In the news

The United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) has appointed former International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to lead a team to investigate alleged violations during the conflict in Ethiopia. The team will have two other international experts; Kenyan lawyer Kaari Betty Murungi and Steven Ratner of the United States. …

Nigerian women were outside the parliament in the capital, Abuja, to voice their displeasure over the senate’s rejection of several gender equality bills. Chanting songs and raising their fists, members of women’s rights groups marched to the National Assembly to demand that all rejected gender bills be reconsidered. Wearing pink …

Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi has sacked six government ministers, including the finance minister, in what we call a major reshuffle. Besides the Minister of Finance, President Nyusi also sacked the Ministers of Mineral Resources and Energy, Sea, Inland Waters and Fisheries and Public Works, Housing and Water. The reasons for …

A Ugandan novelist charged with insulting President Yoweri Museveni has taken the government to court over his alleged torture by soldiers, local media report. Kakwenza Rukirabashaija was arrested in December after posting tweets insulting Mr Museveni and his son Muhoozi Kainerugaba. He denied the charges. He wants the East African …

Atheists Association in Kenya has written to the country’s education ministry calling for a ban on prayer days in public schools ahead of national examinations. It comes after schools this week called on parents to join in the tradition of praying for a smooth exam period. According to the association, …

Nigerian singer Yemi Alade becomes the global ambassador for a pan-African campaign in partnership with the Africa Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Mastercard to encourage Africans to get vaccinated against Covid-19 pandemic. The campaign, titled It’s Up to Us, warns that Africans are being “left behind” when it comes …

European Union (EU) diplomats have condemned the powerful son of Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, for expressing support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Gen Kainerugaba had on Tuesday tweeted that “the majority of mankind (that are non-white) support Russia’s stand in Ukraine. Putin is absolutely right!”. …

Western diplomats in South Sudan have urged the country to support a resolution by the United Nations to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The United Nations General Assembly will on Wednesday vote on a resolution censuring Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Dozens of states are expected to formally …

Five Sudanese football players died when their boat capsized in the Nile on Sunday, local media reported. The players were members of al-Milaha football team, a local team in Shendi town (150 Km; 93 miles) north of Khartoum. They were travelling on a boat to the west bank of the …

The Zimbabwean government has evacuated 118 students from Ukraine to neighbouring countries, state-owned Herald website reports. The students have been relocated to Romania (28), Hungary (15), Slovakia (26) and Poland (49) with the help of the country’s embassies in Russia and Germany. “They will be provided with air tickets to …