AFRICA

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP |  Thousands of doses of Ebola vaccine arrived Wednesday in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is facing an outbreak of the deadly virus, the health ministry said. Congolese authorities declared the outbreak in the northwest region near Congo-Brazzaville on May 8, and three have …

Democracy from below could be the antidote to addiction to power by leaders who refuse to leave office COMMENT | KEALEBOGA J MAPHUNYE | Some African countries have recorded democratic victories in the past 12 months. Ethiopia has a new leader whose ascent holds great promise for change, despite the country’s …

Lusaka, Zambia | AFP | Zambian authorities on Wednesday arrested singer and activist Chama Fumba at Lusaka airport in a move condemned by Amnesty as a “shocking demonstration” of the government’s intolerance of criticism. Fumba, popularly known as Pilato, was picked up by plain-clothed police officers as he arrived home …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP |  Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Wednesday that a “breakthrough” had been reached in talks with Sudan and Ethiopia over a controversial dam the latter is building on the Nile. The progress, which he did not specify, took place over the last two days …

Kenyan president signs controversial cyber-crimes law Nairobi, Kenya |  AFP |   Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday signed into law a sweeping cyber-crimes act criminalising fake news and online bullying, with clauses that critics argue could stifle press freedom. The bill imposes stiff fines and jail terms for hacking, computer …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Three months ago, Jacob Zuma was ousted as president of South Africa, in a humiliating end to his nine-year rule. But he and his supporters seem determined to not go quietly. Zuma reluctantly resigned from office after the ruling ANC party turned against him …

Accra, Ghana | AFP | A paramilitary unit controlled by former Gambian president Yahya Jammeh was accused Wednesday by rights groups of being behind the killings of more than 50 West African migrants in 2005. Human Rights Watch and TRIAL International said they interviewed 30 former Gambian officials, including 11 …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudanese police lashed a woman 75 times on Tuesday after a court found her guilty of marrying a man without her father’s consent, her lawyer and rights activists said. The woman, a native of the war-torn Darfur region, was flogged at a police station in …

United Nations, United States | AFP |  A UN-backed peacekeeping mission in Somalia, which faces attacks by an Al-Qaeda affiliate, received unanimous Security Council backing Tuesday until July 31. The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), with about 21,600 troops, operates with the approval of the UN and relies on …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Burundians on Thursday will vote in a referendum on sweeping constitutional reforms that would shore up the power of President Pierre Nkurunziza and enable him to rule until 2034. With opponents cowed, beaten, killed or living in exile, there seems little doubt the amendments will …