Africa

Boko Haram terrorists have seized a military base in northeast Nigeria, days after an attack left five troops dead and 30 missings, security sources, and residents said Saturday. A column of fighters from the IS-affiliated Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in trucks and on motorcycles stormed into the base …

Two Turkish restaurant workers have been detained in Libya by forces of eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar, and the Turkish authorities have denied that they were spies, a Turkish newspaper reported on Wednesday. Haberturk newspaper said Volkan Altinok and Mehmet Demir, who worked in a restaurant in the south of …

Violent winds of up to 140 kph (87 mph) lashed the East African island nation of Comoros overnight, killing three people, authorities said on Thursday, as Cyclone Kenneth swept toward flood-battered Mozambique. In Comoros, the winds caused widespread power outages in the northern part of the main island, Grande Comore, …

Hundreds of drones will begin delivering life-saving vaccines, blood, and medicines to patients in Ghana this week in the largest scheme of its kind, the global vaccine alliance GAVI said on Wednesday. Medics will place orders by text message when supplies run dry, said GAVI chief executive Seth Berkley. Drones …

Fifty-one people have died in floods that ravaged parts of the coastal province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa’s southeast, local authorities said. The flooding began on Monday after heavy rain caused mudslides in several towns in Durban, the largest city in KwaZulu-Natal, government spokesman Lennox Mabaso said. “The areas most …

  African leaders meeting in Cairo on Tuesday agreed to give Sudan’s ruling military council three months to implement democratic reforms, Egypt said on Tuesday, amid pressure for a quick handover of power to civilians. The decision extends a 15-day deadline set by the African Union last week for Sudan’s …

Eastern Libyan forces said on Monday they would intensify an assault on Tripoli, the capital in the west of the country that is held by the internationally recognized government, as the death toll in a battle now in its third week rose to 254. The Libyan National Army (LNA) force …

Several airstrikes and explosions have reportedly shaken the Libyan capital of Tripoli as fierce fighting continues between Libya’s UN-backed government troops and forces loyal to renegade general Khalifa Haftar. Reuters cited Tripoli residents as saying late Saturday that they had seen and heard aircraft opening fire and launching missile strikes …

Egyptians voted on Sunday for a second day on whether to back constitutional amendments that could see President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stay in power until 2030. The three-day referendum was called last week, a day after Egypt’s 596-member parliament endorsed the draft amendments by 531 to 22. If approved, the …

Sudan’s deposed President Omar al-Bashir is under investigation over the possession of “large sums of cash” without legal grounds, and on suspicion of money laundering. A judicial source told Reuters on Saturday that the public prosecutor had begun investigating Bashir after “large sums of cash” was found at his home. …

Liberia’s president has been forced to work from home after two snakes were found in his office. George Weah was told to stay away from the Foreign Affairs building which houses his office until it can be fumigated. The former international football star is expected to return to the office …

At least 13 people have died and many were injured when a wall collapsed in South Africa at the start of an Easter service at a Pentecostal church. Emergency services said that 29 people were rushed to hospital after the collapse in the coastal province of KwaZulu-Natal. Local officials have …

Two Congolese soldiers and a civilian were killed in a shoot-out on Tuesday in Bovata, near the town of Beni, Reuters reported. Isis also claimed to have established a province in central Africa, declaring it the “Central Africa Province” of the so-called caliphate through its Amaq news agency. It was …

A coalition of opposition political parties Thursday called on Egyptian voters to reject proposed constitutional amendments that would allow President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to stay in power until 2030. The Civil Democratic Movement, which includes liberal and left-leaning parties, held a news conference to decry the amendments, calling them an “assault …

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has replaced the country’s first female defense minister, Aisha Mohammed, giving the post to the influential Oromia regional president, Lema Megersa. Mr. Abiy did not give reasons for the decision, but it comes amid growing concern about ethnic conflict in the country. Mr. Lema has …

Sudan’s ousted President Omar al-Bashir has been taken from his residence to a prison in the capital Khartoum. Sources from Bashir’s family said on Wednesday that the deposed president was transferred to Kober prison in north Khartoum late on Tuesday. Bashir was ousted by the military on April 11 after …

An outbreak of measles has killed more than 1,200 people on the island of Madagascar. The country is facing its largest measles outbreak in history, with the number of recorded cases growing beyond 115,000. Measles cases are rising in the US and elsewhere, with New York City battling to halt …

The Seychelles president has gone below the surface of the Indian Ocean to call for better protection for the world’s seas. Danny Faure said that a healthy ocean was “crucial for the survival of humanity” in a broadcast made 124m (406ft) below sea level. He had joined a British-led expedition …

Forces loyal to renegade field marshal Khalifa Haftar have deployed warplanes to hit Western-backed government positions in Tripoli, forcing more civilians to flee the Libyan capital. Warplanes bombed the camp of a force allied to the Government of National Accord (GNA), administered by Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj, near the town …

The Zimbabwe government has come under fire after it emerged that it spent thousands of dollars on importing legal wigs from the UK for local judges, with critics lambasting the purchase as a colonial hang-up and a waste of money. The Zimbabwe Independent newspaper reported that the country’s Judiciary Service …