AFP Africa

Senegalese intellectual and politician Amadou Mahtar Mbow, who headed the UN’s cultural agency, UNESCO, for 13 years, has died at the age of 103, Senegal’s press agency (APS) said Tuesday.Mbow, who served as director-general of UNESCO from 1974 to 1987, was a symbolic figure in Senegal and the wider African continent, where he championed the …

Former UNESCO head Amadou Mahtar Mbow dead at 103Tue, 24 Sep 2024 14:31:23 GMT Read More »

Mali’s junta chief met top military officials to “adjust strategy”, the presidency said Tuesday, after audacious jihadist attacks in the capital killed scores of people.An Al-Qaeda-linked group claimed responsibility for last Tuesday’s attacks in the capital Bamako that targeted a part of the country’s main airport and a military police training camp, killing more than …

Mali junta chief reviews strategy after massacre by jihadistsTue, 24 Sep 2024 12:42:24 GMT Read More »

After nearly three decades of dithering, Ghana has passed a law pledging to give women equal representation in parliament, public life and business, but activists say parity is a long way off.The Ghanaian parliament unanimously passed the Affirmative Action Gender Bill 2024 last week, ending a process launched in 1998 aimed at creating an equitable …

Ghana a long way off from gender equality despite new lawTue, 24 Sep 2024 02:16:25 GMT Read More »

US President Joe Biden met UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Monday for talks on conflicts in the Middle East and Sudan — despite concerns over the Gulf power’s own role in the Sudan conflict.Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris also met the Emirati leader at the White House, the first ever visit …

Biden, Harris meet UAE leader on Sudan, Middle EastMon, 23 Sep 2024 22:34:58 GMT Read More »

Tanzania’s top opposition figures were released late on Monday, their party said, after being detained by police who prevented a mass protest in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam in the latest crackdown on dissent in the East African nation.Despite an official ban, the opposition Chadema party had vowed to go ahead with the rally …

Tanzania releases arrested opposition leaders, blocks protestMon, 23 Sep 2024 20:25:35 GMT Read More »

As wars rage worldwide, with civilian casualties a daily occurrence, critics of the United Nations say the body is failing at its most basic job, while experts warn the organization is being scapegoated for things that are beyond its control.Maintaining peace and international security is one of the UN’s central missions, but its record has …

As wars rage, UN’s critics say global body is failing its missionMon, 23 Sep 2024 18:03:11 GMT Read More »

Police arrested Tanzania’s top opposition figures and prevented a mass protest in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam on Monday in the latest crackdown on dissent in the East African nation. Despite an official ban, the opposition Chadema party had vowed to go ahead with the rally over the alleged kidnapping and killing of its members …

Tanzania arrests opposition leaders, blocks protestMon, 23 Sep 2024 14:23:56 GMT Read More »

Senegal’s navy has recovered at least 30 bodies from a boat discovered adrift around 70 kilometres (43 miles) off the coast of the capital Dakar, the army said Monday.Investigations are under way to establish where the vessel came from and to confirm the death toll, the army said in a statement posted on social media. Senegal’s …

30 bodies found in boat adrift off Senegal coast: armyMon, 23 Sep 2024 13:46:33 GMT Read More »

The UN’s refugee chief questioned Sunday what future awaited the Sudanese people as the country’s civil war rages, pushing its people ever further afield including to Uganda and Europe’s maritime borders.Since the start of the war in April 2023, “well over 10 million people have been chased away from their homes,” two million of whom …

‘Atrocious’ Sudan war pushing refugees further afield: UNHCR chiefSun, 22 Sep 2024 23:44:09 GMT Read More »

Civilians combed through the wreckage of their homes Sunday in the Sudanese city of El-Fasher, besieged for months by paramilitaries who have now launched a “full-scale assault”, according to the United Nations.As the world body’s high-level General Assembly meeting prepares this week to spotlight Sudan’s 17-month war — which has claimed tens of thousands of …

‘Barely anyone left’: Sudan’s El-Fasher devastated by fightingSun, 22 Sep 2024 16:34:18 GMT Read More »