AFP Africa

The wife of Ugandan former presidential candidate Kizza Besigye has called the trial against him a “sham”, as he faces a court martial in the capital, Kampala.Besigye is a former comrade-in-arms and personal physician to President Yoweri Museveni but has become a government target since he joined the opposition 25 years ago.His wife, Winnie Byanyima, …

Wife of Ugandan opposition leader decries ‘sham’ trialFri, 17 Jan 2025 09:42:21 GMT Read More »

Rights groups fear “mass atrocities” in Uganda as it prepares for an election next year, with a president seeking a seventh term, a crackdown on the opposition and violent threats from the heir apparent.President Yoweri Museveni, 80, will already have been in power for 40 years when the election takes place on January 12, 2026. He …

Fears of ‘mass atrocities’ around Uganda’s 2026 electionFri, 17 Jan 2025 06:39:59 GMT Read More »

The derelict Stilfontein shaft, which became a hell hole for hundreds of trapped miners, is just one of 6,000 that have been abandoned by South Africa’s gold extraction companies. The vast Witwatersrand goldfield, where the Stilfontein mine is located, was the focus of a heady gold rush in the 19th century. But the once-flourishing commercial gold mining …

The perils of S. Africa’s illegal mining sectorFri, 17 Jan 2025 05:20:35 GMT Read More »

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on Sudan’s army chief days after blacklisting his main rival, as outgoing Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced regret at his failure to end the brutal war.The Sudanese army has been at war with rival paramilitaries since April 2023 in a conflict that has killed tens of thousands …

US blacklists Sudan army chief as Blinken regrets failure to end warThu, 16 Jan 2025 20:49:18 GMT Read More »

Rescuers retrieving illegal miners from a disused South African gold shaft said on Thursday a final sweep appeared to show nobody was left underground, after 78 bodies and more than 200 miners were lifted out this week.Many of those rescued looked frail, their legs just skin and bone. Nine people are in hospital under police …

S.Africa rescuers say clearance of clandestine miners now overThu, 16 Jan 2025 17:52:06 GMT Read More »

Morocco and Spain’s north African exclaves of Ceuta and Melilla moved closer to a “new era” of normalised trade ties on Thursday after the first passage of goods since 2018.The small Mediterranean coastal territories claimed by Rabat have long complicated Spanish-Moroccan relations and are the European Union’s only land border with Africa.Rabat closed its customs …

Spain, Morocco move towards Africa exclave trade thawThu, 16 Jan 2025 17:44:10 GMT Read More »

At a Niamey market, mother of five Rakia Abdou haggles hard for a sack of rice, a staple out of reach for many in Niger due to record inflation.”The prices of local food are falling but those for imported products are still high,” she said at the Wadata market, lightly coated in dust carried by …

Inflation forces Nigeriens to adapt what they eatThu, 16 Jan 2025 06:46:54 GMT Read More »

Rescuers pulled more bodies from a disused gold shaft in South Africa where the death toll climbed to 78 Wednesday as police finished clearing out illegal miners who had been underground for months.Authorities began trying to remove the bodies and bring up survivors on Monday, after residents voiced fears that more than 100 people may …

Death toll at illegal S.African mine reaches 78Wed, 15 Jan 2025 18:01:05 GMT Read More »

Mozambique’s new leader Daniel Chapo, who was inaugurated Wednesday, faces quelling deadly protests over his election, which his rivals say was stolen, as his first political test as president.Until his Frelimo party tapped him as its candidate in the October polls, Chapo was a little-known provincial governor with no national experience.At the age of 48, …

Daniel Chapo: from unknown to Mozambique’s youngest presidentWed, 15 Jan 2025 16:34:14 GMT Read More »

Fast bowler Anrich Nortje was on Tuesday ruled out of the Champions Trophy because of a back injury.The latest injury setback for the 31-year-old was announced by Cricket South Africa a day after he was named in his country’s 15-man squad for the tournament in Pakistan next month.Nortje, at his peak the fastest bowler in …

South Africa’s Nortje ruled out of Champions TrophyWed, 15 Jan 2025 16:24:51 GMT Read More »