AFP Africa

Mali’s military government on Tuesday dissolved the west African country’s political parties, according to a presidency decree, the latest attempt to clamp down on the opposition since the junta seized power.Opposition parties have feared the move for weeks, banding together into a hundred-party coalition to demonstrate in an rare act of open defiance since back-to-back …

Mali dissolves political parties in blow to junta criticsTue, 13 May 2025 17:00:28 GMT Read More »

Benin on Tuesday received from a Finnish museum a sacred “katakle” three-legged stool, symbol of the African nation’s artistic wealth looted by French colonial troops in the late 19th century.The stool was the missing piece from 27 items of cultural treasure from the royal palaces of Abomey, inhabited by the kings of the west African …

Finland returns sacred stool looted by France to BeninTue, 13 May 2025 16:15:39 GMT Read More »

Mali’s military ruler on Tuesday approved a bill revoking the country’s political parties charter, which the opposition sees as a step towards its dissolution, according to a presidency decree.The suspension of the charter, which regulates the functioning, creation and financing of political parties, marks a new act of repression of dissenting voices in the west …

Mali junta chief approves step towards restricting political partiesTue, 13 May 2025 15:30:53 GMT Read More »

Coach Shukri Conrad said on Tuesday that South Africa’s players must prioritise the World Test Championship final over the closing stages of the Indian Premier League.Conrad said there was an agreement that South Africa’s players would return from India on May 26 –- the day after the original date of the IPL final.This would enable …

Test final must trump IPL, says South Africa coachTue, 13 May 2025 13:40:35 GMT Read More »

When Lungelo Zondi first learnt about stars and galaxies at primary school in South Africa, she dreamt of having a live feed into the universe for uninterrupted space exploration.Today, aged 25, her childhood vision has pretty much come true.From her desk in Cape Town, Zondi monitors one of the world’s largest radio telescopes, the MeerKAT, …

S.Africa’s vast radio telescope draws new generation to the cosmosTue, 13 May 2025 13:28:57 GMT Read More »

At the end of the day, traders in Butembo get ready to hit the road in this large commercial city in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.Eric Kambale revved up the engine of his Mitsubishi Fuso truck for the long and perilous journey home.It threatens to be not just dangerous — but expensive. Normally, he avoids …

Conflict in eastern DR Congo batters traders’ livelihoodsTue, 13 May 2025 11:15:46 GMT Read More »

Junta-ruled Guinea is doing “everything” to ensure presidential and parliamentary elections are held in December, Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah told AFP on Tuesday.The west African country’s junta leader General Mamady Doumbouya has promised that 2025 would be “a crucial electoral year” and has announced a constitutional referendum in September.But no date had yet been …

Guinea doing ‘everything’ to hold elections in December: PMTue, 13 May 2025 10:58:44 GMT Read More »

A group of around 50 white South Africans arrived on Monday for resettlement in the United States after President Donald Trump granted them refugee status as victims of what he called a “genocide.”Trump essentially halted refugee arrivals after taking office, but is making an exception for the Afrikaners despite Pretoria’s insistence that they do not …

First group of white South Africans arrive in US for resettlementMon, 12 May 2025 19:55:14 GMT Read More »

Ivory Coast’s main opposition leader, barred from standing in an October presidential vote, said Monday he was resigning as party leader but was counting on being reappointed to fight the election.Political tensions are running high in the west African country where several opposition figures have been declared ineligible to stand.For months, Tidjane Thiam’s campaign for …

I.Coast opposition leader resigns but vows to fight electionMon, 12 May 2025 18:16:27 GMT Read More »

Fresh jihadist violence has killed “several dozen” soldiers and civilians in simultaneous attacks in a town in northern Burkina Faso which for three years has been besieged by armed groups.The junta-ruled west African country has endured a decade of attacks by jihadist armed groups linked to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State. On Sunday, hundreds of jihadists carried …

Jihadist attack kills ‘several dozen’ in Burkina FasoMon, 12 May 2025 15:20:36 GMT Read More »