AFRICA

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Thursday South Sudan’s former rebel leader and ex-vice president Riek Machar has escaped to the capital of Democratic Republic of Congo following violent clashes last month, an official said Thursday. “Riek Machar is currently in DRC, in Kinshasa, and wants to go as soon as …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | South Sudan’s former rebel leader and ex-vice president Riek Machar has left the country following violent clashes last month and is now in a “safe” country in the region, his aides said. “(Machar) has now been safely evacuated to a safe country within the region …

Beni, DR Congo | AFP |  Three people, including a policeman, were killed Wednesday in clashes in a town in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after a massacre sparked angry accusations of security failures by the government, local officials said. Several hundred people rallied on the main street of …

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | AFP |  The Rio Olympic Games men’s 3,000m steeplechase final will be a race to forget for East Africans Jacob Araptany and Ezekiel Kemboi. Araptany looked comfortable in the leading pack when he slipped as he approached a hurdle as the race entered the finals laps. Video …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South African opposition parties on Tuesday slammed the ruling ANC for failing to deliver on its promises, four years after police killed 34 Marikana miners in a massacre that shocked the world. “There has been no justice that has taken place for those who …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Boko Haram’s list of victims — dead, displaced or abducted — grows longer by the day. The jihadist group has claimed more than 20,000 deaths, displaced 2.6 million people from their homes, and kidnapped thousands of children since it started fighting in 2009 for an …

Lusaka, Zambia | AFP |    Zambia’s incumbent President Edgar Lungu was on Monday declared the winner of a closely-fought election in the southern African country that the opposition claimed was rigged. Election commission chief Esau Chulu announced that Lungu was “duly elected” after releasing the final results from Thursday’s …

Juba, South Sudan | AFP | South Sudan President Salva Kiir said Monday he is not opposed to the deployment of a strengthened UN force while expressing “very serious concerns” over the internationally-backed plan. In a speech at the opening of parliament in the capital Juba on Monday, Kiir said …

Goma, DR Congo | AFP | At least 36 people have been killed in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the government said Sunday, calling it a massacre in revenge for military operations in the area. Three days of national mourning have been declared following Saturday night’s mass killing, the …

Lusaka, Zambia | AFP |    Zambia’s opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema on Sunday blasted the national election commission for slow progress in releasing results from this week’s closely-fought presidential vote. Hichilema, the leader of the United Party for National Development (UPND) who has alleged fraud in Thursday’s vote, demanded to …