In the news

An American has been sentenced to more than 15 years in prison for abusing underage girls in a Kenyan orphanage. Christian missionary Gregory Dow set up the orphanage with his wife in 2008. “Gregory Dow was the proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing,” said the FBI’s Michael Driscoll. Last year, Dow …

A group of pro-Joseph Kabila senators in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday denounced a perceived “dictatorial shift” in the country. Their indignation in fact, comes after President Félix Tshisekedi, who took office in January 2019, made a series of top-level changes in parliament where a majority of deputies …

Conspiracy theories, mistrust and patchy communication have contributed to a flourishing of skepticism about Covid-19 vaccines in African countries, experts say, posing potential dangers to future immunisation campaigns. Anti-vaccine sentiment, often fed by rumours spread on social media, is already thriving in the West. But a similar dynamic is at …

On Thursday, Burkina Faso’s government said that it was open to holding talks with Islamist militants, a position embraced by its neighbours in the Sahel region where terrorist attacks are recurrent. Jihadists activities have grown in the region despite military operations to contain them. France which has more than 5,000 …

Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigerian president has nominated four former military commanders for ambassadorial roles after their resignation last week. The president overhauled the military’s top command amid growing calls for a reshuffle due to insecurity across the country. He accepted the resignation of the chief of defence staff and the …

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 …