Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday said the country’s debt-laden power utility Eskom would not be privatised and pledged to restore it to full capacity. Rolling blackouts were implemented several times last year to prevent the grid collapsing and resumed last weekend despite …
Read More »Drought ignites human-wildlife conflict in Zimbabwe
Hwange, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwean villager Dumisani Khumalo appeared to be in pain as he walked gingerly towards a chair under the shade of a tree near his one-room brick shack. The 45-year-old was attacked by a buffalo days earlier, and he was lucky to be on his feet. Wild …
Read More »Violence in DR Congo’s Ituri may be crimes against humanity: UN
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Hundreds of people have been killed or raped in attacks on the Hema ethnic group in eastern DR Congo’s Ituri province, in what “may amount to crimes against humanity” or even genocide, the UN said on Friday. “At least 701 people have been killed and …
Read More »Spirit world: Voodoo makes a comeback in its Benin home
Porto-Novo, Benin | AFP | In his long life, voodoo priest Kpohinto Medji has seen his religion flourish and then go into decline, banned for years by the authorities and pressured by other faiths. Today, the ageing priest with mischievous eyes is somewhat happier. Benin is gearing for its annual voodoo …
Read More »Senegal’s remote cannabis growers evade crackdown
Kafountine, Senegal | AFP | Most Senegalese farmers sell peanuts and vegetables, but in one hamlet lost in a mangrove swamp in the West African country’s south, only one crop is commercially viable — cannabis. Kouba, a village deep in the mangroves of Casmance and inaccessible by road, teems with caiman …
Read More »UN refugee agency probing corruption in Uganda, Kenya
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The UN refugee agency said Thursday it was investigating new allegations of fraud in its resettlement programme in Kenya and Uganda after a report in German magazine Stern alleging graft. “We can confirm that we have received allegations related to resettlement fraud in Uganda and Kenya,” …
Read More »Sudan PM pushes for peace in first trip to rebel bastion
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok Thursday vowed to achieve peace in Sudan’s war zones as he visited rebel stronghold Kauda. “This is a great chance to show our people in Kauda and across the world that their transitional government is working hard to achieve comprehensive justice …
Read More »DEADLOCK: Ethiopia and Egypt fail to clinch Nile dam deal
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Ethiopia and Egypt failed to resolve a long-running dispute over a massive dam being built on the Blue Nile River during the latest round of talks this week. Officials said Thursday that some progress had been made, though they remained at odds over major sticking …
Read More »Haftar’s Sirte seizure major blow to Libya government, analysts say
Tripoli, Libya | AFP | Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar’s capture of the strategic city of Sirte on Monday was a major setback for Tripoli’s UN-recognised government, analysts say. The fresh advance by Haftar’s self-styled Libyan National Army comes as Turkey deploys troops — 35 so far, in a training capacity — …
Read More »Clashes over Nigeria garrison town spark deadly displacement camp fire: witnesses
Kano, Nigeria | AFP | Intense fighting between Nigeria’s army and jihadists over a key northeastern garrison town killed three soldiers and sparked a deadly blaze at a nearby displacement camp, witnesses and security sources said Wednesday. On Tuesday afternoon, dozens of fighters from the Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP), …
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