Africa

A special unit of the South African army rescued two ministers and a deputy, after they were taken hostage by war veterans demanding reparations for their role in the fight against the apartheid government. The Liberation Struggle War Veterans, from the disbanded ANC military wing, are demanding a one-off payment …

The shooting dead of a schoolgirl by a policeman in one of Cameroon’s English-speaking region has sparked protests and tension in the troubled area. The girl, who was five according to the Reuters news agency, was travelling a car towards a checkpoint in the city of Buea when a policeman …

Navi in Ghana has foiled an attack on a fishing vessel in the Gulf of Guinea, a statement from the Ghanaian armed forces said. It took place about 170km (105 miles) from the Ghanaian coast where pirates in two speedboats attempted to board a tuna fishing boat. The navy patrol …

At least 160 Ugandan police officers will be deployed in conflict-threatened Somalia in December 2021, police said in a statement Thursday. Ugandan police said in a statement that the officers up for deployment ‘‘on October 14 completed a six-month intensive pre-deployment training course in peacekeeping operations of African Union Mission …

Some 40 civil society groups in Mozambique have written a letter in which they denounce the mistreatment of pregnant women in health facilities. The groups rallied and demanded action against doctors whose work they say has resulted in maternal and child deaths. In a letter to the health minister, the …

Rwandan President Paul Kagame has pardoned former Prime Minister Pierre Damien Habumuremyi who was sentenced to three years in prison for issuing counterfeit cheques. The former PM was jailed last year for the fraudulent cheques he paid out to creditors at his Kigali-based Christian University of Rwanda, which has since …

The Kenyan high court has declared illegal the rollout of a biometric ID scheme also known as Huduma Namba that is underway in the country. According to the judge, the rollout went against the 2019 data protection act. The Huduma Namba scheme was launched to bring together on one card …

Police in the South African city of Gqeberha, formerly known as Port Elizabeth, are investigating the setting alight of three shops run by foreign nationals on Wednesday night, the local Herald Live news site reports. This comes amid heightened tension in the area after eight taxis and two cars were …

All Nigerian civilian workers who have not been vaccinated against the Covid-19 pandemic will not be allowed into their offices from December, the country’s authorities have announced. This move effectively makes covid vaccines mandatory for federal civil servants across the country, a policy the government has been considering for several …

Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni on Tuesday firmly reiterated that there will be salary increase for teachers of humanities. Delivering his address at the national celebration of World Teachers’ Day at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds in Kampala, Mr Museveni assailed proponents of accelerated reopening of schools closed over Covid and put teachers …