AFP Africa

Nearly 90 migrants bound for Europe perished when their boat capsized earlier this week off the coast of Mauritania, the state news agency and a local official said Thursday, while dozens more remain missing.”The Mauritanian coast guard recovered the bodies of 89 people aboard a large traditional fishing boat that capsized on Monday July 1 …

89 migrants dead at sea off Mauritania: news agencyThu, 04 Jul 2024 22:04:15 GMT Read More »

Rummaging in the darkness of a tiny mud and thatch home in eastern Sierra Leone, ecologist James Koninga plucks a metal rat trap from under a collapsed bedframe.The 62-year-old belongs to a group of researchers tracking the deadly Lassa fever, a viral haemorrhagic illness endemic in several West African countries and transmitted by infected rats. Koninga …

Decade since Ebola, Sierra Leone fights another deadly feverThu, 04 Jul 2024 06:59:35 GMT Read More »

Twenty-five soldiers accused of “fleeing the enemy” while fighting M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo were sentenced to death Wednesday during a one-day trial, according to their lawyers. A total of 31 defendants, including 27 soldiers and four of their civilian wives, appeared before the Butembo garrison military court in North Kivu province, near …

DR Congo sentences 25 soldiers to death for ‘fleeing the enemy’: lawyerWed, 03 Jul 2024 22:23:02 GMT Read More »

The Kenyan presidency said Wednesday it had ordered a review of salary increases for public servants in an apparent move to defuse tensions after a wave of sometimes deadly anti-government protests.Public anger is running high over what protesters see as rampant government extravagance in the face of the economic hardships and high cost of living …

Under-fire Kenya govt says to review state salary hikesWed, 03 Jul 2024 20:05:57 GMT Read More »

An attack blamed on jihadists in central Mali killed more than 20 civilians on Monday, two local officials said, in the latest killings in the troubled Sahel region.Mali has for over a decade been ravaged by jihadists and other armed groups, with the centre of the West African country becoming a hotbed of violence since …

Suspected jihadist attack in Mali kills more than 20 civiliansWed, 03 Jul 2024 16:53:25 GMT Read More »

Kenya has seen peaceful marches mostly led by Gen-Z youth against now-scrapped tax hikes descend into violence, with dozens killed in clashes with police as protesters accuse “goons” of hijacking demonstrations.What does this mean for the movement, and what next for President William Ruto?- What happened? -Protests broke out two weeks ago, sparked by proposed …

‘Tone deaf’: Are Kenya’s protests, and its president, at a crossroads?Wed, 03 Jul 2024 14:35:05 GMT Read More »

South Africa’s new unity government under President Cyril Ramaphosa was sworn in on Wednesday, the first of its kind in the country after 30 years of rule by the ANC.Ahead of the 32 ministers — from six parties — making up the cabinet, Paul Mashatile, who has been re-appointed deputy president, was the first to …

S.Africa inaugurates unprecedented unity governmentWed, 03 Jul 2024 12:14:16 GMT Read More »

The very same day Biniam Girmay became the first black African to win a Tour de France stage, Olympic champion Richard Carapaz became the first Ecuadorian to pull on the overall leader’s yellow jersey.A neutral observer may have been forgiven for believing those two events showed top-level road cycling knows no borders.Eritrean Girmay was swift …

Girmay gives hope of worldwide expansion for road cyclingWed, 03 Jul 2024 09:13:32 GMT Read More »

Kenyan police said they have arrested more than 270 people masquerading as protesters who are suspected of going on a criminal rampage during anti-government rallies on Tuesday. Widespread looting and property damage was reported during the youth-led demonstrations in various cities across the country, which some protesters said had been infiltrated by “goons”.”Security forces across the …

Kenya police say over 270 arrested for criminal acts during Tuesday protestsWed, 03 Jul 2024 08:24:10 GMT Read More »

Between the orange trunks of the acacia trees in the Chad savannah, a herd of elephants move through Zah Soo National Park, under the watchful eye of one of the only humans allowed to witness the scene.Established to protect the Sahel country’s biodiversity from the threat of poaching and effects of agriculture, the park faces …

Chad rangers battle to protect park from poachers, local farmersWed, 03 Jul 2024 06:29:37 GMT Read More »