AFP Africa

The UK government said Wednesday it was considering a scheme to send rejected asylum seekers to Rwanda voluntarily and will reportedly pay them up to £3,000 ($3,800) to make the move.The plan, an extension of existing voluntary returns arrangements, comes as ministers struggle to kickstart separate controversial proposals to deport other migrants to the east African …

UK mulls plan to pay migrants to move to Rwanda voluntarilyWed, 13 Mar 2024 10:56:27 GMT Read More »

Anger is mounting in some Johannesburg districts left without water for more than a week, fewer than three months before general elections marked by voter discontent with South Africa’s failing infrastructure.With power cuts and potholes already part of daily life, recent water shortages have increased the frustration of many over poor service delivery — a …

Water cuts add to frustrations ahead of S.Africa voteWed, 13 Mar 2024 10:24:53 GMT Read More »

Sudan this week entered its second straight Ramadan in the throes of a deadly war that has left much of the country gripped by the spectre of famine.”Ramadan? We’ve been doing that for months!” said Khartoum resident Othman Idriss, referring to the daytime fast observed by the faithful during the Muslim holy month.”We have been …

Famine stalks Sudan in second Ramadan plagued by warWed, 13 Mar 2024 09:31:11 GMT Read More »

A cacophony of horns and cheers erupted as the only woman standing in Senegal’s presidential election emerged from the sunroof of her SUV in the outskirts of the capital Dakar.Anta Babacar Ngom was on her third day of the campaign trail and, like the other 18 candidates in the race, she has less than two weeks …

Senegal candidate Anta Babacar Ngom runs fast-track campaignWed, 13 Mar 2024 07:20:52 GMT Read More »

Students were just about to settle into their classes after singing Nigeria’s national anthem when the gunshots rang out. Then chaos erupted.It was around 8:00 am on Thursday when dozens of gunmen dressed in military uniforms rode on motorbikes into the school grounds in Kuriga, a quiet agrarian village 100km outside the northwestern Nigerian city …

Gunshots, then chaos before Nigeria students’ kidnappingWed, 13 Mar 2024 02:39:00 GMT Read More »

The number of children worldwide who died before age five reached a record low in 2022, the United Nations said in a report published Tuesday, as for the first time fewer than five million died.According to the estimate, 4.9 million children died before their fifth birthday in 2022, a 51 percent decrease since 2000 and …

Childhood deaths at record low, but progress ‘precarious’: UNWed, 13 Mar 2024 00:24:59 GMT Read More »

Life-saving food aid in Chad for hundreds of thousands of refugees from war-torn Sudan will grind to a halt in April without international funding, a United Nations agency warned Tuesday. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) is appealing for $242 million in donations to continue supporting 1.2 million Sudanese refugees, as the approaching rainy season threatens to cut …

Sudanese refugees face ‘all-out catastrophe’ in Chad as funds dry up: UNTue, 12 Mar 2024 16:33:21 GMT Read More »

Since the Gaza war broke out in October, Egypt has faced a difficult dilemma, seeking both to show solidarity with the Palestinians and to preserve its relations with neighbouring Israel.The Rafah crossing point between Egypt and Gaza is in theory the besieged territory’s only opening to the world that is not under direct Israeli control.In …

At the gates of Gaza, Egypt’s perilous balancing actTue, 12 Mar 2024 15:39:13 GMT Read More »

Springbok rugby coach Rassie Erasmus said on Tuesday that it was uncertain whether double World Cup-winning captain Siya Kolisi would continue to lead the team.Speaking at a press conference in Cape Town, Erasmus said Kolisi’s contract with French club Racing 92 did not prevent him from playing for his country and that he would be …

Kolisi captaincy future in doubt as Springboks plan aheadTue, 12 Mar 2024 10:35:05 GMT Read More »

Turkey, Iran and Morocco are vying for a greater economic and military role in Africa’s Sahel after former colonial ruler France’s forced withdrawal from the volatile region.Turkish military equipment and Moroccan and Iranian development and infrastructure projects are tempting for cash-strapped Sahelian military regimes grappling with jihadist violence. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have undergone coups …

Turkey, Iran, Morocco joust for greater role in SahelTue, 12 Mar 2024 10:27:02 GMT Read More »