The United Nations expects civilians to return to power within a “reasonable” time frame in Guinea, but says Guineans must decide how long the transition will last after last week’s coup, the UN secretary-general’s special representative said Monday in Conakry. Mahamat Saleh Annadif, special representative of Antonio Guterres for West Africa and the Sahel, told…
The victims of Mount Nyiragongo are still homeless almost five months since the volcano erupted, destroying their homes and crop fields. They had found shelter in a school but have been evicted ahead of the start of a new term. The families which number about 160 have now set up makeshift tents in the backyard…
More than a week after a military coup ousted Guinean strongman Alpha Condé, junta boss Lieutenant-Colonel Mamady Doumbouya has requested talks to form a transitional government. FRANCE 24 reports from the capital, Conakry. Guinea is holding a four-day conference this week to prepare a transition back to civilian democratic rule following a September 5 military coup led by…
Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu has announced the country’s first woman defence minister. Stergomena Tax replaces Elias Kwandikwa, who died in August. The president also revoked the appointment of three cabinet ministers and appointed a new attorney general. Those sacked are the Communication Minister Faustine Ndugulile, Leonard Chamuriho (transport) and Medard Kalemani (energy). President Suluhu brought…
Confronting harassment by Kenyan Twitter influencers – recently revealed to have been paid to promote misinformation – is akin to dealing with guerrilla warfare, admits an activist involved in a legal battle to stop a change to the constitution. “It is waged against you until it tires you out,” Daisy Amdany told the BBC about…
A leading figure in Guinea’s opposition on Saturday urged regional bloc ECOWAS not to impose economic sanctions on Guinea’s new military regime, describing the recent coup as a “welcome development”. “The junta does not deserve to be sanctioned because it put an end to a situation of lawlessness,” former prime minister Cellou Dalein Diallo told…
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Sunday his intention to introduce a “vaccine passport”, amid widespread mistrust of the Covid-19 vaccine in the continent’s most affected country. In a televised address to the nation, Mr. Ramaphosa assured that the immunization of the adult population was a necessary prerequisite to fully reopen the economy and…
Somalia’s President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, known as Farmaajo, negated another decision made by Prime Minister Hussein Roble as tensions rise over cabinet members. Farmaajo overturned Roble’s decision on Wednesday to fill the vacant internal security minister position with Abdullahi Mohamed Nur, after Hassan Hundubey stepped down. “Based on Article 90, point (e) of the Provisional…
The proliferation of Covid-19 variants in Africa, partly attributed to the low rates of vaccination, could lead to vaccine-evading mutations which could worsen the pandemic. A study of genomes from 33 African nations and two “overseas territories,” published in the journal Science on Thursday, tracks the evolution of the pandemic across the continent. “If the…
Almost all state institutions in Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado province remain shut, about a month after jihadist attacks in the area were brought under control. The situation is considered serious in Palma district, the only area in which civilians have been allowed to return, of the several that have been liberated from jihadists by joint…