Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Sixty South Sudanese soldiers have been tried before a court martial for alleged crimes committed during last month’s fighting in the capital Juba, the army spokesman said Monday. Brigadier-General Lul Ruai Koang told AFP they include looting, murder, shooting and loitering with at least two …
Read More »Gabon’s Ali Bongo vows to ‘calmly’ await election results
Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Gabon’s President Ali Bongo said Sunday that he is “calmly” waiting for the result of the country’s presidential election to be published, after his rival Jean Ping claimed victory following Saturday’s vote. “We respect the law… so we are waiting calmly for Cenap (the national …
Read More »Japan PM pledges to invest $30 bn in Africa by 2018
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Japan will pour $30 billion of investments into Africa by 2018, including $10 billion in infrastructure development, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Saturday at a summit in Nairobi. Abe is using the conference to meet dozens of leaders from across Africa, among them Kenya’s President …
Read More »Africa should have permanent seat at Security Council – Japan
Nairobi, KENYA | PPU The 6th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) has opened in Nairobi, Kenya with a call by the Japanese Prime Minister Chinzo Abe for Africa to be given a permanent slot on the United Nations Security Council. Speaking at the opening ceremony at the Kenyatta International Conference …
Read More »Machar discharged from Khartoum hospital: aides
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | South Sudan’s former rebel leader Riek Machar has been discharged from hospital in Khartoum after being treated for a swollen leg, his aides told AFP on Friday. Machar was replaced by Taban Deng Gai as South Sudan’s first vice president after hundreds of people died …
Read More »Zimbabwe police fire tear gas, beat anti-Mugabe marchers
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Riot police in Zimbabwe fired tear gas, beat up protesters and blocked off the site of an opposition rally in Harare on Friday, the latest in a string of demonstrations to hit the country. The rally — which was authorised by a court — …
Read More »USAID gives $3million for refugees flocking to Uganda
The US Mission to Uganda has announced a donation of $3 million to the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) in support of refugees in Uganda. The large and sudden influx of South Sudanese refugees—totaling more than 82,000 since July 1, 2016—has strained WFP’s existing resources. Uganda currently hosts more than 620,000 …
Read More »About 243,000 South Sudanese refugees in Sudan
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | About 243,000 South Sudanese refugees have arrived in Sudan, including tens of thousands in war-torn Darfur, since a civil war erupted in their country in December 2013, the UN said Thursday. South Sudan won independence from Sudan in 2011 but two years later it fell …
Read More »Five things to know about Gabon ahead of elections
LIBREVILLE, Gabon | AFP | One of Africa’s largest oil producers and among the continent’s wealthier nations, small lush Gabon holds a presidential election Saturday at a time of rising social tension due to the global slump in oil prices. The vote sees one of the strongest challenges yet to …
Read More »Olympics protest runner Lilesa fails to return to Ethiopia
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Olympic marathon silver medallist Feyisa Lilesa failed to return to Ethiopia Monday night despite assurances he would not be punished for his Rio protest over political repression in his country. An AFP journalist at the airport in Addis Ababa said Lilesa was not onboard …
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