Pressure on Niger’s coup leaders mounted Saturday, the eve of a deadline set by the West African regional bloc ECOWAS for the military to relinquish control or face possible armed intervention.Former colonial power France, with which the junta broke military ties after taking power on July 26, said it would “firmly” back whatever course of …

Pressure mounts on Niger coup leaders as deadline nearsSun, 06 Aug 2023 00:36:07 GMT Read More »

A much-improved second-half performance from South Africa earned a 24-13 victory over Argentina in Buenos Aires on Saturday in a Rugby World Cup warm-up match.It was the eighth consecutive win for the reigning world champions over the Pumas, and the match took a decisive turn soon after half-time.Despite being a man short after the late …

World champions South Africa click in second half to overpower ArgentinaSat, 05 Aug 2023 21:26:48 GMT Read More »

Political leaders in Nigeria are urging President Bola Tinubu to reconsider a threatened military intervention against junta leaders in neighbouring Niger, ahead of a Sunday deadline to reinstate the country’s elected government.As Africa’s most populous country and its biggest economy, Nigeria would play a leading role in any intervention threatened by the ECOWAS regional bloc, …

Opposition mounts in Nigeria over possible Niger interventionSat, 05 Aug 2023 19:25:46 GMT Read More »

The coup in Niger will undermine the fight against resurgent terror groups in Africa’s Sahel region, France’s defence minister said this week, accusing the country’s junta of taking “hostage” not just President Mohamed Bazoum but the entire country. Speaking in an interview with AFP, French Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu praised the “strong” actions of regional …

Niger coup weakens fight against terror in Africa: FranceSat, 05 Aug 2023 15:07:49 GMT Read More »

Campaigning for Liberia’s presidential and legislative elections kicked off on Saturday, with incumbent George Weah seeking a second six-year term in a country engulfed by huge economic challenges.High hopes greeted the 2017 election of former football star Weah in the West African nation, which was recovering from an Ebola epidemic and left scarred by civil …

Liberia election campaign begins as Weah seeks re-electionSat, 05 Aug 2023 13:23:32 GMT Read More »

Pato looks at the picture on his phone. It shows him with his wife and daughter, all carefree smiles. “That’s the last time we were happy,” he says, completely traumatised.A few months after the photograph was taken, his life was shattered.A friend showed Pato, a migrant from Cameroon, a picture from the internet of two …

Lost in the Tunisia-Libya desert: one migrant’s storySat, 05 Aug 2023 12:16:19 GMT Read More »

West Africa’s regional bloc said Friday its military chiefs have agreed a plan for a possible intervention in Niger, after the junta failed to restore civilian rule there following last week’s coup.The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Sunday gave the junta that toppled elected president Mohamed Bazoum in a July 26 coup …

W. Africa military chiefs agree plan for possible Niger interventionSat, 05 Aug 2023 00:41:05 GMT Read More »

The United States is suspending some aid programs to the Niger government, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday, more than one week after the country’s president was toppled in a coup.”The US government is pausing certain foreign assistance programs benefiting the government of Niger,” the top diplomat said in a statement, without providing details …

US ‘pausing’ some assistance programs to Niger government: BlinkenFri, 04 Aug 2023 23:52:22 GMT Read More »

West African regional bloc ECOWAS said on Friday its military chiefs had agreed a plan for a possible intervention in Niger, after it failed to secure a return to civilian rule there following last week’s coup.”All the elements that will go into any eventual intervention have been worked out, including the resources needed, and including …

ECOWAS military chiefs agree plan for possible Niger interventionFri, 04 Aug 2023 19:23:06 GMT Read More »

Ethiopia’s federal government on Friday declared a six-month “state of emergency” as violent clashes escalate between the national army and local fighters from the northern region of Amhara.The fresh unrest in Africa’s second-most populous country comes just nine months after the end of a devastating two-year war in the neighbouring region of Tigray which also …

Ethiopia declares ‘state of emergency’ over Amhara violenceFri, 04 Aug 2023 19:05:24 GMT Read More »