AFRICA

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The UN’s top rights body Monday agreed to a request from African countries to urgently debate racism and police brutality this week following unrest in the US and beyond over George Floyd’s death. As the 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council resumed after breaking …

Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP |  The leaders of Somalia and breakaway state Somaliland are meeting for talks Sunday in a renewed effort to mediate strained ties between the two, Mogadishu said in a statement. The talks are taking place in Djibouti, chaired by the country’s President Ismail Omar Guelleh, while Ethiopian Prime …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP |  Plunging oil prices and collapsing state revenues have seen Nigerian authorities vow an end to a controversial fuel subsidy scheme long criticised as a graft-ridden drain on public finances. But there are major doubts that Africa’s most populous country is finally ready to wean itself off …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | A Zimbabwean opposition lawmaker and two activists have denied charges they lied to police about being abducted and tortured last month, their lawyer said, as the women were remanded in custody. Movement for Democratic Change Alliance MP Joana Mamombe and party youth assembly activists Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova were …

Mopti, Mali | AFP |  After a busy day juggling paperwork and meetings, Brehima Traore, deputy director of a hospital in war-torn Mali, may have hoped for some rest. Then his phone rang: he was needed in the operating room. Traore is one of the doctors who keeps the hospital in …

Burundi court orders president-elect sworn in after leader’s death Bujumbura, , Burundi | AFP |  Burundi’s constitutional court on Friday ruled that the country’s newly elected leader Evariste Ndayishimiye be rapidly sworn in following the sudden death of President Pierre Nkurunziza earlier this week. Nkurunziza’s death on Monday, aged 55, …

Burundi court orders swearing in of president-elect Bujumbura, Burundi | AFP |  Burundi’s constitutional court on Friday ruled that the country’s newly elected leader Evariste Ndayishimiye be sworn in as soon as possible following the sudden death of President Pierre Nkurunziza earlier this week. “No interim necessary, the president-elect …. …

Nyala, Sudan | AFP |  Sudanese civilians displaced during the devastating conflict in Darfur have welcomed news that a top militia leader accused of atrocities there has surrendered himself to the International Criminal Court. Ali Kushayb, also known as Ali Muhammad Abdelrahman, was wanted on more than 50 counts of war …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The speed the new coronavirus jumped from 100,000 to 200,000 confirmed cases in Africa shows just how quickly the pandemic is accelerating on the continent, the World Health Organization said Thursday. According to an AFP tally, Africa topped the 200,000 mark on Tuesday. “It took 98 days to reach the …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Prosecutors in DR Congo said on Thursday they are seeking a 20-year prison sentence for a key ally of President Felix Tshisekedi who is accused of embezzling more than $50 million. The prosecution is also asking that Vital Kamerhe is disqualified from holding public office …