Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Several months of protests in Zimbabwe over shortages of basic goods, inflation and the depreciation of the local currency have escalated into riots after the government doubled the price of fuel. In power since the fall of Robert Mugabe in November 2017, President Emmerson Mnangagwa …
Read More »African growth strong but unemployment high: AfDB
Abidjan, Ivory Coast | AFP | Africa’s strong growth will accelerate in 2019 but fail to roll back high unemployment and poverty, the African Development Bank (AfDB) said Thursday. The continent’s gross domestic product expanded by 3.5 percent in 2018 after 3.6 percent in 2017 and should reach 4.0 percent …
Read More »Sudan at UN hears calls to respect demonstrators’ rights
United Nations, United States | AFP | Sudan faced calls from Western powers at the UN Security Council on Thursday to respect the rights of anti-government demonstrators and investigate violence that has left at least 24 dead. The council was meeting to discuss the situation in Sudan’s troubled Darfur region …
Read More »Zimbabwe activist in court for ‘subversion’ after protests
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwean activist Evan Mawarire appeared in court in Harare on Thursday to face subversion charges as authorities cracked down on anti-government protests in which doctors say 68 people suffered gunshot wounds. Nationwide demonstrations erupted on Monday after President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced that fuel prices were …
Read More »Doctor and child killed in Sudan protests as police break up march
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | A doctor and a child were killed Thursday during protests in Sudan’s capital, organisers of the anti-government demonstrations said, as police dispersed a crowd of hundreds marching towards the presidential palace. At least 26 people have died in protests that have rocked Sudan since they …
Read More »Sudan: nearly three decades under Bashir
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Here are key dates in Sudan since Omar al-Bashir came to power almost three decades ago. – 1989: coup – In June 1989 army brigadier Bashir seizes power in a coup backed by Islamist ideologue Hassan al-Turabi. Sudan then hosts radical Islamists, including Al-Qaeda chief …
Read More »Tear gas fired at protesters marching to Sudan presidential palace
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudanese police on Thursday fired tear gas at protesters marching towards the presidential palace, witnesses said, during a demonstration in the capital to demand the resignation of President Omar al-Bashir. Demonstrators chanting “Freedom, peace, justice” gathered in central Khartoum and began their march but riot …
Read More »Sudan: torn apart by war
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudan has been shattered by decades of conflict and ruled for nearly 30 years by Omar al-Bashir, who has been indicted internationally for genocide. Here is some background about the large partly desert African nation as it marks a month of anti-government protests. – …
Read More »December clashes in west DR Congo killed almost 900: UN
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | At least 890 people were killed during three days of inter-communal clashes in western Democratic Republic of Congo last month, the United Nations said Wednesday. “It is crucial that this shocking violence be promptly, thoroughly investigated and the perpetrators be brought to justice,” UN …
Read More »Nigeria: main candidates set out stall as vote looms
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s two main presidential candidates on Wednesday staked their claim for the country’s top job, with one month to go to polling in Africa’s most populous nation. President Muhammadu Buhari and Atiku Abubakar both staged set-piece meetings to secure the support of a record 84 …
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