Africa

More than 500 civilians died in attacks carried out by armed forces and Islamist groups in Mali from January to March this year, the United Nations said in a report on Monday. The report detailed a rapid unravelling of an already desperate security situation. The killings represented a 324% rise …

A 17-year-old male student of the Sokode Senior High School in the Volta Regional Capital, Ho, has died after being struck by lightning, local media reported. The incident occurred during a downpour in the late hours of Monday. The deceased, identified as Emmanuel Dorli, was reportedly hit by a thunder …

Cameroonian soldiers have freed a kidnapped senator Elizabeth Regina Mundi and several other hostages, in an operation in the country’s English-speaking North-West region, the BBC reported, citing the army. Senator Elizabeth Regina Mundi was kidnapped along with her driver last month in Bamenda. The separatist group, Ambazonian Defence Forces (ADF), …

A minister in the Tanzanian islands of Zanzibar has warned people against insulting or abusing tourists wearing skimpy clothes, the BBC reported. Zanzibar Tourism Minister Simai Mohammed said the government would take action on people who offend tourists, who are crucial to the islands’ economy. He said he would himself …

Rwandan President Paul Kagame held a phone conversation with his Democratic Republic of Congo counterpart Félix Tshisekedi along with the African Union chairman Macky Sall amid cross-border tensions. “I thank Presidents Felix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame for our telephone talks yesterday and today [Monday] in the quest for a peaceful …

Ghanaian police arrested a 21-year-old woman for allegedly flushing her one-day-old baby down a pit toilet on Friday, May 27, Pulse news agency reported. She was arrested by the Jasikan Police together with an elderly woman, believed to be her mother, who is said to have helped the 21-year-old to …

Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema says his government has not been promoting gay rights, the Lusaka Times website reports, quoting his remarks at a church service. President Hichilema is reported to have told the congregation that his position on gay rights had not changed since his days in the opposition. He …

A teenager with albinism was killed and dismembered in Mogovolas district, in Mozambique’s northern Nampula province, for his body parts, the BBC reported. Police say they have arrested the main suspect, who they say confessed to the murder. The detained suspect is the victim’s uncle, aged 22, according to the …

Pope Francis announced the promotion of Peter Okpaleke and Richard Kuuia Baawobr, two African clergymen to the rank of cardinals in the Catholic Church. It means that they will rank among the highest officials in the institution. Bishop Peter Okpaleke is from Ekwulobia in south-east Nigeria and Bishop Richard Kuuia …

Sudan’s military leaders have lifted a state of emergency imposed since seizing power in a coup six months ago. The country’s ruling security and defence council said the decision was made at a meeting headed by the military leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. It said the move was aimed at …