AFP Africa

The top United Nations court on Friday ordered Israel to halt military operations in Rafah “immediately”, a landmark ruling likely to increase mounting international pressure on Israel more than seven months into the Gaza war.The International Court of Justice also ruled Israel must keep open the key Rafah crossing for “unhindered” humanitarian aid and urged …

ICJ orders Israel to ‘immediately halt’ Rafah offensiveFri, 24 May 2024 16:26:11 GMT Read More »

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa promised his late predecessor Nelson Mandela on Friday that he would protect the African National Congress’ absolute majority in next week’s tightly contested election.Ramaphosa staged his walkabout in Soweto, the town of his birth and a stronghold of the ANC going back to the days of the anti-apartheid struggle, to mobilise …

South African parties rally voters with ANC majority under threatFri, 24 May 2024 16:04:40 GMT Read More »

The political movement behind Mali’s civilian Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maiga on Friday openly criticised the West African nation’s military rulers for the first time.The M5-RFP movement came out strongly against the colonels who seized power in 2020, further extending their rule after they failed to meet a March deadline to hold elections and hand …

Mali junta comes under fire from PM’s allies for first timeFri, 24 May 2024 15:25:24 GMT Read More »

A film about an all-female Egyptian theatre troupe and another about legendary photographer Ernest Cole shared the best documentary award at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday. “Ernest Cole: Lost and Found” is the latest from Haitian director Raoul Peck, who made the Oscar-nominated “I Am Not Your Negro” about US writer James Baldwin.Playing in a …

Cannes best docs go to African storiesFri, 24 May 2024 14:30:51 GMT Read More »

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa led a march to his late predecessor Nelson Mandela’s house on Friday and vowed to turn around the fortunes of their African National Congress Party before next week’s tightly-contested election.Ramaphosa staged his walkabout in Soweto, the town of his birth and a stronghold of the ANC going back to the days …

Rival S. African parties rally voters with ANC majority in balanceFri, 24 May 2024 14:08:13 GMT Read More »

Doctors without Borders (MSF) has called for the protection of hundreds of thousands of civilians “caught in the crossfire” between the M23 rebel group and government forces in east DR Congo.The mainly Tutsi-led M23 (March 23 Movement)resumed its armed campaign at the end of 2021 and has seized swathes of territory in the North Kivu …

Calls to protect DR Congo civilians as fighting flaresFri, 24 May 2024 12:37:54 GMT Read More »

South African parties launched a final boisterous weekend of stadium rallies and campaign walkabouts Friday, ahead of what is expected to be the most tightly contested general election in decades.President Cyril Ramaphosa headed to Soweto, the 71-year-old’s home town and a stronghold of his ruling African National Congress, to mobilise supporters ahead of a huge …

S. African rivals rally voters with ANC majority in the balanceFri, 24 May 2024 12:20:39 GMT Read More »

Countries trying to thrash out a global agreement on handling future pandemics are hoping to seal the deal Friday after weeks of creeping progress in exhausting talks.Having ploughed past several previous deadlines, the hard stop of next week’s annual gathering of the World Health Organization’s 194 member states is now in clear sight.Scarred by the …

Pandemic agreement talks come to the crunchFri, 24 May 2024 11:21:28 GMT Read More »

Propagandists and scammers are exploiting xenophobia and anger over failing infrastructure to unleash a wave of disinformation ahead of South Africa’s most contested polls since 1994, experts warn.The ruling African National Congress (ANC) risks losing its outright majority in the May 29 ballot amid soaring unemployment, rising xenophobia, prolonged power blackouts and allegations of endemic …

Migration, infrastructure woes fuel S.Africa poll disinformationFri, 24 May 2024 10:10:01 GMT Read More »

Caleb Weiss sits on the edge of an open-doored helicopter above the dense rainforest in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo.Tensions rise among the crew as the aircraft flies low over the impenetrable canopy, within gunshot range of a fierce rebel group that has been conducting fatal attacks on villages in the area …

Texan outfit seeks to combat DR Congo rebels with leaflets, rewardFri, 24 May 2024 09:35:44 GMT Read More »