LAGOS – Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan has sacked his military high command, his spokesman Reuben Abati has said. No reason was given but the dismissals come amid growing concern about the military’s failure to end the Islamist-led insurgency in northern Nigeria. Mr Abati said Air Marshal Alex Badeh replaces Admiral Ola Ibrahim as the new…
CAIRO – Egypt’s army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said Saturday that he would run for president if the Egyptian people wanted him to, state media reported. El-Sisi, the country’s defense minister, said that “If I run for presidency, it would be by the request of the people and by a mandate from my army,…
SIRTE – Libya’s deputy industry minister has been shot dead during a visit to his hometown of Sirte, east of the capital Tripoli. Local media quoted officials as saying unknown gunmen “sprayed bullets” at Hassan al-Droui near a central market. It is the first assassination of a member of Libya’s transitional government. Libya has suffered…
BANGUI – Central Africa Republic’s interim President Michel Djotodia has resigned at a regional summit aimed at ending violence that has engulfed the country. CAR’s entire transitional assembly is attending the meeting in Chad organised by regional leaders. Mr Djotodia, CAR’s first Muslim leader, had been resisting pressure to go. His seizure of power last…
BANGUI – The president of the Central African Republic, where more than a thousand people have died in recent violence, is preparing to step down. Michel Djotodia, who deposed Francois Bozize in a coup last March, is due to meet regional leaders in Chad on Thursday to resolve the turmoil sweeping the country. His short…
CAIRO – Egypt’s deposed President Mohammed Morsi has arrived at a court compound in Cairo amid tight security for the resumption of his trial, reports say. Mr Morsi and 14 other Muslim Brotherhood figures are accused of inciting the killing of protesters outside the presidential palace in December 2012. He was removed by the army…
LUSAKA – An opposition politician in Zambia has been arrested and charged with defamation after he compared the president to a potato. Frank Bwalya allegedly described President Michael Sata as “chumbu mushololwa” on radio on Monday. The Bemba language phrase refers to a sweet potato that breaks when it is bent and is used to…
KHARTOUM – Talks to end the South Sudan conflict have opened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s foreign ministry says. Negotiators for the government and rebel sides have been meeting mediators but have not yet held face-to-face talks, it is understood. Delegates began arriving in the Ethiopian capital on Wednesday but talks were delayed until the full…
JUBA – US President Barack Obama has warned that South Sudan is on the “precipice” of a civil war, after clashes in the capital Juba spread around the country. He said 45 military personnel had been deployed to South Sudan on Wednesday to protect American citizens and property. At least 500 people are believed to…
QUNU – The coffin, draped in the South African flag, was placed beneath a lectern where speakers paid their tributes. Some guests sang and danced to celebrate Mr Mandela’s life as the service began. “A great tree has fallen, he is now going home to rest with his forefathers. We thank them for lending us…
