Rabat, Morocco | AFP | Morocco’s King Mohammed VI on Monday visited Gabon’s President Ali Bongo at a military hospital in Rabat where the Gabonese leader is recovering from an illness, an official source said. During the visit, the king said he was pleased about the state of Bongo’s health …
Read More »Kenya joins Uganda in Africa Cup of Nations, Tanzania wait
Kenya to play in Africa Cup of Nations after Sierra Leone disqualified Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenya will compete in the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 15 years, after Sierra Leone was disqualified by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). They join East African colleagues …
Read More »New Malawi law aims to end political handouts
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Malawi has passed a law that will ban politicians using cash payments and other incentives to buy support ahead of key polls due in May next year. The Political Parties Act, which came into force on Saturday, will see candidates convicted of improperly swaying …
Read More »Nigerian president denies rumours surrounding his ill health
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday quashed a rumour stemming from his ill health that he had died and been replaced by a lookalike impostor from Sudan, his spokesman said. “It’s real me, I assure you. I will soon celebrate my 76th birthday and I …
Read More »Burundi ex-president Buyoya denounces warrant
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Burundi’s former president Pierre Buyoya on Sunday denounced as politically motivated a warrant issued against him for his alleged role in the assassination of his country’s first democratically elected leader. On Friday, Burundi issued an international arrest warrant against Buyoya, 11 former senior officials and five …
Read More »Morocco launches Africa’s first high-speed train
Kampala, Uganda | AGENCIES | Morocco’s King Mohammed VI and French President Emmanuel Macron launched on Nov.15 the first high-speed train in Africa. The Moroccan king and Macron took the train from the northern city of Tangier to arrive in the capital Rabat, in a ride that lasted 80 minutes, compared …
Read More »South Africa eyes bid for 2019 Cup of Nations
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa’s football association (SAFA) said on Sunday it is considering making a bid to host the Africa Cup of Nations in 2019 after Cameroon was dramatically stripped of the continental showpiece. Though South Africa has much of the necessary infrastructure after hosting the 2010 …
Read More »Niger reports sharp drop in new AIDS infections
Niamey, Niger | AFP | The number of new AIDS infections in Niger dropped by more than two thirds between 2012 and 2016, the health ministry said Saturday, in a statement marking World AIDS day. Health Minister Idi Illiassou said new infections in the four-year period under review fell from …
Read More »In S.Africa, Zuma’s graft case postponed to May
Pietermaritzburg, South Africa | AFP | Former South African president Jacob Zuma will return to court in May for a hearing on whether corruption charges against him should be dropped, a judge ruled on Friday. Zuma, who served as president from 2009 until February, is battling to quash charges against …
Read More »Six killed as rebels hit army posts near Lake Edward
Goma, DR Congo | AFP | At least three soldiers and three civilians have been killed in a rebel attack on the shores of Lake Edward in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s restive east, civilian and military sources said Friday. “We have three dead (soldiers) and four wounded,” an …
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