Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir Tuesday ordered the release of political detainees, weeks after massive arrests in a crackdown on anti-government protests. Security agents arrested hundreds of opposition leaders, activists, protesters in January in an attempt to curb demonstrations over rising food prices, including bread. “President …
Read More »With a handshake, Kenya leaves behind divisive poll
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | It was a handshake that drew a line under Kenya’s bruising election, left many people bewildered and swung open the starting gate for the 2022 presidential race. After months of insults during a deadly and divisive election, the two heirs of Kenya’s most powerful political …
Read More »Gunmen kill mayor in Burkina Faso
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso | AFP | A mayor in northern Burkina Faso has been shot dead by “unidentified armed individuals” in a zone bordering Mali repeatedly targeted by jihadists, security sources told AFP on Monday. Hamidou Koundaba, the mayor of the Koutougou department in Soum province, was “coldly killed” when …
Read More »Mexican president orders review of cooperation with US
Mexico City, Mexico | AFP | Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has ordered his government to carry out a sweeping review of its cooperation with the neighboring United States, his office said Monday, as tensions rise with the Donald Trump administration. The move comes days after Trump ordered thousands of …
Read More »Why FBI raided offices of Trump’s personal lawyer
Washington, United States | AFP | A furious Donald Trump blasted the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller as a “disgrace” and a “witch hunt” Monday after FBI agents raided the New York offices of the president’s longtime personal lawyer Michael Cohen. Agents seized files relating to Cohen’s work, …
Read More »Zuckerberg testimony to Congress: ‘My mistake, I’m sorry’
Washington, United States | AFP | Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg says he accepts responsibility for the social network’s failure to protect private data and prevent manipulation of the platform, according to testimony released Monday on the eve of his first Congressional appearance. “We didn’t take a broad enough view of …
Read More »Over 4,000 Chadian refugees in Sudan returned home: UN
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | More than 4,000 Chadian refugees who lived in two camps in Sudan’s war-torn region of Darfur have voluntarily returned to their country since December, the UN refugee agency said Monday. About 4,000 Chadians remain in the state of Central Darfur, most of them having arrived …
Read More »Britain offers expertise for Libya to curb migration
Tripoli, Libya | AFP | A visiting British minister on Monday offered his country’s “technical expertise and practical support” to help curb illegal immigration through Libya, a hub for African migrants bound for Europe. “We discussed how we can help and support those who are working in such a difficult …
Read More »Angolan ex-strongman’s son planned to steal $1.5 bln: govt
Luanda, Angola | AFP | The son of Angola’s former president Jose Eduardo dos Santos planned to siphon off $1.5 billion when he ran the oil-rich country’s sovereign wealth fund, the finance ministry said Monday. The figure is three times higher than an initial sum illegally transferred to a London …
Read More »Former South Sudan military chief Gen Malong launches rebel group
Juba, South Sudan | AFP | South Sudan’s powerful ex-army chief on Monday announced the formation of a rebel movement to “arrest the carnage” in the country, saying President Salva Kiir could not be trusted to lead the nation to peace. Paul Malong, a hardline ethnic nationalist who fled into …
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