AFP Africa

France, Niger on familiar path to breakup in coup-prone SahelMon, 31 Jul 2023 15:43:20 GMT

After bust-ups with Mali and Burkina Faso, France is now watching its relationship with Niger spiral downwards following the Sahel’s third military takeover in as many years.The same scenes that have played out in Niger since the July 26 coup have been eerily witnessed in its two neighbours, where elected leaders were tossed aside in …

France, Niger on familiar path to breakup in coup-prone SahelMon, 31 Jul 2023 15:43:20 GMT Read More »

Senegal opposition figure Sonko formally charged and detained: lawyerMon, 31 Jul 2023 15:41:00 GMT

Senegalese opposition figure Ousmane Sonko on Monday was charged with fomenting insurrection, three days after being arrested at his home, one of his lawyers told AFP. Sonko, a fierce critic of President Macky Sall, “was charged and placed in custody” after appearing before a judge, lawyer Ousseynou Ngom told AFP.The public prosecutor on Saturday anounced seven new …

Senegal opposition figure Sonko formally charged and detained: lawyerMon, 31 Jul 2023 15:41:00 GMT Read More »

Migrants between life and death in Tunisia-Libya desertMon, 31 Jul 2023 14:14:39 GMT

In the unbearable midday heat, a Libyan patrol near the border with Tunisia comes across a black African man collapsed on the reddish-brown desert sand.He is barely breathing, and officers try to revive him, gently, with a few drops of water on his lips.The man is just one among hundreds of migrants arriving daily in …

Migrants between life and death in Tunisia-Libya desertMon, 31 Jul 2023 14:14:39 GMT Read More »

Putsch throws Niger team at Francophone Games into disarrayMon, 31 Jul 2023 01:25:23 GMT

Nigerien participants in the Francophone Games, which have kicked off in DR Congo’s capital, have been left struggling after a putsch in their home country last week.Gathering athletes and artists from mostly-French speaking states, the Games are being held for the first time in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital Kinshasa, the world’s largest French-speaking …

Putsch throws Niger team at Francophone Games into disarrayMon, 31 Jul 2023 01:25:23 GMT Read More »

CAR votes on new constitution as Touadera eyes third termSun, 30 Jul 2023 20:23:34 GMT

The Central African Republic voted on Sunday in a referendum on a new constitution that would allow President Faustin-Archange Touadera to seek a third term in a country which has endured several coups.In 2020 Touadera won a second five-year term, after a vote interrupted by several incursions by armed rebel groups. He also had to …

CAR votes on new constitution as Touadera eyes third termSun, 30 Jul 2023 20:23:34 GMT Read More »

Senegalese opponent vows hunger strike as lawyers lambast arrestSun, 30 Jul 2023 19:05:04 GMT

Firebrand Senegalese opposition politician Ousmane Sonko said Sunday he had started a hunger strike from custody after being arrested this week, as his lawyers condemned his arrest.Senegal’s public prosecutor on Saturday announced seven new charges against the politician — a vocal critic of President Macky Sall who has faced a string of legal woes he claims …

Senegalese opponent vows hunger strike as lawyers lambast arrestSun, 30 Jul 2023 19:05:04 GMT Read More »

Ruto says he will ‘not negotiate’ Kenya’s security with oppositionSun, 30 Jul 2023 15:45:10 GMT

Kenyan President William Ruto said Sunday he would “not negotiate about the safety of our country” with his rival after agreeing to dialogue to end violent protests against his government.Both sides announced on Saturday that they would join a committee to resolve their differences “amicably” following a sustained campaign of opposition-led street demonstrations that left …

Ruto says he will ‘not negotiate’ Kenya’s security with oppositionSun, 30 Jul 2023 15:45:10 GMT Read More »

Tuareg flock to Algerian desert oasis for ancient festivalSun, 30 Jul 2023 14:40:24 GMT

In a riot of colour, music and dance, thousands of Tuareg have flocked to the Sebeiba festival that marks the end of an ancient tribal feud and which once a year transforms an oasis town deep in the Algerian Sahara.The Tuareg are a semi-nomadic people of Berber descent who practice Islam and whose traditional desert …

Tuareg flock to Algerian desert oasis for ancient festivalSun, 30 Jul 2023 14:40:24 GMT Read More »