AFRICA

MALABO, Equatorial Guinea | AFP | Equatorial Guinea’s tough President Teodoro Obiang Nguema seized power almost 37 years ago from a feared and ruthless uncle and has steered the tiny but now oil-rich nation with an iron glove. Already Africa’s longest-serving leader, the 73-year-old looks set to win a fresh …

Juba, South Sudan | AFP | The giants dance barefoot in circles, strips of leopard print skirt flapping, before one lunges in to topple his opponent and thump him down on the grass. There is a wild roar of support from hundreds of supporters crammed into the national football stadium …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Ethiopian troops have crossed into South Sudan in search of children abducted by armed men from across the border last week, a government spokesman said Wednesday. “The army has been conducting reconnaissance missions in South Sudan and they have a clear idea of where …

The Uganda People’s Defence Force (‪UPDF) continues to be rated among the top militaries in Africa and the world. The latest rankings by Global Fire Power (GFP) put the UPDF at 16th in Africa and 92nd in the world. The online rating company Global Fire Power has 126 top countries …

Juba, South Sudan | AFP and agencies | For the second day in a row South Sudan’s rebels have failed to organise their leader’s much-anticipated return to the capital, Juba, after more than two years of war. The government has blamed Riek Machar  (see statements below), accusing him of wanting …

Juba, South Sudan | AFP | Rebel leader Riek Machar’s long-awaited return to the capital of South Sudan was delayed on Monday, his spokesman said, citing “logistical reasons”. “We are committed to the peace agreement, but there have been logistical issues and the first vice president, Riek Machar, will come …

Juba, South Sudan | AFP | South Sudan’s rebel chief Riek Machar is expected to return to the capital Monday for the first time since war began, his spokesman said, a key step in salvaging a floundering peace agreement. Machar’s return as part of the August 2015 peace deal is …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP Armed men from South Sudan have killed around 140 people and kidnapped a number of others in a cross-border raid into Ethiopia, the Ethiopian government said Sunday. Ethnic Murle gunmen “attacked near Gambella and killed close to 140 people. They also abducted some of them,” …

Banjul, Gambia | AFP | A senior figure in Gambia’s main opposition has died in custody after leading a protest for electoral reform and the resignation of strongman President Yahya Jammeh, his party and a rights group said Saturday. Solo Sandeng, who had recently been promoted to organising secretary of …

On the occasion of the 22nd commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, at the UN headquarters in New York, on Monday, Frida Umuhoza, a survivor and author of “Frida: Chosen to Die, Destined to Live,” gave an emotional testimony of her personal experience of the Genocide.  …