Vote counting has now began in Zambia following the successful staging of the southern African nation’s general elections. After 12 hours of voting, polling stations started closing at 6 pm (1600 GMT), though several hundreds still in queues were being allowed to cast their ballots. Some voters complained about the slow pace of the voting…
Sudan and the International Criminal Court signed a cooperation deal Thursday as one step further towards ex-dictator Omar al-Bashir facing trial for genocide in the Darfur conflict. ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan, who described the Darfur civil war as a “dark chapter” in Sudan’s history, said plans were underway for The Hague-based ICC to open…
Chad marks 61 years of independence with a large military parade in N’Djamena in the presence of Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, president of the Transitional Military Council (TMC)since the death of his father Idriss Déby Itno in April.- The Chadian army, considered as one of the leading armies in the region, demonstrated its strength by…
Fifteen people have been killed in an attack in western Niger less than two weeks after 33 people were killed by suspected jihadists in the same area, officials said on Wednesday. The Interior Ministry said in a statement the latest attack was carried out on Monday by “unidentified armed individuals” who targeted “people working in…
Three drugs will be added to the UN agency’s global trial to test their efficacy in patients hospitalised with COVID-19. The World Health Organization (WHO) will test three new drugs as potential treatments for people in hospital with severe COVID-19 as it expands its global trial to 52 countries. The three treatments – artesunate, imatinib…
Oil giant Shell will pay a Nigerian community $111m (£80m) over an oil spill more than 50 years ago. A spokesman said the payment would mark the “full and final settlement” to the Ejama-Ebubu community over a spill during the 1967-70 Biafran War. The company has maintained that the damage was caused by third parties.…
Zambia’s President Edgar Lungu has cast his vote in what is a keenly observed election in his southern African nation. Lungu who is seeking re-election will try to fend off a perennial opposition challenger 59 year old Hakainde Hichilema though in total, 16 candidates are vying for the presidency. “Please let them come and vote…
For many decades, it has been perceived that the solution to food insecurity in Africa is increased agricultural productivity. While this is part of the solution, it is not the entire remedy. Without increasing resilience through integrated agricultural markets for cost-effective and nutritious foods, the continent’s food value chains continue to be broken. The Covid-19…
On 30 July, energy minister Matthew Prempeh – in a 10-page power-point presentation and a rambling thesis on ‘global energy transition’ – asked parliament to borrow $1.6bn to buy back stakes in two offshore oil licences not yet in development. The minister made a case for Ghana to borrow $1.6bn for onward lending – on…
‘Severity and scale’ of sexual crimes committed by Ethiopian and Eritrean troops amount to war crimes, the rights group says. Ethiopian and Eritrean troops have raped hundreds of women and girls during the Tigray war, subjecting some to sexual slavery and mutilation, human rights group Amnesty International has said in a 36-page report. Drawing from…