More than 130 schoolchildren kidnapped by gunmen in northwestern Nigeria earlier this month were released unharmed on Sunday, officials and the army said. The mass abduction in Kuriga, Kaduna state on March 7 was one of the biggest attacks on a school in years and sparked a national outcry over insecurity.The army said the hostages were …

More than 130 kidnapped Nigerian schoolchildren releasedSun, 24 Mar 2024 18:11:51 GMT Read More »

Authorities in Chad said on Sunday they had barred 10 candidates, including two fierce opponents of the military regime, from standing in the presidential election on May 6.The constitutional court said the candidates’ applications — namely those of outspoken opponents Nassour Ibrahim Neguy Koursami and Rakhis Ahmat Saleh — had been rejected because they included …

Chad junta’s main opponents barred from presidential voteSun, 24 Mar 2024 16:13:36 GMT Read More »

Senegal voted on Sunday for a new president in a delayed election that follows a political crisis and years of unrest, with the two favourites both claiming confidence in an outright win. The winner will be tasked with steering Senegal, viewed as a beacon of democracy in coup-hit West Africa, out of its recent troubles and …

Senegal votes for new president after years of crisisSun, 24 Mar 2024 15:04:25 GMT Read More »

Sameh Makki’s soup kitchen is barely 100 metres from the market, but it can take two hours to make the journey through Sudan’s war-torn streets, often through hails of bullets.The 43-year-old, his family and local volunteers have risked everything to get supplies to feed around 150 families caught in the crossfire between the army and …

Under siege, Sudanese risk their lives to feed each otherSun, 24 Mar 2024 02:16:16 GMT Read More »

India brought 35 accused Somali pirates to Mumbai on Saturday, days after they were apprehended when naval commandos recaptured a hijacked bulk carrier and rescued several hostages.The December hijacking of the Maltese-flagged MV Ruen was the first time since 2017 that any cargo vessel had been successfully boarded by Somali pirates.Indian commandos boarded and took …

35 Somalis arrive in India to face trial over ship hijackingSat, 23 Mar 2024 06:46:44 GMT Read More »

Senegal’s presidential candidates on Friday gathered crowds of supporters for their final rallies, marking the end of a rushed campaign for what is considered an unprecedented election after weeks of political crisis.Seven million people are eligible to vote Sunday in the traditionally stable West African nation set to become an oil producer, but where more …

Senegal presidential candidates hold final rallies ahead of voteFri, 22 Mar 2024 19:46:01 GMT Read More »

Niger says 23 of its soldiers have been killed in a “terrorist” ambush near the borders with Burkina Faso and Mali in a western region prone to jihadist attacks.Niger is ruled by military leaders who seized power in a July coup, citing a worsening security situation as justification for the power grab.But jihadist violence that …

Niger soldiers killed in ambush in volatile border regionFri, 22 Mar 2024 15:24:23 GMT Read More »

The world needs to better manage its freshwater resources but thirsty new technologies touted as solutions could lead to “serious problems” if left unchecked, a UN report warned Friday.Roughly half of the planet’s population is facing grave water shortages, with climate change-linked droughts affecting more than 1.4 billion people between 2002 and 2021, the report …

UN warns against thirsty tech to solve water crisisFri, 22 Mar 2024 13:19:12 GMT Read More »

Moscow is vying for greater influence in Niger as the military junta moves to push out the United States, Russia’s latest swoop in the region as the West’s military presence thins.The Niger military announced at the weekend it was breaking off an agreement with the United States “with immediate effect”, although the consequences remain unclear.Niger …

Russia extends Africa ambition to Niger as junta pushes USFri, 22 Mar 2024 12:58:50 GMT Read More »

Kenyan government officials ignored “credible reports” that could have prevented the death of more than 400 suspected doomsday cult members, a state-funded human rights watchdog said on Friday. The piles of human remains were discovered in April 2023 in Shakahola forest, a vast bushland that lies inland from the Indian Ocean town of Malindi.The government is …

Kenyan officials ‘abdicated duty’ in cult murders: rights watchdogFri, 22 Mar 2024 11:22:45 GMT Read More »