AFP Africa

In  a few days, France will hand over its only military base in Ivory Coast, its former star colony in west Africa, and both sides say the run up is proceeding seamlessly without any rancour.The 230-hectare (570-acre) Port-Bouet military camp flanking Ivory Coast’s main city has been a fixture in the country’s life for decades …

France set to hand over sole military base in Ivory CoastWed, 12 Feb 2025 10:36:52 GMT Read More »

Cameroon President Paul Biya, the world’s oldest head of state, turns 92 years old on Thursday after more than four decades in power but remains tight-lipped on whether he will run for another term in elections this year.Many people including the deeply divided opposition are in little doubt that the leader, who first won election …

Cameroon leader turns 92 after nearly half his life in powerWed, 12 Feb 2025 06:42:33 GMT Read More »

A dramatic escalation of the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and swingeing US humanitarian aid cuts are set to dominate an African Union summit this week, overshadowing the election of its new chairman.The 55-nation body meets from Friday in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa with Africa facing devastating conflicts in the DRC …

DRC conflict overshadows African summitWed, 12 Feb 2025 04:39:13 GMT Read More »

When President Donald Trump froze nearly all US foreign aid, Cambodia was forced to suspend workers removing dangerous mines from the country  — until China stepped in with the necessary funding.In the Cook Islands, traditionally bound to New Zealand and friendly with the United States, the prime minister has announced plans to head to Beijing …

Gutting aid, US cedes soft power game to ChinaWed, 12 Feb 2025 01:50:32 GMT Read More »

Fighting erupted Tuesday in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, three days after a call by African leaders for a ceasefire and a brief lull in the conflict. Rwanda-backed M23 fighters attacked Congolese army positions in South Kivu province at dawn, local and security sources told AFP. The resurgence comes after east and southern African leaders called on …

Fresh fighting flares in eastern DR CongoTue, 11 Feb 2025 17:42:27 GMT Read More »

A suspension of US foreign aid and possible dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) will have a major impact on some of the world’s poorest countries, the Washington-based Center for Global Development (CGD) warned Tuesday.For more than 20 economies, a year-long pause on US aid could mean a loss of over one …

US foreign aid halt to have major hit on poorest countries: reportTue, 11 Feb 2025 16:22:05 GMT Read More »

On the streets of Johannesburg’s student district, US President Donald Trump’s offer to accept white Afrikaners as refugees landed as both “ridiculous” and “lame”, among South Africans of all races.On Friday, Trump cut off aid to South Africa and claimed, without evidence, that the Pretoria government is seizing white-owned land and persecuting Afrikaners, descendants of …

‘Ridiculous and lame’: South Africans mock Trump proposalsTue, 11 Feb 2025 12:46:17 GMT Read More »

The Central African Republic, a poverty-stricken and perennially unstable country despite its vast mineral wealth, has launched a memecoin called $CAR, which had a tumultuous debut, according to experts.A memecoin is a cryptocurrency that rides on the popularity of a viral personality or phenomenon on the internet and is often seen as a purely speculative …

Central African Republic launches memecoinMon, 10 Feb 2025 20:16:13 GMT Read More »

Eastern DR Congo appeared calm for a second day Monday, after regional powers appealed for a ceasefire amid fears the fighting could spark a wider conflict.Pupils in the regional capital Bukavu were returning to school, an AFP journalist saw, after schools shuttered in the city Friday as residents began to flee and shops closed over …

Uneasy calm in east DRC after regional ceasefire appealMon, 10 Feb 2025 18:28:14 GMT Read More »

A deluge of more than 20,000 queries crashed the email server of the South African Chamber of Commerce in the United States after President Donald Trump said he would prioritise white South Africans in a refugee programme, the chamber said Monday.Trump and Pretoria are locked in a diplomatic row over a land expropriation act that …

White S. Africans clamour for US resettlement after Trump orderMon, 10 Feb 2025 17:24:43 GMT Read More »