Traditional chiefs, officials, human rights activists and NGOs have been criss-crossing the vast Tillaberi region of western Niger for several months. Their mission: to organise forums in a bid to ease community tensions revived by massacres of civilians in the landlocked West African nation.In the past, disputes between the various ethnic groups were settled in peaceful …

Intercommunal forums seek to end deadly violence in NigerFri, 16 Jun 2023 06:04:51 GMT Read More »

As a child, Djibril Gueye Marvin dreamed of being a make-up artist, no easy feat in the chronically unstable Central African Republic, where he faced ridicule for doing a “girl’s job”.Help came from an unusual source: the make-up tutorials that have flooded YouTube over the past decade, launching influencers across the globe and generating billions …

Using YouTube and TikTok, a make-up artist defies the odds in C.AfricaFri, 16 Jun 2023 05:55:34 GMT Read More »

Sudan’s devastating war raged on into a third month Thursday as the reported death toll topped 2,000 and after a state governor was killed in the remote Darfur region.Since April 15, the regular army headed by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has been locked in fighting with paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commanded by his former deputy …

Sudan war death toll surges past 2,000 as fighting enters third monthFri, 16 Jun 2023 03:15:50 GMT Read More »

African leaders are expected in Ukraine on Friday in a self-professed bid to broker peace between Kyiv and Moscow, despite three presidents dropping out and Ukraine’s counteroffensive overshadowing the mission.Four presidents and three representatives are due to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv before heading to Saint Petersburg on Saturday to meet …

African leaders head for ill-starred peace mission in UkraineFri, 16 Jun 2023 02:36:40 GMT Read More »

The United States on Thursday denounced the scourge of human trafficking, calling out forced labor and the little-known but growing problem of boys and young men caught up the trade.The condemnation came as Secretary of State Antony Blinken presented a report on what he called “concerning trends” in human trafficking.Blinken blasted the rise in forced …

US trafficking report highlights forced labor, exploited boysThu, 15 Jun 2023 20:55:24 GMT Read More »

Overfishing is driving coral reef sharks towards extinction, according to a global study out Thursday that signals far greater peril to the marine predators than previously thought.That matters to humans because the species act as managers of their marine ecosystems, maintaining delicately balanced food webs on which hundreds of millions of people rely.The research, published …

Overfishing pushes reef sharks toward extinction: studyThu, 15 Jun 2023 18:05:28 GMT Read More »

Kenyan President William Ruto’s government unveiled its maiden budget on Thursday in the face of widespread public anger over proposed tax hikes in a country suffering a severe cost-of-living crisis.The 3.6-trillion shilling ($25.7 billion) budget for 2023/24 is the first since Ruto took the helm of the East African powerhouse in September last year following …

Kenya government unveils budget to opposition walkoutThu, 15 Jun 2023 16:09:03 GMT Read More »

Namibia said on Thursday it would auction off dozens of crocodiles and deliver more permits to hunt the big reptiles, whose growing population is leading to more attacks on people.Environment Minister Pohamba Shifeta told AFP the move comes as crocodile numbers in parts of the southern African country have grown to a point where they …

Namibia to sell 40 crocodiles as attacks on humans riseThu, 15 Jun 2023 14:37:14 GMT Read More »

Nigeria’s central bank has abolished the country’s multiple exchange rate system and effectively floated the naira currency, the bank said, as new President Bola Ahmed Tinubu revamps the country’s monetary policies.Economists, the World Bank and IMF had long urged Nigeria to abandon the complex exchange mechanism and capital controls put into place under former President …

Nigeria unifies currency exchange rates, floats nairaThu, 15 Jun 2023 12:59:49 GMT Read More »

Kenyan President William Ruto’s government is set to present its budget to parliament Thursday in the face of widespread anger over a range of proposed tax hikes to shore up depleted public finances.It is Ruto’s maiden budget since he took office at the helm of the East African powerhouse in September last year following a …

Kenya government to unveil budget amid tax hike angerThu, 15 Jun 2023 09:53:49 GMT Read More »