AFRICA

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso | AFP | Burkina Faso President Roch Marc Christian Kabore on Tuesday implored the country’s army to respect the “rule of law”. The impoverished, landlocked west African country has been blighted by numerous coups and mutinies since gaining independence from France in 1960. Ten days ago the …

Pretoria, South Africa | AFP | South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma launched his court bid Tuesday to block the publication of a potentially explosive report that resulted from a probe of his ties to a powerful family of Indian businessmen. The report investigated allegations that Zuma allowed the Gupta family …

United Nations, United States | AFP | UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday sacked the commander of the peacekeeping force in South Sudan following a damning report showing failure to protect civilians during violence earlier this year in Juba. The report from a UN special investigation found that a lack …

Paris, France | AFP |  Stopping the killing of elephants for their tusks could add some $25 million (23 million euros) to Africa’s annual tourism income, more than offsetting the anti-poaching spend, a study said Tuesday. While the figure pales in comparison to the estimated value of the black market …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | President Barack Obama has extended US sanctions on Sudan for another year, saying Khartoum’s policies remained an “extraordinary threat” to the national security of the United States. Sudan has been subject to a US trade embargo since 1997 for its alleged support for Islamist groups. …

Tanzania’s President John Pombe Magufuli has commended Kenyan counterpart Uhuru Kenyatta’s nomination of Ambassador Amina Mohamed  for the position of African Union Commission Chair and assured her of Tanzania’s endorsement. Amina Mohamed is Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs. She joins the race after the withdrawal of Uganda’s Dr. Wandira …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Faced with its most serious challenge yet, the Ethiopian regime, a crucial Western ally in the fight against terrorism, risks a deepening crisis if promised reforms do not come, researchers and analysts warn. A nationwide state of emergency since October 9 combined with the …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP |  Human Rights Watch on Monday accused Nigerian officials of sexually exploiting women and girls living in camps for victims of Boko Haram in the war-torn northeast. HRW said in July it documented 43 cases of women and girls in seven ‘internally displaced persons’ (IDP) camps …

Bangui, Central African Republic | AFP | The Central African Republic’s capital was rocked by deadly overnight clashes as France’s defence minister arrived to formally end a military operation there, hailing it as a “success”. Local sources said about 10 people had been killed in a settling of scores between armed …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP |  Egypt on Sunday commemorated the first anniversary of the Metrojet Russian airliner crash in the Sinai that killed all 224 people on board. The aviation minister and the Russian ambassador were among those who attended a ceremony in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, …