimbabwe holding elections this year, the opposition had been feeling cautiously optimistic — until its arch-enemy, Robert Mugabe, was ousted from power. The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Zimbabwe’s main opposition party, now faces the threat of a revived ZANU-PF party at polls that …

Lome, Togo | AFP | Togo’s government was facing fresh turbulence on Wednesday as healthcare workers went on strike, joining thousands of demonstrators holding opposition protests on the streets. The two-day nationwide strike was called by the National Union of Hospital Practitioners of Togo (SYNPHOT) who are demanding better equipment …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenya’s interior minister said Wednesday that opposition leader Raila Odinga’s mock inauguration as “people’s president” was an effort to overthrow the government, with media outlets shut down for their complicity in the event. Odinga, 73, held a swearing-in ceremony in Nairobi on Tuesday with the …

Stellenbosch, South Africa | AFP | With a history dating back over three centuries, South Africa’s world-renowned wine industry has long been the domain of generations of just a few elite white families. But the emergence of a crop of new black players such as winemaker and owner of Aslina …

Bissau, Guinea-Bissau | AFP | Guinea-Bissau’s President Jose Mario Vaz named a new prime minister late Tuesday, appointing Augusto Antonio Artur Da Silva by decree after the previous PM resigned in a bid to end a political crisis. The new prime minister’s first job will be to organise fresh parliamentary …