AFRICA

Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Egypt’s president will inaugurate the country’s biggest cathedral on Coptic Christmas Eve Sunday, a day after a deadly bomb blast near a church in a country where jihadists have repeatedly targeted Christians. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Saturday’s explosion on the eastern …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP |  Riot police fired tear gas Sunday at protesters in Sudan’s capital planning to march on the presidential palace, witnesses said, as backers of President Omar al-Bashir announced their own rally for next week. Deadly anti-government protests have rocked Sudanese cities including Khartoum since December 19, …

THIS WEEK: Bobi wine is African personality of the Year Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |  Musician and Politician Robert Kyagulanyi Sentamu aka Bobi Wine has been declared African Personality of the year 2018 by the African Leadership Magazine. He beat Rwanda President Paul Kagame and Ethiopia Prime Minister Abih …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The DR Congo officials on Saturday delayed the announcement of preliminary results from a crucial presidential election, amid growing pressure from world powers and the influential Catholic church to respect voters’ wishes. Preliminary results, scheduled for release Sunday, will now come out only next …

Brussels, Belgium | AFP | The European Union called Friday for voting results in the Democratic Republic of Congo to reflect the people’s will at what it called a “historic moment toward a democratic transition.” Elections held last Sunday will determine who succeeds President Joseph Kabila, at the helm of …

United Nations, United States | AFP | Somalia’s president told UN chief Antonio Guterres on Friday that he will not reverse a decision to expel a UN envoy who raised human rights concerns, diplomats said. Guterres spoke by phone with President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed on Friday — his second call …

Bamako, Mali | AFP | Mali’s President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on Friday visited the graves of 37 villagers killed during a New Year’s Day massacre blamed on warring communities that is under investigation by UN rights experts. Residents have blamed traditional Dogon ethnic hunters for the attack, in which the …

Algiers, Algeria | AFP | Algeria’s interior ministry on Friday defended moves to expel dozens of migrants as a matter of “national security”, after the UN voiced concern over a group who went missing in the desert. The global body’s refugee agency UNHCR said Thursday that 100 people were “unaccounted …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Europe and Africa heaped pressure on DR Congo on Friday, urging it to respect voters’ wishes in key presidential elections as a deadline for unveiling the outcome loomed. Expectations are mounting that electoral overseers will delay publication of provisional results due by Sunday — …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Attempts by authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo to crack down on dissent during tense vote counting could “backfire”, the UN said Friday, warning it was “watching carefully” as events unfold. Elections held last Sunday will determine who succeeds President Joseph Kabila, at the …