After a horrific two-year ordeal across three countries – being bought and sold by people traffickers and surviving running out of fuel on an inflatable boat while trying to cross the Mediterranean – Mohamed finally gave up hope. The Somali man’s wife Leyla, 21, recalls the day he burnt himself to death after hearing that […]
Tunisia’s former President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali has died in exile aged 83, his family says. Ben Ali led the country for 23 years and was credited with delivering stability and some economic prosperity. But he received widespread criticism for suppressing political freedoms and corruption. In 2011, he was forced from office following mass street […]
The World Health Organization says that femicide in South Africa is almost five times the global average, with sexual offences rising by 4.8 percent this year. South Africa is about to hold an extraordinary session of its parliament on how to tackle gender-based violence. That follows recent protests triggered by a series of high-profile female […]
A new crackdown on what civil servants can wear in Uganda has reignited a fierce debate about morality, clothes and women’s rights in the country. The new directive brings new definitions to “dressing decently”. Women are not allowed to: While men must: Adah Muwanga, human resources director at the Public Service Ministry, said the new […]
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa says urgent action is needed to tackle gender-based violence in the country. At an emergency sitting of parliament, Mr Ramaphosa said figures of violence against women and children were similar to those of a country at war. Some 2,700 women and 1,000 children were murdered by men last year and […]
Donald Trump’s presidency has coincided with a sharp rise in US-led airstrikes in Somalia and the trend is set to continue in 2019. In a speech in December outlining the US’ Africa policy, President Trump’s National Security Adviser John Bolton said “terrorists operating in Africa have… repeatedly targeted US citizens and interests”. He gave the […]
Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe resigned last year after almost four decades in power. Now, the country is approaching its first post-Mugabe election, with his successor Emmerson Mnangagwa and MDC Alliance candidate Nelson Chamisa the two front-runners in a field of 23 candidates. Here are 10 numbers that will help you understand how the country got […]
Tunisia’s first freely elected President, Beji Caid Essebsi, has died aged 92, the country’s presidency says. He was the world’s oldest sitting president. He was admitted to hospital on Wednesday but officials did not say why he was receiving treatment. Essebsi won Tunisia’s first free elections in 2014 following Arab uprisings across the region. He […]
At least 34 people are feared drowned after a boat sank on the River Congo. Police said 76 passengers were rescued from the whaleboat – a flat-bottomed vessel used to transport people on lakes and rivers. It was travelling to DR Congo’s capital Kinshasa from Mai Ndombe province, north of the city. The cause of […]
Seventy-six people survived after the vessel went down but dozens are feared drowned in the Congo river. Thirty-six people were missing and feared drowned after a boat sank in the Congo river on the outskirts of Kinshasa. The vessel, which was travelling to DRC’s capital, went down overnight on Sunday in Maluku commune, about 100km […]