In the news

Moroccan police on Monday arrested 16 people who were taking part in a libertine party punctuated by group sex and excessive alcohol consumption in Casablanca. According to the Moroccan daily Assabah, these sixteen people arrested were brought before the king’s prosecutor at the court of first instance in Aîn Sebaâ. …

At least 3,000 travelers to South Africa have been left stranded after airline Comair abruptly suspended all flights with immediate effect. The airline announced the suspension on Tuesday evening, citing financial issues, the BBC reported. Angry customers say Comair offered specials and accepted bookings just hours before announcing the suspension. …

Seven African countries have cumulatively reported about 1,400 monkeypox cases this year up to mid-May, the World Health Organization (WHO) says. The cases were reported in Cameroon, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Nigeria, Congo-Brazzaville and Sierra Leone. These include 1,392 suspected and 44 confirmed cases. …

Mali has denied allegations in a United Nations report that its national army (Fama) carried out human rights violations. A report by the country’s UN mission, Minusma, released last week highlighted alleged gross rights abuses by the Malian army between January and March this year. It attributed to Fama an …

Angolan President João Lourenço said the Democratic Republic of Congo agreed to release two Rwandan soldiers it detained last week, amid rising border tensions. Mr Lourenço, mediator in the tension, made the announcement after separate talks with his Congolese and Rwandan counterparts. His office said Félix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame …

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 …