AFRICA

Tori-Bossito , Benin | AFP |  Machetes in hand and wearing a straw hat against the sun, the participants of an “agro-bootcamp” in the farmlands of the West African nation of Benin harvest maize, cowpeas and rice. “Cut at the base,” says Oluwafemi Kochoni, an organic farming teacher, who runs the …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | A key protest group on Saturday announced a nationwide “civil disobedience” campaign it said would run until Sudan’s ruling generals transfer power to a civilian government. The call by the Sudanese Professionals Association, which first launched protests against longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir, came days after a …

Monrovia, Liberia | AFP |  Thousands of people took to the streets of Liberia’s capital Monrovia Friday to protest rising prices and corruption, posing a key political test for President George Weah. The football icon is being challenged over the same issues on which he campaigned in his rise to …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Ethiopia’s prime minister Friday called for a “quick” democratic transition in Sudan as he met the country’s ruling generals and protest leaders, days after a deadly crackdown killed dozens of demonstrators in the capital. Abiy Ahmed, who has emerged as a key regional leader, arrived in …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP |  Heavily armed paramilitaries roamed the Sudanese capital Thursday, forcing fearful residents to hide indoors after a crackdown on protesters that authorities admitted had left dozens dead and prompted the African Union to suspend Khartoum. Members of the Rapid Support Forces, who rights groups say have their …

Monrovia, Liberia | AFP |   Liberian President George Weah faces a key test on Friday when demonstrators take to the streets of Monrovia to protest at inflation and corruption. The nation’s football icon is being challenged over the same issues on which he campaigned in his historic ascent to the …

Kaga Bandoro, Central African Republic | AFP |  The scratching of crayons on paper fills the air as the children at Lazare camp in war-ravaged Central African Republic draw scenes from daily life. They draw armed men. Armoured vehicles. And they use red. Lots of red. In a makeshift tent, glasses perched on her …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Members of the opposition have said that President Yoweri Museveni’s silence on the ongoing conflict between Uganda and Rwanda is a disturbing development. They argue that President Museveni’s State of the Nation address, delivered this evening, was inadequate and merely ceremonial because it left …

Franceville, Gabon | AFP |  He died a decade ago, but residents of Franceville in southeast Gabon hark back with deep nostalgia to the rule of former president Omar Bongo. His heyday was a time of seemingly endless oil wealth and optimism. But the river of dollars has dried up and …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudanese protest leaders on Wednesday turned down an offer by the ruling military council for talks and demanded justice for a crackdown that doctors said has left 108 people dead. Security forces moved in to brutally disperse a protest sit-in on Monday. The Rapid Support Forces, …