Category Archives: Africa

The west takes its eyes off Africa at its peril | Larry Elliott

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The G7 thought it had solved Africa’s problems, but rising child poverty is a ticking time bomb

Time was when Africa dominated gatherings of the G7. In the period between two summits held in the UK – Birmingham in 1998 and Gleneagles in 2005 – the talk was of little else. There was public activism and it led to political action.

In part, that was because the big developed countries were enjoying a spell of low-inflationary growth and could look beyond their own problems to see a bigger picture. There was the occasional financial panic, but the G7 thought the problems of economic management had largely been solved and all that was needed was a bit of tinkering by technocratic central bankers.

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Nigeria misses chance to transform lives – and must pay $9bn damages

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UK court ruling over aborted project means country will have to pay one-fifth of its foreign reserves to gas supply company

Nigeria’s government stands accused of letting down its 201 million residents by failing to complete a gas supply and production agreement that would have transformed their lives. Instead, the country will now have to pay $9bn (£7.4bn) in penalties or risk having its assets seized.

The accusation is being levied at the federal republic by lawyers representing Process and Industrial Developments Ltd (P&ID), a gas supply and engineering company, following a UK court ruling that paves the way for the seizure of assets belonging to Africa’s richest country. The extraordinary figure represents one-fifth of the country’s declared foreign reserves of $45bn.

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‘A killer is always a killer’: Gambia gripped by Junglers’ testimony

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Truth commission reveals evidence of death squad’s abuses over two decades

One of the most notorious killers in the Gambia sits on a grubby mattress on his brother’s stoop, uneasy in his newfound freedom. His nephews fetch cigarettes and brew tea, and birds sing in the mango trees. A cuddly toy crocodile lies near the gate.

Malick Jatta was a member of the Junglers, a death squad trained to do the dirtiest work of the country’s former president, Yahya Jammeh, whose abuses over 22 years in power are being revealed by a truth, reconciliation and reparations commission broadcast live into the living rooms of Africa’s smallest mainland nation.

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Violence forces 1.9 million children out of classes in west and central Africa

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Unicef report points to three-fold increase in number of schools closed in the region in two years due to intensifying conflict

More than 1.9 million children are forced out of school across west and central Africa due to rising violence and insecurity, putting them at higher risk of recruitment by armed groups, the UN’s children agency has warned.

In an urgent report published on Friday, Unicef revealed that more than 9,000 schools have been shut down as of June this year in eight countries; Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Niger and Nigeria.

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Stalemate in Algeria six months after start of protests that ousted leader

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Demonstrators say they will persist until military-backed government is replaced by civilian democracy

Six months after a wave of protests began in Algeria, people are still demonstrating and the military-backed government appears determined to keep its grip on power.

The demonstrations have gained a familiar rhythm since tens of thousands of Algerians first took to the streets on 22 February. Thousands of students turn out on Tuesdays and there are larger protests each Friday.

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‘Major milestone’: Africa on brink of eliminating polio

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Nigeria marks three years without a wild polio case, meaning Africa could be declared free of the disease in 2020

Africa is on the verge of being declared polio free, after three years without any recorded cases of the disease, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Nigeria marked three years without a wild polio case on Wednesday, a “major milestone”. If no more incidences emerge in the next few months, Africa could officially be declared polio free in 2020. The last case was recorded in Borno state in August 2016.

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Rights activist survives petrol bomb attack on his home in Malawi

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Bombing believed to be linked to Timothy Mtambo’s role at forefront of mass protests over alleged rigging of elections

The home of a leading human rights activist in Malawi has been petrol bombed in what is believed to be a targeted move to stop mass demonstrations planned for next week.

Three bombs were thrown at the car and home of Timothy Mtambo, the chairman of Malawi’s Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC), and the executive director of the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRC).

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New species of stegosaurus uncovered in Moroccan dig

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Scientists believe dinosaur dates back to 168m years ago during the middle Jurassic period

A new species of one of the most recognisable types of dinosaur is also the oldest of its kind ever discovered, British scientists believe.

Remains of a stegosaurus, an armoured dinosaur instantly recognisable by the plate-like bones protruding from its spine and spikes on its tails, were studied by a team from the Natural History Museum and belong to a new genus that walked the earth around 168m years ago.

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‘Before I was kidnapped I had friends’: the girl soldiers of South Sudan | Samuel Okiror

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A reintegration programme has helped 360 girls leave armed groups in Yambio county but for many the trauma of sexual violence persists

Late one night in April 2015, 13-year-old Patricia* and her sister, who was 11, were kidnapped from their beds by rebel forces fighting the government in South Sudan.

The girls were taken from their home in a raid on their village by the South Sudan National Liberation Movement in Yambio county, not far from the border of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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South Africa gets go-ahead to increase black rhino trophy hunting

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Conservation groups split on impact of move agreed at international wildlife summit

South Africa has won permission to almost double the number of black rhinos that can be killed as trophies after arguing the money raised will support conservation of the critically endangered species.

The decision was made at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) after receiving support from some African nations and opposition from others.

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‘Men fear us’: Kampala’s market women unite against harassment

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Tired of suffering physical and verbal abuse at one of the Ugandan capital’s largest markets, female vendors are holding perpetrators to account

All photography by Alice McCool

Some men are in the habit of touching women, says Nora Baguma, a vendor at Nakawa market, in Uganda’s capital Kampala. “We call them bayaye,” she says, sitting at her banana stall.

“We give men punishment for this. I take men to the office if they cause problems. They can suspend that man for a week or a month,” Baguma explains. “It makes them stop. They fear us.”

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Deposed Sudan president to face corruption charges in court

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Omar al-Bashir faces long jail term if convicted as country’s military leaders pave way for civilian rule

Omar al-Bashir, the former president of Sudan, will appear in court on Monday for the first day of a high-profile corruption trial that could end in the deposed autocratic ruler being jailed for many years.

Bashir was forced out of power in April when security forces withdrew their support for his regime after months of popular protests. He is now in prison and will be charged with possessing foreign currency, corruption and receiving gifts illegally.

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Sudan opposition and military sign final power-sharing accord

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Deal paves way for transitional government after overthrow of long-time leader Omar al-Bashir

Sudan’s main opposition coalition and the ruling military council have signed a final power-sharing agreement, paving the way for a transitional government following the overthrow of long-time leader Omar al-Bashir.

Stability in Sudan, which has been grappling with an economic crisis, is seen as crucial for a volatile region struggling with conflict and insurgencies from the Horn of Africa to Egypt and Libya.

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Congo Ebola outbreak spreads to new province as epidemic continues to spiral

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One woman dead after two cases are confirmed in South Kivu’s Lwindi district, near DRC’s border with Rwanda

The year-long Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has spread to a new province, with two cases – one of them fatal – confirmed in South Kivu.

The confirmed cases were reported in the Mwenga area, some way south of the city of Bukavu, which sits on the country’s eastern border with Rwanda.

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Zimbabwe riot police use teargas and batons to clear protesters – video

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Riot police charge hundreds of protesters in Zimbabwe hours after a court rejected an opposition attempt to overturn the ban on a planned rally. Witnesses reported chaotic scenes, with many protesters beaten with batons, at least three injured and others loaded into armoured vehicles

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Asylum seeker locked out of home in London despite active claim

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Gambian woman, 46, has no access to possessions after being evicted without notice

An asylum seeker with an active case has been locked out of her Home Office accommodation in west London by a government contractor who told her: “When you’re asked to leave this country you have to leave.”

The woman, 46, who fled her country in west Africa after refusing to perform FGM on young girls, has an active asylum claim. She said her life will be at risk if she is forced to return to Gambia where FGM is prevalent because she defied her community by opposing the practice.

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Zimbabwe opposition tries to lift protest ban as armed police patrol capital

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Demonstrators warned ‘you will rot in jail’ in run-up to planned rally in Harare

Zimbabwe’s main opposition party has gone to court to lift a police ban on demonstrations scheduled for Friday, as hundreds of police armed with automatic weapons, batons and water cannon set up checkpoints on major roads and blocked access to the party’s offices in the capital, Harare.

The police banned the street demonstration planned by the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) on Thursday night, after saying it would turn violent, and warned that anyone who took part would be committing a crime.

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‘The people have power’: Kenya’s gang leader turned community builder

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After rising to the top of the criminal pyramid in Nairobi’s Kibera slum, George Okewa rejected violence in favour of local leadership

George Okewa once terrorised his community. Spurred on by violence, drink and drugs, he believed that one day his lifestyle would cause his death.

The day he met Kennedy Odede, that changed. Following the realisation that their most powerful weapon was not guns but communication, they now use their skills to bring peace and resources to Kibera, Africa’s largest slum.

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‘Men said we were immoral’: the aphrodisiacs challenging taboos | Wana Udobang

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Nigeria’s traditional ‘Kayan Mata’ recipes have grown into a booming industry that’s empowering women to be more open about sex

When Amra Mansur was working as a makeup artist in Abuja, while she studied law, she would overhear conversations between would-be brides and older relatives about how to please their men in the bedroom.

The older, mostly female relatives would recite aphrodisiac recipes that involved ingredients like fenugreek, dates, honey, watermelon and the fruit silky kola.

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