AFP Africa

President Kais Saied, elected democratically before staging a power grab in 2021, is poised for re-election according to exit polls. He 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 …

Tunisia’s Kais Saied: president on a ‘divine mission’Mon, 07 Oct 2024 12:12:07 GMT Read More »

Impoverished Mozambique votes for a president and parliament in a tense mood Wednesday as jihadist violence stalls natural gas projects that could bring a major boost to its morose economy.Barring any major surprises, the socialist Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo) will hold on to government despite criticism and disillusion with the party in power since independence …

Mozambique goes to the polls expecting little changeMon, 07 Oct 2024 07:39:30 GMT Read More »

Tunisia’s incumbent President Kais Saied is set to win the country’s presidential election with 89.2 percent support despite a low turnout, according to exit polls broadcast on national television Sunday after polls closed.Saied, 66, is expected to win by a landslide, routing his challengers — imprisoned rival Ayachi Zammel, who was set to collect 6.9 …

Tunisia incumbent Saied set to win presidential vote: exit pollsMon, 07 Oct 2024 00:21:53 GMT Read More »

Mozambique’s Frelimo party gathered around 4,000 people for a final rally ahead of elections Wednesday when it is likely to maintain a firm grip on power, although with a change of president.Sunday’s rally outside the capital Maputo was a sea of red, the colours of the socialist party that has governed the impoverished Indian Ocean …

‘We will win!’: Mozambique’s ruling party confident at final vote rallySun, 06 Oct 2024 18:28:05 GMT Read More »

Polls closed Sunday night in Tunisia after voting in a presidential election expected to see incumbent Kais Saied secure another five years in office while his main critics — including one contender — are behind bars.Three years after Saied staged a sweeping power grab, rights group fear re-election will only further entrench his rule in …

Tunisia voting ends as Saied eyes re-election with critics behind barsSun, 06 Oct 2024 18:22:31 GMT Read More »

Tens of thousands of protesters marched in cities around the world over the weekend calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon as the war in the Palestinian territory neared the one-year mark.In Washington, a man set himself on fire as more than 1,000 people demonstrated outside the White House demanding an end to US …

Rallies worldwide call for Gaza, Lebanon ceasefireSun, 06 Oct 2024 18:09:49 GMT Read More »

Tunisians voted Sunday in a presidential election largely expected to see incumbent Kais Saied secure another five years in office while his main critics — including one contender — are behind bars.Three years after Saied staged a sweeping power grab, the election is seen as a closing chapter in Tunisia’s short-lived experiment with democracy.After ousting …

Tunisia votes with Saied set for re-electionSun, 06 Oct 2024 11:52:31 GMT Read More »

Across Maputo are red flags pierced by harsh sunlight and faded walls plastered with posters of Frelimo, the party that has been in power in Mozambique for half a century.In the vibrant capital of the Portuguese-speaking country, the lack of suspense is palpable days ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections, but it still stirs emotion.Frelimo …

Mozambique vote: no suspense but some disillusionSun, 06 Oct 2024 05:15:19 GMT Read More »

The Democratic Republic of Congo, the epicentre of an mpox epidemic, launched a vaccination campaign against the virus on Saturday in the eastern city of Goma, AFP journalists said.The launch, initially scheduled for last Wednesday, was delayed by three days amid logistical difficulties delivering the vaccines across the sprawling, infrastructure-poor central African country.The first vaccines …

DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreakSat, 05 Oct 2024 19:58:25 GMT Read More »

Raymonde Desiree was 25 when she was forced to leave her native Chagos Islands as Britain emptied the Indian Ocean archipelago of its inhabitants to make way for a strategic military base.Fifty-one years later, the petite matriarch says she, like many Chagossians living in Britain, is angry at not being given a say in the …

Chagos diaspora angry at lack of input on islands’ fateFri, 04 Oct 2024 20:37:52 GMT Read More »