AFP Africa

South Sudan security forces were investigating Friday a shootout at the home of the troubled nation’s powerful former spy chief Akol Koor, who was sacked almost two months ago amid rumours of a coup plot.Gunfire erupted on Thursday evening in Juba, the capital of the world’s youngest country that is plagued by power struggles, ethnic …

South Sudan probes shootout at sacked spy chief’s homeFri, 22 Nov 2024 10:35:16 GMT Read More »

In heavily forested Gabon, elephants are increasingly wandering into villages and destroying crops, angering the local population who demand the power to stop the critically endangered animals in their tracks.”The solution to get rid of the pachyderms is to kill them,” said Kevin Balondoboka, who lives in Bakoussou, a mere scattering of wooden huts in …

Gabon forest elephant forays into villages spark ireFri, 22 Nov 2024 06:26:22 GMT Read More »

Plastic pollution litters our seas, our air and even our bodies, but negotiators face an uphill battle next week to agree on the world’s first treaty aimed at ending the problem.Countries will have a week in South Korea’s Busan from Monday to round off two years of negotiations.They remain deeply divided on whether the deal …

‘Moment of truth’ for world-first plastic pollution treatyFri, 22 Nov 2024 03:07:37 GMT Read More »

Senegal’s ruling party won over three-quarters of parliamentary seats in weekend elections, according to national provisional results announced Thursday, potentially handing them the means to deliver their ambitious reform agenda.President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s Pastef party secured 130 seats in the west African country’s 165-seat national assembly, according to an AFP tally of figures given by …

Senegal ruling party wins parliamentary majority: provisional resultsThu, 21 Nov 2024 19:34:11 GMT Read More »

The UK government on Thursday announced sanctions on Angola’s Isabel dos Santos, the billionaire businesswoman and daughter of the country’s former president, as part of a new anti-corruption drive.It also sanctioned Dmytro Firtash, a Ukrainian tycoon with links to the Kremlin, and Aivars Lembergs, one of Latvia’s richest people, who is accused of abusing his …

UK sanctions Angola’s Isabel dos Santos in graft crackdownThu, 21 Nov 2024 17:13:56 GMT Read More »

Mali’s junta on Thursday named General Abdoulaye Maiga as the new prime minister a day after sacking civilian premier Choguel Kokalla Maiga after he criticised military leaders.General Maiga had until now served as government spokesman in the West African country, which is plagued by jihadist and separatist violence and has been led by the military …

Mali junta appoints general to replace sacked civilian PMThu, 21 Nov 2024 16:34:18 GMT Read More »

South Sudan on Thursday rejected claims by a US-based watchdog that President Salva Kiir’s family had built up a vast corporate empire in one of the world’s poorest countries.The Sentry group said it had mapped 126 Kiir family companies that span a range of industries “central” to the South Sudanese economy including mining, petroleum, banking, …

South Sudan rejects ‘malicious’ report on Kiir family businessesThu, 21 Nov 2024 15:32:35 GMT Read More »

Kenyan President William Ruto sought Thursday to turn the page on a difficult year, cancelling controversial deals with India’s Adani Group and vowing to tackle corruption, police kidnappings and gender-based violence.With the country on edge over multiple issues, there was a heavy police presence around parliament in Nairobi ahead of Ruto’s annual state of the …

Kenya scraps Adani deals as Ruto attempts to reset presidencyThu, 21 Nov 2024 14:56:56 GMT Read More »

A year after a flash flood ripped through Derna and killed thousands of people, the coastal Libyan city is hosting a theatre festival with a message of hope.The city in the war-torn country’s east is still reeling from the flooding that destroyed historic buildings, including Libya’s oldest theatre where the festival was held in previous …

Libya’s Derna hosts theatre festival year after flash floodThu, 21 Nov 2024 13:26:57 GMT Read More »