Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe was on Saturday due to begin a period of national mourning following the death of Robert Mugabe, the former guerrilla hero turned despot who ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years. As Zimbabweans expressed sharply divided opinions about Mugabe, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said his predecessor had been declared …
Read More »First Ebola cases surface in DR Congo’s South Kivu province
Bukavu, DR Congo | AFP | A woman has died of Ebola and her infant son was diagnosed with the virus in the first confirmed cases in DR Congo’s South Kivu province, reviving fears Friday the highly contagious disease could spread through the region. The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ebola epidemic …
Read More »Tributes after top West African singer DJ Arafat dies in crash
Abidjan, Ivory Coast | AFP | DJ Arafat, an Ivorian singer with a huge following in francophone Africa, has died after a road accident in Abidjan, evoking a wave of tributes to the award-winning star of the “coupe-decale” dance genre. “Death of artist DJ Arafat… today at 8am as a result …
Read More »DR Congo makes new push to fight year-old Ebola epidemic
Goma, DR Congo | AFP | An Ebola epidemic raging in eastern DR Congo marks its first year on Thursday in a mood of fear mingled with hope that fresh money and a change of leadership will turn the tide. So far, 1,790 people have died of the dreaded haemorrhagic virus …
Read More »Gambia ex-president accused of ordering murder of two US businessmen
Banjul, Gambia | AFP | Former members of a Gambian death squad known as the Junglers on Thursday accused ex-president Yahya Jammeh of ordering the murder of two US citizens in 2013, having already confessed to the killing of a well known journalist. Since Monday, Gambians have been gripped by live …
Read More »Khartoum residents in ‘state of terror’ after bloody crackdown.
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Heavily armed paramilitaries roamed the Sudanese capital Thursday, forcing fearful residents to hide indoors after a crackdown on protesters that authorities admitted had left dozens dead and prompted the African Union to suspend Khartoum. Members of the Rapid Support Forces, who rights groups say have their …
Read More »Ex-UEFA president Johansson dies at 89
Stockholm, Sweden | AFP | Lennart Johansson, who was president of European football body UEFA from 1990 to 2007, has died at the age of 89, the Swedish football federation said on Wednesday. “Swedish football is in mourning. Lennart Johansson has died. He passed away on the evening of June 4 …
Read More »Five dead, 50 missing after fresh landslides in Bududa
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | At least five people have been confirmed dead following fresh landslides in Bududa district. More than 50 others are reported missing since the landslide that came with a heavy downpour on Tuesday evening. About 150 houses were reportedly razed by the landslides. The office of …
Read More »Mozambique islamists step up attacks after cyclone
Maputo, Mozambique | AFP | Islamist insurgents have resumed attacks in northern Mozambique after a cyclone last month, killing nearly two dozen villagers and torching homes in a mounting political threat in the run-up to a general election. A shadowy jihadist group that has targeted Cabo Delgado province since October 2017 …
Read More »Uganda mourns Ambassador Julius Onen
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Tributes have started flowing following the passing away of Ambassador Julius Onen, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives. “This is sad and very painful to loose ladit Onen, a very accomplished public servant. We pray for his family in this trying moment,” said …
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