AFRICA

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP |  The Democratic Republic of Congo will hold its much delayed presidential and legislative elections in December 2018, the election commission announced Sunday. “Direct voting” will take place on December 23, 2018, covering presidential, legislative, regional and local elections, said Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) …

Juba, South Sudan | AFP |  Troops remained deployed around the home of South Sudan’s powerful former army chief Paul Malong on Sunday in a dispute over the fate of his 30 bodyguards, an army spokesman told AFP. The standoff began on Friday evening when more than 100 soldiers surrounded …

Washington, United States | AFP |  US politicians are voicing concern over America’s growing military presence across Africa, where they worry the Pentagon is getting ever more embroiled in a secretive campaign against a shifting enemy. Last month’s killing of four US soldiers in a Niger ambush has thrust the …

Lome, Togo | AFP | Togo’s government has scrapped a ban on weekday marches after a series of anti-government protests defied the order, the country’s security minister and the opposition said on Saturday. The restrictions were introduced on October 10 on security grounds following a wave of demonstrations that saw hundreds …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | A 25-year-old American journalist charged with attempting to overthrow Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe, on account of an alleged tweet that described the ageing leader as “selfish and sick”, was remanded in custody Saturday after denying the accusations. Martha O’Donovan, who appeared in court in the capital …

Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Gabon opposition leader Jean Ping on Saturday said he would try to scuttle proposed changes to the country’s constitution, describing draft changes as “autocratic” and liable to violate the principle of separation of powers. “We must thwart this constitutional revision,” Ping told a crowd of supporters …

Juba, South Sudan | AFP |  South Sudan’s capital Juba was tense on Saturday as more than 100 soldiers surrounded the residence of powerful former army chief Paul Malong in a bid to disarm his bodyguards. Streets across the city were largely empty as people stayed at home for fear …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP | An Egyptian court has sentenced a female television presenter to three years in jail after she spoke on her show about pregnancy outside marriage, a judicial source said on Friday. Doaa Salah was convicted of “outraging public decency”, the source said. The court also ordered her …

Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | Liberia’s Supreme Court on Friday said it would decide next week whether a runoff vote for the presidency will go ahead, after hearing arguments from an opposition party and the electoral commission. Chief Justice Francis Korkpor said the court would issue a decision on Monday at …

Washington, United States | AFP |  The US conducted a pair of drone strikes against Islamic State fighters in Somalia on Friday, the first time America has hit the jihadists in the Horn of Africa nation, officials said. The strikes occurred in northeastern Somalia and killed “several terrorists,” the US …