The face of Senegal’s anti-establishment presidential candidate was everywhere at his coalition’s first major campaign rally in the capital Dakar.  Images of Bassirou Diomaye Faye adorned T-shirts and caps, while the fervent crowd chanted his name. But the popular opposition candidate could not take centre stage on Sunday. He has  been behind bars since April 2023. Despite this, …

Jailing of Senegal opposition candidate spurs supportersMon, 11 Mar 2024 13:04:52 GMT Read More »

Former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo has agreed to run for the top job again despite being disqualified by a 20-year jail sentence, his party has announced.Gbagbo was the first former head of state to go on trial before the International Criminal Court in The Hague where he was acquitted in 2019.He “agrees to be …

Ex-president Gbagbo to run for top job again, despite disqualificationMon, 11 Mar 2024 10:50:03 GMT Read More »

The Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins on Monday, Middle Eastern nations have announced, with the king of Saudi Arabia using the occasion to call for an end to the “heinous crimes” taking place in war-torn Gaza.Saudi Arabia said through its official SPA news agency on Sunday that the Supreme Court had announced “Monday, March …

Muslim nations announce start of Ramadan in shadow of Gaza warMon, 11 Mar 2024 02:54:39 GMT Read More »

Burundi’s main opposition party was split Sunday after a faction said they had ousted its leader, Agathon Rwasa, for failing to unify the two sides.  Rwasa was deposed as the head of the suspended National Freedom Council (CNL) at a general assembly in the north of the country, party sources and witnesses said.The 60-year-old former …

Burundi main opposition party says expels leaderSun, 10 Mar 2024 19:08:48 GMT Read More »

Chad’s junta-appointed prime minister announced Sunday that he would contest presidential elections set for May 6, just days after incumbent General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno announced his own candidacy.Succes Masra, a former opposition leader, returned from exile and signed a reconciliation deal with Deby Itno before becoming premier this year.The opposition says Masra’s candidacy is a …

Junta-nominated Chad PM says to run for presidentSun, 10 Mar 2024 17:35:10 GMT Read More »

South Africa’s opposition Inkatha Freedom Party gathered a huge crowd of supporters for the spectacular launch of its general election campaign Sunday, filling a stadium in the heartland of its Zulu base.The Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban was packed to hear party leader Velenkosini Hlabisa unveil the IFP manifesto, but the impressive show of force …

Inkatha launches South Africa vote campaign in Zulu heartlandSun, 10 Mar 2024 17:25:47 GMT Read More »

Students were just about to settle into their classes after singing Nigeria’s national anthem when the gunshots rang out. Then chaos erupted.It was around 8:00 am on Thursday when dozens of gunmen dressed in military uniforms rode on motorbikes into the school grounds in Kuriga, a quiet agrarian village 100km outside the northwestern Nigerian city …

Gunshots, then chaos before Nigeria students’ kidnappingSun, 10 Mar 2024 09:26:06 GMT Read More »

Campaigning got underway in a festive atmosphere on Saturday for Senegal’s March 24 presidential election, after weeks of turmoil caused by its delay, as one of the leading contenders met voters.Khalifa Sall, a former mayor of Dakar, toured different neighbourhoods of the capital in the evening, greeting several hundreds of his supporters.”I am delighted after …

Contenders launch campaigns for Senegal’s delayed presidential pollSat, 09 Mar 2024 21:05:48 GMT Read More »

Campaigning got underway Saturday for Senegal’s March 24 presidential election, after weeks of turmoil caused by its delay, as one of the leading contenders met voters.Khalifa Sall, a former mayor of Dakar, toured different neighbourhoods of the capital in the evening, greeting several hundreds of his supporters.Of the 19 presidential candidates, he is seen as …

Campaigning starts for Senegal’s March 24 presidential voteSat, 09 Mar 2024 19:53:20 GMT Read More »

Rwanda’s ruling party on Saturday picked President Paul Kagame as its candidate for the July election, teeing up a contest widely expected to return the longtime leader to office for a fourth seven-year term.The 66-year-old has ruled over the landlocked African nation for decades, winning the presidency in elections in 2003, 2010 and 2017 — …

Rwandan ruling party picks Kagame as presidential candidateSat, 09 Mar 2024 19:22:30 GMT Read More »