AFP Africa

The US decision to expel South Africa’s ambassador was “regrettable,” the office of the South African president said Saturday, after Washington’s top diplomat accused the envoy of hating America and President Donald Trump.Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that South Africa’s ambassador, Ebrahim Rasool, was “no longer welcome” in the United States.Rasool is “a …

US expels South African ambassador, saying he ‘hates’ TrumpSat, 15 Mar 2025 06:59:30 GMT Read More »

Despite the risks from deadly armed groups roaming the countryside, Judith Kahindo walks alone every day to her isolated cocoa plantation in the war-torn North Kivu region of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. North Kivu is primarily rich in coltan and other minerals that have fuelled the fighting that has ravaged the region for the …

Armed groups covet cocoa in eastern DR CongoSat, 15 Mar 2025 06:30:15 GMT Read More »

Advancing anti-government fighters in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo forced the temporary closure of the world’s third most productive tin mine, its operator said in a statement received by AFP Friday.Alphamin Resources said it has made “the difficult decision to temporarily cease mining operations at the Company’s Bisie tin mine in Walikale District, North Kivu …

DR Congo conflict forces halt at world’s 3rd biggest tin mineFri, 14 Mar 2025 14:07:49 GMT Read More »

Residents sought to flee mounting tensions in the Tigray region of Ethiopia on Friday as a political faction confirmed to AFP they had seized control of the town hall in state capital Mekele.Ethiopia’s most northerly state, which borders Eritrea, saw a devastating conflict between Tigrayan rebels and the federal government in 2020-22 which claimed up …

Terrified Tigrayans seek to flee renewed tensions in north EthiopiaFri, 14 Mar 2025 11:54:37 GMT Read More »

Niger’s military rulers have expelled three Chinese oil executives from the country and closed down a Chinese-run hotel, media reports and an official decree indicated Friday.Several Nigerien media reported that authorities had given two days’ notice to leave the country to the Chinese managers from the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), which is drilling for …

Niger expels three Chinese oil executives: reportsFri, 14 Mar 2025 11:13:50 GMT Read More »

Three decades after Formula One engines last roared on African tarmac, South Africa is mounting a bid to organise a new Grand Prix and bring the world championship back to the continent.Competition to host the high-octane spectacle is between two tracks: a street circuit in Cape Town and the less picturesque but historic Kyalami race …

S.Africa bids for first African F1 grand prix in 30 yearsFri, 14 Mar 2025 08:52:37 GMT Read More »

From insomniacs to party-goers, doting couples, tired paramedics and Johannesburg’s golden youth, The Pantry, a petrol station doubling as a gourmet deli, has become unmissable on the nightlife scene of South Africa’s biggest city.Open 24 hours a day, the establishment which opened three years ago is a haven for revellers looking for a midnight snack …

Inside The Pantry: South Africa’s nightlife and diversity collideFri, 14 Mar 2025 07:09:10 GMT Read More »

Mine shafts snake under the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s mountains, but instead of the Congolese government their rich veins are making a mint for the Rwanda-backed M23.In the tracts of land the M23 has seized following its 2021 resurgence in the eastern DRC, an area mineral-rich yet scarred by decades of conflict, the armed …

East DR Congo mines mint Rwanda-backed M23’s fortuneFri, 14 Mar 2025 07:08:00 GMT Read More »

Legs taut, backs bent at the waist, the wrestlers slowly stretched out their arms towards each other, searching for a grip while trying to avoid becoming exposed themselves.In a flash it was all over — a tangle of grappling, pushing and jostling that ended with the Beninese fighter tossed to the ground by her Nigerian …

Women step into the ring at west African wrestling tournamentFri, 14 Mar 2025 07:07:28 GMT Read More »

With his paintings of Ivory Coast’s street kids, Aboudia has taken his teenage misfit mutiny to the very top, becoming one of the world’s bestselling artists along the way.”When I was a teenager I wanted to paint but my father didn’t want me to,” Aboudia told AFP, remembering how artist was a synonym for “loser” …

Ivorian painter Aboudia takes teen rebellion to top of the art worldFri, 14 Mar 2025 06:33:54 GMT Read More »