AFRICA

Rome, Italy | AFP | Up to 10,000 people stranded in refugee camps and detention centres in Libya could be relocated to Europe in 2018, the Italian government said on Sunday. The initiative would be part of an attempt by EU countries to address the deteriorating conditions in Libya, where …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Masked gunmen opened fire on a cafe south of the Egyptian capital, killing three people, security officials said Sunday. The attack, which took place overnight in the village of Al-Ayat about 50 kilometres (31 miles) from Cairo, left at least five others wounded, they said. …

Juba, South Sudan | AFP | A ceasefire between South Sudan’s warring parties went into effect just after midnight Sunday, in what is the latest bid to end a devastating four year war. Government and several armed groups signed a ceasefire deal Thursday during peace negotiations in Addis Ababa, to begin …

Bangui, Central African Republic | AFP | Two rival armed groups in the northwest of the Central African Republic have signed a ceasefire agreement, the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), which helped mediate the accord, announced on Saturday. The anti-Balaka, a self-proclaimed mostly Christian “self-defence” militia, and the 3R group, …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s new President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Saturday named the former army chief who led a coup that ended Robert Mugabe’s 37-year rule, as one of his two deputies in the ruling party, his office said. Retired general Constantino Chiwenga was appointed “with immediate effect” as …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | A white Zimbabwean farmer forced from his land as part of controversial mass evictions became this week the first to return to his property under a new government bid to reverse illegal land seizures. Robert Smart, 71, was thrown off his tobacco and corn farm …

Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | George Weah emerged from Liberia’s slums to become a superstar footballer in the 1990s, and has leveraged his status as a revered figure among the country’s young and poor in his second run for the presidency. Weah will face Vice President Joseph Boakai on December …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | At least 13 people died and nine were reported missing after a boating accident in the Tanzanian waters of Lake Tanganyika, a local official told AFP on Saturday. “The accident happened at dawn on Friday… a boat carrying 135 passengers collided with another carrying 63 …

Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | Former football star George Weah has waited 12 years to become president of Liberia, and with his dream now within touching distance fans danced and sang in support in a Monrovia stadium on Saturday. Weah goes head-to-head with Vice-President Joseph Boakai on December 26 in …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | With one year until long-delayed elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the countdown officially begins Saturday for a vote which is supposed to bring about the belated departure of President Joseph Kabila. But it remains unclear if the 45 million Congolese voters who registered …