Kano, Nigeria | AFP | Boko Haram jihadists ambushed a military convoy in northeastern Nigeria, killing 13 soldiers and a policeman, the army said Wednesday. But an officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the militants had overrun an army base, and put the death toll at 18. An army …
Read More »MTN pays $53 million penalty, resolves $8 bln Nigeria row
Nigeria resolves $8 bln row with MTN Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria said it has resolved a dispute with Africa’s largest mobile operator over $8.13 billion (6.96 billion euros) which it accused MTN of illegally repatriating to South Africa. Africa’s biggest telecoms market Nigeria shocked MTN and foreign investors …
Read More »Ethiopia creates reconciliation council to tackle ethnic violence
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Ethiopia’s parliament on Tuesday approved the creation of a reconciliation commission as the government seeks to end intercommunal ethnic violence, state-affiliated Fana radio said. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has won international praise for his reformist agenda since coming to power in April, including allowing …
Read More »DRCongo frees pro-democracy activists after year in jail
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Four activists of the opposition Filimbi movement were freed in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday after a year in prison, local media reported, days before a much-delayed presidential election. The group’s coordinator Carbone Beni and three of his colleagues were released from …
Read More »African leopards inspire Chinese `Leopard Fitness’ grandpa
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Mi Youren, a 68-year-old pensioner from Jinan, China was watching Animal World on TV when he saw the African leopards chasing antelopes and got an idea. Today, he loves nothing more than to put on a goofy tight leopard costume complete with tail and pointy …
Read More »Maiden Intra-African Trade Fair held in Egypt
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The first-ever Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) to be held on the continent was held in Cairo, Egypt, between Dec.11-17, with the President of the African Export-Import Bank, Prof. Benedict Oramah, calling for the implementation of initiatives that will add meaning to that African Continental Free …
Read More »Madagascar’s Ravalomanana sees ‘injustice’ in poll results
Antananarivo, Madagascar | AFP | Marc Ravalomanana, the former Madagascar president who has sought another term, urged supporters Sunday to protest as he appeared headed for defeat in a run-off poll. “I call on all Madagascans who feel they have suffered injustice and a violation of their right to vote …
Read More »Burundi military opposes Somali withdrawal plan
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | The Burundi army on Sunday said it opposed a request by the African Union that it withdraw 1,000 soldiers serving in an African peacekeeping force in Somalia by February 28. Burundi army spokesman Colonel Floribert Biyereke said in a statement that the military would ask …
Read More »Egypt security forces kill 14 militants in Sinai
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Egyptian security forces have killed 14 Islamist militants in an exchange of fire in the country’s turbulent northern Sinai region, the interior ministry said Sunday. The militants were under surveillance ahead of security forces raiding their hideout in the town of El-Arish, the ministry said …
Read More »Death toll from Somali bombing rises to 20
Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP | The death toll from a double car-bomb attack near the presidential palace in Somalia rose to 20 on Sunday, police said. Police on Saturday had said seven people were killed following the two blasts in Mogadishu, which were claimed by the jihadist Shabaab group. “The …
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