AFRICA

Luanda, Angola | AFP | Angola has suffered a week of fuel shortages, a bitter irony for one of Africa’s leading oil producers, and a hardship that some people blame on opponents of President Joao Lourenco. The majority of petrol stations in the capital Luanda have had long lines of motorists …

Rome, Italy | AFP | A group of 162 “vulnerable” refugees were flown directly from Libya to Italy on Friday for the first time, a day hailed as “historic” by Interior Minister Marco Minniti. “For the first time a humanitarian corridor has been opened from Libya to Europe. It’s a start,” …

Bamako, Mali | AFP | Mali’s army said Thursday it killed five jihadists but lost one soldier repelling an attack in the centre of the vast, landlocked nation. The assault happened at a military outpost near the remote town of Niono at around 0130 GMT, a military statement said. The …

Tunis, Tunisia | AFP | Tunisia’s minister for women said Friday more needs to be done to promote female civil servants to top jobs after a study showed that few reach the most senior positions. Just 37 percent of Tunisia’s 630,000 civil servants are women, said Khaoula Labidi, who coordinated …

Monrovia, Liberia | AFP | Liberia’s ruling United Party said Friday it would not appeal the top court’s rejection of its legal challenge to delay an upcoming presidential run-off vote, seen as a crucial test to the crisis-hit country’s stability. The party of Vice-President Joseph Boakai, one of the two …

Niamey, Niger | AFP | President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Niger late Friday for a morale-boosting trip that will see him have Christmas dinner with some members of France’s 4,000-strong Barkhane anti-jihadist force. Former colonial power France has been leading regional counterterrorism efforts in West Africa’s Sahel region, but is …

Kano, Nigeria | AFP | A surge in Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria’s restive northeast despite a sustained military offensive against the jihadists is being driven by a need to replenish food and weapon supplies, security and local sources say. In recent months, fighters from two of the main factions …

Pretoria, South Africa | AFP | South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma challenged on Friday a court ruling which ordered him to launch a legal probe into corruption allegations against him, according to legal documents. The North Gauteng High Court last week ordered Zuma to appoint a judicial inquiry within 30 …

Pretoria, South Africa | AFP | Zimbabwe’s new leader on Thursday appealed to millions of nationals who fled economic decline and political turmoil to return home and help rebuild the nation following the fall of Robert Mugabe. Emmerson Mnangagwa, 75, took over from the long-time leader who resigned on November 21 …

Aba, DR Congo | AFP | As South Sudan’s warring parties haggled over a ceasefire deal this week, dozens of refugees streamed into neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, fleeing what they said was a fresh government offensive. The apparent push to recapture the key rebel stronghold of Lasu came as …