Seven million Senegalese are due to head to the polls on Sunday to vote in a wide open presidential election following weeks of chaos and uncertainty.Whoever comes out on top will be tasked with steering the traditionally stable West African nation out of years of turmoil, and managing revenues from recently discovered oil and gas …

Senegal heads for wide open presidential poll SundayWed, 20 Mar 2024 09:28:20 GMT Read More »

Ladias Konje’s maize field in northeastern Zimbabwe is normally green at this time of the year, but it is already parched yellow.The drought from the El Nino weather pattern has withered leaves, wilted cobs and raised the spectre of hunger for the 38-year-old and millions of others.”On a good year we would be relying on …

Zimbabwean farmers buckle under El Nino droughtWed, 20 Mar 2024 06:27:05 GMT Read More »

Senegal on Sunday goes to the polls in a presidential election that aims to draw a line under the worst political crisis in the country in decades.Outgoing president Macky Sall’s last-minute decision to defer the vote in February sparked clashes that left four dead in a country traditionally seen as a beacon of stability in …

From slavery to sleuths: five things to know about SenegalWed, 20 Mar 2024 03:14:02 GMT Read More »

Eighteen men and one woman are in the running on Sunday to become Senegal’s fifth president and replace Macky Sall, who has held the top job since 2012. Sall is not seeking a third term, making this the first time the West African nation will head to the polls without an incumbent standing.Here are the top …

Senegal’s leading presidential candidatesWed, 20 Mar 2024 02:46:06 GMT Read More »

South Africa’s top diplomat on Tuesday accused Israel of setting a precedent for leaders to defy the top UN court, as she again alleged a campaign of starvation in Gaza.South Africa has hauled Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to allege genocide in the war triggered by the October 7 Hamas attack, infuriating …

Israel war undermining top UN court, S.Africa saysWed, 20 Mar 2024 00:43:29 GMT Read More »

Mourtalla Diouf is part of the crowd in a small town in southern Casamance waiting to welcome the return of a man in whom all his hopes for Senegal’s future rest.After seven months behind bars, opposition figure Ousmane Sonko is back in his home region after being released from jail last week.”He’s the man who …

Senegal’s Casamance region eyes new start under oppositionTue, 19 Mar 2024 14:21:58 GMT Read More »

On a windy Cape Town morning, a small group of activists hands out flyers calling for secession. “South Africa cannot be saved, Cape Independence is our only hope,” read the leaflets issued by the Cape Independence Party.Also known as CapeXit, in a nod to Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union, the group is one of a …

CapeXit? Separatists bid to split South AfricaTue, 19 Mar 2024 06:43:10 GMT Read More »

Gambian lawmakers voted on Monday to advance to the next parliamentary stage a highly controversial bill that seeks to lift a ban on female genital mutilation (FGM), which has been in place since 2015.The issue has divided the tiny West African nation for months, with hundreds gathering to protest outside parliament. Pro-FGM campaigners outnumbered those calling …

Gambian MPs advance bill lifting ban on female genital mutilationMon, 18 Mar 2024 18:17:06 GMT Read More »

Kidnappers have abducted over 100 people in two new attacks in northwest Nigeria weeks after more than 250 school pupils were seized in the same state, residents and officials told AFP on Monday.They blamed gangs of criminals known locally as bandits for the abductions in the Kajuru area of Kaduna state over the weekend, which pile …

Over 100 kidnapped in two new attacks in NigeriaMon, 18 Mar 2024 16:52:10 GMT Read More »

Painting a building in Senegal’s rapidly changing capital Dakar, Ismaila Ba is one of many workers to feel excluded from the West African country’s transformation under President Macky Sall.”I earn 6,000 CFA francs a day (around $10),” said Ba, who pays 80,000 francs a month for two rooms for himself, his wife and two daughters in …

Cracks undermine Sall’s bid to transform SenegalMon, 18 Mar 2024 09:45:25 GMT Read More »