AFP Africa

‘We don’t want to die here’: Sierra Leone migrants trapped in LebanonFri, 04 Oct 2024 05:24:56 GMT

When an Israeli air strike killed her employer and destroyed nearly everything she owned in southern Lebanon, it also crushed Fatima Samuella Tholley’s hopes of returning home to Sierra Leone to escape the spiralling violence.With a change of clothes stuffed into a plastic bag, the 27-year-old housekeeper told AFP that she and her cousin made …

‘We don’t want to die here’: Sierra Leone migrants trapped in LebanonFri, 04 Oct 2024 05:24:56 GMT Read More »

Lack of election observers for Tunisia vote reflects crackdownFri, 04 Oct 2024 02:34:09 GMT

The barring of independent election observers from Sunday’s presidential vote in Tunisia reflects a broad crackdown on rights groups ahead of the ballot which President Kais Saied is widely expected to win, activists say.The Tunisian electoral board, ISIE, says it will not allow observers from I Watch and Mourakiboun to monitor the vote, alleging they …

Lack of election observers for Tunisia vote reflects crackdownFri, 04 Oct 2024 02:34:09 GMT Read More »

Tunisia’s Kais Saied: president on a ‘divine mission’Fri, 04 Oct 2024 02:33:45 GMT

President Kais Saied, elected democratically before staging a power grab in 2021, sees himself as a man on a divine mission for Tunisia, but critics see him as ushering in a new authoritarian regime.Clean-shaven, with an unwaveringly upright and slender figure, Saied has a stiff demeanour and no social media account.He has given very few …

Tunisia’s Kais Saied: president on a ‘divine mission’Fri, 04 Oct 2024 02:33:45 GMT Read More »

Tanzania suspends newspaper over animations featuring presidentThu, 03 Oct 2024 11:28:02 GMT

Tanzania suspended the online operations of a leading newspaper on Thursday after it released cartoons featuring the president and referencing recent abductions and killings of dissidents.One of the animated videos released online earlier this week by The Citizen showed President Samia Suluhu Hassan watching news broadcasts of dissidents and victims of state repression.Hassan has faced mounting …

Tanzania suspends newspaper over animations featuring presidentThu, 03 Oct 2024 11:28:02 GMT Read More »

Macron hosts Francophone leaders in bid to boost French cloutThu, 03 Oct 2024 11:26:50 GMT

President Emmanuel Macron this week hosts dozens of leaders of French-speaking countries for a summit he hopes will help boost French influence in a world beset by crises, in particular Africa.The leaders will gather Friday and Saturday for the “Francophonie” summit, the first time the event has been held in France for 33 years. Macron …

Macron hosts Francophone leaders in bid to boost French cloutThu, 03 Oct 2024 11:26:50 GMT Read More »

‘They even murder children’: Burkinabes caught in conflict crossfireThu, 03 Oct 2024 05:46:02 GMT

In northern Ivory Coast, thousands of refugees from neighbouring Burkina Faso have fled two threats — jihadist attacks, and massacres committed by army-backed militiamen who target the Fulani community.A year ago, the night that gunmen showed up at Ami G.’s village near Titao, in northern Burkina Faso, she and her six children left everything behind …

‘They even murder children’: Burkinabes caught in conflict crossfireThu, 03 Oct 2024 05:46:02 GMT Read More »

Tunisia readies for vote as incumbent Saied eyes victoryThu, 03 Oct 2024 02:12:26 GMT

Tunisians head to the polls Sunday for a presidential election in which analysts say incumbent Kais Saied is poised for victory with his most prominent critics behind bars.The near-certainty of Saied’s win has created a mood of resignation in opposition ranks and made for a deeply lacklustre campaign.There have been no campaign rallies or public …

Tunisia readies for vote as incumbent Saied eyes victoryThu, 03 Oct 2024 02:12:26 GMT Read More »

Morocco mobile desalination units quench remote areas’ thirstThu, 03 Oct 2024 01:42:29 GMT

In the small fishing village of Beddouza in western Morocco, locals have turned to the Atlantic to quench their thirst, using mobile desalination stations to combat the kingdom’s persistent drought.Since 2023, Morocco has built some 44 of these desalination stations, also called “monobloc” — compact, transportable units that have come as a boon against the …

Morocco mobile desalination units quench remote areas’ thirstThu, 03 Oct 2024 01:42:29 GMT Read More »