France’s ambassador to Niger landed in Paris on Wednesday after leaving Niamey following weeks of tensions between Paris and the post-coup regime in the West African country, the foreign ministry told AFP. The return of the ambassador, Sylvain Itte, comes two months after a coup in Niger ousted its pro-Paris …
Read More »Niger demands ‘negotiated framework’ for France withdrawal
Niger’s military government has demanded a “negotiated framework” for the French troop planned pull-out from the West African country. In a statement released overnight, the government said the timeframe for the pull-out “must be set out in a negotiated framework and by mutual agreement.” The statement came after French President …
Read More »Niger demands ‘negotiated framework’ for France withdrawal
Niger’s military government has demanded a “negotiated framework” for the French troop planned pull-out from the West African country. In a statement released overnight, the government said the timeframe for the pull-out “must be set out in a negotiated framework and by mutual agreement.” The statement came after French President …
Read More »Egypt to vote for president in December, Sisi expected to win
Egypt will hold a presidential vote on Dec. 10-12, the elections authority said on Monday, with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi widely expected to win reelection despite an economic crisis including record inflation and foreign currency shortages. Sisi, 68, can stand for a third term due to constitutional amendments in 2019 …
Read More »Talks between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan over Nile dam end with no breakthrough
The latest talks over the mega dam that Ethiopia is building on the Nile River’s main tributary have broken up without an agreement. The two-day talks between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt on the disputed Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam ended on Sunday night in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital. Ethiopia’s chief …
Read More »Morocco’s $11.7 bln post-earthquake reconstruction plan to benefit 4.2 million people
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.
Read More »Libya flooding deaths top 11,000 as thousands reported missing
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 …
Read More »Libyan authorities say floods may have killed 20,000 people
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 …
Read More »UN says “extent of the problem” in flood-hit Libya remains unclear
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 …
Read More »‘Worse than death itself’: Survivors describe Libya floods
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 …
Read More »Death toll from devastating floods in Libya tops 6,000
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 …
Read More »Heavy rains cause devastation and loss of lives in Northern Sudan
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 …
Read More »More people rescued, bodies recovered as search operations continue in quake-hit Morocco for 6th day
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 …
Read More »Morocco quake death toll passes 2,800 as rescuers search for survivors
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 …
Read More »Morocco’s earthquake death toll rises to 2,901
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 …
Read More »Libya floods wipe out quarter of city, 3,000 people are estimated dead, 10,000 feared missing
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 …
Read More »Hundreds feared dead after storm, floods hit Libya
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 …
Read More »Morocco rescuers race to find survivors as earthquake toll nears 2,500
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 …
Read More »Gabon’s interim prime minister: Two-year transition to free elections ‘reasonable’
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 …
Read More »Niger military: France deploying forces in West Africa for ‘aggression’
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 …
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