AFRICA

Rabat, Morocco | AFP | King Mohammed VI of Morocco on Saturday pardoned more than a thousand people who were under arrest for taking part in protests in the troubled northern Rif region, the justice ministry announced. The monarch pardoned a total of 1,178 detainees, including a number who had …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP |  South Africa’s firebrand opposition leader Julius Malema on Saturday accused Zambia’s president of apartheid style repression for detaining a leading opposition politician on treason charges. Hakainde Hichilema, leader of Zambia’s United Party for National Development (UPND), has been in detention since April and Zambian …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP |  Two people were killed in a crash of football fans on Saturday at the South African stadium that hosted the 2010 World Cup final, police and officials said. The incident occurred at a pre-season local derby between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, the country’s …

Kampala, Uganda | AFP |  Milutin “Micho” Sredojevic resigned as Uganda coach on Saturday, six months after leading the team to the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 38 years. The 47-year-old Serbian confirmed he was terminating his contract with the Cranes in a row over unpaid …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  At least one assailant stormed into the home of Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto on Saturday and injured a policeman, less than two weeks before the country votes in high-stakes polls, the police and security sources said. Ruto was not present during the attack, the …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Unknown gunmen attacked the home of Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto on Saturday seriously injuring a policeman, less than two weeks before the country votes in high-stakes polls, two security sources told AFP. Ruto was not home during the attack. An officer from the elite police …

Antananarivo, Madagascar | AFP | A veteran political figure in Madagascar has died of gunshot wounds at his home, police said on Friday, after posting about personal problems on social media. Mamy Rakotoarivelo, a former parliament speaker and a key figure in talks that resolved a political crisis that dogged the …

Devolution has demystified local power and emboldened voters to assert themselves, leading to shocks all the way up the political pyramid Nairobi, Kenya | AFRICAN ARGUMENTS |  Kenya’s 2017 elections are set to be the country’s most interesting yet. The political landscape has shifted, and whatever else these elections turn out to be …

The ruling Patriotic Front’s expulsion of one of its founding members paves the way for President Lungu to be its presidential candidate. But they’d be wrong to think they’ve seen the end of Chishimba Kambwili. Lusaka, Zambia| AFRICAN ARGUMENTS | Last week, Chishimba Kambwili MP, an ambitious firebrand and possible presidential aspirant, was expelled …

Lome, Togo | AFP | Diplomatic talks and visits by experts are gathering pace in Togo as the former French colony looks to follow another Francophone nation and join the Commonwealth. Rwanda joined the 52-member bloc in 2009, 14 years after Portuguese-speaking Mozambique became the first member never to have had …