AFRICA

Douala, Cameroon | AFP | Cameroon opposition leader Maurice Kamto, who says he was cheated out of the presidency in elections last year, has been charged with “rebellion” and “insurrection”, one of his lawyers said Wednesday. The former government minister was arrested in the economic capital Douala on January 28 after his MRC party organised …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa on Monday introduced its most severe electricity rationing in nearly five years, presenting President Cyril Ramaphosa with a major political challenge just months ahead of a May general election. The debt-laden state power utility Eskom is at the centre of the country’s …

Addis Ababa | THE INDEPENDENT | African Heads of State and Government, Ministers of Health and Finance, business leaders and global partners gathered yesterday ahead of the 32nd Summit of the African Union (AU), to launch a new initiative aimed at increasing commitments for health, improving the impact of spending and …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates said Sunday that excellent basic healthcare that would prevent easily treatable but deadly conditions was achievable even in Africa’s poorest nations. “The good news about health is that by spending modest amounts on the prioritised areas, you can get phenomenal benefits,” …

Abidjan, Ivory Coast | AFP | Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara has refused to comment on the acquittal on crimes against humanity of his predecessor Laurent Gbagbo at the International Criminal Court while insisting investigations would continue. “No reaction from me, it’s an ongoing trial…,” Ouattara said in an interview with Radio France International in …

Algiers, Algeria | AFP |  Ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika declared he will seek a fifth term in April elections in a message published by state media Sunday, after he was endorsed by his party and the ruling coalition. Bouteflika uses a wheelchair and has rarely been seen in public since …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria, which elects a new president on February 16, is Africa’s most populous nation and leading oil producer but is dogged by poverty and insecurity. – People and penury – More than 190 million people live in the West African nation. The UN estimates it …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Muhammadu Buhari was elected president of Nigeria in 2015 on a pledge to defeat Boko Haram jihadists and tackle endemic corruption. As he seeks re-election, here is a look back at key developments in the country during his first term. – 2015: successes against Boko Haram …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Key events in the history of Nigeria since independence from Britain in 1960: – First coup – In January 1966 the first in a series of military coups takes place amid dissatisfaction with progress after colonial rule. Significantly, it is also triggered by the fact that …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Nearly six years after the African Union shut it out in the cold, Egypt will take the organisation’s helm  — and strengthening multilateral powers is unlikely to be on the agenda. Cairo’s tenure “will probably concentrate on security and peacekeeping”, said Ashraf Swelam, who heads …