United Nations, United States | AFP | Burundi on Monday barred three United Nations rights experts who had accused the government in Bujumbura of being responsible for abuses and warned of a danger of genocide from the violence. In a letter sent by Foreign Minister Alain Aime Nyamitwe and seen …
Read More »Merkel announces aid package for Niger to stem migrant flow
Niamey, Niger | AFP | German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday announced a 27-million-euro aid package for Niger, her second stop in a three-nation Africa tour aimed at fighting terrorism and stemming the migrant influx to Europe. The German leader said the army of the arid west African country, one …
Read More »Pope’s new C.Africa cardinal brings fresh hope of peace
Bangui, Central African Republic | AFP | Pope Francis has brought fresh hopes of peace to the war-ravaged Central African Republic, with Christians and Muslims praising his decision to name Bangui’s archbishop a cardinal as a step to ending sectarian violence. Aged only 49, Archbishop Dieudonne Nzapalainga will be the …
Read More »Kagame warns of ‘showdown’ with France over genocide probe
Kigali, Rwanda | AFP | Rwandan leader Paul Kagame warned Monday of a “showdown” with Paris after French investigators last week said they would reopen a probe into the genocide-triggering assassination of president Juvenal Habyarimana. The shooting down of Habyarimana’s French-crewed plane on April 6, 1994, kickstarted the genocide that …
Read More »Police detain Nigerian judges in corruption probe
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian judges will hold emergency talks Tuesday following the “deeply regrettable” detention of several judges by secret police in a corruption probe, the country’s chief justice said Monday. At least seven judges were detained by Nigerian security forces over the weekend in connection with allegedly …
Read More »Ethiopia blames ‘foreign enemies’ for unrest
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Ethiopia said Monday that “foreign enemies” like Egypt were behind an unprecedented wave of protests that has prompted the government to declare a six-month state of emergency. Ethiopia’s government is facing the biggest challenge of its 25 years in power, with anti-government protests spreading, …
Read More »At least 10 dead as army, Ugandan rebels clash in DR Congo
Goma, DR Congo | AFP | At least 10 people were killed Sunday night in clashes between the army and suspected Ugandan rebels in east DR Congo, activists said, in an area that has suffered a string of massacres since 2014. “Suspected ADF (Allied Democratic Forces) attacked Beni from the …
Read More »Senior Mozambique opposition member shot dead
Maputo, Mozambique | AFP | A senior member of Mozambique’s main opposition party Renamo who was negotiating in key peace talks with the government has been shot dead by unidentified gunmen, his party said Sunday. Jeremias Pondeca was killed on Saturday as he was out jogging. The announcement of his …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Egypt military seen as expanding economic share
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | As Egypt braces for austerity reforms, the military has expanded its economic role, at times helping President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi assuage the impact of rising prices on the country’s poor. For decades, the military — which produced all but one president since 1952 — has …
Read More »Burundi wants to quit ICC to avoid possible charges
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Burundi announced plans Friday to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), a week after the UN began an enquiry into human rights abuses committed since April 2015. “It is perfectly clear that this is a plot to do harm to Burundi,” said Gaston …
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