AFRICA

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP |  The Congolese health minister on Saturday declared the end of an Ebola outbreak in a remote northeastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo which caused four deaths in the area. On May 12, officials declared an outbreak of the highly contagious disease, the …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria on Thursday began to export yams to Europe and the United States, as part of moves to diversify its oil-dependent economy and earn much-needed foreign exchange. Agriculture minister Audu Ogbeh flagged off the first consignment of the fibrous tuber from the port in the …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  Kenya has delayed plans to export its first oil in June by three months to better negotiate revenue sharing with the local community, the country’s energy minister said Thursday. The announcement comes after reports in local media of security challenges in the arid northwestern Turkana …

Masire a true comrade in struggle, says Mugabe and Nujoma Kanye, Botswana| BOPA |  The late former Botswana President, Sir Ketumile Masire has been hailed as an asset to Southern Africa, and that he will always be cherished for his selfless contribution to the socio-economic and political development of the region. Delivering a …

Gaborone, Botswana | AFP |  Botswana’s government has moved to crack down on the multi-billion dollar trade in donkey skins following a spate of killings of the animals across the country fuelled by soaring demand from China. Export licences for donkeys and their products have been suspended indefinitely, the Ministry …

Abuja, Nigeria | AFP |  Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday faced a fresh call to quit, nearly two months after he left the country on indefinite sick leave. “I want to say that it’s time that the president throws in the towel and resigns and allows his country to …

Botswana’s third President Festus Mogae has described Sir Ketumile’s leadership as “democratic to a fault.” Former President Mogae described Sir Ketumile Masire, Botswana’s second post-independence leader who died last week, as humble, considerate and very humorous. “His obsession was farming and food production,” he said at a memorial service to …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  Tanzania’s President John Magufuli plans to speed up the building of a hydroelectric dam in one of Africa’s largest game reserves, despite criticism from environmentalists and UNESCO. The long-planned dam in the Selous Game Reserve, already listed as a UNESCO world heritage site in danger, …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  The generic version of the most advanced drug against HIV has been introduced in Kenya, a first in Africa where more than 25 million have the disease, the NGO Unitaid said Wednesday. The drug, Dolutegravir (DTG) is the anti-retroviral drug of choice for those living …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Eight people, including four children returning to school after Eid celebrations, were killed Tuesday by a roadside bomb in eastern Kenya near the border with Somalia, police said. “We have eight victims — four children and four police,” a police spokesman told AFP following the explosion …