KINSHASA – A 5.6 magnitude earthquake has hit eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, killing two children, Information Minister Lambert Mende has said. It was also felt in neighbouring Rwanda were authorities reported minor injuries. The epicentre of the quake was near Lake Tanganyika and Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province in DR Congo, the…
LAGOS – Nigerian forces have freed 178 captives held by the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram during military operations in the country’s violence-plagued northeast, an army spokesman said Monday. Those rescued in the operations near the town of Bama include 101 children, 67 women and 10 men, Col. Tukur Gusau said in a statement. Photos…
HARARE – Two men have arrived at court in Zimbabwe facing charges over the killing of Cecil, the country’s most famous lion. Professional hunter Theo Bronkhorst and farm owner Honest Ndlovu, are charged with poaching offences for not having the required hunting permit. US dentist Walter Palmer shot the animal with a bow and rifle….
TRIPOLI – A court in Libya has sentenced Col Muammar Gaddafi’s son, Saif al-Islam, and eight others to death over war crimes linked to the 2011 revolution. More than 30 close associates of the deposed leader were on trial, accused of suppressing protests during the uprising. Saif al-Islam was not present in court and gave…
ADDIS ABABA – US President Barack Obama has warned that Africa will not advance if its leaders refuse to step down when their terms end. He also called for an end to the “cancer of corruption”, saying it took money away from development . Mr Obama made the comments in the first ever address by…
YAOUNDE – Cameroon has banned the wearing of full-face Islamic veil, including the burka, in the Far North region, following two suicide bomb attacks. Two women dressed in the religious garments blew themselves up on Sunday in Fotokol, killing 13 people. The governor of the mainly Muslim region said the measure was to prevent further…
CAPE TOWN – South Africa’s Archbishop Desmond Tutu will spend a second night in hospital for treatment of a “persistent infection”, his family says. Archbishop Tutu thanked “everyone who had sent love and prayers” since his admission to hospital in Cape Town, his daughter Reverend Mpho Tutu said. The family hopes he will be able…
KIGALI – Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame has launched a scathing verbal attack on the UK government after the arrest of his intelligence chief. In his first comments since the arrest, Mr Kagame said it was a continuation of “colonialism” and accused the British of “arrogance and contempt”. Karenzi Karake was detained at London’s Heathrow Airport…
LONDON – Rwanda’s intelligence chief Karenzi Karake, who is wanted in Spain for war crimes, has been arrested in London. Gen Karake, 54, was arrested at Heathrow Airport on Saturday, and remanded in custody ahead of a court hearing on Thursday. He is accused of ordering massacres while head of military intelligence in the wake…
JOHANNESBURG – A South African court is due to decide shortly on whether Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir should be arrested for war crimes and genocide. The Pretoria High Court will rule on whether he should be handed over to the International Criminal Court (ICC) who have charged him with the crimes. President Bashir is in…
