AFRICA

Umuahia, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria on Tuesday marks 50 years since the declaration of an independent Republic of Biafra plunged the country into a civil war, amid renewed tensions and fresh calls for a separate state. The main pro-independence groups — the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), and the …

Kampala, Uganda |  Rights groups on Friday accused the Ugandan government of inaction over the deadly assault by security forces on a tribal king’s palace six months ago, renewing their call for an independent probe. Human Rights Watch (HRW) Africa Director, Maria Burnett told reporters in Kampala that although the …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP |  Masked gunmen attacked a bus carrying Coptic Christians on a visit to a monastery south of the Egyptian capital on Friday, killing at least 28 people including children, officials said. The assailants in three pick-up trucks attacked the bus as it carried visitors to the …

In moral ‘crusade’, Burundi forces unwed couples to marry Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Unmarried couples have until the end of the year to legalise their relationships, the Burundi government said Friday, as part of an effort to reform morals in the country. The order follows the launch of a …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP |  Zambian officials barred South Africa’s main opposition leader from entering the country Thursday, his party said, claiming he was blocked over his support for an imprisoned Zambian opposition leader. Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane was en route to the Zambian capital Lusaka to …

  Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  Five police officers were killed Thursday when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in Kenya in an attack claimed by Shabaab Islamists a day after eight police died in similar blasts. The officers had been deployed to the restive northeastern region to take part …

  ‘Patriotism encourages national transformation’ – President Museveni tells Nigerian soldiers Entebbe, Uganda| PPU| President Yoweri Museveni has told a delegation of Army Officers from the Nigerian Defence Force College that to achieve national security, African countries must root for and embrace patriotism and pan-Africanism so that African societies are …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP |  Ramadan is a time for daytime fasting and lavish evening feasts, but Egyptians are scaling back preparations for the Muslim holy month this year after austerity measures fuelled decades-high inflation. At a Cairo supermarket, Rana, a web designer and mother of two, said she was …

At least five people were killed and six injured when a car bomb exploded outside the port in the Somali capital Mogadishu Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  Five police officers were killed Wednesday when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in northeastern Kenya, a local governor said, just hours after …

Tanzania minister sacked: Wednesday’s report found that companies exporting raw mineral sands understated the nature and quantity of precious metals in their containers and so avoided paying taxes Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | AFP |  President John Magufuli fired Tanzania’s mines minister on Wednesday after a government report found minerals exports …