In the news

Unidentified gunmen abducted an American nun in northern Burkina Faso on Monday, the bishop of the local diocese of Kaya said on Tuesday. The West African country faced a spiral of violence since 2015, attributed to jihadist movements affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group. More than 2,000 people …

Nigeria has repeated its demand for telecom companies to bar calls from unregistered phone lines, part of the government’s policy to boost security amid an Islamist insurgency and a spate of kidnappings. The country’s telecoms regulator had in December 2020 ordered mobile phone providers to add identification numbers (NINs) – …

A junior tennis player has been filmed slapping his opponent across the face after losing their match in Ghana’s capital, Accra. France’s Michael Kouamé, 15, struck Ghana’s Raphael Nii Ankrah, 16, when the pair shook hands at the net, to the shock of onlookers: Number 1 seeded player Michael Kouame …

Long queues have been witnessed at petrol station in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, as the city struggles with fuel shortages, the BBC reports. Fuel prices have not changed, but only limited amounts are being sold per day. The shortage started to bite on Monday although the authorities …

In an interview with the BBC, Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo justified the e-levy bill passed by parliament by saying it was aimed at taxing the industry and not the poor. Parliament in Ghana on March 29, 2022, approved the e-levy bill, after the minority staged a walkout. President Akufo-Addo said …

The al Shabaab group linked to al Qaeda plans to target Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed and Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble, the country’s intelligence agency warned on Tuesday. Violence by the group, which aims to topple the central government and impose its own severe version of Islamic law, has …

Police in South Africa’s capital, Pretoria, are looking for a shopping trolley rider filmed holding on to a fuel tanker that was speeding on a major highway, local media reported. The incident happened on Sunday following heavy rains, the man was seen smiling and waving at other motorists, local media …

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced the lifting of COVID restrictions, imposed since the beginning of the pandemic. In a televised address, the president said the national state of disaster would end at midnight on Monday. “Masks will still be required indoors for another month,” he said. He said …

National Security minister in Ghana, Albert Kan Dapaah declared that Ghana is on high alert against a possible terrorist attack. Speaking on the floor of Parliament, he said the nation is very much prepared for any potential attack. “[We] remain on high alert to avert terrorist infiltration with proactive measures, …

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has pledged to continue to help fight jihadist groups in northern Mozambique. The mission will see a continued presence of military personnel there for the next few months, with the long-term plan being to de-escalate the violence and help to bring stability to the …