AFP Africa

Niger has been hit by several jihadist attacks since its president was overthrown last month, but analysts caution against concluding that a long-running insurgency is shifting into higher gear as post-coup uncertainty mounts.Since 2015, when jihadists started mounting cross-border strikes from Mali, thousands of people have died and hundreds of thousands have fled their homes. Rebel …

Scale of jihadist threat in post-coup Niger hard to assessMon, 21 Aug 2023 11:18:41 GMT Read More »

African stars Victor Osimhen and Mohamed Salah opened their goal accounts for the season as they helped Napoli and Liverpool to league victories at the weekend.Osimhen, the leading Serie A scorer last season, netted twice in a 3-1 win at Frosinone while Salah atoned for having a penalty parried by tapping in the rebound in …

African players in Europe: Osimhen, Salah open goal accountsMon, 21 Aug 2023 09:31:33 GMT Read More »

Chinese President Xi Jinping headed to South Africa on Monday, state media reported, where he will attend the BRICS summit in Johannesburg.The state visit will be Xi’s second international trip of 2023, after making an official trip to Russia in March.”Chinese President Xi Jinping left Beijing on Monday for the 15th BRICS Summit to be held …

China’s Xi heads to South Africa for BRICS summitMon, 21 Aug 2023 08:58:27 GMT Read More »

Here are five things to know about Zimbabwe, where the opposition aims to topple the party of late president Robert Mugabe in August 23 elections.- Mugabe’s long shadow -Zimbabwe’s leader of 37 years, Robert Mugabe, was a hero to many in Africa for helping liberate his country from white minority rule.But as the years passed …

Five things to know about ZimbabweMon, 21 Aug 2023 04:13:42 GMT Read More »

Key dates in the history of Zimbabwe:- 1980: Independence -Zimbabwe is born on April 18, 1980, after 90 years as the British colony of Southern Rhodesia, which ended in a brutal seven-year war between black nationalists and white supremacists trying to prevent majority rule.Guerrilla leader Robert Mugabe becomes prime minister on a promise of reconciliation …

Zimbabwe’s post-independence history in 10 datesMon, 21 Aug 2023 04:13:36 GMT Read More »

An experienced politician with decades of activism under his belt, Zimbabwe’s 45-year-old opposition leader Nelson Chamisa is still known to many as “mukomana” or “the young man”. The moniker reflects the age gap between the presidential hopeful and his main challenger in an August 23 vote — incumbent Emmerson Mnangagwa, 80.It is also used to avoid …

Nelson Chamisa, the ‘young’ pastor aiming for Zimbabwe poll upsetMon, 21 Aug 2023 04:13:29 GMT Read More »

Emmerson Mnangagwa became Zimbabwe’s second president after outmanoeuvring long-time ruler Robert Mugabe with a military-backed coup in 2017 — and at 80 shows no signs of wanting to retire.Nicknamed “The Crocodile” because of his ruthlessness, Mnangagwa, who analysts judge more autocratic than his predecessor and lacking Mugabe’s intellectual flair and ideological vision, is seeking to cement …

Zimbabwe’s 80-year-old ‘Crocodile’ president seeks new termMon, 21 Aug 2023 04:13:20 GMT Read More »

A large banner featuring Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa hangs from a rundown apartment block in Mbare, a poor suburb of Harare, encouraging voters to give the 80-year-old another term.It overlooks an unpaved road — part of it submerged by sewage surging from a broken pipe — lined with vendors selling charcoal for cooking stacked in …

Vexed by hardship, Zimbabweans brace for tense voteMon, 21 Aug 2023 04:13:09 GMT Read More »

Several thousand people demonstrated in the capital of Niger on Sunday in support of last month’s military coup, whose leader has warned against outside intervention while proposing a three-year transition of power.The demonstrators chanted slogans hostile to former colonial power France and the West African regional bloc ECOWAS, which is considering a potential military operation …

Pro-coup rally in Niger after leader warns against foreign interventionSun, 20 Aug 2023 17:56:04 GMT Read More »

Tunisia will again supply flour to more than 1,000 non-subsidised bakeries in the North African country after most of them ceased operating, government and industry officials said on Sunday.The deal could help ease a bread shortage that has worsened over the past two weeks.Since the beginning of August, European-style bakeries selling baguettes in the formerly …

Bread-short Tunisia to restore flour supply to some bakeriesSun, 20 Aug 2023 14:24:19 GMT Read More »