Category: Africa
Dozens die of mysterious illness in besieged Sudan town
At least 73 people have died of mysterious causes in the Sudanese town of al-Hilaliya, besieged by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, the Sudanese Doctors Union said late on Wednesday. It is one of dozens of villages that have come under attack in eastern El Gezira state since the defection of a top RSF…
Three killed, 66 injured in Mozambique opposition protest, hospital says
Mozambique’s largest hospital said on Friday that at least three people were killed and 66 injured during clashes between police and protesters the previous day over a disputed election. The fatalities add to at least 18 people killed in earlier protests since the Oct. 9 poll, which the opposition claims was rigged. Some groups have…
Nigeria’s hunger crisis deepens with 33 million at risk, report says
Nigeria faces one of its worst hunger crises with more than 30 million people expected to be food insecure next year, a one third jump from this year due to economic hardship, a joint report by the government and United Nations said on Friday. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, is grappling with a cost of…
Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey elected Commonwealth Secretary-General
Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, has been elected as the new Secretary-General of the Commonwealth. Her selection was confirmed at the 27th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (#CHOGM2024) in Apia, Samoa. Succeeding outgoing Secretary-General Patricia Scotland, Baroness Scotland of the United Kingdom, Botchwey was praised for her leadership and…
Nigerian VP Shettima Cancels Commonwealth Summit Trip Due to Cockpit Damage at JFK
Vice President Kashim Shettima’s planned trip to Samoa for the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit was canceled after a foreign object struck his plane’s cockpit windscreen during a stop at JFK Airport in New York. According to a statement from Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the damage necessitated…
Nigerian Police Disperse #EndSARS Memorial Protesters at Lekki Tollgate with Tear Gas, Arrest Two
On Sunday, Nigerian police officers reportedly fired shots and used tear gas to forcibly disperse #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki Tollgate, now known as the #EndSARS bus stop, in Lagos State. The protesters had gathered to commemorate the victims of the October 2020 #EndSARS movement, which called for an end to police brutality in Nigeria.…
Death Toll Rises to 153 in Nigeria Fuel Tanker ExplosionFuel Tanker Explosion
The death toll from a tragic fuel tanker explosion in northern Nigeria has risen to at least 153, with over 100 people injured, according to police reports. The explosion occurred on Tuesday evening in Majiya, a village in Jigawa state, after the tanker crashed, spilling fuel as locals tried to collect it. Jigawa police spokesperson…
African cities sitting on ‘keg of gunpowder’ as growing youth anger fuels unrest
In some of Africa’s major cities, young people are experiencing a summer of discontent as anger and frustration erupt over corruption, the soaring cost of living, and widespread unemployment. The protests began in Kenya last month, where young people – particularly Gen Z – engaged in six weeks of demonstrations over an unpopular bill that…
Massacre in Burkina Faso left 600 dead, double previous estimates, according to French security assessment
Up to 600 people were shot dead in a matter of hours by al Qaeda-linked militants in an August attack on a town in Burkina Faso, according to a French government security assessment that nearly doubles the death toll cited in earlier reports. The new figure would make the assault, in which civilians were shot…
Britain agrees Chagos Island sovereignty deal with Mauritius
Britain said on Thursday it would give up sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in a deal that would allow people displaced decades ago to return home while London retains use of the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia. Britain said that the operation of Diego Garcia, a strategic military base jointly operated with…