Officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo say more than 60 people have drowned after a barge capsized and sank on the Congo River. Three-hundred people have been rescued but possibly 200 others are unaccounted for following the accident. Locals said the boat hit a rock east of the capital, …
Read More »DR Congo: Health workers first to get Ebola vaccine
An emergency stockpile of 8,000 Ebola vaccines kept in reserve in the Democratic Republic of Congo is being used to fight a resurgence of the disease that began earlier this month. The first people to be vaccinated were health workers at Matanda health centre, where the first Ebola patient was …
Read More »Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde appointed new prime Minister of DR Congo
Former sport minister, Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde, is the new prime minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Before being appointed he was the Director-General of Gecanine, DR Congo’s biggest parastatal mining company. The 43-year-old has a month to form a government that will lead the so-called Sacred Union, the new …
Read More »Opposition candidates call for protests in Somalia
Somalia’s opposition presidential candidates have called for protests on Friday over what they call “illegal stay in power by the president”. Former President Sheikh Shariff Sheikh Ahmed said, while making the announcement on behalf of other candidates, that the government had failed to organise both parliamentary and presidential elections. President …
Read More »Suspected Islamists torch church and kill 16 people
The army in the Democratic Republic of Congo says suspected Islamists have killed 16 people and burned down a church in the north-eastern province of Ituri. They attacked people as they were worshipping in the village of Ndalya. The Allied Democratic Forces, which originated in Uganda, is active in the …
Read More »WHO concerned about Ebola resurgence in West Africa
The World Health Organization (WHO) through its regional Director in Africa has expressed concern over the resurgence of Ebola in West Africa and activated response efforts. WHO’s Regional Director Matshidiso Moeti said the agency was “ramping up readiness”. Very concerned by reports of 4 suspected Ebola deaths in Guinea. @WHO …
Read More »Democratic Republic of Congo records third Ebola case
Health officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo have confirmed a third case of Ebola in the east of the country. The case occurred in North Kivu province, the same area as two earlier cases were detected. Efforts are underway to trace people who have come into contact with the …
Read More »CAR : army recaptures border town from rebels
With Russian and Rwandan allies, the Central African Republic’s army has recaptured the western border town of Beloko from rebels. Several groups that have controlled most of the country for the last eight years formed an alliance in December, and started a rebellion to try to seize power. The recapture …
Read More »Vaccination campaign against Ebola will start in DRC
Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo are gearing up to begin an Ebola vaccination campaign following the death of two people in North Kivu province. A 60-years-old female farmer died of Ebola on Wednesday, six days after a 42-year-old woman had died in hospital of the virus near the …
Read More »Ethiopia ‘indiscriminately shelled towns in Tigray’, said HRW
Human Rights Watch has accused the Ethiopian military of indiscriminately shelling urban centres during the conflict in the northern region of Tigray last November. The US-based group said the attacks violated the “laws of war” and urged the government to investigate. The government has not immediately reacted to the accusations …
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