In the news

Angolan police have fired tear gas at anti-government protesters attempting to march to the presidential palace in the capital Luanda. Around 100 demonstrators were dispersed, with police pictured approaching some on horses. The protestors’ slogan was “45 years is too much” a criticism of the ruling party, the MPLA, which …

Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi has offered amnesty to citizens who joined the Islamist insurgency in the gas-rich northern province of Cabo Delgado. President Nyusi promised that there will be no retaliation against those who surrender and return to their families. He made the pledge on Wednesday as the country paid …

Rwanda’s capital city will remain locked down for seven more days, the government said on Tuesday. Businesses will now reopen on February 8 under strict guidelines as the government moves to ease the current measures. A ban on public transport will also be lifted. Kigali was shut down two weeks …

Hundreds of shops and stalls have been completely burnt in an overnight at a market in the Nigerian capital, Abuja. One person sleeping in the market was burnt to death in the incident at the Tippa Garage Market in the Gwarinpa district. Assorted goods including food, building materials and clothing …

Governments and developers around the world are exploring the potential use of “vaccine passports” as a way of reopening the economy by identifying those protected against the coronavirus. The travel and entertainment industries, which have struggled to operate at a profit while imposing social distancing regulations, are particularly interested in …

Dozens of Islamist Boko Haram militants have been killed by Nigerian soldiers in a major operation the north-east of the country. Troops stormed the jihadists’ strongholds in Kidari, Argude, Takwala, Chowalta and Galdekore, local media reports. The soldiers are said to have gained access into the notorious Timbuktu Triangle in …

Sixteen African countries have shown interest in securing Covid-19 vaccines under an African Union (AU) initiative and the aim is to deliver allocations in the next three weeks, Reuters news agency quotes the the head of a continental disease control body as saying. However, John Nkengasong, director of the AU’s …

The trial in Algeria of a group accused of decapitating a French mountain guide, which was due to start on Thursday in Algiers, has been put back to 18 February. The trial in the murder case of Frenchman Hervé Gourdel, has been postponed to February 18. Fourteen people are facing …

Ugandans in Gulu city watched the live stream of the trial of former rebel commander Dominic Ongwen. They gathered at three separate venues with the hall at St Monica Girls Technical School fully packed with mostly women following the proceedings translated to their local Acholi language. The ICC office in …

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is set to deliver its verdict in the trial of Dominic Ongwen, a former child soldier turned rebel commander; he is accused on 70 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes. Mr Ongwen, a feared commander of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), is the …