AFRICA

Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | Four parties on Tuesday discussed a “merger” to bolster Vice President Joseph Boakai in his fight against former international football star George Weah for Liberia’s presidency, a senior party official said. The talks took place on the day that a runoff vote between the two men, …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  The African Union’s mission in Somalia has said it will withdraw 1,000 troops fighting jihadists in the country this year, as part of plans to pull out all soldiers by December 2020. In a statement released Tuesday, the AU’s special representative for Somalia Francisco Madeira …

Lome, Togo | AFP | Thousands of people took to the streets in Togo’s capital on Tuesday in the latest protest calling for the long-standing President Faure Gnassingbe to step down. The demonstration is the first of three planned marches this week and comes after more than two months of nearly …

Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday presented a record 8.6 trillion naira ($24 billion, 20.8 billion euros) budget to the National Assembly to support the country’s economic recovery. Buhari, addressing a joint session of lawmakers in Abuja, said the spending was a 16 percent increase over …

Bamako, Mali | AFP | France has sent high-level representatives to talk to the Malian government after a French anti-terror raid killed Malian troops held by the jihadists. Defence Minister Tiena Coulibaly met on October 31 with the French ambassador and the commander of France’s military force in Mali, according to …

Mogadishu, Somalia | AMISOM | The African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) troops have launched a massive operation to flush out Al-Shabaab militants in Lower Shabelle region and secure main supply routes in the area. According to Lt Col, Israel Kaheru Bagenda, the Commanding Officer of 11 Infantry Battalion of Uganda …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Tanzanian police carried out a raid Tuesday night on the headquarters of an opposition party which recently criticised the state of the economy under President John Magufuli. “The police have just ended a raid on the headquarters of the Alliance for Change and Transparency (ACT) Wazalendo,” …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwean Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa was plotting to seize power, state media said Tuesday, the day after President Robert Mugabe sacked him in a bitter power struggle. Mnangagwa was the leading contender to succeed Mugabe, 93, but his abrupt removal appeared to clear the way for …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ruled out a constitutional amendment to extend his term, saying an election would be held next year and he will not run again in 2022, in an interview with CNBC Monday. Sisi is a former army chief who overthrew his Islamist …

Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | Liberia’s Vice-President has quietly occupied the executive backseat for 12 years, but in light of electoral fraud he believes snatched away his chance at the presidency, Joseph Boakai is unleashing himself. Known as Sleepy Joe for his propensity to fall asleep at public events, the second-in-command …