The United Nations mission in Mali was never the leading player in the conflict against jihadists, but its looming withdrawal opens up a security vacuum in the country and wider Sahel region. The UN Security Council’s vote on Friday to end at Bamako’s request the decade-old peacekeeping operation, known as Minusma, triggers the departure of more …

Pullout of UN peacekeepers from Mali leaves security voidFri, 30 Jun 2023 16:08:15 GMT Read More »

Kenya’s president, his deputy and other state officials are set to receive pay rises despite citizens facing deep economic hardship and higher taxes, according to a government document seen by AFP Friday.They are due to get a 14 percent salary hike over a two-year period, Kenya’s Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) said in a proposal, …

Kenya’s president to get pay hike as economy suffersFri, 30 Jun 2023 15:01:47 GMT Read More »

South Africa’s corruption watchdog on Friday absolved President Cyril Ramaphosa of allegations that he breached executive ethics in a farm cash scandal that spawned into one of the biggest storms of his career.The scandal erupted in June last year when the country’s former spy boss filed a complaint with the police alleging that Ramaphosa had …

S.Africa’s graft watchdog clears Ramaphosa in farm cash scandalFri, 30 Jun 2023 14:47:54 GMT Read More »

Scruffy depots packed with bags of ore line a road leading to the Democratic Republic of Congo’s mining capital Kolwezi, in the southeast of the vast mineral-rich African country. Behind depot walls scrawled with “CoCu” — signifying cobalt and copper — traders assess the purity of illegally mined ore brought in by informal miners, and fix a …

DR Congo sets up scheme to save informal cobalt miners from swindlersFri, 30 Jun 2023 05:32:57 GMT Read More »

The UK government said it would challenge a court ruling issued Thursday that blocks its plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, a set-back to its controversial bid to cut migrant numbers.Three Court of Appeal judges ruled that Rwanda could not be considered a safe third country, after a challenge to the policy by 10 …

UK government to appeal judges’ block of Rwanda deportation planThu, 29 Jun 2023 18:30:31 GMT Read More »

A ranger at a DR Congo wildlife reserve was killed and a second wounded when their team came under attack near an illegal mine, the park said on Thursday.The incident happened on Tuesday at the Okapi Wildlife Reserve (RFO) in the country’s northeast.A 26-year-old guard died “following an attack carried out by armed men against …

Clash at DR Congo wildlife reserve leaves ranger deadThu, 29 Jun 2023 16:55:52 GMT Read More »

The UK on Thursday announced its backing for an expanded UN Security Council, including a permanent spot for Africa, to reflect the current and future state of the world.”We want to see permanent African representation and membership extended to India, Brazil, Germany and Japan,” said Foreign Secretary James Cleverly. “I know this is a bold reform. …

UK backs permanent seat for Africa at UN Security CouncilThu, 29 Jun 2023 12:30:17 GMT Read More »

The UK government said it would challenge a court ruling issued Thursday that blocks its plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, a set-back to its controversial bid to cut migrant numbers.Three Court of Appeal judges ruled that Rwanda could not be considered a safe third country, after a challenge to the policy by 10 …

UK govt to appeal judges’ block of Rwanda deportation planThu, 29 Jun 2023 12:25:05 GMT Read More »

The Court of Appeal on Thursday ruled that the UK government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda was unlawful as the African nation could not be considered a safe third country.Three judges said that “unless deficiencies” in Rwanda’s asylum system were corrected, “removal of asylum seekers to Rwanda will be unlawful.”They agreed with migrants …

Appeal court rules UK govt’s Rwanda asylum plan unlawfulThu, 29 Jun 2023 09:53:42 GMT Read More »

With the imminent end of the UN’s Mali peacekeeping mission seemingly no longer in doubt, negotiations at the UN are still foundering over the timetable for their departure, which Bamako wants “without delay”, according to diplomatic sources. On June 16, taking everyone by surprise, Mali’s Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop, while denouncing the “failure” of the UN …

UN troops set to leave Mali, but how fast?Thu, 29 Jun 2023 04:47:58 GMT Read More »