Africa

South Africa urges quarantine after ‘super-spreader’ student parties

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - South Africa on Sunday urged school students who attended a series of end-of-year “Rage” parties to enter 10 days of quarantine after identifying four such parties…

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Start in South Africa of a single handed Trans-Atlantic rowing attempt

South African rower Zirk Botha starts his single handed Trans-Atlantic crossing from Cape Town, South Africa, 05 December 2020. Former South African Naval officer, 59-year-old Zirk Botha, now working in…

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EU complains of partisan aid access in Ethiopia

A senior European Union official said on Friday that an agreement between relief organizations and the Ethiopian government for access to the war-hit Tigray region limits aid to federal-controlled areas…

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Adolf Hitler Unona wins seat in Namibia’s election

A politician named after Nazi leader Adolf Hitler has been elected to a seat in Namibia. Adolf Hitler Uunona - representing the southern African country's ruling SWAPO party - received…

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Africa foresees 60% of people vaccinated against COVID in 2-3 years

Africa aims to have 60% of its population vaccinated against COVID-19 within the next two to three years, the African Union's disease control group said on Thursday. The continent of…

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Amnesty International reports rise in executions in Egypt in past two months

Egypt executed 57 men and women in October and November, nearly double the 32 people reported in the whole of 2019, Amnesty International said on Wednesday. At least 15 of…

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United Nations and Ethiopia reach aid pact for war-hit Tigray

Ethiopia and the United Nations reached an agreement on Wednesday to channel desperately needed humanitarian aid to a northern region where a month of war has killed, wounded and uprooted…

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Historic Liberia war crimes trial to open in Switzerland

The trial of a former Liberian commander accused of rape, pillage, assassinations, and an act of cannibalism opens in Switzerland this week. The trial of Alieu Kosiah, who denies the…

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Ethiopia war may turn into guerrilla insurgency, experts say

Ethiopia's nearly month-long war against rebellious northern forces may be transforming into a guerrilla conflict, experts said on Tuesday, even though federal troops declared victory after capturing the Tigrayan regional…

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Ethiopia launches manhunt for Tigray leaders, saying military operation is over

The Ethiopian government launched a manhunt on Sunday for leaders of a rebellious faction in the northern region of Tigray after announcing federal troops had taken over the regional capital…

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Nigeria buries 43 farmers killed by militants, dozens missing

Villagers in northeast Nigeria's Borno state on Sunday buried 43 farmers killed in an attack by suspected Islamist militants while security forces searched for dozens still missing. Around 30 of…

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Six explosions in Eritrean capital of Asmara as Ethiopia declares military operation in Tigray complete

Six explosions were reported in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, late on Saturday, the U.S. State Department said on Twitter although the cause and location were not clear. "At 10:13 p.m.…

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Insights – Libya’s rival forces have stopped shooting, but they’re not pulling back

SIRTE, Libya/TUNIS (Reuters) - In Libya's frontline city of Sirte, parts of which still lie in ruins, the commission set up to oversee warring rivals' recent ceasefire has put its…

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Ethiopia to begin ‘final phase’ of offensive in Tigray region

The Ethiopian military will begin the "final phase" of an offensive in the rebellious northern Tigray region, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said in a statement on Thursday, hours after an…

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Protesters calling for jobs stop Tunisia’s entire phosphate output

Protesters calling for jobs stopped Tunisia’s entire phosphate output on Wednesday by launching sit-ins at the sole producer of the key export during a day of strikes and protests around…

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U.S. blacklists Libyan militia, leader after Russia stops U.N. sanctions

The United States unilaterally blacklisted Libya's Kaniyat militia and its leader on Wednesday after Russia last week prevented a U.N. Security Council committee from imposing sanctions over human rights abuses…

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Germany, Turkey trade accusations over interception of Turkish vessel

Turkey and Germany traded barbs on Tuesday after German soldiers boarded a Turkish vessel on behalf of an EU military mission in the Mediterranean, with Berlin calling its NATO ally's…

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Ethiopia’s Tigray forces claim battle win, global alarm grows

Tigrayan forces said on Tuesday they had destroyed an Ethiopian army division in battles to control the northern region where a three-week-old war has killed hundreds and spread global alarm.…

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U.N. urges civilian protection after Ethiopia’s 72-hr deadline for Tigrayan forces

The United Nations urged Ethiopia on Monday to ensure the protection of civilians, a day after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed gave Tigrayan forces 72 hours to surrender before a military…

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Spain to increase police presence in Senegal to help curb illegal migration

Spain will increase its police presence in Senegal to tackle criminal networks behind an upsurge in illegal migration from the West African coast to its territory, Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez…

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Nigerian general dismisses bloody Lagos protest videos as fake

A judicial panel investigating claims that Nigerian soldiers shot dead peaceful protesters in Lagos viewed videos on Saturday appearing to show people hurt or saying that they were being fired…

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Al Qaeda in North Africa names new leader to succeed Droukdel

Al Qaeda's North Africa branch (AQIM) has appointed a new leader and confirmed the death of its former leader Abdelmalek Droukdel who was killed by the French army in June,…

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Ethiopia military: we will use tanks, artillery to capture city of Mekelle

The Ethiopian military plans to use tanks to encircle Mekelle, the capital of northern Tigray region, and is warning civilians it may also use artillery on the city, state media…

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Burkina Faso votes under looming threat of violence

Burkina Faso heads to the polls on Sunday in an election dominated by jihadist violence, which has cost over 2,000 lives this year and will prevent voting in hundreds of…

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Russia stops U.N. blacklisting of Libya militia, leader

Russia on Friday stopped a U.N. Security Council committee from blacklisting a Libyan militia group and its leader for human rights abuses because it said it wanted to see more evidence…

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U.N. Libya envoy urges U.N. to blacklist anyone who obstructs peace talks

The acting United Nations Libya envoy pressed the U.N. Security Council on Thursday to blacklist anyone who obstructs peace efforts after the warring parties agreed a ceasefire and Libyan participants…

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Coronavirus cases in Africa surpass the 2 million mark

Total coronavirus cases in Africa surpassed the 2 million mark on Wednesday despite the slow addition of reported infections compared to other regions around the world. With over 2,012,000 cases,…

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Libya’s NOC, Total discuss increasing production rates, expanding Total’s investments in Libya

Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) and France's Total discussed NOC's efforts to raise production capacity and increase production rates to the highest levels, as well as expanding investments of the…

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Congo declares end of Ebola outbreak, sees lessons for COVID fight

Democratic Republic of Congo announced the end of an almost six-month Ebola outbreak in the west of the country on Wednesday as health authorities looked to apply lessons from the…

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U.N. warns on ‘full-scale’ humanitarian crisis unfolding in Ethiopia

A major humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Ethiopia, the United Nations refugee agency said, with more than 27,000 people now having fled heavy fighting to Sudan. The pace of the…

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‘Brothers’ at war: battle for Ethiopia state capital looms

Ethiopia warned on Tuesday that a deadline for rebel northern forces to surrender had expired, triggering a push on the Tigray region's capital in a two-week conflict shaking the Horn…

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Egypt agrees 132.8 mln euros in development funding from Germany in 2021

Egypt has agreed 132.8 million euros in funding from Germany for 11 development projects in 2021, its ministry of international cooperation said on Monday. The projects span across different fields…

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Algeria imposes new coronavirus restrictions

Algeria imposed new coronavirus restrictions, closing sport and cultural centres as well as beaches after a spike in infections. The government called on Algerians to fight what it called a…

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Photo Story: Wedding ceremony amid coronavirus pandemic in Kenya

A Kenyan newly wed couple pose for a photo while at a photo session during their wedding ceremony in Kiambu, Kenya. Kenyan President Kenyatta announced on 04 November 2020 the…

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Copper theft cripples South Africa’s railways, leaving commuters waiting

Hloni Doporo stands on a platform in Soweto's Orlando Station, waiting for a train that may never come because thieves have stripped away most of the power cables. When South…

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Western Sahara, an old conflict on the verge of explosion

A dispute over Western Sahara threatens to result in a new round of conflict between Morocco and the Polisario Front independence movement. Here are some facts about the territory, the…

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Polisario leader says Western Sahara ceasefire with Morocco is over

The leader of the Polisario Front, Western Sahara’s independence movement, announced the group had ended a 29-year ceasefire with Morocco to resume its armed struggle following a border confrontation. A…

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Eritrean capital hit by rocket fire from Ethiopia

At least three rockets were fired at Eritrea's capital from Ethiopia on Saturday night, five regional diplomats said, a major escalation of a conflict pitting Ethiopian government troops against rebellious…

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Libya’s election date set for December 24 2021

Libyan participants in political talks taking place in Tunis have set 24 December 2021 as the date for parliamentary and presidential elections, the acting U.N. envoy said on Friday. "Reaching…

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6 months old Joseph, who died in latest migrant tragedy in the Med laid to rest

6 months old Yusuf (Joseph) Ali Kanneh, exhibited in the mortuary of the cemetery of the island of Lampedusa, Italy, 13 November 2020. The child died in the shipwreck off…

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Egypt showcases 100 coffins dating 25,000 years

Egypt on Saturday showcased more than 100 coffins dating back 25,000 years, the latest and largest find this year in the vast burial ground of the Saqqara Necropolis. The 6th…

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Ethiopia’s Amhara rocked by explosions, rights group warns on Tigray

Two explosions hit cities in Ethiopia’s Amhara state, which neighbours the northern state of Tigray where federal troops are fighting local forces, and the human rights commission warned against rights…

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Libyan oil production recovers faster than expected

Libyan oil production has now reached 1.215 million barrels per day (bpd), a Libyan oil source told Reuters on Friday, as the OPEC member's oil industry recovers faster than expected.…

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Renewed optimism as warring Libya sides agree to open main road, implement truce

Libya's warring sides will immediately reopen the main coastal road connecting the vast country's east and west across front lines, the United Nations said on Thursday, as part of a…

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Eight peacekeepers die in helicopter crash in Sinai, Egypt

A helicopter carrying members of a multinational peacekeeping force has crashed near Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt’s Sinai peninsula, killing six Americans, a Czech and a French citizen. The US-led Multinational…

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Joseph, the six-month old baby, who died in the latest migrant-wreckage in the Mediterranean

The body of Joseph, a six-month old baby originally from Guinea who was among six people to drown in a migrant-boat wreck in the Mediterranean on Wednesday, has been taken…

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Photo Story: Johannesburg lights up for Christmas

People next to a recently erected Christmas Lights at the annual lights festival at the Melrose Arch shopping mall in Johannesburg, South Africa. The lights are a tourist attraction as…

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UN warns of humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia

The United Nations agency for refugees said it was worried about a refugee emergency if more civilians are forced to flee fighting between federal troops and local forces in the…

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U.N. announces Libyan talks election breakthrough

Political talks on Libya's future have reached agreement on holding elections within 18 months, the United Nations acting Libya envoy said on Wednesday, hailing a "breakthrough" in a peacemaking process…

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At least 5 migrants die in shipwreck off Libya – NGO Open Arms

At least 5 people have died in a migrant shipwreck in the central Mediterranean, Spanish charity Open Arms said on Wednesday, warning that the number of fatalities could grow as…

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Killing of Libyan dissident underscores stakes in peace talks

Gunmen shot dead a prominent dissident in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi on Tuesday as political talks in neighbouring Tunisia focused on a roadmap towards elections in Libya. Hanan…

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In Nigeria, looters target government warehouses stocked with COVID-19 relief

Looters have been targeting state warehouses across Nigeria stocked with COVID-19 relief supplies which they say should already have gone to the poor and hungry. Authorities denied accusations of food…

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U.N. opens Libya peace talks in Tunis with eye on elections

The United Nations opened talks on Libya's future in Tunisia on Monday aimed at ending nearly a decade of chaos and bloodshed by arranging elections, but obstacles remain despite progress…

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Pope appeals for peace in Ethiopia and Libya

Pope Francis appealed to Ethiopian authorities to choose the path of peace and expresses his hope that the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum in Tunis may yield peace and stability in…

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Ethiopian PM replaces top officials as conflict in Tigray region escalates

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed replaced his army chief, the head of intelligence and the foreign minister on Sunday as the military continued a five-day old offensive in the restive…

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UN warns 9 million Ethiopians risk displacement in escalating conflict

Nine million people risk displacement from the escalating conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray region, the United Nations said, warning that the federal government's declaration of a state of emergency was blocking…

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Ethiopia inches closer to civil war

Ethiopian jets bombed the Tigray region on Friday and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed pledged more air strikes in the escalating conflict amid reports that Tigrayan forces had seized control of…

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