AFP Africa

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

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 »

S.Africa rescuers say clearance of clandestine miners now overThu, 16 Jan 2025 17:52:06 GMT

Rescuers retrieving illegal miners from a disused South African gold shaft said on Thursday a final sweep appeared to show nobody was left underground, after 78 bodies and more than 200 miners were lifted out this week.Many of those rescued looked frail, their legs just skin and bone. Nine people are in hospital under police …

S.Africa rescuers say clearance of clandestine miners now overThu, 16 Jan 2025 17:52:06 GMT Read More »

Spain, Morocco move towards Africa exclave trade thawThu, 16 Jan 2025 17:44:10 GMT

Morocco and Spain’s north African exclaves of Ceuta and Melilla moved closer to a “new era” of normalised trade ties on Thursday after the first passage of goods since 2018.The small Mediterranean coastal territories claimed by Rabat have long complicated Spanish-Moroccan relations and are the European Union’s only land border with Africa.Rabat closed its customs …

Spain, Morocco move towards Africa exclave trade thawThu, 16 Jan 2025 17:44:10 GMT Read More »

Death toll at illegal S.African mine reaches 78Wed, 15 Jan 2025 18:01:05 GMT

Rescuers pulled more bodies from a disused gold shaft in South Africa where the death toll climbed to 78 Wednesday as police finished clearing out illegal miners who had been underground for months.Authorities began trying to remove the bodies and bring up survivors on Monday, after residents voiced fears that more than 100 people may …

Death toll at illegal S.African mine reaches 78Wed, 15 Jan 2025 18:01:05 GMT Read More »

Daniel Chapo: from unknown to Mozambique’s youngest presidentWed, 15 Jan 2025 16:34:14 GMT

Mozambique’s new leader Daniel Chapo, who was inaugurated Wednesday, faces quelling deadly protests over his election, which his rivals say was stolen, as his first political test as president.Until his Frelimo party tapped him as its candidate in the October polls, Chapo was a little-known provincial governor with no national experience.At the age of 48, …

Daniel Chapo: from unknown to Mozambique’s youngest presidentWed, 15 Jan 2025 16:34:14 GMT Read More »

South Africa’s Nortje ruled out of Champions TrophyWed, 15 Jan 2025 16:24:51 GMT

Fast bowler Anrich Nortje was on Tuesday ruled out of the Champions Trophy because of a back injury.The latest injury setback for the 31-year-old was announced by Cricket South Africa a day after he was named in his country’s 15-man squad for the tournament in Pakistan next month.Nortje, at his peak the fastest bowler in …

South Africa’s Nortje ruled out of Champions TrophyWed, 15 Jan 2025 16:24:51 GMT Read More »

Nigeria atheist defiant after leaving jail in high-profile blasphemy caseWed, 15 Jan 2025 15:33:13 GMT

Despite four years in prison for blasphemy, Mubarak Bala defends his atheist beliefs but says he keeps a low profile now in the face of threats in his mostly conservative Muslim region of Nigeria.Bala was handed a 24-year sentence by a Kano high court in 2022 for online posts he wrote two years earlier disparaging …

Nigeria atheist defiant after leaving jail in high-profile blasphemy caseWed, 15 Jan 2025 15:33:13 GMT Read More »

Mozambique’s new president vows ‘unity’ as sworn in amid deadly protestsWed, 15 Jan 2025 15:21:19 GMT

Mozambique’s new president Daniel Chapo vowed to unite the country upon taking the oath of office under heavy guard Wednesday, as seven more protesters were killed, a local NGO said, in fresh political unrest. Chapo, 48, who was previously a little-known provincial governor, extends his Frelimo party’s 50-year rule of the gas-rich African nation after October’s …

Mozambique’s new president vows ‘unity’ as sworn in amid deadly protestsWed, 15 Jan 2025 15:21:19 GMT Read More »

Ghana to probe former president’s huge cathedral projectWed, 15 Jan 2025 14:56:23 GMT

Ghana’s newly elected President John Mahama has announced plans to investigate his predecessor’s contested $400 million National Cathedral project, a stalled religious landmark that for critics become a symbol of fiscal irresponsibility.Mahama and his National Democratic Congress or NDC party easily won the December election after voters punished President Nana Akufo-Addo and his ruling New …

Ghana to probe former president’s huge cathedral projectWed, 15 Jan 2025 14:56:23 GMT Read More »