AFP Africa

Burundians voted Thursday for a new parliament that was expected to cement the ruling party in power after key opposition figures were barred from running. The impoverished, landlocked country in east Africa has seen decades of ethnic violence, civil war and authoritarian rule. A former rebel group, the National Council for the Defense of Democracy – Forces …

Burundi votes but with opposition neuteredThu, 05 Jun 2025 17:31:16 GMT Read More »

Zambia’s former president Edgar Lungu, who held power for almost seven years until 2021, died Thursday in a hospital in South Africa at the age of 68, his party and family announced.Lungu had been receiving specialised medical treatment in a clinic in Pretoria, the Patriotic Front (PF), his political party, said in a statement.”My father had …

Edgar Lungu, former Zambian president, dies at 68Thu, 05 Jun 2025 17:08:27 GMT Read More »

South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus on Thursday named a 54-player squad for the June 28 fixture against the Barbarians, followed by Tests against Italy and Georgia.The squad, consisting of 30 forwards and 24 backs, includes 31 Rugby World Cup veterans and nine uncapped players.There will be a staggered approach to players joining the camp that …

Erasmus unveils monster Springbok squad for Tests against Baa-Baas, Italy and GeorgiaThu, 05 Jun 2025 12:39:33 GMT Read More »

Coca-Cola produces 120 billion throwaway plastic bottles a year, Greenpeace Africa said at a protest in South Africa Thursday, urging the soda maker to use glass and tin packaging to cut back on plastic pollution.Activists erected a giant bottle cap outside the company’s Johannesburg office emblazoned with the slogan “Cap it Coke” in a demonstration …

Greenpeace slams Coca-Cola for producing billions of plastic bottlesThu, 05 Jun 2025 11:41:13 GMT Read More »

Deep inside a Sierra Leone national park, a mother of seven was about to set dozens of tree trunks ablaze to make charcoal.Producing the cheap fuel in this way is illegal in the protected rainforest near the capital of a country highly vulnerable to the ravages of climate change.But Aminata Sankoh, a widow who said …

Villagers step up to halt Sierra Leone deforestationThu, 05 Jun 2025 05:53:44 GMT Read More »

As the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha approaches, Fatima Kharraz can’t seem to find the usual sense of celebration after drought-stricken Morocco urged people to forego the traditional sheep sacrifice this year.The rare call was made as the kingdom grapples with a seventh consecutive year’s of a dry spell that has caused livestock numbers to …

Morocco set for sheepless Eid as drought persistsThu, 05 Jun 2025 02:45:51 GMT Read More »

Four prominent opposition figures in Ivory Coast have been excluded from the final electoral list, officials announced on Wednesday, leaving them ineligible to contest presidential elections later this year.Tidjane Thiam, leader of the main opposition party, the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI), was struck from the voter roll in April after a court ruling …

Four I.Coast opposition figures barred from October presidential voteWed, 04 Jun 2025 19:46:08 GMT Read More »

A week after floods flattened over 250 houses and killed at least 200 people in north-central Nigeria, aid is only just beginning to reach survivors of the disaster.The town of Mokwa, in Niger State, was hit with the worst flash flood in living memory on Thursday after overnight rains, with swathes of the town wiped …

Aid finally trickles in for Nigeria flood victimsWed, 04 Jun 2025 19:23:20 GMT Read More »

From infertility struggles to the shape of a woman’s body, award-winning filmmaker Aicha Macky tackles issues considered taboo in Niger’s conservative society.Even just being a woman in the film industry pushes boundaries — too many have given up largely because of “the heavy gaze of society”, the 43-year-old told AFP in an interview.Macky’s determination has …

Aicha Macky, Niger’s taboo-breaking filmmakerWed, 04 Jun 2025 09:23:42 GMT Read More »

Critically needed economic growth in Africa is being held back by high borrowing costs imposed by international lenders, with unpredictable US policy changes adding to the strain, the head of the G20 panel on the continent said.Seasoned politician and anti-apartheid activist Trevor Manuel chairs the panel of experts working on proposals to address issues affecting …

High-cost loans, Trump turmoil hurting Africa, says G20 panel chiefWed, 04 Jun 2025 04:49:23 GMT Read More »