Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian migrants expressed relief as they arrived home on Tuesday from Libya, describing the “hell” of harsh conditions in detention camps where they had been held. African heads of state have condemned the treatment of undocumented migrants in Libya, including widespread violence and apparent slave trading. …
Read More »Who are the 4 Ugandans eyeing Africa’s Prize for Engineering Innovation?
Cape Town, South Africa | THE INDEPENDENT | Four young Ugandans have started a six month training and mentoring programme after they recently made the shortlist of the prestigious Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation. The four Ugandans are among 16 talented engineers selected from Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa …
Read More »Deutsche Welle launches debate platform for young Africans
BONN, Germany | THE INDEPENDENT | Deutsche Welle has launced a new debate platform for young Africans dubbed “The 77 percent” to encourage conversations about all issues that affect the continent. The multimedia project for young people in Africa that kicked off on December 4, will be presented in six …
Read More »Morocco’s king warns Trump against Jerusalem embassy move
Rabat, Morocco | AFP | Morocco’s King Mohammed VI on Tuesday warned US President Donald Trump against moving the American embassy to the contested holy city of Jerusalem. Trump informed Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas by phone of his intention to move the embassy from Tel Aviv, Abbas’s office said Tuesday. In …
Read More »Guinea president confirms February 4 local elections
Conakry, Guinea | AFP | President Alpha Conde of Guinea has given the green light for local elections to be held on February 4, 2018, the first such vote for the country’s 342 voting districts since 2005. Conde signed a decree released late on Monday that notified the National Independent Electoral …
Read More »Mnangagwa urges public unity as cabinet sworn in
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s new president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, called for public unity to revive the country’s sickly economy as his new cabinet took office on Monday. “I have sworn in a new cabinet just to finish the term of the former president, which is a period of six to …
Read More »World AIDS chief warns of risk for Africa’s child brides
Abidjan, Ivory Coast | AFP | The head of the UN’s AIDS agency on Monday urged African countries to protect young women and children who are bearing the brunt of the continent’s AIDS epidemic. A sharp rise of people living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has now slowed, “but now …
Read More »Switzerland to return $320m stolen by Nigerian dictator
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Around $321 million in public funds stolen by former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha will be returned to the African country, Switzerland said Monday. The money, originally deposited in Luxembourg, was confiscated by a Swiss court in late 2014 and in March last year the two …
Read More »Sierra Leone opposition ‘satisfied’ with police chief sacking
Freetown, Sierra Leone | AFP | Sierra Leone’s opposition on Monday said it welcomed the replacement of the country’s police chief following his sacking amid accusations of institutional political bias and endemic corruption. Former Inspector General of Police Francis Munu was reassigned to an ambassadorial post in neighbouring Liberia after being …
Read More »Broke South Sudan spends millions on surveillance drones
Juba, South Sudan | AFP | Cash-strapped South Sudan has spent millions of dollars on Israeli surveillance drones and security cameras aimed at fighting rampant crime in the capital Juba, officials said Monday. The first two drones and 11 cameras will be deployed by Israeli company Global Group, President Salva …
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