AFRICA

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 — …

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), …

  Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Somali Islamist group Al-Shabaab on Wednesday warned Kenya “will never be safe”, threatening tourists and calling for more attacks on US interests after they stormed an American base at the weekend. The Al-Qaeda linked group said its attack on Camp Simba, in which three Americans …

Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP |  The wife of Zimbabwe’s vice president was granted bail on Monday after three weeks in jail on charges of fraud, money-laundering and attempted murder of her husband. Marry Mubaiwa, 38, who is the wife of Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, 63, was arrested last month on …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT  | The President of the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA), Gianni Infantino has said he is happy with the progress made in African football. “Look at the talent from Africa that is key to the progress of many teams around the world. African talent keeps …

Algiers, Algeria | AFP |  Algeria’s newly-elected President Abdelmadjid Tebboune received Turkey’s foreign minister Tuesday, the official APS news agency reported, days after Ankara confirmed it was deploying troops to Libya. The meeting between Tebboune and Mevlut Cavusoglu focused on Libya’s “escalating violence resulting from foreign interventions, which complicate the search …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudan banned two newspapers and two television stations on Tuesday, saying they had received funding from the government of former president Omar al-Bashir who was ousted last year following protests. The decision was made by a committee tasked by Sudan’s transitional authorities with dismantling institutions linked …

Metekel, Ethiopia | AFP |  Cell phone batteries constantly dying, health centres bereft of modern equipment, a dependence on flashlights after sundown — Kafule Yigzaw experienced all these struggles and more growing up without electricity in rural Ethiopia. So five years ago, he leapt at the chance to work on a …

Tripoli, Libya | AFP | Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar, whose forces on Monday said they had taken control of Sirte, have in over five years conquered northeastern Libya and much of the south. After the ouster and killing of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011, Libya plunged into chaos with a …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Egypt announced Monday that it will hold a meeting with four European Mediterranean countries about developments in neighbouring Libya after Turkey began deploying troops in the war-torn North African nation. The talks — to be held in Cairo on Wednesday– will bring together foreign ministers from …