AFRICA

Dakar, Senegal | AFP | Qatar’s emir landed in Senegal on Wednesday at the start of a six-nation tour of West Africa as Doha seeks out new markets after Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries cut ties with the wealthy emirate. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani’s is expected to visit …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | The European Union called Wednesday for an independent probe into clashes between two of Ethiopia’s largest ethnic groups, which officials say left at least 61 dead last week alone. There have been a string of recent clashes over the border between the two ethnically …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | State employees of the Democratic Republic of Congo helped organise the mission trip of two UN experts to the central Kasai region where they were killed, according to a Reuters and Radio France Internationale (RFI) report. The revelation that “four state agents and associates” …

Soweto, South Africa | AFP | Cyril Ramaphosa’s victory in the ANC leadership battle has sparked renewed hope among many in South Africa’s Soweto township where he grew up — and where frustration with the party has been mounting. “He is a model because he is one person that came …

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso | AFP | Burkina Faso is banning imports from North Korea to comply with tough UN economic sanctions punishing Pyongyang’s weapons programmes, the government said Wednesday. The decision comes after an inquiry by the United States in October showed that Burkina Faso was still trading with North …

Gbarnga, Liberia | AFP | Dekergar Duko, a lean father-of-two who crushes rocks for a living, often reminisces during his days of backbreaking labour about his life under Liberia’s warlord-turned-president, Charles Taylor. Living in a hovel metres (yards) away from the so-called “College of Knowledge” where the dreaded strongman trained child …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | The United Nations’ humanitarian coordinator in South Sudan called Tuesday for the “swift and safe” return of six aid workers who have disappeared in the northwest of the country. The co-ordinator, Alain Noudehou, said in a statement that one international and five national aid workers …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP | An Egyptian military court sentenced a colonel to six years in prison on Tuesday after he announced plans to stand in the 2018 presidential election, his lawyer said. Ahmed Konsowa was given the jail term for “stating political opinions contrary to the requirements of military …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | A day of protest in Democratic Republic of Congo drew a small turnout Tuesday but the opposition vowed to pursue its campaign to unseat President Joseph Kabila over long-delayed polls. Rallies were held in several cities but were attended by only a few dozen …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South African deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa faced wide-ranging challenges Tuesday after being elected to lead the country’s ruling party as it grapples with corruption allegations and disunity. He narrowly won the vote to become head of the African National Congress (ANC) on Monday after …