Africa

At least 16 dead in anti-Abiy protests in Ethiopia: Amnesty

  ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AFP) — At least 16 people have been killed in violence in Ethiopia this week that began with protests against Prime Minister and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Abiy Ahmed, an Amnesty International researcher said Friday. “Up to now we have confirmed 16 people dead, but the number must be more than that because new reports are emerging which we have not confirmed,” Fisseha Tekle told AFP. He said the violence had […]

Ethiopia PM Abiy wins Nobel Peace Prize for mending ties with Eritrea

  by Johannes LEDEL Agence France Presse OSLO, Norway (AFP) — Hailed as a visionary and reformer, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for his efforts to resolve the long-running conflict with neighboring foe Eritrea. Abiy was honored “for his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, and in particular for his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighboring Eritrea”, the Nobel Committee said. The award is […]

Ethiopian Airlines jet makes emergency landing in Dakar: official

DAKAR, Senegal (AFP) — An Ethiopian Airlines jet made an emergency landing in Dakar with one of its engines on fire, though all 90 passengers and crew were unharmed, airport and airline officials said. The Boeing 767 aircraft had just taken off from Dakar airport en route to Addis Ababa when the pilot asked to return and make an emergency landing, Tidiane Tamba, a spokesperson for the Senegal airport told AFP. Ethiopian Airlines confirmed one […]

Seven children killed in Nairobi classroom collapse: medics

NAIROBI, Kenya (AFP) — Seven children died and others were injured when their classroom collapsed on Monday morning in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, medics said. “Seven pupils dead, several injured after a classroom collapsed at Previous Talent Academy in Dagoretti,” St John Ambulance — whose rescuers were involved in the search and rescue — wrote on Twitter. Hundreds of angry residents of Dagoretti — a poor area where many live in makeshift houses — swarmed […]

Tourist boat capsizes in Senegal, killing four

DAKAR, Senegal (AFP) — Four people died after a boat carrying dozens of tourists capsized during heavy storms in Senegal, authorities and emergency services said Tuesday. The death toll could rise as three passengers were said to be missing after the accident. The boat was carrying several Senegalese nationals, six French people, two Germans, two Swedes and one person from Guinea-Bissau, when it turned over Monday in driving rain and a heavy swell, fire department […]

Morocco floods kill 11 in bus accident: local officials

RABAT, Morocco (AFP) — At least 11 people were killed Sunday in Morocco after their bus was overturned by a flood in the kingdom’s southeast, authorities said. Rescue crews evacuated 27 passengers from the bus, including several injured, after it flipped over on a bridge by “flood waters” in El Khank, local officials said in a statement. Search operations were ongoing, they said, adding that the evacuees had been transferred to hospital in the city […]

Zimbabwe ex-president Mugabe dies aged 95

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AFP) — Robert Mugabe, who led Zimbabwe from 1980 to 2017, has died aged 95, the country’s president announced Friday. Mugabe was first heralded as a liberator who rid the former British colony of Rhodesia of white minority rule, but was later ousted by his previously loyal military generals. “It is with the utmost sadness that I announce the passing on of Zimbabwe’s founding father and former President… Robert Mugabe,” Emmerson Mnangagwa said in […]

Japan to host Africa aid forum as China looms large

by Shingo ITO TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan hosts development talks with African leaders this week, looking to boost its presence on the continent and offer an alternative to investments by an increasingly assertive China. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said he wants the latest round of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) to help “launch impactful Japanese action” on the continent. And the meeting, held around every five years since 1993 […]

Two dead, 5 missing after flash flood at Kenyan park

NAIROBI, Kenya (AFP) — Six tourists, including a foreigner, and their guide were swept away Sunday after a flash flood at Kenya’s Hell’s Gate national park, the Kenya Wildlife Service said, confirming at least two dead. Two bodies were recovered but the five others remained missing, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said on Twitter, adding that the search and rescue operation would continue through the night. “It is with deep sorrow that we announce a […]

15 dead in Mali building collapse

BAMAKO, Mali (AFP) — Fifteen people were killed on Sunday when a three-storey building under construction collapsed “like a house of cards” in the Mali capital Bamako, the government and local media reports said. Twenty-six people were rescued alive from the partially occupied building after it collapsed just before dawn. “Thanks to the determination of the emergency services, a young girl of around four years has just been pulled out of the rubble alive. “Another […]

19 killed in Uganda fuel truck blast: police

KAMPALA, Uganda (AFP) — Nineteen people died when a fuel truck barrelled into other vehicles in a busy town in western Uganda and exploded, police said Monday. The blast occurred Sunday evening in the Kyambura trading center, a mountainous area near the Queen Elizabeth National Park. “Ten people died instantly when the fuel truck lost control and hit three other vehicles, leading to multiple explosions that also burned 25 small shops,” said regional police spokesman […]

Filipino, not Chinese, sailors kidnapped off Cameroon: document

DOUALA, Cameroon (AFP) — Most of the sailors kidnapped off the Cameroon coast last week were Filipinos, not Chinese as first reported, according to an official document seen by AFP Sunday. On Friday, an official in the port of Douala told AFP that 17 crew had been abducted, including “nine Chinese civilian sailors” from one of the two ships attacked, along with Ukrainians. The attacks took place on Thursday in Cameroonian waters off Douala, located […]