Fifteen candidates in Senegal’s delayed presidential election have accused President Macky Sall of “ill will” and vowed to take action to ensure a new poll date is swiftly established.The announcement came as the civil society collective Aar Sunu Election (Protect Our Election) said it had organised a new rally for Saturday.The collective is calling for …

Senegal candidates decry delay in setting new poll dateWed, 21 Feb 2024 21:05:08 GMT Read More »

Sporting a black cap and shaking hands with his fans, Khalifa Sall, one of the main contenders for Senegal’s delayed presidential poll, rallied supporters in a working-class district of the capital Dakar.The former mayor of Senegal’s coastal capital said he was determined to continue campaigning despite the uncertainty surrounding the new election date.Shouts of “We …

Senegal presidential hopeful Khalifa Sall campaigns despite uncertaintyWed, 21 Feb 2024 17:05:28 GMT Read More »

Cuba’s parliament speaker is visiting Nairobi in a bid to uncover the fate of two Cuban doctors abducted in Kenya by Somalia-based jihadists almost five years ago, its foreign ministry said.The mission by Esteban Lazo comes after the Al-Shabaab Islamist militant group claimed that the two doctors had been killed in a US air strike …

Cuban speaker in Kenya over fate of abducted doctorsWed, 21 Feb 2024 16:57:08 GMT Read More »

Kenyan marathon prodigy Kelvin Kiptum, who was killed in a car crash, died of severe head injuries, a medical examiner said on Wednesday but toxicology tests were still under way. The world marathon record-holder died on February 11 at the age of 24 in the accident near his home in the Eldoret area of Kenya’s Rift …

Kenya marathon star Kiptum died from head injuries: examinerWed, 21 Feb 2024 16:48:41 GMT Read More »

South Africa plans to hike taxes and increase spending on social grants ahead of a general election in May amid sluggish growth and high debt, the government said on Wednesday.The treasury announced increases in income tax as well as alcohol and cigarettes duties as part of a national budget unveiled a day after President Cyril …

South Africa hikes taxes and social spending before voteWed, 21 Feb 2024 16:02:21 GMT Read More »

The bodies of two South African soldiers killed in a mortar strike in the Democratic Republic of Congo were repatriated on Wednesday, amid controversy at home around the army’s deployment. South Africa’s decision to contribute troops to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mission has been denounced by the main opposition as a mistake.But the defence minister defended …

South African soldiers killed in DR Congo return homeWed, 21 Feb 2024 15:49:13 GMT Read More »

Somalia’s cabinet and lawmakers on Wednesday endorsed a major defence deal with Turkey, with Mogadishu locked in a dispute with Addis Ababa over a maritime agreement it says threatens its sovereignty.Under the 10-year pact, close ally Turkey will help defend Somalia’s long coastline and also rebuild the naval forces of the fragile Horn of Africa …

Somalia endorses defence deal with TurkeyWed, 21 Feb 2024 15:19:12 GMT Read More »

Families of several jailed Tunisian opposition figures on Wednesday called for their release, including a number of detainees on hunger strike.Since February 2023, more than 20 opposition figures, whom Tunisian President Kais Saied has dubbed “terrorists”, have been held on suspicion of involvement in “conspiracy against the internal and external security of the state”.Among them …

Families demand release of jailed Tunisian opposition figuresWed, 21 Feb 2024 14:41:32 GMT Read More »

Fifteen candidates in Senegal’s delayed presidential election have accused President Macky Sall of “ill will” and said they will take action to ensure a new poll date is swiftly established.The announcement came as the civil society collective Aar Sunu Election (Protect Our Election) said it had organised a new rally for Saturday.The collective is calling …

15 Senegal candidates decry delay in setting new poll dateWed, 21 Feb 2024 12:37:03 GMT Read More »

Dancers and drummers swarmed the Saudi delegation from the moment they touched down in Somalia’s capital to launch new aid projects, part of the kingdom’s ramped-up outreach to the African nation.Yet as they politely applauded agreements to provide stationery for schoolchildren and watering points for livestock, some Somali officials made clear they hoped Saudi engagement …

Gulf heavyweights vie for influence in African ‘backyard’Wed, 21 Feb 2024 06:29:05 GMT Read More »