USAID halted food aid to Ethiopia Thursday, citing “a widespread and coordinated campaign” to divert donated supplies from the needy as Addis Ababa vowed to hold perpetrators to account.”We made the difficult but necessary decision that we cannot move forward with distribution of food assistance until reforms are in place,” said the US government’s main …

US halts food aid to Ethiopia over diverted suppliesThu, 08 Jun 2023 18:39:10 GMT Read More »

Prized for decades as a tower of stability in turbulent West Africa, Senegal has been plunged into uncertainty after the deadliest episode in a two-year-old drama of political unrest.Violence has pitched the security forces against young supporters of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, a firebrand speaker who accuses President Macky Sall of plotting to install a …

Senegal faces tough questions after deadly violenceThu, 08 Jun 2023 18:01:46 GMT Read More »

EU interior ministers meeting Thursday struggled to reach an agreement on a long-stalled revision of the bloc’s rules to share the hosting of asylum seekers and migrants more equitably.Officials and diplomats said a deal was closer than ever after years of wrangling but efforts to get majority backing for the proposals hung in the balance …

EU tries to thrash out refugee hosting dealThu, 08 Jun 2023 17:07:33 GMT Read More »

The UN’s health agency on Thursday declared an end to a nearly four-month epidemic of Marburg virus in Equatorial Guinea, saying the disease, a cousin of Ebola, had caused 35 confirmed or suspected deaths.”The outbreak of Marburg Virus Disease in Equatorial Guinea ended today with no new cases reported over the past 42 days after …

WHO declares end to Marburg virus outbreak in Equatorial GuineaThu, 08 Jun 2023 12:47:41 GMT Read More »

A blackout that hit parts of the internet in the West African state of Guinea has fuelled suspicions that the ruling junta pulled the plug to undermine a protest movement.Over several days last month, online problems wiped out access to WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok — the most popular platforms with Guineans, more than half …

Internet blackout in Guinea fuels suspicions of junta roleThu, 08 Jun 2023 10:00:06 GMT Read More »

After dropping off children at school, South African minibus driver “Roro” Mokgele Ramathe parks up and strips down to his training kit underneath.Sporting a short goatee and a jovial smile, the 42-year-old, popularly known as Roro is ready to hit the streets of Soweto again, training for one of the world’s oldest ultra-distance races, the …

‘Comrades’ ultra-marathon, a symbol of hope in S.AfricaThu, 08 Jun 2023 06:58:44 GMT Read More »

Iyinoluwa Aboyeji might not have the personal wealth of Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg, but his level of success as an African entrepreneur bears comparison with any Silicon Valley tech titan.While still in his twenties, the Nigerian co-founded two “unicorns”, an industry term for companies that achieve a valuation of more than $1 billion.By most …

African space tech? Don’t rule it out, says Nigeria’s startup kingThu, 08 Jun 2023 06:42:28 GMT Read More »

Ruined, bullet-pocked buildings line the stony track leading to the PK3 — a makeshift camp housing tens of thousands of people that bears witness to one of the world’s forgotten conflicts.A decade ago, civil war broke out in the Central African Republic (CAR), one of the poorest and the most volatile countries in the world.Over …

Central Africa’s camp city testifies to a forgotten warThu, 08 Jun 2023 06:11:54 GMT Read More »

Life on the streets is grim and desperate, says “Business,” a homeless teen in DR Congo’s capital Kinshasa.”Your body ends up worn out,” he says, describing a doomed path to limbo, ending up like “a prostitute grandmother, something which isn’t supposed to exist.”A 19-year-old with big ambitions, “Business” — a rough translation of his French …

In DR Congo’s capital, homeless teens pin future on rapThu, 08 Jun 2023 05:50:31 GMT Read More »

Rwandan President Paul Kagame has embarked on a major shakeup of the country’s military, with a round of dismissals announced Wednesday after the appointment of a new defence minister, army chief and head of internal security.Army spokesman Ronald Rvivanga told local media that two long-serving generals, Major General Aloys Muganga and Brigadier General Francis Mutiganda, …

Rwanda’s Kagame orders major military purgeWed, 07 Jun 2023 17:56:15 GMT Read More »