AFRICA

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | A bloody clash between the army and police in Nigeria’s restive northeastern Yobe state on Wednesday left one soldier and three police dead, a security source told AFP. The police confirmed the fracas in the state capital of Damaturu, but did not say if there were …

Banjul, Gambia | AFP | The Gambia’s first female barrister was sworn in Tuesday as National Assembly speaker, days after the African country’s United Democratic Party (UDP) emerged from decades in opposition to win an absolute parliamentary majority. Mariam Jack Denton, the first woman to be called to the Gambian Bar, …

Lusaka, Zambia | AFP | Zambian opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema, who has refused to accept the result of last year’s presidential election, was detained Tuesday on treason charges, his lawyer said. Police were not immediately available to confirm the charges, which came after a dispute over Hichilema’s vehicles allegedly obstructing President …

Why African countries banning imports of fruit and veg is a blunt tool Zambia’s government has just banned the imports of some farm produce as a way of promoting the growth of the agriculture sector. The Conversation Africa’s Samantha Spooner asked Calestous Juma, Professor of the Practice of International Development, …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | South Sudanese villagers are eating leaves from trees and precious seed stocks as food runs out in areas where famine has not been declared, a humanitarian aid group said Monday. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said villages outside Aweil Centre County in the north of …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Corruption watchdogs alleged Monday that Shell executives knew that money earmarked for a controversial oil deal was being used to bribe senior Nigerian officials, a claim rebuffed by the petroleum giant. The allegations by Global Witness and Finance Uncovered refer to the 2011 purchase by oil …

Juba, South Sudan | AFP | At least 16 civilians were killed in fighting Monday between government troops and rebels in South Sudan’s second-largest city Wau, the United Nations peacekeeping mission (UNMISS) said in a statement. The violence stemmed from an ambush Sunday of government troops near the city, leading …

Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP | Somalia’s new army chief escaped a car bombing Sunday that killed at least 10 people in a bloody response by Shabaab militants to the president’s declaration of war on the group. A suicide bomber drove a car packed with explosives into Ahmed Mohamed Jimale’s convoy …

President launches Ecosystem of Pan-African transformation The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), in partnership with the Government of Rwanda, recently announced the launch of AIMS in Rwanda, a world class ecosystem of pan-African transformation through mathematical sciences. The official launch took place at the Kigali Convention Centre (KCC), with …

State of emergency in Egypt after IS church bombings kill 44 Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced a three-month state of emergency following twin church bombings by the Islamic State group that killed dozens on Palm Sunday, the deadliest attacks on the minority in recent …