Kabul, Afghanistan | AFP | An Islamic State suicide bomber killed at least 48 people including women and children and wounded 112 outside a voter registration centre in the Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday in the latest attack on election preparations. The assaults underscore growing concerns about security in the lead-up …
Read More »At least 27 killed in gang violence in northern Nigeria
Kano, Nigeria | AFP | A fresh outbreak of gang violence in northern Nigeria has left at least 27 people dead, locals told AFP on Friday, highlighting the volatile security situation in West Africa’s largest economy. On Thursday suspected cattle thieves launched reprisal attacks on two villages in northern Nigeria’s …
Read More »S. Africa leader curtails Britain trip over unrest at home
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has cut short his participation in the Commonwealth summit in Britain to tackle violent demonstrations at home, his office said, in one of the first major challenges of his new presidency. Ramaphosa, who took office in February with promises …
Read More »Burundi MPs approve police searches without warrants
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | The lower house of Burundi’s parliament has voted to allow security forces in the politically tense nation to conduct night raids without a search warrant. The draft law changing the criminal code was passed late Wednesday in the lower house, with 90 votes in …
Read More »Hundreds displaced by DRC violence return home
Bunia, DR Congo | AFP | A first group of around 600 people who fled deadly violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo in early February returned to their homes in the northeast on Tuesday, authorities said. They returned voluntarily, said Laurent Chelo, secretary general of the social affairs ministry. …
Read More »Calls for ‘proof of life’ after Chibok girls death claims
Kano, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria is facing calls to establish how many of the missing Chibok schoolgirls are still alive, after claims that nearly 100 of them may have lost their lives in captivity. Parents of the missing girls and supporters gathered in the small town in remote northeast …
Read More »Nigerian media under scrutiny over herder-farmer conflict
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | A photograph of a man with an assault rifle in front of cattle is frequently used to illustrate Nigerian media stories about bloody clashes between farmers and herders. Another shows men armed with machetes on the rampage. The issue with both is they have nothing …
Read More »Egypt extends state of emergency
2106, Egypt | AFP | Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi extended for three months from Saturday a state of emergency for the fourth time since it was first declared last year, the official gazette said. A nationwide state of emergency was first imposed in April last year after two church bombings …
Read More »Aid conference for DR Congo expected to draw $530 mn in pledges: UN
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Donors gathered in Geneva Friday were expected to cough up pledges of $530 million (430 million euros) towards addressing a towering humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the UN said. The amount was less than a quarter of the some $2.2 billion the …
Read More »UK govt agrees on ‘need to take action’ over Syria
London, United Kingdom | AFP | The British government on Thursday agreed on the “need to take action” alongside the US and France over a chemical weapons attack in Syria, Prime Minister Theresa May’s office said. “Cabinet agreed on the need to take action to alleviate humanitarian distress and to …
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