Hundreds of Moroccan firefighters and soldiers battled late Thursday to put out at least four infernos ripping through forests in the north of the kingdom, officials said. The fires, fanned by strong winds in the four areas, have not resulted in any casualties so far, but nearly 500 families were evacuated “as a precaution” in…
At least 31 people including children are now known to have been killed in the last week during renewed fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The UN says intense clashes between the Congolese army and several rebel groups have spread to the Beni territory where five bodies were recovered on Wednesday. Locals say the…
Ghana’s annual inflation rate hit 29.8% in June, the highest since December 2003. The country’s statistics office says surging food and commodity prices are responsible for the spike. The government has now turned to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout plan expected to be worth $1.5bn (£1.3bn). If granted, this will be the…
Elephants have killed five people in a surprise attack on farmers who were harvesting their crop in a village in Macomia district in northern Cabo Delgado province. The victims include two children and a woman. Others who managed to escape the elephant attacks returned later to find the crushed bodies of their relatives. The victims…
The government in Ivory Coast denied on Wednesday that 49 soldiers who were arrested at Mali’s international airport four days earlier posed a threat to the country. “In Mali, those who are in power today are soliders, some of whom are special forces, Amadou Coulibaly, the Ivorian Minister of Communication, said after a weekly cabinet…
Mahmud Aguil has a comfortable house in Libya’s capital Tripoli, but chronic power outages in the war-battered country and roasting summer heat now force him to sleep in his air-conditioned van. “This is my bedroom,” the 48-year-old said pointing to the cramped vehicle, its back seats removed to make space for him and his two…
By AGGREY MUTAMBO Former Botswana President Festus Mogae will lead a team of election observers from the Commonwealth for the Kenyan polls scheduled for August 9. Mogae, who led Botswana from 1998 to 2008, with a team of 20 poll observers will arrive in Nairobi on August 2, the Commonwealth Secretariat announced on Tuesday. Known…
The launch of the African Union on July 9, 2002, was met with great optimism. The AU has since accomplished much to unlock Africa’s potential and secure prosperity, but there is more to do. The African Union marks its 20th anniversary on Saturday. In the two decades since it was officially founded, the organization has…
Ivory Coast has accused Mali of “unjustly” detaining 49 of its soldiers and has called for them to be released. Mali’s military government seized the men at Bamako airport on Sunday, calling them mercenaries. But the Ivorian authorities say none were carrying weapons and that they went to Mali to join UN peacekeeping operations there.…
The UN says 20 people have been killed and dozens more abducted in multiple attacks in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The dead include children and at least four patients who were burnt alive at a church clinic in North Kivu province. The attack is blamed on fighters from the Islamic State-affiliated group Allied Democratic…