AFP Africa

Gabon’s leader Ali Bongo Ondimba, who is favourite to win a third term, will face 18 other candidates in next month’s presidential election, authorities announced Monday.Bongo’s family has ruled the oil-rich West African state for 55 years.The 64-year-old, who took over from his father Omar Bongo Ondimba in 2009, officially announced in July that he …

Gabon’s Bongo to face 18 candidates in presidential voteMon, 24 Jul 2023 16:01:48 GMT Read More »

Lagos state government came under fire on Monday over plans for a mass burial of more than 100 people killed during Nigeria’s 2020 anti-police brutality rallies, sparking renewed outrage over a crackdown on protesters and calls for an investigation.The youth-led #EndSARS protests were the largest anti-government demonstrations in Nigeria’s modern history, but ended in repression …

Lagos under fire over plans for mass burial of 2020 protest victimsMon, 24 Jul 2023 15:57:33 GMT Read More »

At least 15 people, thought to be migrants, were killed when their wooden boat capsized off the Senegalese capital Dakar, a local official told AFP on Monday.Police and rescue workers were still looking for more bodies after the pirogue overturned overnight Sunday to Monday.”The navy told the vessel to draw alongside and they fled,” district …

15 die in boat capsize off Senegal capitalMon, 24 Jul 2023 14:38:04 GMT Read More »

One Sudanese child has been killed or wounded every hour on average during the country’s brutal war that has now raged for 100 days, the UN children’s agency said Monday.  The army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary forces of Mohamed Hamdan Daglo have been locked into a battle to “win or die” since …

One child killed or wounded every hour in Sudan’s 100-day-old war: UNMon, 24 Jul 2023 14:22:08 GMT Read More »

At least 14 people who appeared to be migrants were killed when their wooden boat capsized off the Senegalese capital Dakar, a local official told AFP on Monday.Police and rescue workers were still looking for more bodies after the pirogue overturned overnight Sunday to Monday.”The navy told the vessel to draw alongside and they fled,” …

Fourteen die in boat capsize off Senegal capitalMon, 24 Jul 2023 12:53:26 GMT Read More »

President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that France needed a return to authority “at every level” in response to recent riots sparked by the police shooting of a teenager.The killing of Nahel M., 17, during a traffic stop last month prompted protests, riots and looting, with many accusing the government of allowing a culture of institutional …

Macron calls for ‘return to authority’ after French riotsMon, 24 Jul 2023 12:42:22 GMT Read More »

Their lives are mired in poverty and despair.”Kush” offers them relief — but the nirvana is fleeting and carries a grim price.The recently-emerged drug is making terrible inroads among the young in Sierra Leone, a West African nation ranked among the world’s poorest.On the edge of a rubbish tip in the capital Freetown, Mohamed (name …

Synthetic drug ‘kush’ ravages Sierra Leone’s youngMon, 24 Jul 2023 12:38:15 GMT Read More »

Lagos state government has announced plans for a mass burial of more than 100 people killed during Nigeria’s 2020 anti-police brutality rallies, sparking renewed criticism over a crackdown on protesters.The youth-led #EndSARS protests were the largest anti-government demonstrations in Nigeria’s modern history, but ended in repression by security forces and bitter disputes over whether some …

Lagos plans mass burial for victims of 2020 protestsMon, 24 Jul 2023 11:38:58 GMT Read More »

Nine people, including four soldiers, were killed Sunday evening when a civilian plane crashed in Sudan due to “technical” reasons, the army said, as the war in the east African country entered its 100th day.The fighting has left millions trapped in their homes and some without water, particularly in the suburbs of the capital Khartoum …

Nine killed in civilian plane crash in Sudan, as war-hit capital left hungryMon, 24 Jul 2023 01:10:13 GMT Read More »

Italy hosted Mediterranean leaders in Rome on Sunday at a conference aimed at extending an EU-backed deal with Tunisia to curb the arrival of migrants on European shores.The summit convened by Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni laid the foundations for a fund to finance investment projects and support border controls, with a medium-term aim of …

Italy says Med migration conference paves way for donors’ fundSun, 23 Jul 2023 19:18:46 GMT Read More »