DR CONGO
Aid groups say 30,600 have fled ethnic clashes
An estimated 30,600 people fleeing ethnic clashes in the Democratic Republic of Congo have crossed the border into the Republic of Congo, aid agencies say. The number has surged in the past few days as fighting has intensified.
SOMALIA
EU to send troops to train Somali soldiers
The European Union plans to send troops to train Somali security forces in Uganda next year, as the interim government in Mogadishu struggles to maintain control over the embattled country.
DIPLOMACY
Egypt recalls ambassador from Algeria over football violence
Egypt has recalled its ambassador to Algeria for consultation following attacks on Egyptian football fans and businesses in Sudan, after Algeria beat Egypt in a 2010 World Cup qualifier play-off.
(1) comment
DIPLOMACY
Gabonese president Bongo in first Paris trip since election
Gabon's President Ali Bongo was in France on Wednesday for his first trip since succeeding his father, who was France's closest ally in Africa and the key figure in a rather dubious network of trade and political ties known as "FranceAfrique".
AFP
South Sudan clashes leave 47 dead: military
Forty-seven people were killed in ethnic clashes in south Sudan's Lakes state region, a military spokesman said on Wednesday.Mundari ethnic gunmen launched an attack on two Dinka Aliab villages in the Bulok area of Awerial county on Monday, said ...
NIGER
Former PM calls on citizens not to accept Tandja's 'dictatorship'
Former premier Hama Amadou called Monday for Niger's citizens not to "bow to dictatorship" under President Mamadou Tandja (pictured) after Tandja won a referendum to extend his mandate past its December expiration date until 2012.
AFP
Top Rwandan Hutu rebels 'arrested in Germany'
Two leading Rwandan Hutu rebels were arrested in Germany on Tuesday on suspicion of crimes against humanity and war crimes this year and in 2008 in DR Congo, prosecutors said. The pair, Ignace Murwanashyaka, 46, and Straton Musoni, 48, are the ...
AFP
Ransom paid for Spanish trawler: Somali pirates
Somali pirates holding a Spanish trawler said Tuesday they had received a four million dollar ransom and that the vessel and its 36 crew would be released immediately."Four million dollars have been paid for the release of the Spanish ship and we're
ITALY
Robert Mugabe in Rome for UN food summit
Robert Mugabe arrived in Rome on Saturday for a United Nations summit on food, the ANSA agency reported. The controversial Zimbabwean leader is banned from visiting the EU apart from for international meetings.
(4) comments
LIBYA
Gaddafi pays ‘attractive’ Italian women to listen to him preach on Islam
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, in Rome for a U.N. food summit, recruited "attractive girls at least 1.70 m tall" to a Rome villa, for a surprise session on Islam.
(1) comment
AFP
UN food organisation chief holds hunger strike
Food and Agriculture Organisation chief Jacques Diouf went on a 24-hour hunger strike on Saturday to put a spotlight on chronic malnutrition worldwide ahead of a UN summit on food security.Diouf began the hunger strike late Friday, sleeping at FAO ...
AFP
EU 'to greenlight' Somalia security training plan
The European Union is to endorse next week a plan to train up to 2,000 security personnel from Somalia, as the EU broadens engagement in the crisis hit Horn of Africa country, officials said on Friday.The plan would see up to 200 EU soldiers train ...
AFP
Spain calls for blockade of Somali pirate ports
Spain wants EU naval forces to blockade three Somali ports used to launch pirate attacks against ships in the Indian Ocean, Defence Minister Carme Chacon said Wednesday.She said Spain will call on European Union foreign and defence ministers to ...
THE HAGUE
Prosecutors question former Liberian leader Taylor at war crimes trial
Prosecutors began cross-examining former Liberian leader Charles Taylor on Tuesday over war crimes charges related to conflicts in his country and in Sierra Leone. Taylor is the first African ruler to stand trial for war crimes.
Syndicate contentTurmoil in Guinea
CHAD
French Red Cross member kidnapped near Sudanese border
Laurent Maurice, a 37-year-old French employee of the International Committee for the Red Cross was abducted by armed men in eastern Chad, the aid group said on Tuesday.
DR Congo - Zimbabwe
UN mission under fire for turning a blind eye in the DRC
In this Edition: The UN mission in the DRC is under fire for turning a blind eye to abusive military operations; will Madagascar emerge from crisis; and a report on Zimbabwe's fragile unity government.
LIBYA
Two detained Swiss citizens returned to their embassy
Two Swiss businessmen, held in Libya since July 2008, have been returned to their embassy without any further information on the cause of their detention.
ZIMBABWE
Roy Bennett's terrorism trial adjourned until Wednesday
The trial of Roy Bennett, an ally of PM Morgan Tsvangirai, opened in Harare before being adjourned until Wednesday. Bennett, who faces terrorism charges, has been in and out of jail since returning to Zimbabwe to join a national unity government.
(1) comment
SOMALIA
Pirates have seized a cargo ship loaded with weapons
Somali pirates have attacked a tanker loaded with weapons 1,000 nautical miles away from Mogadishu. The cargo was circumventing the UN arms embargo around Somalia.
Syndicate contentnews briefs
01:03
Skiers: Stiegler out for season with broken leg - AFP
00:22
Injured Beckham expects to play MLS Cup final - AFP
23:54
Astronaut counts down to daughter's birth - AFP
23:27
Hershey Trust backs bid for Cadbury: report - AFP
23:21
Marseille edge PSG - AFP
23:12
Barnes & Noble sells out of new e-reader - AFP
See all news briefs
Syndicate contentThe week in Africa
Syndicate contentThe week in the Maghreb
Close