Africa

A day after seizing the Lalibela historic town, a UN World Heritage site in Amhara State, rebels in Ethiopia’s Tigray region rejected calls by the United States to leave neighboring regions. On Thursday, Tigrayan forces took control of the town of Lalibela, with its rock-hewn churches, which is of great …

Suspected jihadists have killed 30 people during an attack in the north of Burkina Faso, near the Niger border. Eleven civilians are among the dead, officials say. Armed men targeted villages near the border with Niger on Wednesday, before opening fire on security forces who responded to the raids. “Ten …

Jacob Zuma, the South African former President has been admitted to a hospital outside prison for medical observation. The announcement has been done by the prison’s authorities. His foundation said it was an “annual medical routine check-up” and there was “no need to be alarmed”. As a former head of …

Chadian army was attacked on the night of August 4-5 by elements of Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region. The attack left 20 soldiers dead and several others missing. The Chadian army, which has just suffered the biggest attack since the death of Idriss Déby last April, is currently …

Lions have killed three children who had gone to look for missing cattle in northern Tanzania’s Ngorongoro wildlife reserve, police said in a statement on Thursday. The children, aged between nine and 11, went looking for the livestock just after they had returned from school, Arusha police chief Justine Masejo …

Rebels from Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray have captured the historic town of Lalibela in the neighbouring Amhara regional state, has announced the town’s deputy mayor, Mandefro Tadesse. Witnesses contacted by the Reuters and AFP news agencies have also reported that the rebels are in control. Lalibela is well known …

The African Union has started the distribution of 400 million Covid vaccines to member states, its chairman, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced. Several countries will receive the first of the monthly shipments on Thursday. The AU’s aim is to deliver 25 million vaccines a month by January. Member …

Tanzanian police have arrested some of those demonstrating in support of opposition leader Freeman Mbowe, who has been accused of terrorism-related crimes. The court case of Tanzania opposition leader Freeman Mbowe, which was to be held virtually, has been postponed after technical difficulties. Nevertheless, party supporters who had turned out …

Due to attacks by militant group Boko Haram that forced farmers to leave their land, an estimated 4.4 million people in northeast Nigeria could face acute hunger, the UN said. Farmers have been targeted in the insurgency and the army has been carrying out operations against militants. The area has …

After clashes on Monday between protesting students and police, authorities ruled that undergraduate classes at the University of Liberia be suspended indefinitely. The students were protesting against the university’s decision to cancel in-person classes for online classes, a move they said would curb the spread of coronavirus. But the students …