Niamey, Niger — AFP Niger’s military junta gathered thousands of people in the capital Niamey on Friday to celebrate the first anniversary of its coup. Dressed in clothes bearing photos of regime members, the crowd chanted the name of junta chief Abdourahamane Tiani. “We’re celebrating, our dear country will gradually r...
The Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has welcomed the US-backed cease-fire talks in Switzerland next month. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has invited the Sudanese Army and the RSF group to start the mediated negotiations beginning on Aug. 14. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the paramilitary group’s leader, said in a statement...
Algiers, Algeria — AFP Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, accused of leading a crackdown on dissent since mass protests in 2019, is to face two challengers in a September 7 election, organisers have said. Abdelaali Hassani of the moderate party the Movement of Society for Peace and Youssef Aouchiche of the centre-left Socialist For...
Abidjan, Ivory Coast — AFP The US troop withdrawal from Niger, as demanded by the West African country’s military regime, will be completed in early August, a US general has announced. “The withdrawal is going well,” General Kenneth Ekman, US commander for Africa, told reporters in Abidjan. “It is ahead of schedul...
WASHINGTON (AA) – UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric has expressed concern over the worsening food situation in Sudan. “Almost 26 million men, women and children are acutely hungry – to give you an example, that is equivalent to the entire population of Australia,” Dujarric told reporters. “Of those 26 million, 750,000 people are...
Tunis, Tunisia – AFP Tunisian President Kais Saied, in power since 2019, announced on Friday that he will seek a new five-year term in an election set for October. “I officially announce my candidacy for the October 6 presidential election in order to keep up the fight in the battle for national liberation,” Saied, who [&hell...
Tripoli, Libya — AFP Libya along with European and African countries agreed Wednesday to establish investment projects in Africa aiming to curb irregular migration to Europe, during an international forum on migration. Participating countries agreed to form a “working group” that would “identify priority development pro...
Abidjan, Ivory Coast — AFP Germany can no longer cooperate militarily with Niger because of a lack of “trust” in relations, German Foreign Affairs Minister Annalena Baerbock has said. Germany already announced on July 6 that it will end operations at its airbase in Niger and pull out its remaining three-dozen troops by August...
A Moroccan AI-generated influencer Kenza Layli has clinched the title of Miss AI, marking the first such pageant in history. Created entirely by AI, Layli, a hijab-wearing advocate, triumphed over global competition. The pageant, hosted by Fanvue, aimed to showcase AI’s creative potential in the influencer sphere. Layli was crafted by M...
Mogadishu, Somalia – AFP The death toll from a blast at a cafe in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu has climbed to nine, security sources told AFP Monday, after a car bomb struck the venue packed with football fans watching the Euro 2024 final. “Nine civilians were killed and 20 others wounded in the explosion,” Mohamed Yusuf...
