Category: Africa

Motorbike-riding gunmen have killed dozens of people and burnt down a number of homes in a series of raids targeting remote villages in Nigeria’s Zamfara state, said reports from the north-western region. A police spokesperson confirmed the attacks but could not give any casualty figures, saying a team of officials was on its way to […]

Chadian media have issued conflicting reports about an alleged shooting incident at the presidential palace in N’Djamena over a purported dispute within the Deby family over the appointment of Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno to succeed his father. A series of tweets from the private Tchadinfos website quoted several unnamed sources as denying the alleged shooting […]

More than 2,000 refugees from the Central African Republic have crossed into Chad in the past week following violence, reported the UN refugee agency. The UNHCR says the refugees arriving after fleeing clashes between government forces and rebels in northern CAR face difficulties securing food, water and shelter in Chad. The agency said the ability […]

The UN has suspended humanitarian operations in Dikwa and Damasak towns in Nigeria’s north-eastern Borno State, after recent attacks by the Boko Haram jihadist group. “We have temporarily suspended operations in these areas in order to safely relocate humanitarian staff and are closely monitoring the situation,” said Edward Kallon, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator […]

Mali’s legislative and presidential elections will be held on 27 February 2020, said the transitional government. The country is expected to return to democracy after last year’s military coup that saw President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita being ousted. The election process will begin with a referendum on 31 October this year and then council elections on […]

Amnesty International troops have killed three people and injured at least 19 others during an unprovoked attack on civilians in Ethiopia. Witnesses told Amnesty that the soldiers were passing through Adwa in the Tigray region on Monday when they suddenly opened fire on people near the town’s bus station. They said Eritrean soldiers were shooting […]

Somali president has stripped former police commander Sadaq Omar Hassan (Sadaq John) of his military rank after he was sacked by the police chief. The president issued a decree to that effect on Tuesday. On 12 April, Somalia’s police chief, Gen Abdi Hijar, fired Sadaq John after he warned the country’s parliament not to hold […]

The Chadian army has said rebels attacked an area near the northern border on Sunday, the day of the country’s presidential election. On Monday, the army said that “steps had been taken to neutralise” the incursion at Zouarke, about 1,000km north of the capital N’Djamena. A political-military group, the Front for Change and Concord in […]

The Eritrean authorities have released on bail 36 prisoners who had been in detention because of their faith. According to sources, 14 of the released prisoners have been in detention for the past four years in the Dahilik island. Twenty-two others were arrested at the end of last month have also been released on bail. […]

Botswana’s health ministry has said that only those aged over 75 will be eligible for a Covid-19 vaccine because few doses are remaining. Health Ministry Director Malebogo Kebabonye said that young people were advantaged because of online booking but now priority will be on the elderly. The country has so far vaccinated 13, 690 people […]