AFP Africa

Under a scorching sun, 200 South African firefighters wrapped up a last round of training on Tuesday before flying out to help Canada battle unprecedented forest blazes there.It is a rare offer of aid from a developing country battling its own crises.They are a second batch of fighters flying out to the north American nation …

South Africa sends hundreds of firefighters to CanadaTue, 13 Jun 2023 18:12:14 GMT Read More »

The death toll in an investigation linked to a Kenyan cult that practised starvation to “meet Jesus Christ” has surpassed 300 after 19 new bodies were found Tuesday, a senior official said.Police believe most of the bodies found in a forest near the Indian Ocean town of Malindi belong to followers of Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, …

Kenya starvation cult death toll exceeds 300: officialTue, 13 Jun 2023 17:43:07 GMT Read More »

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Tuesday for maintaining but streamlining a decade-old peacekeeping mission in troubled Mali, whose military leaders have clashed with the West and turned to Russia.In a report to the United Nations Security Council, which will vote on June 29 on extending one of the UN’s most dangerous missions, Guterres called for …

UN chief seeks to streamline troubled Mali peacekeeping missionTue, 13 Jun 2023 16:05:35 GMT Read More »

The 2024 Grammy Awards will feature new honors including for Best African Music Performance, the Recording Academy announced Tuesday.Along with the prize honoring a recording that uses “unique local expressions from across the African continent,” the 66th edition of the prestigious music awards will present a trophy to Best Alternative Jazz Album and Best Pop …

New Grammy categories include Africa-specific music prizeTue, 13 Jun 2023 15:32:26 GMT Read More »

Sudan’s army chief is not ready to meet the enemy general he’s been at war with for eight weeks, a government official said Tuesday after a regional bloc proposed a face-to-face encounter between the two.At a summit held in Djibouti on Monday, the East African Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) announced it would expand the …

Sudan army chief won’t meet enemy general: govt officialTue, 13 Jun 2023 15:18:15 GMT Read More »

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Tuesday for maintaining but streamlining a peacekeeping mission in troubled Mali, whose military leaders have clashed with the West and turned to Russia.In a report to the Security Council, which will vote June 29 on extending one of the most dangerous UN missions, Guterres called for a “reconfiguration” of the …

UN chief seeks to streamline troubled Mali peacekeeping missionTue, 13 Jun 2023 14:39:54 GMT Read More »

John Fru Ndi, a long-time opponent of autocratic Cameroonian President Paul Biya, has died aged 81 after a long illness, his party said on Tuesday.The leader and founder of the Social Democratic Front (SDF), the main opposition party in parliament, died shortly before midnight on Monday, it said.Fru Ndi challenged Biya, who has ruled the …

John Fru Ndi, long-term opponent to Cameroon’s Biya, dead at 81Tue, 13 Jun 2023 10:11:27 GMT Read More »

South Africa has never been touched by Islamist attacks. Its three-decade-old democracy is solid, and its financial system is respected.Yet experts say the continent’s most industrialised nation is now a nerve centre for jihadist financing in Africa. “South Africa is open hunting ground,” Pretoria-based counter-terrorism expert Jasmine Opperman told AFP. Islamist financiers gather money in the country …

South Africa in the spotlight over terror fundingTue, 13 Jun 2023 07:33:45 GMT Read More »

Star-stacked Morocco and minnows Central African Republic (C.A.R.) are 111 places apart in the world rankings, but they will share the Africa Cup of Nations matchday five qualifying limelight this week. While Morocco visit South Africa for a first competitive outing since their 2022 World Cup heroics, C.A.R. hope to beat Angola and reach the African …

Minnows Central African Republic share spotlight with giants MoroccoTue, 13 Jun 2023 07:07:25 GMT Read More »

South Africa, which is battling a scourge of cigarettes trafficking, on Monday began incinerating 20 million illicit cigarettes smuggled into the country through its border with neighbouring Zimbabwe.The South African Revenue Service (SARS) said that the contraband of 20 million cigarettes, valued at more than $2.3 million, and smuggled into the country between February and …

Up in smoke: S.Africa destroys 20 mn smuggled cigarettesMon, 12 Jun 2023 18:26:23 GMT Read More »