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KHARTOUM – South Sudan analyst James Copnall says by sacking Gen President Kiir is sending an uncompromising signal to his enemies. A January ceasefire deal has failed to halt fighting that began in December after Mr Kiir accused Mr Machar of plotting to stage a coup. More than a million people have been forced from…

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s public broadcaster has said it refused to broadcast a campaign message from the Economic Freedom Front (EFF) as it incited violence. The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) denied that it was banned because it came from the EFF. The advert calls for people to “destroy e-Tolls”, a controversial new road tolling…

BENTIU – Hundreds of people were killed because of their ethnicity after South Sudan rebels seized the oil hub of Bentiu last week, the UN has said. They were targeted at a mosque, a church and a hospital, the UN Mission in South Sudan said in a statement. It added that hate speech was broadcast…

ALGIERS – Polls have opened in Algeria where incumbent President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is seeking a fourth term in office. The 77-year-old leader has rarely appeared in public since suffering a stroke last year and has not campaigned personally ahead of the election. Mr Bouteflika, who is favourite to win, is facing five other candidates. Opposition…

PRETORIA – Oscar Pistorius didn’t consciously pull the trigger the night he shot and killed his girlfriend, the sprinter testified at his murder trial Tuesday. The Olympic and Paralympic athlete said he was “overcome with a sense of terror and vulnerability” before he shot through a closed bathroom door last year, fearing an intruder was…

LAGOS – More than 70 people have been killed in two blasts that rocked a crowded bus station on the outskirts of Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, an official says. The blast happened as commuters were about to board buses and taxis to go to work in central Abuja, the BBC’s Haruna Tangaza reports. Eyewitnesses say there…

PRETORIA – Oscar Pistorius felt first-hand the bite of prosecutor Gerrie Nel minutes into his cross-examination at his murder trial. Mr Nel is known as “the bull terrier” in court circles, and now the whole world is beginning to see why. He has a reputation for being ruthless and merciless in his bid to get…

PRETORIA – Oscar Pistorius told the court at his trial Tuesday that he was “more into” the girlfriend he’s accused of murdering, Reeva Steenkamp, than she was into him. In his second day of testimony the double-amputee runner known as the Blade Runner delved deeper into his relationship with the girlfriend he shot dead more…

BAMAKO – A new prime minister has been appointed in Mali to succeed Oumar Tatam Ly, who has resigned from office – along with his entire government. Mr Ly was elected last year after a French-led military intervention ended an Islamist takeover. His successor is a former presidential hopeful, Moussa Mara, who had also served…

BANGUI – African and European leaders will tackle the conflict in the Central African Republic at a special meeting on the sidelines of a summit in Brussels on Wednesday. The European Union (EU) has officially launched its military mission to CAR, unveiling plans to send 1,000 troops to bolster African and French forces. The UN…