Tunisian President Kais Saied fired his prime minister Najla Bouden without explanation late Tuesday. Why did he do this, and what are the implications for the debt-ridden North African country?Why was Najla Bouden sacked?Media reports say Saied was unhappy with her handling of the shortage of flour, and therefore of bread in government-subsidised bakeries.”This administration …

What’s next after Tunisia’s Saied sacked his PM?Wed, 02 Aug 2023 16:32:53 GMT Read More »

Desperate to check on her elderly mother amid the chaos of Sudan’s war, Amal Hassan left her family home in the capital Khartoum on May 30.She has yet to return.Her husband and three children in Omdurman — part of greater Khartoum — are among the hundreds of Sudanese families desperate for news of loved ones …

Grave fears for missing women, girls in war-torn SudanWed, 02 Aug 2023 15:48:53 GMT Read More »

Senegal on Wednesday suspended TikTok, saying the video-sharing platform had been used to fan violence sparked by the detention of opposition figure Ousmane Sonko.Authorities had already cut mobile data access on Monday, with several human rights groups denouncing the measure — as well as the dissolution of Sonko’s party.”The TikTok application is the social network …

Senegal suspends TikTok after unrestWed, 02 Aug 2023 15:41:24 GMT Read More »

The UN sounded the alarm Wednesday of impending famine in Sudan, where months of war have hit food supplies and pushed nearly four million people to flee the fighting.”Over 20.3 million people, representing more than 42 percent of the population in the country, are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity,” the UN’s Food and …

Soaring hunger in Sudan as nearly 4 million displaced: UNWed, 02 Aug 2023 15:30:53 GMT Read More »

Senegal has been plunged into uncertainty over who could become the next president, seven months ahead of elections, after the incumbent confirmed he would not run and his chief opponent was indicted.President Macky Sall, who is coming to the end of his second term, and firebrand opposition politician Ousmane Sonko had been widely seen as …

No clear front-runners seven months out from Senegal electionWed, 02 Aug 2023 14:53:35 GMT Read More »

Russian drones on Wednesday damaged infrastructure at a Ukrainian port on the Danube, as Moscow targeted facilities vital for grain shipments from Ukraine following the collapse of a key export arrangement.Turkey, which along with the United Nations brokered the deal to allow Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea, urged Russia after the port strike not …

Russia hits Ukraine grain export route near RomaniaWed, 02 Aug 2023 14:40:28 GMT Read More »

West African military chiefs were to meet Wednesday to frame a response to the crisis in Niger, a week after the fragile country was shaken by a coup that alarmed its neighbours and prompted France, the former colonial power, to evacuate its citizens.Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) leaders on Sunday imposed trade and …

West Africa army chiefs to grapple with Niger crisis as Europeans leaveWed, 02 Aug 2023 11:52:12 GMT Read More »

The first planes carrying French and other European citizens evacuated from Niger landed in Paris Wednesday, a week after a coup toppled one of the last pro-Western leaders in the jihadist-plagued Sahel.President Mohamed Bazoum was detained by his own presidential guard in a third coup in three years in the Sahel, following putsches in neighbouring …

Evacuation flights from coup-hit Niger reach FranceWed, 02 Aug 2023 08:34:24 GMT Read More »

There has been a power cut, and under moonlight in a poor quarter of DR Congo’s capital, wrestler Maitresse Libondans explains how she invokes her ancestors to cast spells that rout her opponents.”I research the fetish,” says the 28-year-old, a figure wearing a dramatic red wig ahead of her fight and holding a cane that …

DR Congo’s ‘voodoo wrestling’ provides spellbinding funWed, 02 Aug 2023 06:47:45 GMT Read More »

Nigeria, leader of a key west African bloc and a continental economic powerhouse, has intensified its efforts to reverse the coup gripping neighbouring Niger, presenting Abuja with opportunities as well as risks.The ECOWAS bloc, currently chaired by Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, said on Sunday that coup leaders had a week to restore Mohamed Bazoum to …

Nigeria turning the screw on Niger coup leadersWed, 02 Aug 2023 06:32:07 GMT Read More »