AFP Africa

Several thousand people rallied in support of Burkina Faso’s ruling junta Wednesday, days after the military authorities said they had uncovered a “plot” to overthrow the government.Demonstrators gathered at a central square in the capital Ouagadougou carrying giant posters of junta leader Captain Ibrahim Traore and Burkinabe and Russian flags.They also held placards bearing slogans …

Burkina junta rallies supporters after claimed coup ‘plot’Wed, 30 Apr 2025 11:32:42 GMT Read More »

Cardinal Cristobal Lopez Romero, the Spanish-born archbishop of Rabat, admits he is a little anxious ahead of his first conclave, although also curious.The 72-year-old is among 133 cardinals from around the world who will vote for a successor to Pope Francis starting May 7. “I haven’t decided anything,” he told AFP when asked whom he would …

Moroccan-based cardinal says Church does not need Francis ‘impersonator’Wed, 30 Apr 2025 11:13:40 GMT Read More »

Writhing in pain on a hospital bed in a Kenyan coastal town, teenage snakebite victim Shukurani Konde Tuva faced the grim reality of his left leg from above the knee being amputated.The 14-year-old was bitten by a puff adder — a venomous snake and the most common snakebite in sub-Saharan Africa — while eating outdoors …

Kenya’s desperate need for more snake antivenomTue, 29 Apr 2025 06:07:12 GMT Read More »

The UN’s food and refugee agencies have warned of dire cuts to their services as funding plummets, especially from key donor the United States under President Donald Trump.The UN World Food Programme (WFP) will cut staff by 25 to 30 percent as contributions to the global aid agency have dropped, according to an internal email …

UN food, refugee agencies warn of huge cuts after funding lossesMon, 28 Apr 2025 18:06:58 GMT Read More »

Catholic cardinals agreed on Monday to begin a conclave on May 7 to elect a new pope, and highlighted clerical sexual abuse as one of the key challenges facing Pope Francis’s successor.Cardinals under the age of 80 will meet in the Sistine Chapel to choose a new leader for the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, in …

Conclave starts May 7, cardinals say new pope must tackle abuseMon, 28 Apr 2025 15:42:35 GMT Read More »

Rwanda last month severed relations with Belgium following criticism of its actions in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) — a move that is already having unexpected consequences. Rwanda’s support for the M23 armed group, which has seized large areas of the mineral-rich eastern DRC, has attracted international condemnation and sanctions.In March, Kigali cut diplomatic ties …

Rwanda feels the impact of cutting ties with BelgiumMon, 28 Apr 2025 05:58:38 GMT Read More »

A man suspected of stabbing a young Malian to death in a mosque in southern France and filming his victim writhing in agony has surrendered to police in Italy, a prosecutor told AFP on Monday.The suspect, “Olivier A.”, a French national born in Lyon in 2004, “surrendered himself to a police station in Pistoia” near …

Mosque murder suspect arrested in Italy: French prosecutorMon, 28 Apr 2025 05:45:02 GMT Read More »

France’s President Emmanuel Macron lashed out Sunday against “racism and hatred” after the brutal stabbing to death of a Muslim in a mosque in the south of the country.Officials said the attacker, who is on the run, stabbed Aboubakar Cisse, a young Malian in his early 20s, dozens of times and then filmed him with …

Macron warns against religious hate after Muslim killed in mosqueSun, 27 Apr 2025 19:12:47 GMT Read More »

Mauritian rider Kim Le Court sprung a surprise on Sunday by becoming the first African cyclist to win the women’s Liege-Bastogne-Liege. The 29-year-old AG Insurance-Soudal rider scored the biggest win of her career by beating Dutch pair Puck Pieterse and Demi Vollering in a four-way sprint, with French rider Cedrine Kerbaol just missing out on the podium. “I …

Le Court becomes first African winner of women’s Liege classicSun, 27 Apr 2025 17:37:50 GMT Read More »

For years, traditionalists raged at Pope Francis’s liberal approach. The question now is whether his successor will walk the same path, or take the Catholic Church in a new direction.Cardinals will meet within days for a conclave to elect a new pontiff, sparking fevered speculation about how the next pope will guide the world’s 1.4 …

Continuity or rupture: what direction for the next pope?Sun, 27 Apr 2025 03:13:19 GMT Read More »