An al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group has claimed responsibility for an attack that wounded members of the UN’s peacekeeping force in Mali, which is pulling out of the country, monitors said.At least four members of MINUSMA were hurt on Sunday when they came under attack on a road in northern Mali between Timbuktu and Ber, according to …

Al-Qaeda-linked group claims Mali attack on UN troopsTue, 15 Aug 2023 15:04:13 GMT Read More »

Gunfighting between the two leading armed groups in Tripoli killed two people and forced the closure of the Libyan capital’s only civilian airport, officials said on Tuesday.The clashes between the influential 444 Brigade and the Al-Radaa Force, or Special Deterrence Force, erupted on Monday night and carried over into Tuesday, an interior ministry official said.”Tensions …

Clashes in Libya capital kill two and shut airportTue, 15 Aug 2023 13:08:19 GMT Read More »

Siya Kolisi has handed South Africa a huge World Cup boost as the Springboks captain returns from injury to make his first Test appearance this year in Saturday’s World Cup warm-up against Wales.Kolisi suffered a serious knee injury in April, with medical experts initially despondent about his chances of featuring in the World Cup in …

Bok captain Kolisi back from injury for World Cup warm-up in WalesTue, 15 Aug 2023 12:58:14 GMT Read More »

Military chiefs from the West African bloc ECOWAS will meet in Ghana this week to discuss possible intervention in Niger, military and political sources in the region said Tuesday.The meeting on Thursday and Friday — originally scheduled for last weekend but then postponed — came after ECOWAS leaders last week approved deployment of a “standby …

W.Africa military chiefs to discuss Niger crisis this weekTue, 15 Aug 2023 12:49:18 GMT Read More »

Malian music star Salif Keita has been appointed a “special advisor” to the head of the country’s military junta.Under a decree published late Monday and dated August 11, the Afropop singer-songwriter is named as one of five such advisors to Colonel Assimi Goita, who ousted elected president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in 2020.The decree does not …

Malian Afropop star Salif Keita named advisor to junta chiefTue, 15 Aug 2023 11:06:03 GMT Read More »

Libya’s capital has been rocked by heavy fighting between the two main armed groups linked to the Tripoli-based government, forcing a halt to flights from the city’s only civilian airport.The fighting between the 444 Brigade and the Al-Radaa Force, or Special Deterrence Force, erupted on Monday night and carried over into Tuesday, an interior ministry …

Clashes in Libyan capital bring airport to standstillTue, 15 Aug 2023 09:59:04 GMT Read More »

When Siya Kolisi lifted the Webb Ellis Cup in Tokyo in 2019, he inspired a nation. It was South Africa’s third World Cup triumph but the first at which the Springboks had been led by a Black player. Unlike the successes of 1995 and 2007, when the Boks had White captains Francois Pienaar and John Smit at …

Boks inspire Soweto surge in South African rugbyTue, 15 Aug 2023 02:39:22 GMT Read More »

The African Union on Monday held talks on the Niger crisis as the country’s post-coup rulers showed defiance yet also pointed to diplomacy for a potential solution.But talks at the AU’s headquarters in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa coincided with a flare-up over threats by the regime to prosecute Niger’s deposed president.”AU’s Peace & Security …

African Union hosts Niger talks as regime sends mixed signalsMon, 14 Aug 2023 22:14:49 GMT Read More »

An air strike has killed at least 26 people in Ethiopia’s embattled Amhara region, a hospital official and a resident told AFP on Monday, as deadly clashes rock the region.The strike in Finote Selam on Sunday was the most severe since clashes between members of the Ethiopian army and a local militia known as Fano …

Air strike kills at least 26 in Ethiopia’s AmharaMon, 14 Aug 2023 19:07:22 GMT Read More »