AFP Africa

Mourtalla Diouf is part of the crowd in a small town in southern Casamance waiting to welcome the return of a man in whom all his hopes for Senegal’s future rest.After seven months behind bars, opposition figure Ousmane Sonko is back in his home region after being released from jail last week.”He’s the man who …

Senegal’s Casamance region eyes new start under oppositionTue, 19 Mar 2024 14:21:58 GMT Read More »

On a windy Cape Town morning, a small group of activists hands out flyers calling for secession. “South Africa cannot be saved, Cape Independence is our only hope,” read the leaflets issued by the Cape Independence Party.Also known as CapeXit, in a nod to Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union, the group is one of a …

CapeXit? Separatists bid to split South AfricaTue, 19 Mar 2024 06:43:10 GMT Read More »

Gambian lawmakers voted on Monday to advance to the next parliamentary stage a highly controversial bill that seeks to lift a ban on female genital mutilation (FGM), which has been in place since 2015.The issue has divided the tiny West African nation for months, with hundreds gathering to protest outside parliament. Pro-FGM campaigners outnumbered those calling …

Gambian MPs advance bill lifting ban on female genital mutilationMon, 18 Mar 2024 18:17:06 GMT Read More »

Kidnappers have abducted over 100 people in two new attacks in northwest Nigeria weeks after more than 250 school pupils were seized in the same state, residents and officials told AFP on Monday.They blamed gangs of criminals known locally as bandits for the abductions in the Kajuru area of Kaduna state over the weekend, which pile …

Over 100 kidnapped in two new attacks in NigeriaMon, 18 Mar 2024 16:52:10 GMT Read More »

Painting a building in Senegal’s rapidly changing capital Dakar, Ismaila Ba is one of many workers to feel excluded from the West African country’s transformation under President Macky Sall.”I earn 6,000 CFA francs a day (around $10),” said Ba, who pays 80,000 francs a month for two rooms for himself, his wife and two daughters in …

Cracks undermine Sall’s bid to transform SenegalMon, 18 Mar 2024 09:45:25 GMT Read More »

Climate talks often revolve around reducing the most dangerous greenhouse gas CO2. But other powerful heat-trapping emissions — of methane — will be in the crosshairs at a global forum in Geneva this week. Methane — which is potent but relatively short-lived — is a key target for countries wanting to slash emissions quickly and slow climate …

Methane: a powerful gas heating the planetMon, 18 Mar 2024 06:20:50 GMT Read More »

Sisal ropes, salt crystals, volcanic rocks and aged brass: award-winning Kenyan designer Ami Doshi Shah has always chosen unlikely materials to make sophisticated jewellery that redefines value in a carat-obsessed industry.”As a child, I was always finding beauty in unusual things like stones and fossils,” Shah, 44, told AFP in an interview at her rooftop studio …

Ropes, brass, salt, stone: Reinventing jewellery in KenyaMon, 18 Mar 2024 04:14:56 GMT Read More »

The European Union and Egypt on Sunday signed a 7.4-billion-euro financial package to support the indebted north African country, boost energy sales to Europe and stem irregular migrant flows.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was joined in Cairo by the leaders of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Greece and Italy for the signing ceremony with Egyptian …

EU and Egypt sign 7.4 bn euro deal focussed on energy, migrationSun, 17 Mar 2024 16:14:28 GMT Read More »

The EU chief and five European leaders visited cash-strapped Egypt on Sunday to announce a 7.4-billion-euro financial package focussed on boosting energy trade and stemming irregular migrant flows to the 27-member bloc.The deal will include billions in credit over coming years for highly indebted Egypt, and stepping up energy sales that could help Europe “move …

EU, Egypt agree 7.4 bn euro deal focussed on energy, migrationSun, 17 Mar 2024 13:48:19 GMT Read More »

Clashes have broken out between government forces and M23 rebels leaving eight UN peacekeepers injured after a brief lull in fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Nations said.One of the peacekeepers was “gravely wounded” in the attack on Saturday at Sake, said UN mission head Bintou Keita.The strategic town lies 20 kilometres …

UN troops wounded as fighting flares in DR CongoSun, 17 Mar 2024 11:31:55 GMT Read More »