Africa

Morocco plans to spend 120 billion dirhams ($11.7 billion) in a post-earthquake reconstruction programme over the next five years, the Royal Palace said on Wednesday. The plan would target 4.2 million people in the worst hit provinces.

The death toll from devastating floods in eastern Libya has surpassed 11,000, according to the Libyan Red Crescent, as rescuers work to understand the full scope of the disaster. As of Saturday, the bodies of nearly 4,000 people have been recovered and identified, the World Health Organization said. More than …

Libyan authorities have demanded an investigation to see if the catastrophe that recently unfolded amid floods in the country killing thousands was caused by a human blunder. Libyan officials on Thursday sought to dig deep into the reasons that led to the huge devastation, trying to see if the disaster …

The United Nations has raised concerns about the situation in the flood-ravaged areas of Libya, citing civil strife as a main hindrance to aid efforts and calling on the fighting sides to put aside political deadlocks and divisions. Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said on …

The first sign that something was wrong was the sound of the dogs barking. It was 2.30am and dark outside. When Husam Abdelgawi, a 31-year-old accountant in the Libyan city of Derna, got up and went sleepily downstairs to check on them, he felt water under his feet. Husam opened …

The death toll from devastating floods caused by Storm Daniel in Libya has risen to 6,000, a unity government official said on Wednesday. Saadeddin Abdul Wakil, undersecretary of the unity government’s Health Ministry, said that the death toll surged past 6,000, while thousands remain missing. “The death toll is considered …

Approximately 50 houses in Northern Sudan’s Kado area of the River Nile State have completely collapsed due to heavy rains that pounded the city on Monday evening. The Sudan Tribune website quoted the Civil Defense Forces in the River Nile State as reporting the tragic consequences of the heavy rains …

Search and rescue teams continued their efforts for the sixth consecutive day on Wednesday to rescue people and recover bodies trapped beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings in areas hard hit by Friday’s deadly earthquake in Morocco. The teams were able to pull people from the rubble of the collapsed …

The death toll from Morocco’s deadliest earthquake in more than six decades has risen to more than 2,800, as rescuers race against time to find survivors. Search teams from Spain, Britain and Qatar were joining Moroccan rescue efforts on Monday after a 6.8-magnitude quake struck late on Friday in the High …

Many survivors of Morocco’s earthquake were struggling in makeshift shelters on Tuesday after a fourth night outside, while villagers in devastated mountain areas voiced frustration at having received no help from the authorities. The death toll from the 6.8 magnitude quake that struck in the High Atlas Mountains late on …

As many as 3,000 people are estimated dead and at least 10,000 people were feared missing in Libya on Tuesday in floods caused by a huge storm, which burst dams, swept away buildings and wiped out as much as a quarter of the eastern city of Derna. More than 1,000 …

Deadly storm winds and heavy floods hit Libya over the past two days, with estimates of fatalities ranging from hundreds to thousands of people, senior officials said on Monday. The head of Libya’s eastern government, Osama Hamad, said more than 2,000 people had died in the coastal city of Derna …

Rescuers raced against time on Monday to find survivors in the rubble more than 48 hours after Morocco’s deadliest earthquake in over six decades, with nearly 2,500 killed in a disaster that devastated villages in the High Atlas Mountains. Search teams from Spain, Britain and Qatar were joining efforts to …

The prime minister of Gabon’s transitional government, which came to power following last month’s coup, says a two-year period before holding the free elections promised by the country’s new military rulers is “reasonable.” “It’s good to set off with a reasonable objective by saying we have the desire to see the …

Niger’s junta leaders say France is deploying its military forces to West African countries with a plan for “aggression” against its former colony. “France continues to deploy its forces in several ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) countries as part of preparations for aggression against Niger, which it is …

Moroccans on Sunday mourned the victims of a devastating earthquake that killed more than 2,000 people as rescue teams raced to find survivors trapped under the rubble of flattened villages. The strongest-ever quake recorded in the North African country has killed at least 2,012 people and injured over 2,000, many …

A drone attack Sunday on an open market south of Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, killed at least 43 people, activists and a medical group said, as the military and a powerful rival paramilitary group battle for control of the country. More than 55 others were wounded in the attack in Khartoum’s …

A powerful earthquake in Morocco has killed more than 1000 people and injured hundreds more, the country’s deadliest tremor in more than six decades, toppling houses in remote mountain villages where rescuers dug through rubble for survivors. The magnitude 7.2 quake struck in Morocco’s High Atlas mountains late on Friday …

The African Union has been granted permanent membership to the G20, host nation India has announced, in an historic expansion of the economic bloc. Indian prime minister Narendra Modi invited the president of the 55-member African Union (AU) to take a seat at the table among permanent members at the …

A powerful earthquake in Morocco has killed more than 800 people and injured hundreds more, destroying buildings and sending residents of major cities rushing from their homes in the country’s deadliest tremor in more than six decades. The magnitude 7.2 quake struck in Morocco’s High Atlas mountains late on Friday …