West African leaders have approved the deployment of a “standby force to restore constitutional order” in Niger, an intervention that will take place as soon as possible, Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara said Thursday.The ECOWAS regional bloc did not provide details on the force to be deployed or the timetable for action against the military …

ECOWAS backs military ‘standby’ force for NigerThu, 10 Aug 2023 21:58:36 GMT Read More »

Violence in Cape Town eased after a week-long minibus taxi strike that paralysed the city and left five dead including a British tourist, police confirmed on Thursday.The strike, which stranded commuters in one of South Africa’s largest cities, was called off on Thursday evening after long negotiations. No new violence has been reported since Tuesday. The …

Briton among five dead in Cape Town strike violenceThu, 10 Aug 2023 19:43:56 GMT Read More »

The West African bloc ECOWAS, which on Thursday said it will muster a “standby force” against the coup leaders in Niger, has a long history of military interventions in the region.The 15-member Economic Community of West African States, which is dominated by Nigeria, has previously sent troops into a number countries since 1990. – Liberia – In …

When West African states intervene in their neighboursThu, 10 Aug 2023 19:17:22 GMT Read More »

The president of the Central African Republic said his country wanted good relations with France, in an interview that followed years of tension fuelled by the CAR’s rapprochement with Russia.”We are not against France,” President Faustin Archange Touadera said in an interview with AFP and France’s TV5 Monde.”I have just received France’s new ambassador to …

C.African president says ‘not against France’ despite tensionsThu, 10 Aug 2023 16:49:59 GMT Read More »

Violence in Cape Town appeared to have eased after a week-long minibus taxi strike that paralysed the city and left five dead including a British tourist, police confirmed Thursday.News of the toll came as the strike in one of South Africa’s largest cities — which has stranded commuters — was extended at least until Friday, …

Briton among five dead in Cape Town strike violence: policeThu, 10 Aug 2023 16:43:10 GMT Read More »

Tunisia and Libya agreed Thursday to share responsibility for providing shelter for hundreds of migrants stranded for up to a month at their border, after dozens died in the desert.The migrants, primarily from sub-Saharan African countries, had been driven to the remote desert area of Ras Jedir by Tunisian authorities and left there to fend …

Tunisia, Libya to share responsibility for migrants left on borderThu, 10 Aug 2023 16:20:45 GMT Read More »

West African leaders on Thursday said they firmly supported diplomacy in the search to end the crisis in Niger, stepping back from a threat to intervene militarily in the coup-stricken country.”We prioritise diplomatic negotiations and dialogue as the bedrock of our approach,” said Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, chairing an emergency summit of the Economic Community …

W.African summit backs diplomacy in Niger coup crisisThu, 10 Aug 2023 15:54:46 GMT Read More »

Ethiopia’s restive Amhara region was largely calm on Thursday, local residents said, after the federal government announced its forces had driven back militia fighters following days of fierce clashes.The government said Wednesday it had imposed curfews in six major cities hit by the unrest in the northern region, including the capital Bahir Dar and the …

Ethiopia’s restive Amhara ‘calm’ after govt claims militia retreatThu, 10 Aug 2023 14:58:38 GMT Read More »

A Kenyan court on Thursday extended the detention of a cult leader accused of inciting and possibly forcing more than 400 of his followers to starve themselves to death.Self-proclaimed pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie has been in police custody since mid-April as investigators search for more bodies in a forest near the Indian Ocean coast.Senior principal …

Kenyan cult leader to remain in police custody: courtThu, 10 Aug 2023 12:38:56 GMT Read More »

West African leaders came together Thursday for an emergency summit on the coup in Niger, whose new military rulers have defied an ultimatum — backed by the threat of force — to restore the elected president and pressed ahead with appointing a new government.More than two weeks after the coup that toppled Niger’s elected president, …

West African leaders huddle for emergency talks on Niger coupThu, 10 Aug 2023 12:05:24 GMT Read More »