Africa

At least 50 Ugandan Members of Parliament and staff have tested positive for Coronavirus, the Director of Communication and Public Affairs, Chris Obore has confirmed on Tuesday. “About 50 Members of Parliament and staff who participated in the EAC Legislative Assemblies’ sports in Arusha have tested positive for Covid-19 , …

A South African court on Tuesday granted former president Jacob Zuma, leave to appeal a ruling that he return to prison after being released in September on medical parole. The new decision means that the former president will be able to spend Christmas at home. President Zuma, 79, had been …

A brawl broke out on the floor of Ghana’s parliament late on Monday as lawmakers debated a proposed tax on electronic transactions that has divided the house for weeks, the Reuters agency has reported. The 1.75% e-levy, which would include taxes on mobile money payments, has been fiercely opposed by …

The French armed forces ministry said on Tuesday that its “Operation Barkhane” unit had killed Soumana Boura, a leading member of Islamic State in Niger. The French army said Boura had been killed by an air strike that took place on December 20. Read also: Central African Republic: United States …

Striking medical interns in Uganda on Monday rejected government’s Shs1.5m offer and vowed to carry on with the strike until its revised upwards, Daily Monitor reports. The head of medical interns, Dr Lilian Nabwire, told Daily Monitor in an interview yesterday that they want the allowances increased to Shs2.4m as …

A female soldier has been arrested in Nigeria for accepting a marriage proposal while on duty, an army spokesman has said, accusing her of breaching the military’s code of conduct by “indulging in romance while in uniform”. A video emerged last week of the soldier accepting a ring from a …

Prominent Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah was sentenced to five years in prison on Monday, after being tried on charges of spreading fake news, Reuters agency reports. Two other persons including blogger Mohamed Ibrahim and lawyer Mohamed El-Baqer, who faced the same charges, were sentenced to four years. Abdel Fattah’s …

The U.S. government on Friday has imposed sanctions on Ali Darassa, the leader of the Union for Peace in the Central African Republic (UPC), whose forces are accused of murder, torture, rape and kidnapping. The United States, the United Nations and human rights groups have accused UPC fighters of killing …

A man has been shot dead and many others wounded in Sunday’s protests against Sudan’s military leaders in the capital Khartoum and other cities, medics aligned with the protest movement said on Monday. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum on Sunday to …

Federal troops in Ethiopia have recaptured the historic city of Lalibela, famed for its rock churches, state media reported on Sunday, showing pictures of the deputy prime minister visiting the site. It was unclear when government forces recaptured the town, which has spiritual significance for millions of Ethiopian Orthodox Christians …