Ousmane Sonko and Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Senegal’s leading opposition figures who were released from prison late Thursday, are key elements of an anti-establishment movement hoping to win the presidential vote on a ticket of change.  Sonko, 49, had been the undisputed candidate of the Pastef party, which he helped found in 2014 with a group of …

Sonko and Diomaye: Senegal’s anti-establishment figureheadsFri, 15 Mar 2024 15:45:01 GMT Read More »

If Donald Trump wins November’s US presidential election and returns to the White House, what will it mean for American relations in Africa? Perhaps not much, but some on the continent are worried.During the Republican leader’s first term he never showed much interest in the continent, and is remembered mainly for his outburst about “shithole countries”.His …

African countries expect Trump neglect, but some won’t mindFri, 15 Mar 2024 14:11:14 GMT Read More »

Ebuka Gbuzue pulled everything he could from his family’s small home in Lagos before demolition crews came to destroy it.This week the local government began a huge operation to raze areas of the eastern Jakande district in Nigeria’s economic capital and make way for a coastal mega-highway.Gbuzue, 35, heaved mattresses and furniture into a trailer bound …

Despair as Lagos neighbourhood razed for planned highwayFri, 15 Mar 2024 11:55:46 GMT Read More »

Senegal waited Friday for key opposition figures Ousmane Sonko and Bassirou Diomaye Faye to take their place on the presidential campaign trail, after their release from prison sparked jubilant scenes 10 days before the key vote.    Thousands thronged the streets of the capital Dakar in the early hours between Thursday and Friday, singing and dancing as …

Senegal awaits next moves of opposition leaders freed before key voteFri, 15 Mar 2024 10:43:01 GMT Read More »

A siege by Al-Shabaab Islamist militants at a popular hotel near the presidential palace in the Somali capital Mogadishu ended on Friday after more than 13 hours with all the gunmen killed, a police officer told AFP.Armed fighters had stormed the SYL hotel in a hail of bullets late on Thursday, with Al-Shabaab claiming responsibility …

Al-Shabaab overnight siege of Mogadishu hotel endsFri, 15 Mar 2024 09:25:54 GMT Read More »

Wedged between Lake Kivu and the Masisi mountains in eastern DR Congo, the town of Minova has been severed from the rest of the country by fighting between rebels and government troops and collapsed infrastructure.Minova has effectively become an island since M23 (“March 23”) rebels cornered several units of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s army (FARDC) …

Overwhelmed DR Congo town cut off after rebel attacksFri, 15 Mar 2024 06:57:25 GMT Read More »

Sporadic explosions and gunfire rang out from a popular hotel in the Somali capital early Friday, an AFP correspondent said, many hours after Al-Shabaab fighters attacked the site near the presidential palace.The assault late Thursday broke a relative lull in attacks by the Al-Qaeda linked jihadist group, which claimed responsibility in a brief statement.Armed militants …

Al-Shabaab attack on hotel in Somali capital ongoingFri, 15 Mar 2024 05:41:48 GMT Read More »

Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko and his second-in-command, presidential candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye, were released from prison in Dakar on Thursday, 10 days before the country’s election. “They came out in front of us,” lawyer Cheikh Koureyssi Ba said, as an AFP journalist witnessed a motorcade exiting the prison through a large crowd.Their release follows weeks …

Senegal opposition figures released 10 days before pollsFri, 15 Mar 2024 02:33:02 GMT Read More »

Islamist militants from the Al-Shabaab group on Thursday attacked a popular hotel near the presidential palace in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, security sources and witnesses said.The assault, for which Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility, began at around 9:45 pm (1845 GMT) when gunmen stormed the SYL hotel in a hail of bullets.”Several gunmen forced their way into the …

Al-Shabaab attacks hotel in Somali capitalThu, 14 Mar 2024 22:14:40 GMT Read More »

Senegal’s President Macky Sall has told his government to enact an amnesty law as soon as it is officially published, amid hope a jailed main opposition candidate could be released ahead of the presidential poll in 10 days’ time. In a bid to end weeks of crisis after he postponed the February 25 presidential vote, Sall …

Senegal president urges immediate amnesty 10 days before pollsThu, 14 Mar 2024 18:38:18 GMT Read More »