Food prices, freedoms concern S.Leone’s young votersThu, 22 Jun 2023 06:56:21 GMT

Alie used to work eight hours a day driving a commercial tuk-tuk, known locally as a keke, in Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown, but as fuel prices soar, he now finds himself working 18-hour days just to make ends meet. “Everything is uphill — there are no jobs, and (problems with) the electricity and water supply,” the …

Food prices, freedoms concern S.Leone’s young votersThu, 22 Jun 2023 06:56:21 GMT Read More »

The technocrat ready to be Sierra Leone’s ‘CEO’Thu, 22 Jun 2023 06:45:46 GMT

Just a day before he was due to release his manifesto, Sierra Leonean presidential contender Samura Kamara was busy writing in depth about the West African country’s justice system.Hunched over his computer, he was bashing away at what looked like an endless block of dense text. Often described as a meticulous technician, Kamara, 72, is standing …

The technocrat ready to be Sierra Leone’s ‘CEO’Thu, 22 Jun 2023 06:45:46 GMT Read More »

Cannabis academy bets on South Africa pot revolutionThu, 22 Jun 2023 06:08:22 GMT

In a leafy suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa, green leaves adorn the walls of a school where students learn how to grow cannabis — but smoking pot is banned.The teaching aims to dispel stigma around marijuana, says Linda Siboto, the co-founder of the institution, which styles itself as Africa’s first cannabis academy.”It’s important for us …

Cannabis academy bets on South Africa pot revolutionThu, 22 Jun 2023 06:08:22 GMT Read More »

Nigeria struggles with dream to rule Africa’s eSportsThu, 22 Jun 2023 04:08:30 GMT

At the very last second, the Lagos professional gamer wins his battle of “Street Fighter”, sending the crowd into roars of joy, a scene unimaginable a few years ago in Nigeria, where the eSports is now in full bloom.In a room decked out in futuristic decor in an upscale district of Nigeria’s economic capital Lagos, …

Nigeria struggles with dream to rule Africa’s eSportsThu, 22 Jun 2023 04:08:30 GMT Read More »

Sudan no closer to peace as another breached truce endsWed, 21 Jun 2023 19:59:14 GMT

The Sudanese capital was again under fire Wednesday, after the latest breached ceasefire between warring generals ended without any sign of an end to more than two months of war.An immense fire had already engulfed the intelligence service’s headquarters in the capital Khartoum on Tuesday evening, with each side accusing the other of attacking it …

Sudan no closer to peace as another breached truce endsWed, 21 Jun 2023 19:59:14 GMT Read More »

Massacre trial of Guinea ex-dictator Camara delayed againWed, 21 Jun 2023 19:22:26 GMT

The trial of Guinea’s former dictator Moussa Dadis Camara for a 2009 massacre was on Wednesday once again adjourned after several weeks of delays, an AFP correspondent saw.The case was postponed to July 10 because of a prison wardens’ strike, meaning the accused was absent, and follows a boycott by solicitors over their conditions.Camara and …

Massacre trial of Guinea ex-dictator Camara delayed againWed, 21 Jun 2023 19:22:26 GMT Read More »

Opposition protest turns violent ahead of Sierra Leone electionWed, 21 Jun 2023 18:29:17 GMT

Security forces clashed with protesters supporting Sierra Leone’s main opposition party in the capital Freetown Wednesday, with tear gas fired and rocks thrown in response, three AFP journalists saw.The opposition All People’s Congress (APC) had called for “peaceful” nationwide protests ahead of general elections on Saturday.The party called for the demonstrations over what it says …

Opposition protest turns violent ahead of Sierra Leone electionWed, 21 Jun 2023 18:29:17 GMT Read More »

West African football coach dreams big in KyrgyzstanWed, 21 Jun 2023 18:09:46 GMT

Under the watchful eye of Daniel Tagoe, a coach from Ghana, around 30 children wearing blue and yellow kits learn to play football in a village outside the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek.One of several West African players living in Kyrgyzstan, 37-year-old Tagoe says he dreams of developing a football culture in the poor Central Asian country.”My dream …

West African football coach dreams big in KyrgyzstanWed, 21 Jun 2023 18:09:46 GMT Read More »

Zimbabwe’s Mnangagwa assures ‘peace’ as election loomsWed, 21 Jun 2023 17:41:48 GMT

President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Wednesday filed his papers to contest Zimbabwe’s upcoming elections, insisting that the closely-watched vote would be peaceful despite complaints of an opposition crackdown.”The process is going very, very well, and I’m happy that Zimbabwe is now a mature democracy,” he told reporters after lodging his application at a court in Harare.Zimbabwe …

Zimbabwe’s Mnangagwa assures ‘peace’ as election loomsWed, 21 Jun 2023 17:41:48 GMT Read More »

Jihadists strike military base in Somalia as AU force starts drawdownWed, 21 Jun 2023 15:35:31 GMT

A military base in Somalia came under attack by Al-Shabaab jihadists on Wednesday,police and witnesses said, just as the African Union announced it was beginning a drawdown of troops in the violence-wracked nation.Almost simultaneous suicide bomb blasts targeted the base in the southern city of Baardhere, which hosts both Ethiopian and Somali troops, triggering heavy …

Jihadists strike military base in Somalia as AU force starts drawdownWed, 21 Jun 2023 15:35:31 GMT Read More »