Friday, 29 Mar 2024

Africa

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At least 22 killed in attack on Cameroon village

At least 22 people have been killed in an attack on a village in north-west Cameroon, the UN says. Over half those killed in Ntumbo were children, and local media report that several victims were burned alive. No-one has claimed responsibility for Friday’s incident, but an opposition party blamed the army. Cameroon’s government, which has […]

Is Kenya really going to run out of blood?

Kenya is facing a shortage of blood supplies in its hospitals, with relatives and friends of patients increasingly having to put out calls for people to donate. The Kenya Red Cross has been posting some of these social media appeals on Twitter. Kenya’s population is 47 million, so even if just 1% donated blood, the […]

Where toilets have become a constitutional right

In our series of letters from African journalists, media and communication trainer Joseph Warungu looks at a recent court ruling that could end some uncomfortable road trips. We in Kenya have discovered that we have a constitutional right to relieve ourselves in public, at the expense of the government. Here’s how. Travelling to and from […]

‘Lightning strike’ kills rare mountain gorillas

Four rare mountain gorillas, including a pregnant female, have died in Uganda after being hit by lightning, a conservation group says. The three adult females and a male infant were found in Uganda’s Mgahinga National Park with “gross lesions” on their bodies indicating electrocution. The Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration (GVTC) called this a “big loss […]

Coronavirus: Are African countries ready?

Africa is one of only two continents with no confirmed cases of coronavirus however experts have warned that it may not be long before the first case is confirmed, given its increasingly close ties to China. At least 565 people have died with more than 28,000 confirmed cases around the world, most of them in […]

Botswana to hold elephant hunting auctions

Botswana is to hold its first auctions for the right to hunt elephants since lifting a ban last year. The country has some 130,000 elephants, the world’s largest population. Authorities will issue seven hunting “packages” of 10 elephants each, confined to “controlled hunting areas”, a spokeswoman said. The government revoked a 2014 ban in May, […]

Lesotho first lady charged with murdering rival

The wife of the prime minister of Lesotho has been formally charged in court with murdering his previous wife. First Lady Maesaiah Thabane has not yet been asked to plead. She surrendered to police on Tuesday for questioning. Prime Minister Thomas Thabane has also been questioned. His estranged wife, Lipolelo Thabane, was shot dead outside […]

Lesotho first lady charged with murdering rival

The wife of the prime minister of Lesotho has been charged with murdering his previous wife. Earlier First Lady Maesaiah Thabane handed herself in to be questioned by police in the southern African mountain kingdom. Prime Minister Thomas Thabane has also been questioned about the killing. His estranged wife, Lipolelo Thabane, was shot dead outside […]

Handing out weapons to help villagers fight off jihadists

The authorities in Burkina Faso, struggling to grapple with a growing wave of Islamist militant attacks that is affecting the region, are planning to give weapons to civilians, as Louise Dewast reports. The Burkinabe government is under pressure to take new measures to try and curtail the militants. In January alone, at least 60 people […]

Tanzania church stampede kills at least 20

At least 20 people have been killed and others injured in a stampede during an outdoor religious service in Tanzania. Worshippers were attending a Pentecostal service at a stadium in the northern town of Moshi on Saturday evening when the incident occurred. Moshi district commissioner Kippi Warioba said attendees rushed forward to be anointed with […]