AFP Africa

A former Liberian rebel commander known as “Dragon Master” has pleaded guilty to US immigration fraud for lying about his role in the civil war in his home country.Laye Sekou Camara, 46, also known as “General K-1,” was accused of fraudulently obtaining a “green card” that allowed residency in the United States.He had been scheduled …

Ex-Liberian rebel pleads guilty to US immigration fraudFri, 17 Jan 2025 23:54:31 GMT Read More »

Former Mozambican finance minister Manuel Chang was sentenced to more than eight years in prison on Friday in connection with a graft scandal that sparked an economic crisis in his home country.Chang, 69, was convicted in a US court in August for his role in the so-called “hidden debt” scandal that saw the Mozambican government …

Ex-Mozambique minister sentenced for role in ‘hidden debt’ scandalFri, 17 Jan 2025 22:30:04 GMT Read More »

The United States offered to extend its signature African investment project into the troubled east of the Democratic Republic of Congo as an incentive for a peace deal, but Rwanda has backed away, a senior US diplomat said.Molly Phee, the outgoing assistant secretary of state for African affairs, said the United States proposed an expansion …

US offered infrastructure incentive for DRC-Rwanda peace deal: officialFri, 17 Jan 2025 21:24:59 GMT Read More »

More than 230,000 people have fled surging violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo since the start of the year, the United Nations said Friday, labelling it one of the world’s “most alarming” humanitarian crises.The resource-rich eastern provinces of North and South Kivu have been plagued by conflicts for three decades, with the Rwanda-backed M23 …

Over 230,000 flee eastern DR Congo violence since January 1: UNFri, 17 Jan 2025 16:51:59 GMT Read More »

A mere 18 months ago, West African leaders considered military intervention to stop Niger from falling under the sway of a junta following a coup.Now, some of those nations are warming to Niger and its military-led allies Mali and Burkina Faso, who in the meantime have forged ever closer ties.After overthrowing civilian governments between 2020 …

Junta chiefs in W.Africa look increasingly less isolatedFri, 17 Jan 2025 15:33:10 GMT Read More »

Swelling violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has displaced some 237,000 people since the start of the year, the United Nations said Friday.”Escalating clashes between non-state armed groups and the Congolese army in North and South Kivu provinces are intensifying one of the world’s most alarming yet under-reported humanitarian crises,” Eujin Byun, spokeswoman for …

Over 230,000 flee eastern DR Congo violence since January 1: UNFri, 17 Jan 2025 14:13:57 GMT Read More »

The wife of Ugandan former presidential candidate Kizza Besigye has called the trial against him a “sham”, as he faces a court martial in the capital, Kampala.Besigye is a former comrade-in-arms and personal physician to President Yoweri Museveni but has become a government target since he joined the opposition 25 years ago.His wife, Winnie Byanyima, …

Wife of Ugandan opposition leader decries ‘sham’ trialFri, 17 Jan 2025 09:42:21 GMT Read More »

Rights groups fear “mass atrocities” in Uganda as it prepares for an election next year, with a president seeking a seventh term, a crackdown on the opposition and violent threats from the heir apparent.President Yoweri Museveni, 80, will already have been in power for 40 years when the election takes place on January 12, 2026. He …

Fears of ‘mass atrocities’ around Uganda’s 2026 electionFri, 17 Jan 2025 06:39:59 GMT Read More »

The derelict Stilfontein shaft, which became a hell hole for hundreds of trapped miners, is just one of 6,000 that have been abandoned by South Africa’s gold extraction companies. The vast Witwatersrand goldfield, where the Stilfontein mine is located, was the focus of a heady gold rush in the 19th century. But the once-flourishing commercial gold mining …

The perils of S. Africa’s illegal mining sectorFri, 17 Jan 2025 05:20:35 GMT Read More »

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on Sudan’s army chief days after blacklisting his main rival, as outgoing Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced regret at his failure to end the brutal war.The Sudanese army has been at war with rival paramilitaries since April 2023 in a conflict that has killed tens of thousands …

US blacklists Sudan army chief as Blinken regrets failure to end warThu, 16 Jan 2025 20:49:18 GMT Read More »