There’s a new air of optimism among the seniors waiting patiently since dawn in Gabon’s capital Libreville to chase up pensions that were never  paid.Some say they’ve received nothing for years.The general who ousted President Ali Bongo Ondimba in a coup on August 30 and is now transitional leader of the oil-rich, central African state …

Hopes for change in Gabon after years of unpaid pensionsThu, 14 Sep 2023 12:22:20 GMT Read More »

Rescue teams stepped up on Wednesday a massive effort in devastated Moroccan mountain villages as chances faded for finding survivors from last week’s earthquake which killed nearly 3,000 people and left many homeless.Vehicles packed with supplies were inching up winding mountain roads to deliver desperately needed food and tents to survivors of the nation’s strongest …

Last-ditch hunt for Morocco quake survivorsWed, 13 Sep 2023 19:19:13 GMT Read More »

Libya was reeling Wednesday from a massive flood that left nearly 4,000 dead and thousands more missing, wreaking havoc in the eastern city of Derna where bodies wrapped in blankets lined the ravaged streets.Relief missions gathered pace with Turkey, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates among the first nations to rush aid to the war-scarred …

Fears mount of surging death toll in Libya flood disasterWed, 13 Sep 2023 18:50:08 GMT Read More »

A woman in a black and white dress struggled, pulling fiercely on a long electrical cable as she tried to stop the police in anti-riot gear from carrying it away. Used to illegally connect homes in a poor informal settlement south of Cape Town, it was one of many cables seized by South African police during …

South African township resists police over illegal power cablesWed, 13 Sep 2023 17:49:22 GMT Read More »

The toppling of Ali Bongo Ondimba brought the curtain down on 55 years of rule by a family accused of extracting fabulous wealth from Gabon’s major oil reserves.Moments after being declared the winner in disputed elections, Bongo was abruptly ousted on August 30.Many saw it as an act of liberation rather than a military coup.Gabon, …

Gabon’s squandered oil wealth under 55 years of Bongo ruleWed, 13 Sep 2023 17:20:29 GMT Read More »

An air raid on Sudan’s war-ravaged Darfur region killed at least 40 civilians Wednesday, according to a medical source, as the head of the UN mission to the country resigned.Volker Perthes, who has been “persona non grata” by Sudanese authorities since June, warned the United Nations Security Council again, in his final briefing before leaving …

At least 40 killed in Darfur as UN’s Sudan chief quitsWed, 13 Sep 2023 16:45:32 GMT Read More »

As separatist groups in northern Mali renew hostilities, the ruling junta — having pushed out French and United Nations forces which had been supporting the fight against jihadism and helping stabilise the country — faces yet another adversary.Here are some key points on the latest violence.- What happened on Tuesday? -Predominantly Tuareg armed groups who …

Renewed violence in northern Mali: what we knowWed, 13 Sep 2023 15:35:48 GMT Read More »

Libya’s eastern city of Derna was counting its dead Wednesday with 2,300 people confirmed killed in devastating flash floods unleashed by Storm Daniel and the Red Cross warning that 10,000 are missing.Two river dams burst after the storm hit on Sunday afternoon, releasing an enormous surge of water that tore through the Mediterranean coastal city, sweeping away …

Libyan city counts toll of huge flood, 10,000 missingWed, 13 Sep 2023 07:06:15 GMT Read More »

Survivors of Morocco’s earthquake were packed in a football-field length queue to get stand-ins for the homes they had lost. They received yellow tents with no floors, in a symbol of the uncertainty ahead.Yet even this step marked progress for people like Fatima Oumalloul — her face still bloody from when her home collapsed on …

Aid tents offer warning of Morocco quake survivor’s futureWed, 13 Sep 2023 01:45:07 GMT Read More »

Libya’s devastated eastern city of Derna was counting its dead on Wednesday with the toll from the floodwaters unleashed by Storm Daniel expected to rise even further.Two dams burst there on Sunday afternoon after the storm hit, releasing a surge of water that tore through the city, sweeping away buildings and the people inside them.By …

Derna counts the cost of Libya flood disasterWed, 13 Sep 2023 01:37:47 GMT Read More »