Clashes have broken out between government forces and M23 rebels leaving eight UN peacekeepers injured after a brief lull in fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Nations said.One of the peacekeepers was “gravely wounded” in the attack on Saturday at Sake, said UN mission head Bintou Keita.The strategic town lies 20 kilometres …

UN troops wounded as fighting flares in DR CongoSun, 17 Mar 2024 11:31:55 GMT Read More »

Outside a hospital in rural Zimbabwe, scores of people wait patiently under trees or inside small tents for news of their loved ones. Vendors sell snacks, fruits and drinks to drivers queuing at the gates of what has become an unlikely sought-after healthcare destination in the impoverished southern African country. Zimbabwe’s public health system has all but …

Rural clinic offers respite for priced out Zimbabwean patientsSun, 17 Mar 2024 06:34:01 GMT Read More »

Senegal’s charismatic opposition leader Ousmane Sonko and his coalition’s presidential candidate flew to the south of the country Saturday, pressing on with their election campaign less than two weeks before the vote.  Former prime minister Amadou Ba, the presidential camp’s candidate in the election, meanwhile denounced Sonko’s “slanderous” attack on him the previous evening.Sonko and his …

Senegal’s Sonko takes election campaign to the southSun, 17 Mar 2024 01:43:56 GMT Read More »

Senegal’s anti-establishment figureheads have emerged stronger from a three-year struggle against President Macky Sall’s government and the courts after their release from prison ahead of this month’s election, analysts say.Firebrand opposition leader Ousmane Sonko and his number two, presidential candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye, can now harness new momentum for the March 24 vote after weeks …

Senegal opposition stronger after vote turmoil: expertsSat, 16 Mar 2024 11:34:53 GMT Read More »

A major fire in Cairo destroyed one of the Arab world’s most prestigious and oldest film production houses, founded 80 years ago, an AFP journalist said.Flames overtook the Al-Ahram Studio in Cairo’s Giza district, burning everything inside and spreading to three surrounding buildings which were evacuated before the blaze reached them.Residents of the neighbouring buildings …

Inferno destroys prestigious Arab film studio in CairoSat, 16 Mar 2024 11:18:31 GMT Read More »

The United Nations appealed Friday for Sudan’s battling factions to allow delivery of humanitarian relief to fend off looming “catastrophic” hunger.Some five million Sudanese could face calamitous food insecurity in coming months as a nearly yearlong war between rival generals continues to tear the country apart, according to a UN document seen Friday by AFP.The …

UN says 5 million at risk of starvation in SudanFri, 15 Mar 2024 23:24:20 GMT Read More »

Three people were killed in an hours-long siege by Al-Shabaab jihadists at a popular hotel near the presidential palace in the Somali capital Mogadishu, police said Friday.Security forces also killed five assailants in a gun battle, Somali police spokesman Colonel Qasim Ahmed Roble told reporters.Armed fighters stormed the SYL hotel in a hail of bullets …

Three killed in Al-Shabaab siege at Mogadishu hotel: policeFri, 15 Mar 2024 22:00:23 GMT Read More »

Leading Senegalese opposition figure Ousmane Sonko on Friday predicted a comfortable first-round win for his coalition’s presidential candidate, in his first public appearance a day after being freed from prison. Sonko was greeted by hundreds of supporters outside a hotel in the capital Dakar, where he held a news conference with his deputy and presidential hopeful …

Freed Senegal politician predicts large first-round victoryFri, 15 Mar 2024 21:15:38 GMT Read More »

The United Nations called Friday for Sudan’s warring factions to provide unimpeded access for desperately needed aid as the spectre of famine looms after nearly a year of conflict.The war between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, has since April last year killed tens of thousands, destroyed infrastructure and …

UN demands unimpeded aid access to Sudan as famine loomsFri, 15 Mar 2024 19:32:58 GMT Read More »

Ousmane Sonko, one of Senegal’s leading opposition figures, on Friday made his first public appearance in months, just a day after his release from jail, greeting hundreds of supporters in the capital Dakar.Sonko arrived at a hotel to hold a press conference with his deputy, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who was also released from prison on …

Released Senegal opponent makes first public appearance in monthsFri, 15 Mar 2024 18:32:02 GMT Read More »