AFP Africa

From his roof, Sidi Mohamed Lemine Sidiya scans the mediaeval town of Oualata, a treasure that is disappearing under the sands of the Mauritanian desert.”It’s a magnificent, extraordinary town,” said Sidiya, who is battling to preserve the place known as the “Shore of Eternity”.Oualata is one of a UNESCO-listed quartet of ancient, fortified towns or …

Ancient town and its manuscripts face ravages of the SaharaMon, 26 May 2025 05:25:07 GMT Read More »

Stripped naked, beaten until she could no longer walk, sexually assaulted and covered in excrement: award-winning Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire told AFP of the torture she suffered at the hands of security forces in Tanzania this week.Atuhaire, who won an International Women of Courage Award from the United States last year, was arrested on Monday …

Sexually assaulted and smeared in excrement: Uganda activist details torture in TanzaniaSat, 24 May 2025 13:33:00 GMT Read More »

Former DR Congo president Joseph Kabila on Friday said he would soon visit a city occupied by the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group, branding the current government a “dictatorship” after he lost his immunity.In a rare speech streamed live on the internet, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s leader between 2001 and 2019 took aim at current …

Ex-leader Kabila slams DR Congo ‘dictatorship’ after losing immunityFri, 23 May 2025 21:09:38 GMT Read More »

Rescuers on Friday pulled out all 260 mine workers who had been stuck for more than 24 hours in an underground shaft in South Africa, the mine’s operator said.The miners were trapped underground on Thursday at the Kloof gold mine, 60 kilometres (37 miles) west of Johannesburg, after a hoist used to access the shaft …

South Africa rescues all 260 miners stuck underground aliveFri, 23 May 2025 20:21:41 GMT Read More »

Rescuers have hoisted 79 miners who were stuck in a gold mine outside Johannesburg but more than 100 were still trapped underground, the mine’s operator said on Friday.At least 260 miners were trapped underground on Thursday at the Kloof gold mine, 60 kilometres (37 miles) west of Johannesburg, after a hoist used to access the …

79 miners rescued from S.African shaft, over 100 still undergroundFri, 23 May 2025 18:21:05 GMT Read More »

Joseph Kabila’s party on Friday denounced the stripping of the former Democratic Republic of Congo leader’s immunity as a “witch hunt” meant to mask failures of governance under President Felix Tshisekedi.A Senate vote on Thursday evening stripped Kabila, 53, of his parliamentary immunity.That opened the way for him to be prosecuted on accusations he conspired …

DR Congo ex-leader Kabila victim of a ‘witch hunt’: partyFri, 23 May 2025 15:33:43 GMT Read More »

A Ugandan activist who was arrested and held “incommunicado” in Tanzania after attempting to attend the trial of an opposition leader has been found dumped at the Ugandan border with “indications of torture”, a rights group said Friday.Human rights groups say Tanzania and neighbouring Uganda have accelerated crackdowns on opponents and dissidents as they prepare …

Ugandan activist arrested in Tanzania found ‘tortured’ at border: rights groupFri, 23 May 2025 15:24:52 GMT Read More »

South Africa’s government is moving towards easing its black ownership laws in the telecoms sector — a policy change that would smooth the way for Elon Musk’s Starlink to enter the local market.The directive came days after South African President Cyril Ramaphosa met his US counterpart Donald Trump for tense talks on deteriorating ties between …

S.Africa moves to ease black empowerment law under Starlink pressureFri, 23 May 2025 15:19:18 GMT Read More »

A Ugandan court on Friday denied bail to veteran opposition leader Kizza Besigye despite exceeding the six-month legal limit for detention without trial.Besigye, 69, was abducted by armed men in Nairobi in November and re-emerged a few days later at a military court in Uganda, where he was charged with treason, which carries a potential …

Uganda opposition leader denied bail despite legal limitFri, 23 May 2025 12:55:47 GMT Read More »

Damage to a mine shaft kept 260 miners stuck in a gold mine outside Johannesburg overnight, the mine manager and union said Friday. Mining employs hundreds of thousands of people in South Africa — the biggest exporter of platinum and a major exporter of gold, diamonds, coal and other raw materials — and accidents are common.”All …

260 miners stuck underground after ‘incident’ at S.African shaftFri, 23 May 2025 12:23:57 GMT Read More »