AFP Africa

Togolese go to the polls on April 29 to elect new lawmakers and the country’s first regional representatives, with political tensions high since the adoption of a divisive new constitution.After his father ruled Togo for nearly four decades before him, President Faure Gnassingbe — already in office himself since 2005 — is accused by critics …

Togo’s legislative elections: What is at stake?Thu, 25 Apr 2024 06:19:46 GMT Read More »

Mauritania President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani said Wednesday he would run for a second term in presidential elections due in June.Ghazouani, 67, has been at the helm of the vast West African country since 2019 and provided stability in the Sahel region, which faces rising jihadism.”I have deemed it appropriate to address you directly, dear compatriots, …

Mauritania president says running for second term in June pollsWed, 24 Apr 2024 23:50:26 GMT Read More »

Global immunisation efforts have saved at least 154 million lives in the past 50 years, the World Health Organization said Wednesday, adding that most of those to benefit were infants.That is the equivalent of six lives saved every minute of every year of the half century, the UN health agency said.In a study published in …

Vaccines saved at least 154 million lives in 50 years: WHOWed, 24 Apr 2024 15:58:10 GMT Read More »

Storms and flash floods turned roads into gushing rivers and swamped homes with waist-high muddy water across the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Wednesday, killing at least 10 people.The East Africa region has been lashed by relentless downpours in recent weeks, as the El Nino weather pattern exacerbates the seasonal rainfall.Across Nairobi, vehicles were stuck in …

10 dead as floods wreak havoc in Kenyan capitalWed, 24 Apr 2024 15:53:01 GMT Read More »

Talks between striking Kenyan doctors and the government have broken down, the medics’ union said Wednesday, bringing misery for thousands of patients after six weeks of industrial action.Some 7,000 members of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) walked off the job in mid-March over demands for improved pay and the implementation of …

Kenya doctors wage talks collapse, strike to go on: unionWed, 24 Apr 2024 14:19:39 GMT Read More »

Roads turned into gushing rivers and homes swamped by waist-high muddy waters: storms and flash floods wreaked devastation across the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Wednesday, claiming at least four lives.The East Africa region has been lashed by relentless downpours in recent weeks, as the El Nino weather pattern exacerbates the seasonal rainfall.Across Nairobi, images posted …

Four dead as floods wreak havoc in Kenyan capitalWed, 24 Apr 2024 12:37:01 GMT Read More »

Asylum seekers housed on an accommodation barge on the coast of southern England say they are afraid of being sent to Rwanda, after a controversial proposal for deportation was approved.”I’d rather die,” said one of them. But none of those living on the government-leased Bibby Stockholm knows whether they will be on the list.”Everybody is …

UK Rwanda deportation law leaves asylum seekers fearfulWed, 24 Apr 2024 10:31:36 GMT Read More »

Days before Togo holds legislative elections, opposition and civil society have been torn between the desire to mobilise and the fear of repression since the adoption of a controversial constitutional reform.Lawmakers on Friday approved a reform switching from a presidential to a parliamentary system that opposition parties say will allow President Faure Gnassingbe to extend …

Critics fear Togo reforms leave little room for change in electionWed, 24 Apr 2024 09:06:22 GMT Read More »

A total of 118 people were the victim of extrajudicial killings by Kenyan police last year, local and international rights groups said in a report published on Wednesday, decrying the “impunity” still enjoyed by the security forces.The figure is down around nine percent from 130 in 2022, while the number of “enforced disappearances” dropped by …

118 people killed by Kenyan police in 2023: rights groupsWed, 24 Apr 2024 08:15:03 GMT Read More »

At least 21 people perished in a new migrant boat disaster off the coast of Djibouti, the UN’s migration agency said Tuesday.It was the second fatal maritime accident in two weeks off the Horn of Africa nation, which lies on the perilous so-called Eastern Migration Route from Africa to the Middle East.Another vessel carrying mainly …

Migrant boat capsizes off Djibouti leaving 21 deadTue, 23 Apr 2024 20:23:42 GMT Read More »