AFRICA

Conakry, Guinea | AFP |  Police in the West African state of Guinea are facing a storm of criticism over a viral video that apparently showed them using a woman as a human shield against stone-throwing protestors. The video, whose source cannot be independently verified but whose authenticity has not been …

Abuja, Nigeria | AFP |  South African mobile giant MTN has said it will make investments worth $1.6 billion (1.45 billion euros) in Nigeria as it seeks to put a series of legal wrangles to bed. The telecommunications firm said late Wednesday that its top executives made the announcement during …

Kigali, Rwanda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Paul Kagame has said Rwanda will only ‘open the border’ after Uganda stops alleged detention of their citizens and support of dissident groups. Kagame said the recent high profile release by Uganda of nine Rwandans held over various charges in Kampala, was not …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  President Pierre Nkurunziza’s decision not to run in Burundi’s elections in May has come as a surprise. In 2015, his push for a third term led to the death of 1,200 people while more than 400,000 fled their homes, prompting a probe by the International Criminal …

David Richmond reports that Uganda and six other African countries will this month sign a political declaration and a legally binding agreement committing them to introduce legislation on tough new criminal penalties. Niger’s government is sounding the alarm about bogus meningitis vaccines – and it is not the first time. …

Jerusalem, Israel | THE INDEPENDENT | Hebrew website Ynet reported on Wednesday that Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to travel to Uganda on Monday, after he concludes his visit to Russia. The Jerusalem Post said sources indicate that Netanyahu’s second official visit to Uganda will coincide with the East African …

Wuhan, China | AFP | The World Health Organization on Wednesday warned all governments to “take action” over the SARS-like virus spreading from China that has killed 132 people and infected around 6,000 others. The WHO called an urgent meeting for Thursday over whether the viral epidemic should be declared …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP |  Dozens of Sudanese protested Tuesday in Khartoum, alleging that their relatives had been recruited by a UAE firm as security guards but were despatched to war-zones in Libya and Yemen. Men and women carrying banners that read “Our sons are nor for sale” and “Bring back …

Siliana, Tunisia | AFP | Around 40 young Tunisian volunteers gather on a bare hill in the central region of Siliana. Their weekend mission — revive a burned forest by planting Aleppo pine shoots. Hamdi, from the eastern city of Sfax, gets straight to work after travelling 250 kilometres (150 miles) …

Dakar, Senegal | AFP | Hundreds of children in the Sahel were killed, maimed or forcibly separated from their parents last year, the United Nations said Tuesday, as a jihadist conflict rages across the region. In Mali alone, 277 children were killed or maimed during the first nine months of 2019, …