AFRICA

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | At least two people were wounded as police fired live bullets and tear gas Sunday to break up a banned protest against DR Congo President Joseph Kabila in Kisangani, the country’s third largest city, as tensions mounted nationwide. An AFP journalist in the northeastern …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Tensions soared in Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday as hundreds of ruling party supporters stormed Kinshasa cathedral after authorities banned a planned church-backed rally against President Joseph Kabila. The incident came as the chronically unstable nation braced for more unrest following months of tension …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo have banned a protest march planned Sunday against President Joseph Kabila, after two similar rallies were brutally put down last month. Kinshasa governor Andre Kimbuta told the Catholic organisers in a letter on Saturday that without …

Bangui, Central African Republic | AFP | The government of Central African Republic deployed troops alongside United Nations peacekeepers Saturday to a flashpoint district on Bangui after clashes between rival groups left at least three people dead. “The government must restore peace,” said security minister General Henri Wanzet Liguissara in …

Busia, Uganda | PSCU | Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta has said integration of the East African region will be achieved with the development of shared infrastructure and political commitment of regional leaders. He said the region must integrate to be a truly bigger market, and economically attractive to compete with …

Harare, ZIMBABWE | AFP | Zimbabwe’s former president Robert Mugabe celebrated his 94th birthday on Saturday with a private black-tie party hosted by his family, three months after he was ousted from power. Mugabe’s birthday was previously a major public event in Zimbabwe, marked by an outpouring of fawning congratulations …

Cairo, EGYPT | AFP | Campaigning began in Egypt’s presidential election on Saturday with incumbent Abdel Fattah al-Sisi likely to romp to victory in the absence of a serious challenger in the two-candidate race. The former army chief will face the head of the liberal Ghad party, Mussa Mustapha Mussa, …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | A protest march by opponents of DR Congo President Joseph Kabila looked set to go ahead Sunday after authorities and organisers failed to agree an official route, after two similar rallies were brutally put down last month. Kinshasa governor Andre Kimbuta on Saturday invited …

Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA | AFP | Ethiopia’s ruling coalition will meet to choose a new prime minister next week, a party official said on Saturday. Hailemariam Desalegn resigned as prime minister last week after ordering a mass prisoner amnesty and days of protest in Africa’s second most-populous country. A state …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Seven suspects accused of killing five South African policemen were shot dead by officers late on Friday in a bloody gunfight outside a church, according to investigators. The shoot-out erupted when police hunted down the armed gang that is alleged to have stormed a …