US targets Wagner Group over gold in Africa, days after mutinyWed, 28 Jun 2023 00:06:28 GMT

The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions aimed at disrupting gold mining activities that fund the Wagner Group in Africa, vowing to hold the mercenaries accountable for abuses days after they staged a mutiny in Russia.The measures against the Wagner Group had been previously planned but were briefly put on hold as US officials sought …

US targets Wagner Group over gold in Africa, days after mutinyWed, 28 Jun 2023 00:06:28 GMT Read More »

Sierra Leone president sworn in as opposition cries foulTue, 27 Jun 2023 21:43:58 GMT

Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio was sworn in Tuesday after being declared the victor of an election which his main rival slammed as “not credible.”Bio, 59, returns for a second term at the helm of the West African nation which has been pummelled by multiple challenges since the end of a 1991-2002 civil war, …

Sierra Leone president sworn in as opposition cries foulTue, 27 Jun 2023 21:43:58 GMT Read More »

Sudan capital sees heavy fighting on eve of Muslim holidayTue, 27 Jun 2023 20:48:44 GMT

Fighting raged in the Sudanese capital on Tuesday, the eve of the Eid al-Adha Muslim holiday, after paramilitaries seized Khartoum’s main police base.Fighting in the city between the army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo is now concentrated around military bases.At the …

Sudan capital sees heavy fighting on eve of Muslim holidayTue, 27 Jun 2023 20:48:44 GMT Read More »

Sierra Leone’s Bio: putschist turned progressive championTue, 27 Jun 2023 19:36:11 GMT

Julius Maada Bio, who has been re-elected for a second term as Sierra Leone’s president, is a former coup leader and has worked hard to rebrand himself as a family man who cares deeply about education and women’s issues.The 59-year-old, seen awkwardly dancing to Afrobeats on the campaign trail, was hailed by supporters for some …

Sierra Leone’s Bio: putschist turned progressive championTue, 27 Jun 2023 19:36:11 GMT Read More »

Sierra Leone president re-elected as opposition cries foulTue, 27 Jun 2023 18:40:42 GMT

Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio was re-elected to serve a second term with 56.17 percent of the vote, the head of the electoral commission said Tuesday, prompting the runner-up to “categorically reject” the result.Bio’s main challenger Samura Kamara, who came second with 41.16 percent of the vote according to final results announced in Freetown, …

Sierra Leone president re-elected as opposition cries foulTue, 27 Jun 2023 18:40:42 GMT Read More »

Oil-rich Gabon to hold elections on August 26Tue, 27 Jun 2023 17:25:51 GMT

Gabon will hold presidential elections on August 26, the oil-rich central-west African country said on Tuesday, with President Ali Bongo Ondimba strong favourite to win against a divided opposition.Bongo has not yet said whether he will stand again, but he has been on a nationwide tour for several months, fuelling expectations that he will bid …

Oil-rich Gabon to hold elections on August 26Tue, 27 Jun 2023 17:25:51 GMT Read More »

Pilgrims ascend Mount Arafat as hajj peaks under fierce sunTue, 27 Jun 2023 16:47:47 GMT

Hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims crowded the rocky rise known as Mount Arafat on Tuesday to pray at the height of an annual hajj pilgrimage held in the fierce Saudi Arabian summer.As temperatures soared to 48 degrees Celsius (118 Fahrenheit), groups of white-clad worshippers recited Koranic verses on the hill, where the Prophet Mohammed …

Pilgrims ascend Mount Arafat as hajj peaks under fierce sunTue, 27 Jun 2023 16:47:47 GMT Read More »

Popular S.African TV soap on front line of fight against HIVTue, 27 Jun 2023 14:27:46 GMT

Clad in a figure-hugging dress, Dineo gets into a fancy car driven by her sugar daddy, kissing her benefactor as her boyfriend Quinton watches miserably from a distance.The scene is from a popular series in South Africa called “Shuga” which serves up a steamy mix of teenage love, family dramas, heartbreak and treachery — with …

Popular S.African TV soap on front line of fight against HIVTue, 27 Jun 2023 14:27:46 GMT Read More »

Ugandans sue TotalEnergies for reparations in FranceTue, 27 Jun 2023 14:04:58 GMT

Twenty-six Ugandans on Tuesday sued French oil giant TotalEnergies in Paris for reparations over alleged human rights violations at its massive megaprojects in the country, as climate protesters targeted its UK headquarters.Joined by five Ugandan and French aid groups, people from the affected communities say the energy firm caused “serious harm”, especially to their rights …

Ugandans sue TotalEnergies for reparations in FranceTue, 27 Jun 2023 14:04:58 GMT Read More »

‘Sad Eid’: Muslim feast a distant dream in war-torn SudanTue, 27 Jun 2023 09:14:33 GMT

For many Sudanese struggling to survive the war, a taste of the sheep Muslims traditionally sacrifice for the feast of Eid al-Adha is but a distant memory.The conflict, now in its third month, has brought death and turmoil and displaced millions in the country that was already poverty-stricken before the fighting erupted. Like many Khartoum residents, …

‘Sad Eid’: Muslim feast a distant dream in war-torn SudanTue, 27 Jun 2023 09:14:33 GMT Read More »