AFP Africa

Islamic State-linked militants active in northern Mozambique are increasingly abducting children, with at least 120 kidnapped this year although some have already been released, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday. The gas-rich region has been plagued for years by jihadist violence that has killed thousands of people, caused others to flee and forced the suspension of a …

IS-linked group abducting children in Mozambique: HRWTue, 24 Jun 2025 13:11:01 GMT Read More »

Uganda’s ruling party said Tuesday that the country’s long-running president Yoweri Museveni will seek re-election in polls due early next year.The 80-year-old had been widely expected to try and extend his almost four-decade rule over the east African country.The opposition has faced a mounting crackdown ahead of the general election in January, with leading activists …

Uganda’s Museveni will seek re-election, his party saysTue, 24 Jun 2025 09:26:11 GMT Read More »

A wave of defections from Nigeria’s major opposition parties has swollen the ruling party’s ranks, strengthening President Bola Tinubu’s hand with less than two years to go until the next general elections.Dozens of opposition politicians including two sitting state governors, a former vice president and scores of federal and state lawmakers have jumped ship since …

Opposition cracks help Nigerian president tighten gripTue, 24 Jun 2025 05:50:29 GMT Read More »

Mali’s military strongman, General Assimi Goita, told Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday that he wanted to reinforce ties with the Kremlin, a key supporter of the west African country’s battle against jihadist rebels. The two countries also signed a deal to cooperate in nuclear energy, Moscow said. Under the general — who came to …

Mali junta chief visits Putin in bid to bolster defence tiesMon, 23 Jun 2025 20:24:57 GMT Read More »

Leaders from the west African bloc ECOWAS on Sunday admitted during talks in the Nigerian capital that the region was in trouble, facing mounting unrest and political instability.”Our region is at the crossroads,” said Sierra Leone’s Julius Maada Bio as he took over the rotating chairmanship of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) …

West African leaders admit security woes mounting in regionSun, 22 Jun 2025 21:38:35 GMT Read More »

President Alassane Ouattara said on Sunday he would announce in the coming days whether he will run for a fourth term in Ivory Coast’s October election, as tensions rise over the exclusion of opposition candidates.His response was eagerly awaited Sunday by tens of thousands of supporters during a major rally in the west African country’s …

I. Coast president weighs fourth-term run as tensions rise over barred rivalsSun, 22 Jun 2025 20:07:51 GMT Read More »

Leaders from the west African bloc ECOWAS on Sunday admitted during talks in the Nigerian capital that the region was in trouble, facing mounting unrest and political instability.”Our region is at the crossroads,” said Sierra Leone’s Julius Maada Bio as he took over the rotating chairmanship of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) …

West African leaders admit security woes mounting in regionSun, 22 Jun 2025 18:59:31 GMT Read More »

First impressions can be deceptive but Kirsty Coventry showed that behind a sunny disposition she will have the mettle to deal with the trickiest of people and situations when she succeeds Thomas Bach as president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Monday.Looming large on the horizon of the 41-year-old Zimbabwean — the first woman …

Olympic chief Kirsty Coventry’s steeliness honed by hard knocksSun, 22 Jun 2025 04:23:24 GMT Read More »

The Netherlands on Saturday officially handed back to Nigeria 119 precious ancient sculptures, stolen from the former kingdom of Benin more than 120 years ago during the colonial era.It is the latest return of artefacts to Africa, as pressure mounts on Western governments and institutions to hand back the spoils of colonial oppression.Nigeria celebrated the …

Nigeria receives over 100 looted artifacts from the NetherlandsSat, 21 Jun 2025 21:14:20 GMT Read More »

Two South African engineers jailed in Equatorial Guinea for more than two years on what they say are fake drugs charges returned home late Saturday after being freed on a presidential pardon.Frik Potgieter and Peter Huxham, both in their mid-50s, arrived on a chartered flight and were welcomed by Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola, who had …

Two South Africans jailed in Eq. Guinea return home after pardonSat, 21 Jun 2025 20:28:14 GMT Read More »