AFP Africa

President Mahamat Idriss Deby on Friday welcomed the “definitive and complete departure” of French forces from Chad which marks the end of France’s last foothold in the wider jihadist-hit Sahel region.After a closed-door military ceremony a day earlier, Deby addressed Chadian forces and diplomats at an event in the capital N’Djamena.The handover of the Kossei …

Chad leader welcomes ‘complete’ departure of French forcesFri, 31 Jan 2025 11:43:36 GMT Read More »

The Rwandan-backed armed group M23 moved south as it closed in on a key military airport in DR Congo on Friday, a day after pledging to take the capital Kinshasa and as international criticism mounted.The group’s capture of most of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, earlier in the week was a dramatic escalation …

Rwanda-backed M23 advances towards second DR Congo regional capitalFri, 31 Jan 2025 10:00:54 GMT Read More »

Screeching off East Africa’s only ice rink, the skates of Kenya’s Ice Lions scatter frozen chips of ice as they celebrate their first title win in the capital Nairobi.Ice hockey only arrived in Kenya in 2006, after a group of bored Canadians set up the Nairobi rink — but it was not until 2019 that …

Kenya’s Ice Lions skate to win on East Africa’s only rinkFri, 31 Jan 2025 07:42:05 GMT Read More »

Once an emblematic landmark of traditional west African architecture, Dakar’s fondly remembered Sandaga market can now only be marvelled at through old photographs.Sandaga is just one of the many historic buildings in Senegal’s ever-expanding capital victim either to the march of modernisation or the clamour for greater profits from property developers.The distinctive concrete market hall …

Architects race to save historic buildings in Senegal capitalFri, 31 Jan 2025 06:25:09 GMT Read More »

The Rwanda-backed armed group M23 vowed on Thursday to march on the DR Congo capital, Kinshasa, as its fighters made further advances in the mineral-rich east of the country.The group’s capture of most of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, is a dramatic escalation in a region that has seen decades of conflict involving …

Rwanda-backed force vows to march on capital in DR Congo conflictThu, 30 Jan 2025 19:30:41 GMT Read More »

A court in Benin on Thursday sentenced two former allies of President Patrice Talon to 20 years in jail on charges of “conspiring against the authority of the state”.Neither Olivier Boko, an influential businessman long considered to be Talon’s right-hand man, nor former sports minister Oswald Homeky had lawyers representing them at the trial’s conclusion.Boko, …

Benin court jails two ex-allies of president for 20 yearsThu, 30 Jan 2025 18:31:51 GMT Read More »

Strewn with rubble from mortar and artillery fire, the eastern DR Congo city of Goma awoke on Thursday to a new abnormal — hiding from bandits and counting the dead.Fighting has all but ceased between Congolese soldiers and the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group, which captured most of Goma on Sunday — a dramatic escalation in …

New abnormal begins for east DR Congo’s looted Goma after siegeThu, 30 Jan 2025 18:11:57 GMT Read More »

The Rwanda-backed armed group M23 vowed Thursday to “continue the march of liberation” to the DR Congo capital Kinshasa, as its fighters made further advances in the mineral-rich east of the country.The group’s capture of most of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, is a dramatic escalation in a region that has seen decades …

Rwanda-backed M23 pledges to ‘march all the way to Kinshasa’Thu, 30 Jan 2025 16:49:43 GMT Read More »

The French army has handed over its last base in Chad in a military ceremony in the capital N’Djamena, the general staffs of both countries announced Thursday.The central African country in late November abruptly ended military cooperation with its former colonial ruler, and French troops began leaving the country in late December.Thursday’s handover of the …

France hands over last base in Chad amid withdrawalThu, 30 Jan 2025 13:24:00 GMT Read More »

DR Congo’s president has vowed a “vigorous” military response against Rwandan-backed fighters who have advanced further in the mineral-rich east of the country after seizing most of the region’s main city.The Rwanda-backed M23’s capture of most of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, in recent days is a dramatic escalation of a decade-long campaign …

DR Congo leader vows ‘vigorous’ response as Rwanda-backed fighters advanceThu, 30 Jan 2025 12:02:22 GMT Read More »