There has been a power cut, and under moonlight in a poor quarter of DR Congo’s capital, wrestler Maitresse Libondans explains how she invokes her ancestors to cast spells that rout her opponents.”I research the fetish,” says the 28-year-old, a figure wearing a dramatic red wig ahead of her fight and holding a cane that …

DR Congo’s ‘voodoo wrestling’ provides spellbinding funWed, 02 Aug 2023 06:47:45 GMT Read More »

Nigeria, leader of a key west African bloc and a continental economic powerhouse, has intensified its efforts to reverse the coup gripping neighbouring Niger, presenting Abuja with opportunities as well as risks.The ECOWAS bloc, currently chaired by Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, said on Sunday that coup leaders had a week to restore Mohamed Bazoum to …

Nigeria turning the screw on Niger coup leadersWed, 02 Aug 2023 06:32:07 GMT Read More »

Ivory Coast’s nationalist former president Henri Konan Bedie, who had not excluded the possibility of a return to power even in his latter days, has died aged 89, his party said.The “Ivory Coast Democratic Party-African Democratic Rally (PDCI-RDA) is deeply saddened” to announce the “sudden death” of Bedie in hospital in Abidjan Tuesday, it said in …

Former Ivory Coast president Henri Konan Bedie dies aged 89Wed, 02 Aug 2023 05:31:57 GMT Read More »

The first plane carrying mostly French and European people evacuated from Niger landed in Paris early Wednesday, a week after a coup toppled one of the last pro-Western leaders in the jihadist-plagued Sahel.President Mohamed Bazoum was detained by his own presidential guard in a third coup in as many years in the Sahel, following putsches …

First evacuation flight from coup-hit Niger lands in FranceWed, 02 Aug 2023 03:30:53 GMT Read More »

In the unbearable midday heat, a Libyan patrol near the border with Tunisia comes across a black African man collapsed on the reddish-brown desert sand.He is barely breathing, and officers try to revive him, gently, with a few drops of water on his lips.The man is one among hundreds of migrants arriving daily in Libya …

Migrants between life and death in Tunisia-Libya desertWed, 02 Aug 2023 03:15:45 GMT Read More »

Tunisian President Kais Saied sacked Prime Minister Najla Bouden without explanation Tuesday night and replaced her with former central bank executive Ahmed Hachani, whom he tasked with overcoming the “colossal challenges” facing the cash-strapped North African country.No official explanation was given for Bouden’s dismissal, but several local media outlets highlighted Saied’s displeasure over a number …

Tunisia president dismisses PM as country faces ‘colossal challenges’Wed, 02 Aug 2023 02:38:08 GMT Read More »

The first of three flights to evacuate French and European citizens from Niger lifted off Tuesday evening, six days after a coup toppled one of the last pro-Western leaders in the jihadist-plagued Sahel.”There are 262 people on board the plane, an Airbus A330, including a dozen babies,” French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna told AFP.”Nearly all …

France launches evacuation flights from coup-hit NigerTue, 01 Aug 2023 19:10:30 GMT Read More »

French and European citizens were to be evacuated on Tuesday from Niger, six days after a coup toppled one of the last pro-Western leaders in the jihadist-plagued Sahel and stoked anti-French demonstrations.In the region’s third military takeover in as many years, President Mohamed Bazoum was overthrown by his own guard, sounding alarm bells in France, …

European nations to evacuate citizens after Niger coupTue, 01 Aug 2023 18:11:18 GMT Read More »

The coup in Niger has left former colonial master France with an array of headaches ranging from how to extract its citizens in the face of a deteriorating security situation to future French military strategy.The ousting of President Mohamed Bazoum by his own guard was deeply unwelcome for President Emmanuel Macron at a time when …

Niger coup leaves France facing range of dilemmasTue, 01 Aug 2023 17:13:13 GMT Read More »

Senegalese opposition figure Ousmane Sonko’s presidential plans have been blighted by a fresh barrage of criminal charges and the dissolution of his party ahead of next February’s elections.The firebrand politician, President Macky Sall’s fiercest critic, has faced a string of legal woes, which he claims have been designed to keep him out of politics.”It is …

Presidential hopes darken for Senegal’s SonkoTue, 01 Aug 2023 14:22:32 GMT Read More »