Africa

Nigerian authorities in the north-western Zamfara state have called on locals to arm themselves against criminal gangs in an attempt to deal with the increasing numbers of kidnappings and violent attacks. The Zamfara governor said he would issue hundreds of guns to those without training and directed the commissioner of …

Suspects linked to the killing of at least 40 people in a church in south-west Nigeria have been detained by a regional security force, the authorities there say. Gunmen stormed the St Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo state, during a service earlier this month and opened fire. The suspects …

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has lifted a ban on a European-backed rights group, nearly 18 months after its suspension, the presidency said in a statement. Yoweri Museveni said the Democratic Governance Facility (DGF) – backed by the European Union, Austria, Denmark, Ireland and other states – could reopen as long …

Former Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos is in a hospital in the Spanish city of Barcelona for emergency treatment, Portugal’s official news agency Lusa reported. “[Mr Dos Santos], has been hospitalised in an intensive care unit in a hospital in Barcelona, where he has resided for the past few …

Senegalese TikTok star Khaby Lame becomes the biggest TikToker in the world with 142.8 million followers on the app, compared to US TikTok creator Charli D’Amelio, 142.3 million. After becoming the most followed Italian on Instagram, Khaby Lame continued with his simplicity and his gestures to make the whole world …

The Court of Appeal in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, acquitted former chief of staff of President Felix Tshisekedi, Vital Kamerhe, of corruption charges, according to his lawyer. The acquittal of Mr Kamerhe was communicated to his lawyers, news agencies reported. The court cited lack of evidence …

British police have arrested two Nigerian nationals, accused of trying to bring a child to the UK to harvest his organs, the BBC reported. Police in London said the man and woman – Beatrice and Ike Ekweremadu – had been remanded in custody and would appear in court later on …

Five Somali nationals suspected of being members of a kidnapping and drug-trafficking network have been arrested in the Mozambican central city of Beira, police announced. The five, according to the police, had false documents including dozens of Mozambican and Kenyan identity cards, passports, as well as asylum application cards and …

The decapitated body of a former local MP, Nelson Achukwu was found, two weeks after his abduction by gunmen for a second time, Police in Anambra state said. On both occasions, his family has paid a ransom for his safe return, local media reported. It is not clear who abducted …

A Nigerian court on Thursday will hear a challenge against sharia law in the mostly Muslim northern state of Kano, in a case that is set to reignite debate on the place of religious laws in a country whose constitution is neutral on religion, Reuters agency reports. Nigeria is divided …