The executive director of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Health Emergency Program, has warned that the African continent is faced with a steep acceleration of coronavirus cases. Dr. Michael Ryan made this grim prediction during his regular press briefing and said that the African continent has reported a low number …
Read More »Libya’s UN-backed government says it will respond to threats from Egypt
Libya’s UN-backed parliament in Tripoli has criticized Egypt’s move to send its soldiers to the country. “We completely reject the Egyptian Parliament’s decision based on an illegitimate invitation by those who claim to represent the Libyan tribes under the guise of ‘parliament’,” the parliament of the Government of National Accord …
Read More »Ethiopian Airlines plane catches fire on tarmac at Shanghai airport (Videos)
An Ethiopian Airlines 777F cargo plane has caught fire at Shanghai Pudong International Airport. The fire appears to have erupted on the plane’s cargo deck before ripping through the upper decks. The blaze broke out Wednesday afternoon as airport fire crews rushed to the scene to stop the flames from …
Read More »Zimbabwe president announces curfew to curb coronavirus
Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa said on Tuesday that security forces would enforce a dusk to dawn curfew from Wednesday to combat the coronavirus outbreak. But critics and the opposition say authorities want to stop anti-government protests planned for next week by activists who say government corruption has worsened economic hardships.
Read More »Libya set to explode again as foreign players go all in – Analysis
Seen as nearing a conclusion several times in the last few years, Libya’s long-running civil war looks set to flare up yet again as Turkey-backed forces of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) zero in on the crucial eastern city of Sirte. “Everything is moving towards a massive escalation …
Read More »Sudan’s Bashir on trial over 1989 coup that brought him to power
Sudan’s former President Omar al-Bashir, who was overthrown last year by the military in the face of mass protests against his rule, is set to go on trial over his role in a coup that brought him to power more than 30 years ago. Al-Bashir, 76, is scheduled to appear …
Read More »Ebola cases rise in new DR Congo outbreak
The Ebola outbreak in the DR Congo’s northwest is growing, according to health officials, sounding the alarm weeks after the country officially declared an end to a separate Ebola epidemic which claimed over 2,000 lives. There have been 54 confirmed cases since June 1 in Mbandaka, a transport hub in …
Read More »Four killed in Sierra Leone protest after police and army open fire
At least four people including a teenager were killed and 10 wounded when police and soldiers opened fire on protesters in northern Sierra Leone, a health official and witnesses said on Sunday. Hundreds gathered on a rainy day in the city of Makeni on Saturday to try to block the …
Read More »GNA fighters sends vehicles to Sirte as Haftar forces clash with guards at oil facility
The Libyan army dispatched several military vehicles Saturday to the west of Sirte province, while the Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC) said clashes took place at the facilities over the weekend. A large number of military vehicles reached Abugrein as part of Operation Paths to Victory, which was launched to …
Read More »Libyan GNA fighters head for front as battle for Sirte looms
Libya’s internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) on Saturday moved fighters closer to Sirte, a gateway to Libya’s main oil terminals that the GNA says it plans to recapture from the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA). Witnesses and GNA military commanders said a column of about 200 vehicles moved …
Read More »Egypt’s parliament to mandate Sisi to intervene militarily in Libya
Informed sources said that the Egyptian parliament – the House of Representatives – is expected to hold a plenary meeting this week to discuss the political and military situation in neighbouring Libya. The sources said the discussion is to be followed by a vote to mandate President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to …
Read More »Ethiopia filling mega-dam that Egypt calls an “existential” threat – Analysis
Ethiopia has dismissed reports that it’s filling a massive reservoir behind a new hydroelectric dam, as the colossal infrastructure project strains ties between three African nations that all rely on the River Nile for water. Egypt has previously threatened to go to war over the dam. Almost 10 years of …
Read More »Turkey sent up to 3,800 fighters to Libya, Pentagon report says
Turkey sent between 3,500 and 3,800 paid Syrian fighters to Libya over the first three months of the year, the US Defense Department’s inspector general concluded in a new report, its first to detail Turkish deployments in Libya’s war. The quarterly report on counterterrorism operations in Africa by the Pentagon’s …
Read More »Sheikh Zakzaky’s lawyers demand dismissal of case, immediate release
The lawyers of the jailed Muslim religious scholar Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky have called for the dismissal of the case against him and his wife as well as their immediate release from the Nigerian government’s captivity. Shiekh Zakzaky’s lawyers demanded, in a motion presented to the High Court of Justice in …
Read More »Anger at Mali’s President Rises After Security Forces Kill Protesters
At least 11 demonstrators were killed in the capital last weekend. Protesters have called for mass civil disobedience until President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta steps down. When security forces in Mali shot and killed protesters last weekend, they were met with an unexpected response. Instead of being cowed into submission, the …
Read More »Libya denounces threats of Egypt’s Sisi
Al-Sisi’s recent remarks suggesting Cairo could arm Libyan tribes amount to ‘interference in Libyan internal affairs’ Libya condemned the president of Egypt for recent comments suggesting Cairo could arm Libyan tribes against the internationally recognized government. Speaking to Al Jazeera TV, Libyan Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammed Al-Qablawi criticized a recent …
Read More »Sudanese rebels, government enter final phase of talks
The Sudanese government and a coalition of rebel groups have entered into a final phase of peace talks, which will center on the creation of a unified Sudanese army. Mediators described the discussions as the “most important” component of the Sudan peace process, which aims to restore stability to the …
Read More »OPINION: Libya back in turmoil with oil exports again at the mercy of renegade forces
Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) triumphantly said on 10 July that it was lifting force majeure on oil exports, heralding a new phase in a ruinous civil war that has ravaged the leading North African energy exporter. It proved embarrassingly premature as the state player was forced to reimpose the …
Read More »Egypt preparing possible military intervention in Libya, ex-top official says
Egypt is readying its military for a possible intervention in neighbouring Libya, according to a former top-ranking member of its armed forces. The country has been conducting land and sea exercises over the past few days and their size shows that Cairo is serious about moving its forces into Libya …
Read More »Turkey considering deployment of Russian S-400s to Libya against French-made jets
Turkey has been on the receiving end of attacks by French-made Rafale jets in Libya and is looking to activate its Russian-made S-400 missiles as a countermeasure, according to the Eurasian Times news website. Itamilradar, an Italian news website, and Turkey’s pro-government Sabah daily also recently reported on Ankara mulling …
Read More »