Africa

The United Nations says Mozambique has rescued a number of children who had been abducted by the al-Shabab terrorist group to be forcefully recruited as child soldiers. Last week, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) said al-Shabab had kidnapped hundreds of boys in the northeast of Mozambique and forced them to …

At least three international advocacy organizations have called on the African Union (AU) to withdraw the Israeli regime’s observer status over its human rights violations and crimes against humanity. The US-based Democracy for Arab World Now (DAWN) together with the Legal Resource Center (LRC) in South Africa on Monday signed …

Ethiopia’s parliament confirmed incumbent Abiy Ahmed as prime minister for a five-year term on Monday, cementing his power domestically amid mounting international concern about his government’s handling of the conflict in northern Ethiopia. Abiy’s party won a landslide victory in June’s election. He was sworn in on Monday, and a …

Hundreds of women and children among those detained during raids in Gargaresh town. A major crackdown in western Libya has resulted in the detention of 4,000 migrants, including hundreds of women and children, according to officials. The raids took place on Friday in the western town of Gargaresh as part …

Algeria decided Saturday to recall its ambassador to France for consultations, as diplomatic tensions mount with Paris. The move comes after France’s President Emmanuel Macron made critical remarks about Algeria published in French daily Le Monde in which he said the former French colony was ruled by a “political-military system.” …

A cargo plane delivered four helicopters, weapons, and ammunition from Russia to Mali late on Thursday, Malian interim defense minister Sadio Camara said. He said Mali had bought the helicopters in a contract agreed in December 2020 to support its armed forces in their battle alongside French, European and UN …

The United Nations’ humanitarian chief, Martin Griffiths, has called for urgent action to stave off famine in Ethipia’s war-scarred Tigray region. Griffiths warned in an interview on Tuesday that the crisis in Tigray was pushing the rebel region towards starvation and was a “stain on our conscience.” The aid chief …

Tunisian President Qais al-Said on Wednesday tasked Najla Bouden Ramadan to form the country’s new government. According to Tunisian press sources, “President Qais al-Said has tasked Najla Bouden Ramadan to form the Tunisian new government. “The Tunisian prime minister in charge is a university professor of engineering, and she has …

At least 20 fishermen have been killed in an air strike by the Nigerian military in a village in the country’s conflict-ridden northeast, a report says. The fishermen were accidentally killed after an air force fighter jet targeted a militant camp in the village of Kwatar Daban Masara in the …

A car bomb exploded at a checkpoint near Somalia’s presidential palace Saturday, killing eight people, police said, as the Al-Shabaab terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack. “We have confirmed that eight people most of them civilians died and seven others wounded in the car bomb blast”, district police chief …

France’s foreign minister has warned his Russian counterpart against involving paramilitaries from the controversial Wagner group in Mali’s conflict. “On Mali, the minister alerted his Russian counterpart to the serious consequences of the Wagner group’s involvement in this country,” the French foreign ministry said Friday. Jean-Yves Le Drian met Sergey …

Biden is expected to welcome Hamdok at the White House in the “near future,” according to Friday’s statement. US President Joe Biden is dispatching his envoy to the Horn of Africa to reaffirm Washington’s support for Sudan, the White House announced Friday. National Security Advisor Sullivan informed Sudanese PM Abdalla …

The Libyan National Army (LNA) of eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar clashed with Chadian rebel forces in the south of Libya on Tuesday and Wednesday, both sides said. The fighting underscores the risk of further instability in the Sahel region, where an array of groups operate across borders and where fighting …

Germany warned Mali on Wednesday that a deal with Russian private security group Wagner would “call into question” its deployment in the West African country as part of United Nations and European Union missions. “If Mali’s government makes such a deal with Russia, then it goes against everything that Germany, …

A total of 114 of the 266 inmates who escaped from a Nigerian prison on Sunday have been recaptured, the prison service said on Tuesday. Heavily armed gunmen raided the medium-security jail at Kabba in south-central Nigeria late on Sunday, blowing up the perimeter fence and freeing almost everyone, but …

Dozens of students who were kidnapped from a school in the northwestern Nigerian state of Zamfara earlier this month have been reportedly released after the army began a military crackdown on criminal gangs in the area. An unnamed spokesman for Zamfara State Governor Bello Matawalle told Reuters on Monday that …

Nearly 70 students who were abducted from their school in northern Nigeria have regained their freedom after two weeks in captivity, Zamfara state Gov. Bello Matawalle said Monday. The students from the Government Day Secondary School were rescued with the help of some of the gunmen who had repented, he …

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa reached 8,024,502 as of Sunday morning, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said. The Africa CDC, the specialized healthcare agency of the African Union, said the death toll from the pandemic across the continent stands at 202,915, while …

South Africa’s health regulator has approved Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for use by children aged 12 and older, paving the way for the government to offer vaccinations to teenagers. The South African Health Products Authority (SAPHRA) said the decision came after a review of updated safety and efficacy information submitted in …

A Sudanese military plane crashed in the White Nile south of the capital, Khartoum, killing all on board, authorities said on Friday. Authorities retrieved three bodies of officers, including a lieutenant colonel, the prime minister’s office said in a statement. Search efforts were still ongoing for others who were on …