AFRICA

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | A black market in coronavirus test kits is flourishing in Nigeria, spurred in part by negligible faith in the country’s health system to defeat an emerging threat. Testing is a crucial weapon in combatting COVID-19. It not only identifies where the stealthy virus has invaded — …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Displaced women and girls are facing a heightened risk of gender-based violence during the coronavirus crisis, the UN Refugee Agency said Monday. The UNHCR said they may be forced into “survival sex” or child marriages. Lockdowns imposed to control the spread of COVID-19 have restricted movement and led to the …

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | AFP | Tanzanian President John Magufuli has called on citizens to turn to God and to keep the economy turning, but as coronavirus cases creep up, calls are rising for the country to take stronger action. While countries across Africa have imposed curfews, partial and full …

Maseru, Lesotho | AFP |  Lesotho troops deployed by Prime Minister Thomas Thabane withdrew from the capital’s streets on Sunday in a showdown between the octogenerian leader and opponents demanding his resignation. Thabane faces mounting calls to step down from rivals within his ruling party and opposition groups over suspicions he …

Tripoli, Libya | AFP |  Already tired of the tribulations of war, Libyans in the capital Tripoli are reluctant to respect intensified lockdown measures introduced on Friday to forestall coronavirus. The round-the-clock curfew was flagged by the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) on Wednesday night and will apply for 10 …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP |  South African novelist Deon Meyer wished the deadly virus wrecking havoc in his 2016 thriller “Fever” had not turned into an eerily accurate depiction of the coronavirus pandemic ravaging the world. “I find no pleasure in it,” said the crime fiction author and screenwriter. “I …

Cape Town, South Africa | AFP | “Mr President we are in the middle of a food crisis. It’s war out here,” warned Joanie Fredericks, a community leader in Mitchells Plain township in Cape Town. The desperate plea was made in a video posted on social media to South African President …

Kampala, Uganda | Isaac Nkechi | Various media outlets, particularly social media, were awash with stories linking the roll-out of 5G mobile network to the novel coronavirus-Covid-19 pandemic over the past weeks. These included spurious theories claiming that 5G makes people more susceptible to the virus while some more extreme proposals even …

Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | The powerful chief of staff to Nigerian leader Muhammadu Buhari has died after contracting the novel coronavirus, the presidency said Saturday. Buhari’s office announced in a statement that it “regrets to announce the passage” of Abba Kyari, who acted as gatekeeper to the president of Africa’s …

Washington, United States | AFP |  International financial institutions and African leaders warned on Friday the continent needs tens of billions of dollars in additional money to fight the coronavirus pandemic despite debt freezes and massive pledges of support. In a joint statement, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund said …