At least 10 people have died during ethnic clashes that began at a busy market in the Nigerian city of Ibadan in Oyo State. The governor of south-western Oyo State has imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew to contain the violence in the city. It began after a wheelbarrow pusher, believed to …
Read More »Jack Dorsey and Jay-Z back bitcoin in Africa
Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of social media platform Twitter, has announced he and US rapper-turned-businessman Jay-Z are investing a chunk of their own money into bitcoin development in Africa and India. Mr Dorsey says they are putting a total of 500 bitcoin, worth around $23.6m, in the endowment fund called …
Read More »Democratic Republic of Congo records third Ebola case
Health officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo have confirmed a third case of Ebola in the east of the country. The case occurred in North Kivu province, the same area as two earlier cases were detected. Efforts are underway to trace people who have come into contact with the …
Read More »South Africa: 15 lawmakers arrested in ‘Mandela funeral fraud’
Police in South Africa have arrested 15 people for alleged corruption relating to the funeral of the former president, Nelson Mandela, in 2013. Those arrested include the health minister of Eastern Cape province, Sindiswa Gomba, a number of business figures, and other lawmakers from the governing African National Congress. Among …
Read More »Ethiopia’s Tigray region is ‘one step from famine’ – EU
The European Commission on Thursday warned that the Tigray region of Ethiopia could be approaching a famine, as the country’s three-month-long conflict continued. The European Commission on Thursday warned that the Tigray region of Ethiopia could be approaching a famine, as the country’s three-month-long conflict continued. The region is largely …
Read More »Russia is ready to cut EU ties if hit with painful sanctions
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said Moscow is ready to sever ties with the European Union if the bloc hits it with painful economic sanctions, according to extracts of an interview posted on the ministry’s website on Friday. Relations between Russia and the West have come under renewed pressure …
Read More »What’s really going on in Ethiopia’s Tigray region?
It’s been 100 days since fighting broke out in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region. In that time, hundreds of thousands of people have been forced out of their homes. Many are going hungry. “I’m sheltered at my friends and I rely on them … I have no work,” one of the …
Read More »Rwanda: Lt Gen Jacques Musemakweli, head of army passes away
The head of Rwanda’s military, Lt Gen Jacques Musemakweli, died a “natural death” on Thursday at a military hospital, according to Rwanda Defence Force. “Yes, General Musemakweli has died, he was ill,” a senior Rwandan army official told the BBC. The Rwanda Defence Force is deeply saddened to announce the …
Read More »CAR : army recaptures border town from rebels
With Russian and Rwandan allies, the Central African Republic’s army has recaptured the western border town of Beloko from rebels. Several groups that have controlled most of the country for the last eight years formed an alliance in December, and started a rebellion to try to seize power. The recapture …
Read More »Uganda: Captain Caroline Busingye dies in chopper crash
Uganda’s army has confirmed the death of a pilot in a helicopter crash after take-off near Entebbe on Thursday. Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) spokeswoman Brig Flavia Byekwaso said the incident happened during a flight training session. “Today afternoon at about 2:15pm a jet ranger piloted by two cadet trainees …
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