Africa News Feed

TB Joshua is one of Africa’s most influential evangelists, with top politicians among his followers.

In tonight’s edition: As Africa races to stay ahead of the pressures caused by the pandemic, a new programme is created to help strained healthcare providers on the continent get the funding they need to respond to Covid-19. Also, survivors of a jihadist attack on the northern Mozambican town of Palma continue to flood into the community of Pemba. The numbers of displaced have grown dramatically since extremists took control of Palma last month. Our regional correspondent reports.

Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been treated in hospital after he contracted malaria while on international duty with Gabon.

A court in Abidjan on Thursday handed a life sentence to former warlord Amade Oueremi for his part in March 2011 massacres in western Ivory Coast in which hundreds were killed.

A court in Paris on Thursday handed down life sentences to two Ivorian officers and a Belarussian mercenary who were tried in absentia for the deadly 2004 bombing of French peacekeepers in Ivory Coast that triggered days of fierce clashes.

Caster Semenya says she will not attempt to qualify for the 200m at the Tokyo Olympics after defending her national 5,000m title.

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said he had called for a summit with the prime ministers of Egypt and Ethiopia to “break the deadlock” over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Talks on the issue are currently at an impasse and he urged his counterparts to respond favourably to his offer. The Sudanese premier said that Ethiopia’s plan to fill the dam “unilaterally” in July made a resolution of the dispute all the more urgent.

Senegal has successfully reduced HIV but infection remains high among gay men.

There are international warnings of diplomatic blowback after Somalia’s president signs an extension of his mandate into law. Also, attacks and abuse against LGBT+ people in Cameroon are on the rise. Human Rights Watch says that dozens of them have been targeted by a police crackdown since February. And Benin’s president vows to track down those responsible for pre-election violence as he’s voted in for a second term. Patrice Talon was returned with 86 percent of the vote in a poll which featured no major opposition figures.

With 100 days to go until Tokyo 2020 Africa’s Olympic climbers are optimistic The Games can boost their sport on the continent.

Hundreds of students have been abducted in northern Nigeria, leading many schools to close.

Somalia’s President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, better known by his nickname Farmajo, has signed a controversial law extending his mandate for another two years, despite threats of sanctions from the international community.

South Africa’s Busiswa Gqulu is using her songs and poetry to overcome gender barriers in the music industry.

In Burkina Faso, judges have ruled that exiled former president Blaise Compaoré must stand trial for his role in the assassination of Thomas Sankara, whom he overthrew in a coup d’état in 1987. Also, a Tuareg leader in Mali has been shot dead in the capital Bamako. Sidi Brahim Ould Sidati was a key figure in a 2015 peace accord. And in a major step forward for the protection of women and children in Gabon, customary marriages are finally recognised by the state.

Benin’s President Patrice Talon was easily re-elected to a second term, provisional results showed Tuesday, after a weekend election critics said was already stacked in his favour following a crackdown on his opponents.

A former rebel leader in northern Mali was killed in the capital Bamako on Tuesday, according to the spokesman for a militia alliance in the region.

Tunisia football boss Wadie Jary has knowingly misled sport’s highest legal body, suspended club Chebba FC complains.

Somalia’s lower house of parliament has voted to extend the president’s mandate for two years. The speaker of the Senate, which would usually approve the legislation, immediately slammed the move as unconstitutional. This comes as Somalia’s political scene has been in deadlock for months over the holding of elections. Also, the African Union urges the continent to boost its vaccine production efforts as richer regions are accused of hoarding Covid-19 inoculations. And in Tunisia, protesters continue to demonstrate against the dumping of waste from Italy on Tunisian land.

The makers of the Bafta-winning documentary want to preserve the underwater ecosystem it features.

Seven Catholic clergy, including two French citizens, were kidnapped Sunday in Haiti, said the spokesman of the Bishop’s Conference for the island nation, which has been rocked by unrest.

We report on an election in a strategically important nation in the Horn of Africa. Djibouti’s President Ismail Omar Guelleh is certain to be re-elected in Friday’s vote; the only other candidate stopped campaigning due to fears for his safety. Meanwhile, Benin and Chad are also gearing up for presidential elections on Sunday. And electric scooters are taking Moroccan cities by storm – we take a closer look at the growing trend.

Vote counting began in Benin on Sunday after a presidential poll that was boycotted by some opposition parties over pre-election violence and their objection to President Patrice Talon’s quest for a second term.

Vote counting has started in Chad after a tense presidential election on Sunday that is likely to see President Idriss Deby extend his three-decade rule, despite signs of growing discontent over his handling of the nation’s oil wealth.

Ghana is the world’s second largest cocoa producer but sees little of the profits from chocolate – for now.

Djibouti’s veteran ruler Ismail Omar Guelleh was re-elected for a fifth term as president with more than 98 percent of the vote, according to provisional results announced early Saturday, after the election in the tiny but strategically important country was boycotted by the main opposition.

The permanent closure of a top venue symbolises the struggle many performers are facing.

A tax dispute has led to a shortage of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs and HIV testing kits in Kenya.

Kenyans urge potential lenders to stop giving the government money over fears of growing debt.

Victim blaming continues to trap survivors of sexual and gender based violence in a cycle of trauma.

In a bid to represent African culture, Chioma Inyang set out to wear an Ankara-styled gown on her wedding day.