AFP Africa

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen pitched the bloc as a dependable partner in a transactional world Thursday as she hosted about a dozen Global South leaders at an investment conference in Brussels.Rwanda’s Paul Kagame and Angola’s Joao Lourenco were among those attending the opening of a two-day event aimed at bolstering a global …

EU woos developing nations at investment forumThu, 09 Oct 2025 10:17:51 GMT Read More »

Paul Biya has barely made a public appearance on the campaign trail in his bid for an eighth term as president of Cameroon aged 92 and after more than four decades in power.While the 11 rival candidates crisscrossed the central African country pressing the flesh ahead of the October 12 vote, Biya’s campaign has been …

Paul Biya, Cameroon’s wily veteran leaderThu, 09 Oct 2025 10:00:48 GMT Read More »

Ruled with an iron fist by President Paul Biya for 43 years, Cameroon is central Africa’s most diversified economy.   In recent years, the country has battled violence from a separatist movement among its English-speaking minority in the western regions and jihadist attacks in the north.- Wealth and diversity -Cameroon derives its name from a river …

Five things to know about CameroonThu, 09 Oct 2025 09:58:39 GMT Read More »

Cameroon’s Paul Biya, already the world’s oldest head of state, is the favourite to win Sunday’s presidential election, handing him an eighth term in power in the central African country.A fractured opposition of 11 candidates is standing against the 92-year-old in the vote, whose credibility and fairness rights groups have called into question. Most of the …

World’s oldest leader tipped for 8th term in Cameroon voteThu, 09 Oct 2025 09:57:59 GMT Read More »

Eritrea on Thursday dismissed an accusation by Ethiopia that it is preparing to launch a war as “provocative sabre-rattling” amid mounting tensions between the Horn of Africa neighbours.Relations have been strained for several months, more than 30 years after Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia following a decades-long armed struggle.Ethiopia’s foreign ministry sent a letter to …

Eritrea condemns Ethiopia’s ‘provocative sabre-rattling’Thu, 09 Oct 2025 09:12:27 GMT Read More »

There was a stagnant puddle in the hallway of the university residence that opened only two years ago, but the rainy season had not yet started in Madagascar. “Come see our dormitories,” student Ulric Sambizafy offered at one of a wave of protests that have rocked the Indian Ocean island nation since September 25.Trash floated in an …

Madagascar’s main university: ruin and revoltThu, 09 Oct 2025 06:27:12 GMT Read More »

The world’s top conservation body is holding its world congress starting Thursday in the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi and will unveil its updated “red list” of threatened species.The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), whose decisions help set the global agenda on environmental protection, will on Friday publish its list ranking at-risk plant and …

Top nature group to unveil new ‘red list’ of threatened speciesThu, 09 Oct 2025 04:21:49 GMT Read More »

The youth-led movement behind nearly two weeks of anti-government protests in Madagascar rejected dialogue with President Andry Rajoelina and called a strike and new demonstration for Thursday.Near-daily protests erupted in the impoverished Indian Ocean island on September 25, claiming at least 22 lives, according to a UN toll that is disputed by local authorities.Rajoelina sacked …

Madagascar protesters refuse to meet president, call for strikeWed, 08 Oct 2025 17:59:12 GMT Read More »

The global economy is doing better than expected, even as it faces prolonged uncertainty and underwhelming medium-term growth prospects, the head of the IMF said Wednesday. The world economy is doing “better than feared, but worse than we need,” International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva told reporters in Washington.She added that the Fund now expects …

World economy not doing as badly as feared, IMF chief saysWed, 08 Oct 2025 15:46:36 GMT Read More »

In Mali, a month-long blockade by jihadists on fuel imports from neighbouring countries is beginning to seriously disrupt the landlocked Sahelian nation, where long lines form at the few remaining stations with petrol. Since September, the jihadists have targeted fuel tankers, particularly those coming from Senegal and Ivory Coast, through which the majority of Mali’s imported …

Mali fuel running dry after a month of jihadist blockadesWed, 08 Oct 2025 14:24:59 GMT Read More »