AFRICA

Abuja, Nigeria | AFP |  The claims read like the plot of a best-selling thriller, with secretive arms dealers and a corruption-riddled government fighting jihadists. The weapons deal collapses in acrimony but instead of a shoot-out, the embittered parties fight it out in court. In this real life saga, Ara …

Oslo, Norway | AFP |  A British-Norwegian dual citizen who was serving a life sentence for murder and espionage in a Congolose prison was released and returned to Norway on Wednesday, authorities said. Joshua French, 35, was sentenced to life in prison in 2013 for the murder of his cellmate …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP |  Rebels from an outlawed political-religious group attacked Kinshasa’s central prison on Wednesday, breaking out their leader and about 50 other prisoners, the Congolese government said. “Followers of the Bundu Dia Kongo (BDK) attacked Makala prison at dawn and broke out around 50 prisoners including …

Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP |  At least three members of the Somali security forces were killed Wednesday as they tried to defuse a bomb inside a vehicle in the capital Mogadishu, police said. “The vehicle was seized and the security forces were trying to defuse the bomb inside when it …

Abuja, Nigeria | AFP |  Nigerian troops have been told not to get involved in politics, the army said Tuesday, in a warning likely to resonate given the country’s history of coups and with the president currently abroad and ailing. Army spokesman Sani Usman said the Chief of Army Staff, …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  At least four people died on Tuesday when their vehicle set off an improvised explosive device in a small Kenyan town near the border with Somalia, police said. The blast was the second in two days to hit border towns after suspected Shabaab militants attacked …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP |  South Africa’s highest court weighed Monday whether lawmakers can cast secret ballots in a no-confidence vote in President Jacob Zuma, who faces growing criticism within the ruling ANC. Several hundred protesters marched to the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg in the latest demonstrations against Zuma, …

Banjul, Gambia | AFP |  The Gambia’s president swore in six new judges to top courts Monday, with Gambians dominating the list in a country that long relied on foreign justices under the former regime. Courts were long seen as a tool used by The Gambia’s ex-leader Yahya Jammeh to …

Bouaké, Ivory Coast | AFP |  Heavy gunfire rang out Monday in Ivory Coast’s two biggest cities as a four-day mutiny by disgruntled soldiers spread nationwide but the government claimed a deal to end the crisis had been reached. Banks, offices and department stores closed in the heart of the …

Beijing, CHINA | PSCU| China’s vision of an interconnected world with enhanced trade supports the African desire for shared prosperity, Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta has said. Kenyatta, who spoke during a roundtable summit of Heads of State and Government held at the Yanqi Lake Conference Centre, said Africa stands a chance …