AFP Africa

Rebel miners blockaded more than 440 workers underground in a South African gold mine Friday amid tensions that include a murder this week, the operator said.Some 447 gold miners were held below ground east of Johannesburg in a near repeat of a three-day protest in October, the Gold One company said.A small group of balaclava-wearing …

Hundreds held underground in South Africa gold mine protestFri, 08 Dec 2023 17:36:21 GMT Read More »

About 250 South Sudanese soldiers left Goma on Friday, the latest group from an East African Community (EAC) regional force to withdraw from the strife-torn eastern Democratic Republic of Congo after Kinshasa refused to renew its mandate.The seven-nation EAC first deployed troops in the violence-plagued region in November 2022, at the invitation of the DRC authorities, …

More East African soldiers withdraw from volatile eastern DR CongoFri, 08 Dec 2023 17:06:32 GMT Read More »

Zimbabwe will hold a series of by-elections on Saturday without any main opposition candidates as President Emmerson Mnangagwa cements control over the mineral-rich nation.A political crisis has been growing since a group of opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) MPs had their seats declared vacant.Courts ruled on Thursday and Friday that all of the CCC …

Zimbabwe ruling party eyes supermajority in votes without opponentsFri, 08 Dec 2023 17:02:56 GMT Read More »

UK leader Rishi Sunak insisted Thursday that his latest immigration plan would work, as the issue threatened to tear apart his ruling Conservatives, putting his premiership in jeopardy.Sunak came out fighting after his government’s latest attempt to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda sparked the resignation of his immigration minister, who said it did not go …

Under-pressure UK PM insists Rwanda migrant plan ‘will work’Thu, 07 Dec 2023 22:34:43 GMT Read More »

Problems are plaguing the electoral process in the Democratic Republic of Congo, just two weeks ahead of polling, with many voters rushing to replace illegible voter cards. The impoverished central African nation is due hold presidential, parliamentary and municipal elections on December 20. President Felix Tshisekedi, who took office in 2019 after a disputed election, is running …

DR Congo voters face hurdles ahead of pollThu, 07 Dec 2023 20:11:37 GMT Read More »

In parts of Africa, expert honey-hunters call out to a species of bird known as the greater honeyguide, which leads them to wild bee nests — a mutually beneficial practice.In a new study published Thursday in Science, researchers have found that honeyguide birds in Tanzania and Mozambique distinguish between honey-hunters’ calls, responding more readily to …

Wild birds analyze grunts, whistles made by human honey-huntersThu, 07 Dec 2023 19:35:50 GMT Read More »

Climate change caused by human activity made torrential rains that have lashed East Africa since October and killed more than 300 people up to twice as intense, a scientific study said Thursday.Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia are grappling with heavy rainfall that has caused flooding in the latest devastating climate disaster to strike the region after …

Heavier rains in East Africa due to human activity: studyThu, 07 Dec 2023 17:31:01 GMT Read More »

A huge blast at an explosives depot in Seychelles on Thursday injured 66 people and brought down buildings, prompting the country’s “shocked” president to declare a state of emergency for much of the day.The archipelago — famous for its idyllic white beaches and high-end tourism — is also grappling with flooding and landslides due to …

Dozens injured in Seychelles blast at explosives depotThu, 07 Dec 2023 16:12:08 GMT Read More »

A Zimbabwe court on Thursday barred most opposition candidates from running in by-elections on Saturday that could take the ruling ZANU-PF party closer to changing the constitution. The ruling is the latest twist in a battle for control of the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) amidst heightened political tensions in the mineral-rich nation.The Harare high …

Zimbabwe court bars opposition MPs from crucial by-electionsThu, 07 Dec 2023 16:08:25 GMT Read More »

Somalia’s semi-autonomous state of Puntland has rolled back plans to hold next year’s parliamentary polls via a one-person one-vote system, opting instead to continue with a complex, clan-based ballot.In May, the oil-rich region staged its first direct polls in more than half a century during local council elections, a move hailed by international partners as …

Somalia region reverses plan for direct universal suffrageThu, 07 Dec 2023 11:11:07 GMT Read More »