Ghana has confirmed its first two cases of the deadly Marburg virus, a highly infectious disease in the same family as the virus that causes Ebola. It says both patients died recently in hospital in the southern Ashanti region. Their samples came back positive earlier this month and have now been verified by a laboratory…
Wavinya Ndeti has defied bullying, attempts to discredit her academic achievements and xenophobic slurs over her marriage to emerge as a front-runner for the powerful post of governor of a key county in Kenya’s forthcoming general election. The 54-year old mother of four told the BBC she has had to “toughen up” because male competitors…
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has paid tribute to the long-serving deputy secretary-general of his ruling African National Congress party Jessie Duarte, who died Sunday after a long battle with cancer. Duarte, 68, was elected to the leading position in the ANC in 2012 and had been serving until she went on medical leave in…
Flash floods triggered by seasonal torrential rains in Sudan’s western Darfur region killed at least seven people, including children, according to the U.N. and an aid group on Sunday. Heavy rains started late Friday in the Kass locality in South Darfur province, according to the General Coordination for Refugees and Displaced in Darfur. The group…
The Malian authorities have suspended from Thursday all rotations of the military and police contingents of the United Nations Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), including those already scheduled or announced, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release. This measure comes four days after the arrest of 49 soldiers from Cote d’Ivoire. Mali says those soldiers…
WASHINGTON, July 14 (Reuters) – The United States and Kenya on Thursday launched a strategic trade and investment partnership to pursue commitments to boost economic growth, support African regional economic integration and deepen trade cooperation. The U.S. and Kenyan governments will start work within three months to develop a road map for engagement in areas including agriculture safety and digital trade…
Togo’s army said Thursday it was responsible for a blast that killed seven civilians and injured two more, after mistaking them for jihadists. The explosion happened Saturday in the northern Tone prefecture near the border with Burkina Faso, where militants linked to the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda are active. Togo’s troops are deployed in the area to try and…
A night curfew has been imposed in Gambella city in western Ethiopia as part of efforts to “control illegal activities”, the authorities have said. The city was last month a scene of violent confrontations between the government and two armed groups. The groups – the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) and the Gambella Liberation Front –…
The UN says 44 West African migrants were rescued last week in northern Niger while trying to enter Libya. The International Organisation for Migration says they were stranded in the desert for two days after their vehicle broke down. The 29 men, 12 women and three girls were found near the town of Dirkou, in…
Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara met with his predecessors on Thursday in a rare meeting of adversaries in an effort to ease the national socio-political climate ahead of elections in 2025. The meeting between Ouattara and his longtime rivals Laurent Gbagbo and Henri Konan Bedie is the first of the three leaders in person since…