When former Mozambican finance minister Manuel Chang was arrested at Johannesburg airport over the Christmas holidays, it triggered a political crisis ahead of the country's elections later this year. Chang was detained over alleged secret loans to state companies totalling $2 billion in a widening scandal that is set to shake the Frelimo party ...

A Canadian has been kidnapped by armed militants from a gold mine in eastern Burkina Faso, a region battling a rise in extremist violence and lawlessness, a senior government official said. Geologist Kirk Woodman is the vice president of Canadian company Progress Minerals, mining sources told AFP, which owns the mine in volatile Yagha province n ...

Simba of Tanzania and Constantine of Algeria, who boast the best attack and defence in the CAF Champions League, face serious matchday 2 examinations of their title credentials this weekend. After scoring 15 goals in four qualifiers and matchday 1, Simba are away to V Club of the Democratic Republic of Congo in Kinshasa, an intimidating African ...

Judges from the International Criminal Court have rejected a bid by the prosecution to detain the former head of Cote d'Ivoire, Laurent Ggagbo, and his right-hand man, Charles Blé Goudé, a day after the two were acquitted on charges of crimes against humanity. Cuno Tarfusser, the head judge on a panel of three at the ICC, said exceptional reaso ...

When an explosion and gunfire rang out at an upmarket hotel complex in Nairobi, people hid under desks, cowered in bathrooms or hunkered down in their cars, some of them all through the 20-hour siege. Here are some of the stories from survivors of the attack claimed by the Somali Islamist group Al-Shabaab on an upmarket hotel complex in the West ...

Traditional white-striped bodypainting practiced by indigenous communities mimics zebra stripes to reduce the number of potentially harmful horsefly bites a person receives by up to 10-fold, according to new research published Wednesday. Tribes in Africa, Australia and southeast Asia have practiced bodypainting in cultural ceremonies for generat ...

Sicley Williams was ready to escape what she found an unfriendly climate in the United States and take a leap of faith, leaving her native Chicago for Ghana. She had previously visited the West African nation on holiday and when she returned in 2017 found work practising yoga and offering spa services. The climate of the US was just really n ...

At least six people were killed Tuesday when an Islamist suicide bomber and gunmen stormed an upmarket hotel complex in Nairobi, in the first such attack in the Kenyan capital in five years. Gunshots rang out sporadically as night fell in Nairobi, where police combed the hotel and outlying office buildings for survivors while trying to flush out ...

A large explosion and gunfight hit an office and hotel complex in Nairobi on Tuesday in an attack claimed by hardline Islamist group Al Shabaab. At least five people were killed, according to the AFP news agency, while Kenyan media reported one suspect arrested. Footage from the scene depicted frightened workers fleeing for their lives. Kenyan p ...

At least five people were killed Tuesday when an Islamist suicide bomber and gunmen stormed an upmarket hotel complex in Nairobi, in the first such attack in the Kenyan capital in five years. Gunshots rang out sporadically as night fell in Nairobi, where police combed the hotel and outlying office buildings for survivors while trying to flush ou ...

The International Criminal Court Tuesday acquitted former Côte d'Ivoire president Laurent Gbagbo of crimes against humanity in connection with post-election violence in 2010. His acquittal is the latest setback for the court's prosecutors after the collapse of other high profile cases. The court is really struggling to effectively investigate c ...

As prosecutors failed to land the scalp of yet another former national leader accused of crimes against humanity, the question echoed in the hallways of the International Criminal Court: is it fit for purpose? The acquittal on Tuesday of former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo over post-electoral violence that killed 3,000 people was the lat ...

A huge blast followed by a gun battle rocked an upmarket hotel and office complex in Nairobi on Tuesday in an attack claimed by the Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab Islamist group. The explosion at the DusitD2 compound, which includes a 101-room hotel, restaurant and office buildings housing local and international companies, was heard from AFP's bureau ...

A huge blast followed by a gun battle rocked an upmarket hotel and office complex in Nairobi on Tuesday, causing casualties, in an attack claimed by the Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab Islamist group. The explosion at the DusitD2 compound, which includes a 101-room hotel, restaurant and several office buildings housing local and international companies, ...

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on Monday called for more resources to help African refugees in 2019. The comments by Filippo Grandi came during a two-day visit to Egypt where he met President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and other government officials. His trip to Cairo also comes as Egypt prepares to assume the presidency of the A ...

People in North and South America, a large part of Europe and Africa may get a glimpse of a total lunar eclipse overnight from January 20 to 21, the last such event until 2022. For those in Europe and Africa, the total eclipse will unfold shortly before sunrise. For those in North and South America, the eclipse can be viewed at the beginning ...

Mary was nine years old when her childhood abruptly ended. Three men fed her sedatives then raped her. Her mother, who had been washing clothes in a stream near their home in Freetown, Sierra Leone's capital, got home to find her child lying on the ground distraught, her legs and dress stained with blood. They put dirty clothes in my mo ...

A new ruler of the former military kingdom of Dahomey in modern-day Benin was designated on Saturday, after the death of the previous monarch, last year. Dah Sagbadjou Glele succeeds Dah Dedjalagni Agoli-Agbo, who died in July 2017 aged 84, dignitaries from royal families said following lengthy discussions. Modern-day kings of Dahomey have no ...

CAF Confederation Cup trophy-holders Raja Casablanca and former winners CS Sfaxien and Stade Malien all drew Saturday in play-off first legs. But while Moroccans Raja and Tunisians Sfaxien will fancy their chances of overall victories next weekend after drawing away, Malians Stade are in trouble having being held at home. Raja, whose Confeder ...

Parties supporting outgoing Democratic Republic of Congo president Joseph Kabila won a majority in long-delayed legislative elections, according to an AFP tally of results released Saturday, as the opposition sought a recount of the disputed presidential poll. Pro-Kabila parties had passed the 250-seat threshold required to secure a majority in ...