Africa

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 …

Several thousand anti-government protesters have marched through the streets of the Ghanaian capital, Accra, to call for action to address the country’s economic and social challenges. A social media campaign under the slogan “Fix The Country” has gained momentum in recent months. President Nana Akufo-Addo’s government has introduced new taxes …

President Paul Kagame has requested his Tanzanian counterpart to deploy Swahili teachers to help strengthen Rwanda’s efforts in teaching the language. In a state banquet on Monday night marking the end of President Samia Suluhu’s two-day visit, Paul Kagame said that Rwanda had already introduced Swahili lessons in schools. In …

Nigeria has recorded 505 new cases of Covid-19 infections and three deaths. This comes as the government places at least six states on the red list over a possible surge and fears of a third wave. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says fresh infections were reported in 14 …

After months of suspension by the authorities, medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has withdrawn from Cameroon’s North-West region. The charity said it could not stay where it was “not allowed to provide care to people”. “Unfortunately, we cannot keep our staff on standby any longer, so we have no …

Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara is in self-isolation after being in contact with someone who had tested positive for Covid-19, the presidency has said. The name of the person was not revealed. President Ouattara has encouraged the Ivorian population to get vaccinated while respecting the protection measures in place in …