Russia hosts African leaders this week for a summit aimed at boosting ties despite concerns in Africa over the conflict in Ukraine and the suspension of a deal on Ukrainian grain exports.Isolated on the international scene since launching the military campaign in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin still has support in several African countries.”Today the partnership …

Putin aims to bolster Africa ties despite Ukraine conflictTue, 25 Jul 2023 10:40:00 GMT Read More »

Most mornings, Ariette Oto clambers up a winding, precipitous path to the top of a ravine on the periphery of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s sprawling capital.There, the mother of five fills her 25-litre (6.5-gallon) jerrycan with water, pays 150 Congolese francs (six US cents) and hauls the precious load back home.Just a short distance …

DR Congo’s riverside capital running on scarce and dirty waterTue, 25 Jul 2023 04:15:35 GMT Read More »

A UK court on Monday ordered a former Nigerian politician and his criminal associates to repay £130 million ($167 million) that he looted while governor of Delta State.James Ibori, the flamboyant governor of the oil-rich state in southern Nigeria between 1999 and 2007, was jailed in Britain in 2012 for money laundering and fraud following a …

UK court orders convicted Nigerian ex-governor to repay £130mMon, 24 Jul 2023 16:39:01 GMT Read More »

Gabon’s leader Ali Bongo Ondimba, who is favourite to win a third term, will face 18 other candidates in next month’s presidential election, authorities announced Monday.Bongo’s family has ruled the oil-rich West African state for 55 years.The 64-year-old, who took over from his father Omar Bongo Ondimba in 2009, officially announced in July that he …

Gabon’s Bongo to face 18 candidates in presidential voteMon, 24 Jul 2023 16:01:48 GMT Read More »

Lagos state government came under fire on Monday over plans for a mass burial of more than 100 people killed during Nigeria’s 2020 anti-police brutality rallies, sparking renewed outrage over a crackdown on protesters and calls for an investigation.The youth-led #EndSARS protests were the largest anti-government demonstrations in Nigeria’s modern history, but ended in repression …

Lagos under fire over plans for mass burial of 2020 protest victimsMon, 24 Jul 2023 15:57:33 GMT Read More »

At least 15 people, thought to be migrants, were killed when their wooden boat capsized off the Senegalese capital Dakar, a local official told AFP on Monday.Police and rescue workers were still looking for more bodies after the pirogue overturned overnight Sunday to Monday.”The navy told the vessel to draw alongside and they fled,” district …

15 die in boat capsize off Senegal capitalMon, 24 Jul 2023 14:38:04 GMT Read More »

One Sudanese child has been killed or wounded every hour on average during the country’s brutal war that has now raged for 100 days, the UN children’s agency said Monday.  The army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary forces of Mohamed Hamdan Daglo have been locked into a battle to “win or die” since …

One child killed or wounded every hour in Sudan’s 100-day-old war: UNMon, 24 Jul 2023 14:22:08 GMT Read More »

At least 14 people who appeared to be migrants were killed when their wooden boat capsized off the Senegalese capital Dakar, a local official told AFP on Monday.Police and rescue workers were still looking for more bodies after the pirogue overturned overnight Sunday to Monday.”The navy told the vessel to draw alongside and they fled,” …

Fourteen die in boat capsize off Senegal capitalMon, 24 Jul 2023 12:53:26 GMT Read More »

President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that France needed a return to authority “at every level” in response to recent riots sparked by the police shooting of a teenager.The killing of Nahel M., 17, during a traffic stop last month prompted protests, riots and looting, with many accusing the government of allowing a culture of institutional …

Macron calls for ‘return to authority’ after French riotsMon, 24 Jul 2023 12:42:22 GMT Read More »

Their lives are mired in poverty and despair.”Kush” offers them relief — but the nirvana is fleeting and carries a grim price.The recently-emerged drug is making terrible inroads among the young in Sierra Leone, a West African nation ranked among the world’s poorest.On the edge of a rubbish tip in the capital Freetown, Mohamed (name …

Synthetic drug ‘kush’ ravages Sierra Leone’s youngMon, 24 Jul 2023 12:38:15 GMT Read More »