AFP Africa

Luggage on their backs, they trudged all Wednesday morning along the road leading to downtown Goma, fleeing the advancing fighters in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.Streams of displaced people have flocked from Minova, a port city the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group has already captured as it conquers swathes of territory at the expense of …

Fear abounds as M23 fighters close in on DR Congo’s GomaWed, 22 Jan 2025 21:21:21 GMT Read More »

Eleven political parties in Mali on Wednesday urged the ruling junta to confirm a timetable for elections and a return to civilian rule, in a rare display of dissent.The troubled west African state has been ruled by the military since back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021, with the junta initially committing under international pressure to …

Mali parties issue rare criticism of junta, call for electionsWed, 22 Jan 2025 20:04:38 GMT Read More »

Nearly 10 million malaria vaccine doses were delivered to Africa during the first year of routine immunisation being rolled out across the continent, the Gavi vaccine alliance said Wednesday.The mosquito-borne disease kills nearly 600,000 people a year, the vast majority in Africa, with children heavily affected, according to the World Health Organization.In a pilot phase …

Africa malaria jab rollout delivers 10 million dosesWed, 22 Jan 2025 17:36:58 GMT Read More »

The African Union expressed dismay Wednesday over President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization, urging his administration to reconsider.Just hours after taking office on Monday, Trump signed an executive order directing the US to withdraw from the UN agency, which threatens to leave global health initiatives short of …

African Union ‘dismayed’ US withdrawing from WHOWed, 22 Jan 2025 14:40:59 GMT Read More »

A Spanish man kidnapped by an armed group in the turbulent Algeria-Mali border area thanked the Algerian authorities on Wednesday after his rescue.Identified as Joaquin Navarro, the Spaniard had been on a trip last week when he was kidnapped “by an armed group made up of five people”, according to the Algerian authorities.Late on Tuesday, …

Spaniard kidnapped in Mali thanks Algeria after rescueWed, 22 Jan 2025 14:25:50 GMT Read More »

A Spanish man kidnapped by an armed group in the turbulent Algeria-Mali border region was heading home on Wednesday as Madrid confirmed his liberation.The Spaniard arrived at the Boufarik military base south of Algiers on a flight from Algeria’s southernmost Tin Zaoutine commune, the Algerian defence ministry said on Tuesday.He was on a tourist trip …

Spanish man heading home after Mali kidnapping ordealWed, 22 Jan 2025 11:33:14 GMT Read More »

Sudan’s army-aligned government has issued new banknotes in areas it controls,  reportedly aimed at undermining its paramilitary rivals but causing long queues at banks, disrupting trade and entrenching division.In a country already grappling with war and famine, the swap replaced 500 and 1,000 Sudanese pound banknotes (worth around $0.25 and $0.50 respectively) with new ones …

Sudan ‘political’ banknote switch causes cash crunchWed, 22 Jan 2025 11:22:47 GMT Read More »

Lesotho’s King Letsie III has embarked on an ambitious mission in snowy Davos, where global powerbrokers have converged, to make a royal pitch: invest in his small African nation’s green transition.The monarch travelled from his landlocked mountain kingdom within South Africa to promote his green energy fund in meetings with business and political leaders in …

Lesotho’s king pitches green energy to Davos elitesWed, 22 Jan 2025 07:38:41 GMT Read More »

Tanzania’s main opposition party has chosen a new leader ahead of general elections due in October at a time when it faces increasing political repression. Freeman Mbowe, who has been Chadema chairman for two decades, congratulated his successor — former deputy Tindu Lissu — on Wednesday. “I congratulate Hon. Tundu Lissu and his colleagues on being entrusted with …

Tanzania opposition names new leader ahead of electionWed, 22 Jan 2025 07:34:28 GMT Read More »

Chad’s Constitutional Council on Tuesday confirmed the MPS party of military ruler President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno as the winner of December general elections which were boycotted by opposition parties, citing a final vote tally.Council president Jean-Bernard Padare found Deby’s party had won a solid majority in the first legislative elections held in the country …

Final tally confirms Chad military ruler’s party as poll winnerTue, 21 Jan 2025 19:59:23 GMT Read More »