Fully vaccinated people have 3.8 times lower risk of dying of Omicron, new data suggests. The Western Cape health department has released data showing the effectiveness of vaccines in the province. Those who are fully vaccinated also appear less likely to be infected with Omicron. Fully vaccinated individuals have 3.8 times lower risk of dying…
Army spokesperson says the Russian soldiers are in the northern city to train Malian troops. Mali’s army spokesperson has said Russian soldiers have deployed to the northern city of Timbuktu to train Malian forces at a base vacated by French troops last month amid persistent insecurity in a country where large swaths of territory are out of…
Authorities in Tunisia have rescued two groups of up to 100 migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean. A rescue ship announced that it rescued 31 migrants from a drifting wooden boat before reaching another group of migrants that managed to seek refuge in an oil platform located around 120 km off the coast of Tunisia.…
Police in Niger have seized more than 200 kilograms (440 pounds) of cocaine from the vehicle of the mayor of a small town in the country’s north, the government said Wednesday. Nearly 200 bricks of cocaine, worth 8.7 million U.S. dollars, were apprehended in Agadez over the weekend from the official vehicle of the mayor…
Hamdok resigned six weeks after he returned to his post. Sources close to Hamdok say he was fed-up with a decision to reinstate the widely-feared intelligence service. Several nations including the EU have threatened to withhold financial aid if a new prime minister is imposed undemocratically. Late on Sunday, Abdalla Hamdok appeared on state television…
Official gazette refers to criminal gangs who carry out mass kidnappings of students, abduction for ransom, cattle rustling and destruction of property, among other crimes. Nigeria has branded criminal gangs known locally as bandits that are blamed for mass abductions of schoolchildren as “terrorist” groups, a designation aimed at containing growing insecurity in the north. The country’s northwest…
n Nigeria, a large fire ripped through an informal settlement on Wednesday in the commercial capital, Lagos. Flames and smoke could be seen in Ebute Metta, an area of sawmills and packed housing along the banks of Lagos’s lagoon. The fire ripped through what is Lagos largest plank market for several hours before the emergency…
Zambia has rescheduled the reopening of schools due to a surge in COVID-19 cases, its education ministry said on Monday. Schools were scheduled for reopening on January 10, but this has since been moved to January 24. “The reason is that although we were prepared as a ministry for the reopening of schools, the upswing…
Volker Perthes, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Sudan, on Monday expressed concern over the ongoing political crisis and civilian casualties in street protests in the country. The envoy said in a statement that he “remains concerned by the ongoing political crisis which risks further derailing progress made since the December revolution.” He…
Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Roble Monday opened national consultative talks aimed at speeding up the delayed electoral process. The Office of the Prime Minister said the meeting brought together the presidents from Jubbaland, HirShabelle, SouthWest, Puntland, Galmudug and Banadir Regional Administration. “The meeting mainly focuses on security and the expeditious conclusion of the elections of…