Politics

A Malian former Islamist convicted of crimes against humanity for directing attacks on religious and historic buildings in Timbuktu has used a court appearance in the Hague to apologise for his actions. Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi appealed to the judges for forgiveness as he sought a reduction in his nine-year prison …

Mozambican former President Joaquim Chissano has said that efforts should continue to engage a breakaway armed faction of the opposition Renamo party after its leader was killed on Monday. Gen Mariano Nhongo was killed by security forces in the central Sofala province. “I never wanted anyone’s death, but the people …

At least two Burundian soldiers, including a lieutenant-colonel, were killed in the locality of Busangana, commune of Bukeye (50 km from Bujumbura to the north-west), the Anadolu agency reports. “It is about Lieutenant-Colonel Jean Marie Nkurunziza and one of his bodyguards, killed during an exchange of fire between soldiers of …

Dr Kizza Besigye has asked National Unity Platform (NUP) leader Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine to make a public statement to cease fire on the new People’s Front for Transformation (PFT). “I called Kyagulanyi and he said he regrets the on-going attacks on this front. Some people have been asking me …

A suspected commander of the Central African Republic’s Séléka rebels has appeared at the International Criminal Court, for a hearing on whether to confirm charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity against him. Mahamat Said Abdel Kani is accused of using state machinery to hunt down, detain, kill and …

Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), a rebel group in Ethiopia say federal troops and their allies have launched coordinated attacks on all fronts. They said heavy artillery, tanks, fighter jets and drones were being used against them, BBC News reports. A senior member of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front said …

The Algerian president Abdelmadjid Tebboune has asked “total respect” from France as the diplomatic tensions among the two countries are worsening. In his first public comments on the matter, Abdelmadjid Tebboune said France should forget that Algeria had once been its colony. The current dispute between the two countries was …

The new Guinean Prime Minister, Mohamed Beavogui, has called for unity to ensure a smooth transition to civilian rule. Mr Beavogui said his administration will be “a government with a specific mission”. “We will be honest about what we can do and what we must do. What is important, once …

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) is studying options to offer support to troops fighting against militant jihadists in the Sahel region, UN chief António Guterres has said in a letter reported by the AFP news agency. The UN is calling for more international support for the soldiers in the …

Army in Nigeria has confirmed the arrest of the famous actor Chiwetalu Agu for wearing an outfit bearing the flag of the proscribed group Ipob and inciting people to join it. The Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob) is a group that wants a breakaway state in south-east Nigeria. The army …