Heavy fire erupted on Saturday in the centre of the Guinean capital Conakry and security forces blocked off the area, witnesses told AFP.The reason for the sustained weapons fire was unclear in this West African country, led since September 2021 by Colonel Mamady Doumbouya who took power in a coup after 11 years of civilian …

Heavy gunfire in Guinea capital, downtown access blockedSat, 04 Nov 2023 09:55:52 GMT Read More »

Ghana’s ruling party will choose its candidate for next year’s presidential election on Saturday, hoping to find a contender who can succeed Nana Akufo-Addo as head of state.The country is undergoing its worst economic trouble in years and the crisis is set to dominate the campaign ahead of the December 2024 polls.Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, …

Ghana’s ruling party chooses candidate for 2024 electionsSat, 04 Nov 2023 06:46:07 GMT Read More »

France will support West African bloc ECOWAS more as it works to restore democracy in a region hit by recent coups as insecurity in the Sahel worsens, the French foreign minister said on Friday.Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna was visiting Nigeria, current chair of the Economic Community of West African States, to …

France backs W.Africa bloc efforts to restore democracy in regionFri, 03 Nov 2023 20:22:02 GMT Read More »

King Charles III’s final day in Kenya on Friday was hit by heavy rains and floods as he toured the historic heart of the Indian Ocean city of Mombasa.The inclement weather derailed plans for Charles and Queen Camilla to ride in an electric tuktuk to Fort Jesus, a 400-year-old UNESCO World Heritage site in Mombasa’s …

Heavy rains hit final day of royal tour in KenyaFri, 03 Nov 2023 12:36:44 GMT Read More »

Nobel-winning writer Abdulrazak Gurnah says removing offensive words from the likes of Agatha Christie is “futile”, but says Britain did produce openly racist literature during the last century of its empire.The British-Tanzanian author won the 2021 Nobel Prize for books such as “Paradise” and “Memory of Departure” exploring Europe’s colonial legacy. He is also a professor …

Nobel-winner Gurnah: UK imperial literature was openly racistFri, 03 Nov 2023 11:02:09 GMT Read More »

Colombia will cull some of the 166 hippos descended from a small herd imported by deceased drug lord Pablo Escobar in the 1980s, the country’s environment minister said Thursday.Authorities have tried various approaches to curb the population explosion along the Magdalena River, including sterilization and transferring individuals to zoos abroad.  But they have so far been …

Colombia to cull some of Pablo Escobar’s hipposFri, 03 Nov 2023 00:18:20 GMT Read More »

One year after a deal to end the war in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, there were global calls Thursday for more to be done to protect civilians and ensure justice for victims of atrocities.Human Rights Watch, the European Union and 10 foreign governments said rights abuses were continuing in Africa’s second most populous country despite the …

One year after Tigray peace deal, rights abuses persistThu, 02 Nov 2023 18:41:16 GMT Read More »

Islamist armed groups and Malian soldiers killed at least 175 civilians, many of them children, between April and September in Mali, Human Rights Watch has said, condemning the targeted killing of civilians as war crimes.The Al-Qaeda-linked Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM) was responsible for the deaths of at least 135 civilians in two …

Islamist armed groups, army targeting civilians in Mali: HRWThu, 02 Nov 2023 16:18:24 GMT Read More »

Thousands of people gave the World Cup-winning Springboks a roaring welcome in Soweto on Thursday, as they passed through the Johannesburg township where they were once hated for a homecoming tour steeped in symbolism.South Africa edged arch-rivals New Zealand 12-11 to achieve a record fourth Rugby World Cup title and their second in a row in …

World-Cup winning Springboks get roaring welcome in SowetoThu, 02 Nov 2023 15:45:59 GMT Read More »

When he was barely a teenager, Kenyan goatherder Lisoka Lesasuyan lost both arms to an unexploded bomb while crossing a field used in joint military exercises with the British army.For decades Britain has sent its forces to train in central Kenya but their presence has long attracted controversy, with soldiers accused of rape and murder, …

Divisive legacy of British army base in KenyaThu, 02 Nov 2023 09:48:03 GMT Read More »