Politics

A suicide bomber struck a restaurant in the city of Beni in east Congo on Saturday, killing at least five people as well as himself, local officials said. “The suicide bomber, prevented by security guards from entering a crowded bar, activated the bomb at the entrance of the bar,” the …

The Gambian Truth and Reconciliation Commission reports that former president Yahya Jammeh was responsible for a series of killings, tortures and rapes during his presidency. The commission said Jammeh and his henchmen, including a personal hit squad known as The Junglas, were responsible for 44 specific crimes against journalists, ex-soldiers, …

Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed announced on Monday that he had suspended the powers of Prime Minister Mohamed Roble, who is under investigation for corruption. PM Roble is accused of looting public land owned by the Somali National Army and of interfering with a defence ministry investigation. “All other ministers …

At least seven people and 50 others were injured during fighting between elements of Somali pro-government forces in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland on Tuesday. “At least seven people including (forces) from both sides and civilians died in the fighting,” said Mohamed Ahmed, a doctor at the main hospital in …

The Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has told a group of national political and intellectual figures that he intends to resign in the coming hours, Reuters agency reported. Hamdok was reinstated on November 21 following a coup a month earlier that saw the military take power and end a transitional …

A South African court on Tuesday granted former president Jacob Zuma, leave to appeal a ruling that he return to prison after being released in September on medical parole. The new decision means that the former president will be able to spend Christmas at home. President Zuma, 79, had been …

A brawl broke out on the floor of Ghana’s parliament late on Monday as lawmakers debated a proposed tax on electronic transactions that has divided the house for weeks, the Reuters agency has reported. The 1.75% e-levy, which would include taxes on mobile money payments, has been fiercely opposed by …

The French armed forces ministry said on Tuesday that its “Operation Barkhane” unit had killed Soumana Boura, a leading member of Islamic State in Niger. The French army said Boura had been killed by an air strike that took place on December 20. Read also: Central African Republic: United States …

Prominent Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah was sentenced to five years in prison on Monday, after being tried on charges of spreading fake news, Reuters agency reports. Two other persons including blogger Mohamed Ibrahim and lawyer Mohamed El-Baqer, who faced the same charges, were sentenced to four years. Abdel Fattah’s …

The U.S. government on Friday has imposed sanctions on Ali Darassa, the leader of the Union for Peace in the Central African Republic (UPC), whose forces are accused of murder, torture, rape and kidnapping. The United States, the United Nations and human rights groups have accused UPC fighters of killing …