US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit sub-Saharan Africa for the first time in 10 months, the State Department said Thursday, redirecting his focus as rivals Russia and China seek gains there.After four frenetic tours of the Middle East since war broke out on October 7 with a Hamas attack on Israel, Blinken will …

Blinken to refocus on Africa as Russia, China make gainsThu, 18 Jan 2024 15:36:05 GMT Read More »

A Kenyan court on Thursday charged the leader of a starvation cult with terrorism over the deaths of more than 400 of his followers.Self-proclaimed pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and 94 other suspects pleaded “not guilty” to charges of radicalisation. The cult leader was also charged with “organised criminal activity”, according to documents from the Mombasa court seen …

Kenya starvation cult leader charged with terrorismThu, 18 Jan 2024 14:05:20 GMT Read More »

A Kenyan court on Thursday charged the leader of a starvation cult with terrorism over the deaths of more than 400 of his followers.Self-proclaimed pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and 94 other suspects pleaded “not guilty” to charges of radicalisation. The cult leader was also charged with “organised criminal activity”, according to documents from the Mombasa court seen …

Kenya starvation cult leader charged with terrorism: courtThu, 18 Jan 2024 12:49:45 GMT Read More »

Two days after the Comoros electoral authorities announced the president’s disputed re-election, angry youth gangs are battling soldiers in cat-and-mouse street battles.Braving teargas and torrential rain, a man in his twenties, his face hidden by a surgical mask, told AFP on Thursday why violence has erupted once again on this Indian Ocean island chain.”We’ve been …

Disputed Comoros election triggers street revoltThu, 18 Jan 2024 12:48:00 GMT Read More »

Their faces wrapped up against the sun and sand, they pile into the back of waiting pickup trucks in northern Niger ahead of a gruelling journey across the Sahara.Hawkers of protective turbans, cigarettes and water sachets do the rounds in the hope of one last sale before the vehicles pull out of the main bus …

Niger’s ‘gateway to the desert’ open again for migrantsThu, 18 Jan 2024 11:56:13 GMT Read More »

Ugandan opposition leader and former presidential candidate Bobi Wine said on Thursday police had surrounded his residence and put him “under house arrest” ahead of a planned protest.Opposition politicians had planned demonstrations on Thursday against the poor condition of roads in Uganda, which is hosting two global summits this month.Wine, a popstar-turned-politician, said police and …

Uganda opposition leader Bobi Wine says under house arrestThu, 18 Jan 2024 09:56:22 GMT Read More »

The International Monetary Fund said it has granted Kenya a new loan of more than $941 million to help buttress the finances of the cash-strapped East African nation. Kenya is grappling with a host of economic challenges including a vast debt mountain, cost of living crisis and tumbling currency.The IMF said in a statement published on …

IMF grants Kenya new $941 million loanThu, 18 Jan 2024 08:01:12 GMT Read More »

Making his way through Dakar’s bustling Colobane market, 23-year-old Serigne Fallou Gueye hopes to peddle the tracksuits tucked under his arm.The second-year law student only turned to street vending after his university was closed last June, explaining he would rather work than stay idle and ask his parents for money.One of West Africa’s largest universities, …

Students watch classes and election remotely in Senegal’s capitalThu, 18 Jan 2024 07:09:07 GMT Read More »

American forces targeted 14 missiles that were ready to launch in Yemen, the US military said Wednesday, after Washington re-designated the Iran-backed Huthi rebels as a “terrorist” entity for their attacks on merchant vessels.The Huthis — who have already faced multiple rounds of air strikes in response to their targeting of international shipping — struck …

US strikes in Yemen after Huthis re-designated ‘terrorist’ entityThu, 18 Jan 2024 05:54:45 GMT Read More »

Shock 2022 World Cup semi-finalists Morocco cruised to a 3-0 win over 10-man Tanzania as they opened their Africa Cup of Nations campaign on Wednesday, while 2012 champions Zambia held the Democratic Republic of Congo.Captain Romain Saiss, Azzedine Ounahi and Youssef En-Nesyri all netted for Morocco in the Ivorian coastal city of San-Pedro, while Tanzania …

Much-fancied Morocco enjoy strong start at AFCONWed, 17 Jan 2024 22:58:37 GMT Read More »