AFP Africa

Madagascar braced for military rule Wednesday after an elite army unit seized power following President Andry Rajoelina’s impeachment, promising elections within two years as the international community voiced alarm over the crisis.The poor Indian Ocean nation was plunged into its worst political upheaval in years after the CAPSAT military contingent assumed power moments after parliament …

Madagascar enters military rule after colonel seizes powerWed, 15 Oct 2025 18:04:18 GMT Read More »

“A king”, “a hero”, “Nelson Mandela”, “Jesus Christ” — no superlatives were too much for the crowd that came to mourn the death of Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga at his Nairobi home on Wednesday.That he failed to win the presidency no less than five times is not the point for the fans of “Baba” …

Kenyans swarm home of fallen ‘hero’ Raila OdingaWed, 15 Oct 2025 14:00:20 GMT Read More »

Madagascar braced for a new era of military rule Wednesday, a day after an elite army unit seized power following President Andry Rajoelina’s impeachment and pledged elections in less than two years.The CAPSAT military contingent assumed power Tuesday moments after parliamentarians voted overwhelmingly to impeach Rajoelina, who appeared to have fled the island nation as …

Madagascar adjusts to military rule after colonel seizes powerWed, 15 Oct 2025 12:24:22 GMT Read More »

Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga, a “towering statesman” over decades of upheaval, died at the age of 80 on Wednesday during a health visit to India  — a political earthquake that leaves the east African nation on an uncertain path.Emotional scenes of mourning broke out across Kenya for its perennial opposition figure, who ran unsuccessfully …

Kenya opposition leader Raila Odinga dies, sparking emotion, uncertaintyWed, 15 Oct 2025 11:22:45 GMT Read More »

Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga has died at the age of 80 during a health visit to India, local police said Wednesday — a political earthquake that could transform politics in the east African nation.Odinga was the perennial opposition figure of Kenyan politics, running unsuccessfully for the presidency on five occasions, most recently in 2022. Affectionately …

Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga dies in IndiaWed, 15 Oct 2025 08:35:47 GMT Read More »

Raila Amolo Odinga, whose death at 80 was announced on Wednesday, spent most of his adult life in politics, including eight years in prison as a pro-democracy campaigner — but never achieved his goal of becoming Kenya’s president, despite five attempts.Odinga, who died during a trip to an Ayurvedic health clinic in India according to …

Raila Odinga: Kenya’s perennial opposition leaderWed, 15 Oct 2025 07:04:19 GMT Read More »

Mercy Diebiru-Ojo’s ambitions are straightforward — increase Nigerian yam and cassava yields by 500 percent, fight hunger and raise her country’s position on the agricultural value chain from a mere grower to a processor.The first steps, at least, are already underway for the 44-year-old agronomist, who was awarded this year’s prestigious Africa Food Prize for …

Award-winning Nigerian agronomist dreams of a cassava ‘revolution’Wed, 15 Oct 2025 06:32:24 GMT Read More »

With less than a fortnight to go before Ivory Coast’s presidential election, three other west African states — all ruled by military juntas — have been waging a disinformation campaign to disrupt the vote. Accounts linked to the juntas in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have, among other things, announced the (fake) death of Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara and …

Sahel juntas in online bid to disrupt Ivory Coast pollWed, 15 Oct 2025 06:17:39 GMT Read More »

Behind the looms of a workshop in the heart of Addis Ababa, dozens of weavers deftly repeat the same motions to craft traditional dresses — a centuries-old skill now threatened by Ethiopia’s economic hardships.For generations, the “habesha kemis” — long white cotton dresses often adorned with colourful embroidery — have been handwoven. Their elaborate designs …

Ethiopia’s weavers struggle to keep garment tradition aliveWed, 15 Oct 2025 05:54:06 GMT Read More »

The niece of a young Kenyan woman allegedly murdered by a British soldier more than a decade ago urged the UK government Tuesday to extradite the suspect as soon as possible.Agnes Wanjiru, 21, died in 2012 after she reportedly went partying with British soldiers at a hotel in Nanyuki, a town in central Kenya where …

Murdered Kenyan’s niece calls for UK ex-soldier’s extraditionTue, 14 Oct 2025 19:36:48 GMT Read More »