Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The Democratic Republic of Congo’s opposition will be allowed to hold a Kinshasa rally on Friday to protest against voting machines they fear will permit fraud in December’s key election, an opposition official said. Political tensions are rising in the DRC before the long-delayed …
Read More »‘Holy plant’: Cannabis legalisation delights South African users
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | A bucket containing a soupy green mixture sits under a table in Nduna Ewrong-Nxumalo’s consultation room in downtown Johannesburg, South Africa’s economic hub. The traditional healer, or sangoma, has trusted and prescribed the pungent mixture — cannabis tea — to his patients for years. …
Read More »Ethiopia lawmakers to appoint new president: state media
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Ethiopian lawmakers on Thursday will meet to appoint a new president, a largely ceremonial post in the Horn of Africa nation, the state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate reported. A session involving both houses of parliament is expected to hear and formally accept the resignation …
Read More »Zimbabwe opposition calls for ‘transitional’ govt to fix crisis
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s main opposition leader Nelson Chamisa called Tuesday for a transitional government to resolve the worsening economic and political crisis engulfing the country. A foreign currency shortage in recent weeks has sparked the worst economic crisis with supplies of fuel, food and pharmaceuticals drying up. …
Read More »US sees promise in Zimbabwe economic moves
Washington, United States | AFP | The top US diplomat for Africa on Tuesday voiced optimism over economic reforms by the new government in Zimbabwe, which remains under sanctions dating from Robert Mugabe’s 37-year reign. Tibor Nagy, the assistant secretary of state for African affairs, said that Zimbabwe’s level of …
Read More »Guinea-Bissau voter census extended, likely postponing vote
Bissau, Guinea-Bissau | AFP | A voter census in Guinea-Bissau has been extended by a month, the government said Monday, likely delaying a crucial legislative vote planned for next month. The vote, seen as a key step towards ending a long-running political crisis in the poor West African country, had …
Read More »UN-AU envoy urges ‘stern action’ against Darfur rebel chief
United Nations, United States | AFP | A special envoy urged the UN Security Council on Monday to consider “stern action” against rebel chief Abdul Wahid Nur for resisting efforts to bring peace to Sudan’s troubled Darfur region. Jeremiah Kingsley Mamabolo, the special representative of the United Nations and African …
Read More »African players in Europe: Salah back on goal trail
Paris, France | AFP | Reigning African Footballer of the Year Mohamed Salah got back on the goal trail at the weekend, scoring the English Premier League winner for Liverpool at Huddersfield. After bagging 44 goals for the Reds in all 2017/2018 competitions, the Egyptian has found defences far harder …
Read More »Security tight as Cameroon’s Biya wins seventh presidential term
Yaoundé, Cameroon | AFP | Paul Biya, who has ruled Cameroon with an iron fist since 1982, on Monday won a landslide victory in a controversial presidential election, as the government tightened security in the capital and gunfire erupted in the volatile Anglophone region. The Constitutional Council, dominated by Biya …
Read More »MIGINGO ISLAND: A rocky marriage between Uganda and Kenya
Migingo (between Kenya and Uganda), Undefined | AFP | A rounded rocky outcrop covered with metallic shacks, Migingo Island rises out of the waters of Lake Victoria like an iron-plated turtle. The densely populated island is barely a quarter of a hectare large, its residents crammed into a hodge-podge of …
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