Hundreds of firefighters on Wednesday battled a wildfire that has spread across a mountain near Cape Town and threatened South Africa’s biggest naval base.Five out of more than 300 firefighters deployed for the operation on hills overlooking Simon’s Town have been injured, authorities said.”Currently three choppers are water bombing the area while over 300 staff …

Hundreds battle wildfire threatening S. Africa naval baseWed, 20 Dec 2023 09:36:47 GMT Read More »

Polling stations opened Wednesday in a high-stakes Democratic Republic of Congo general election pitting the incumbent President Felix Tshisekedi against a fragmented opposition, while much of the east of the country is mired in conflict. Polling stations opened at 6 am (0400 GMT in the east; 0500 GMT in the west) and will close at 5 …

DR Congo polls open amid conflict in east, delaysWed, 20 Dec 2023 08:36:04 GMT Read More »

Ghana, the world’s second biggest cocoa producer, faces a growing risk to its harvest — and blow to its crisis-hit economy — from illegal mining and smugglers, industry officials, farmers and activists warn.Top producer Ivory Coast and Ghana, together with other West African neighbours, produce two thirds of the world’s supply of cocoa, the main …

Illegal mining, smuggling threaten Ghana’s cocoa industryWed, 20 Dec 2023 07:05:10 GMT Read More »

Polling stations opened Wednesday in a high-stakes Democratic Republic of Congo general election pitting the incumbent President Felix Tshisekedi against a fragmented opposition, as much of the east of the country is mired in conflict.Polling stations opened at 6 am (0400 GMT) and will close at 5 pm local time.AFP journalists saw the first voter …

DR Congo polls open amid conflict in eastWed, 20 Dec 2023 05:10:47 GMT Read More »

A French court on Wednesday sentenced former Rwandan doctor Sosthene Munyemana to 24 years in prison for his involvement in the 1994 genocide of Tutsis in his native East African country.After a deliberation lasting nearly 15 hours, the 68-year-old former gynaecologist was found guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity and participation in a conspiracy to …

French court jails Rwandan ex-doctor 24 years over 1994 genocideWed, 20 Dec 2023 02:40:56 GMT Read More »

Foreign rescue and aid workers, along with the UN and volunteers, rallied Tuesday to help victims of the explosion and fire at Guinea’s main oil depot on Monday that killed 18 people, injured 212 others and prompted concerns about fuel supplies.Volunteers collected food donations for those in need after the blast at the state oil …

Volunteers, aid workers rally to help Guinea after fuel depot fireTue, 19 Dec 2023 22:15:42 GMT Read More »

The United Nations raised the alarm on Tuesday over fighting raging near the former safe haven of Wad Madani in Sudan where the population had swelled to more than 700,000.The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on Sunday set up a base near Wad Madani, where their offensive has sent thousands fleeing Sudan’s second city and former …

UN sounds alarm over fighting near Sudan aid hubTue, 19 Dec 2023 18:42:00 GMT Read More »

The UN Security Council voted Tuesday to accede to a demand from Democratic Republic of Congo and launch a gradual withdrawal of UN peacekeepers starting this month, a year earlier than originally planned.The resolution, which renews the mandate of the peacekeeping mission in DRC for a further year, includes plans for the departure of peacekeepers …

UN Security Council agrees to early withdrawal of peacekeepers from DR CongoTue, 19 Dec 2023 17:11:59 GMT Read More »

A French elderly couple on Tuesday saw its request to cancel the 4.2-million-eurosale of a rare African mask that they had let go for 150 euros thrown out, with the court calling their claim frivolous.The couple, in their eighties, sold the wooden mask in September 2021 as part of a number of antiquities including African …

Controversial African mask sale cleared by French courtTue, 19 Dec 2023 15:01:10 GMT Read More »

On the eve of elections in the vast and impoverished Democratic Republic of Congo, voters of all stripes voiced hopes on Tuesday that the poll would be well-organised and conducted without violence.Forty-four million people are registered to vote in the concurrent presidential, parliamentary, provincial and municipal elections on Wednesday in the central African nation. “Tomorrow will …

Voters in DR Congo veer between despair and hopeTue, 19 Dec 2023 14:52:23 GMT Read More »