Reuters Africa - Squid Business

French minister says France still committed to Burkina Faso despite tension

OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) – A French minister said on Tuesday her government would not stop supporting Burkina Faso in its fight against Islamist militants and wished to remain involved despite growing anti-French sentiment and diplomatic tensions. Relations between France and Burkina Faso, a former French colony, have deteriorated following two military coups this year that were …

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Tigray forces begin handing over heavy weapons to Ethiopian army

By Dawit Endeshaw ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – Tigray forces, who fought a two-year war against Ethiopia’s federal government, began handing over heavy weaponry to the national army as part of an African Union-led peace process on Tuesday. The demobilisation of Tigray forces is seen as central to the Nov. 2 ceasefire agreement, alongside the restoration …

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Ghana requests G20 Common Framework debt restructuring -source

(Updates to fix typo in headline) By Jorgelina do Rosario and Christian Akorlie LONDON/ACCRA (Reuters) -Ghana requested on Tuesday to restructure its bilateral debt under the common framework platform supported by the Group of 20 major economies, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters. The crisis-hit nation becomes the fourth country to apply to …

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Egypt’s headline inflation accelerates to 21.3% in December

CAIRO (Reuters) -Egyptian annual urban consumer inflation in December rose to 21.3%, the highest since the end of 2017, exceeding analyst expectations, data from the statistics agency CAPMAS showed on Tuesday. The rise from 18.7% in November followed a currency devaluation in October and restrictions on imports. It is likely to increase pressure on the …

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Zambia extends electricity rationing to mining firms

LUSAKA (Reuters) – Zambia has started rationing electricity supply to mining firms following reduced power generation after a big drop in water levels in lake Kariba, the chairman of state-owned power utility Zesco said on Tuesday. Water levels in the lake were down at 1.66% of usable storage on Monday for the Kariba North Bank …

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Zimbabwe health workers could face jail for striking under new law

HARARE (Reuters) – Zimbabwe on Tuesday signed a bill into law that outlawed organised protests by healthcare workers who could now face a fine or an imprisonment of up to six months. The signing by President Emmerson Mnangagwa comes after health workers were locked in a protracted fight with the government over poor salaries last …

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South Africa not tightening COVID rules over China, subvariant

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) -South Africa does not see the need to implement any new COVID-19 restrictions either at home or for arrivals over an infection surge in China and the detection of the first case of Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 locally, its health minister said. “The dominant variant of concern in China and in the world remains …

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IMF says corruption has inflated costs of high-profile projects in Zambia

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – The International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday that corruption had inflated the cost of numerous high-profile tenders and construction projects in Zambia. “Enormous financial resources invested in infrastructure projects, such as road construction, provided avenues for corruption, especially in the award of tenders, where political connections allowed members of the elite to bend …

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ExxonMobil secures exploration rights in Egypt’s outer Nile Delta

CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt has assigned ExxonMobil oil and gas exploration rights to two offshore blocks in the outer Nile Delta, according to a company statement on Tuesday. The company’s Egyptian subsidiary will operate both blocks and hold 100% interest, with exploration activities expected to start this year. The awards for the blocks, which cover …

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Finnish appeals court begins Liberia war crime hearing

HELSINKI (Reuters) – A Finnish court of appeal began on Tuesday hearing an international war crime case in which a Sierra Leonean man is charged with murders, rapes and other atrocities during the Liberian civil war between 1999 and 2003, the court said. Prosecutors believe the 53-year-old suspect Gibril Massaquoi – who denies any wrongdoing …

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