Exiled Senegal opposition figure Karim Wade vies for top jobSat, 23 Dec 2023 11:55:50 GMT

Exiled Senegalese opposition figure Karim Wade, an ex-minister and the son of former head of state Abdoulaye Wade, Saturday said he had filed papers to contest presidential elections in February.Wade’s Democratic Party had designated him as its candidate but doubts had remained due to his sentencing to a jail term for corruption in 2015, three …

Exiled Senegal opposition figure Karim Wade vies for top jobSat, 23 Dec 2023 11:55:50 GMT Read More »

UN Security Council voices ‘alarm’ at spreading violence in SudanSat, 23 Dec 2023 03:41:25 GMT

The UN Security Council expressed “alarm” at growing violence in war-torn Sudan on Friday, a day after it reported that seven million people have been displaced by the conflict.In a joint statement, the Council “strongly condemned” attacks on civilians and the spread of the conflict “into areas hosting large populations of internally displaced persons, refugees, …

UN Security Council voices ‘alarm’ at spreading violence in SudanSat, 23 Dec 2023 03:41:25 GMT Read More »

Banker Thiam elected leader of Ivory Coast oppositionSat, 23 Dec 2023 02:42:40 GMT

Ivorian-French banker Tidjane Thiam was Friday elected leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Ivory Coast, a victory which puts him in position to contest the next presidential election in 2025.Thiam, a former boss of banking giant Credit Suisse, won very comfortably with 96.5 percent of the vote against 3.2 percent for his rival …

Banker Thiam elected leader of Ivory Coast oppositionSat, 23 Dec 2023 02:42:40 GMT Read More »

Two held after France grounds plane over suspected ‘human trafficking’Fri, 22 Dec 2023 22:35:52 GMT

French police were questioning two men Friday a day after officials grounded a Nicaragua-bound plane carrying more than 300 Indian passengers over suspected “human trafficking,” prosecutors said.The Airbus A340 had flown in from the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, landing at Vatry airport in eastern France for a technical stopover.It was held by French authorities …

Two held after France grounds plane over suspected ‘human trafficking’Fri, 22 Dec 2023 22:35:52 GMT Read More »

Initial DR Congo results trickle in after chaotic electionsFri, 22 Dec 2023 21:15:22 GMT

Initial results from a presidential poll in DR Congo began to trickle in on Friday after shambolic elections spread over several days which the authorities deemed successful.The central African nation’s electoral commission, Ceni, announced results for Congolese voters living in South Africa, Belgium, France, Canada and the United States. The results represent a minuscule proportion of …

Initial DR Congo results trickle in after chaotic electionsFri, 22 Dec 2023 21:15:22 GMT Read More »

Senegal’s supreme court upholds jail term for Dakar mayorFri, 22 Dec 2023 19:51:29 GMT

Senegal’s supreme court on Friday confirmed a prison sentence handed down to the mayor of Dakar, convicted of killing a man during a wave of political violence in 2011. However Barthelemy Dias, a fierce opponent of President Macky Sall, will not be jailed, as his sentence was covered by the pre-trial detention he served. The sentence upheld …

Senegal’s supreme court upholds jail term for Dakar mayorFri, 22 Dec 2023 19:51:29 GMT Read More »

DR Congo awaits results after chaotic voteFri, 22 Dec 2023 17:11:08 GMT

Initial results from a presidential poll in DR Congo were expected Friday after shambolic elections spread over several days which the authorities deemed successful.The poor but mineral-rich central African nation held four concurrent polls on Wednesday to elect the president, lawmakers for national and provincial assemblies as well as local councillors. President Felix Tshisekedi is running …

DR Congo awaits results after chaotic voteFri, 22 Dec 2023 17:11:08 GMT Read More »

Zambia president blames private creditors for debt deal delaysFri, 22 Dec 2023 14:02:19 GMT

Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema on Friday blamed private creditors for holding up a long-sought debt restructuring deal for the first African nation to default after the Covid pandemic.Zambia, which had $18.6 billion in debt when it defaulted in 2020, struck an agreement in principle in October with foreign lenders. Hichilema said about 98 percent of official …

Zambia president blames private creditors for debt deal delaysFri, 22 Dec 2023 14:02:19 GMT Read More »

Belgium jails Rwandan for life over 1994 genocideFri, 22 Dec 2023 13:56:03 GMT

A Belgian court on Friday sentenced a Rwandan former militia leader to life in jail for dozens of murders and rapes committed during the 1994 genocide. Seraphin Twarhirwa, 66, was found guilty of directly participating in or overseeing the atrocities by Hutu Interahamwe militiamen in Kigali during the slaughter of Tutsis and moderate Hutus 30 years …

Belgium jails Rwandan for life over 1994 genocideFri, 22 Dec 2023 13:56:03 GMT Read More »