A second case of Ebola has been detected on Democratic Republic of Congo’s border with Rwanda, raising fears the deadly illness could spread. The case was confirmed in the city of Goma, home to two million people, authorities said. More than 1,600 people have died of Ebola in DR Congo since the outbreak began in […]
Mkhaitir was initially sentenced to death for comments about Prophet Muhammad and the role of Islam in society. A blogger in Mauritania who drew international attention after he was sentenced to death over blasphemy has been released, his lawyer and campaign group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said. Cheikh Ould Mohamed Ould Mkhaitir, 36, was sentenced to death […]
Situated off the southeast coast of Africa, Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world. Having developed in isolation, the island nation is famed for its unique wildlife. Traditionally, the Malagasy economy has been based on the cultivation of paddy rice, coffee, vanilla and cloves. But, despite a wealth of natural resources and a […]
A Mauritanian blogger who was jailed for more than five years after being convicted of blaspheming the Muslim Prophet Muhammad has been released. Rights groups had waged a long campaign to secure Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed M’khaitir’s release. He had been due for release in 2017 but the government refused saying he could be lynched. […]
This year began with a new ban in Tanzania – all public hospitals were forbidden from televising entertainment programmes and told to show only health-related content. Since President John Pombe Magufuli, nicknamed “The Bulldozer”, came to power three years ago, his government has been infamous for issuing hasty directives. Just days after taking office in […]
Access to the service was interrupted following a deadly crackdown on protesters outside the army headquarters in June. Sudan’s telecom providers began restoring mobile access to the internet weeks after service was cut off following a deadly crackdown on protesters. The country’s ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC) severed internet access after government forces opened fire […]
Civil wars and militia conflicts have plagued the Republic of Congo, which is sometimes referred to as Congo-Brazzaville. Nearly half the population lives in poverty, according to the World Bank, even though the Republic of Congo is one of sub-Saharan Africa’s main oil producers. Oil is the mainstay of the economy and in recent years […]
Eyewitnesses have told the BBC that the Nigerian army has killed dozens of members of a Shia organisation during a military crackdown last month – something the army denies. The BBC’s Nigeria correspondent Martin Patience travelled to their headquarters in Zaria to investigate. Driving through some of the city’s quiet streets, it was hard to […]
An attack on villagers leaving a funeral in Nigeria over the weekend left at least 65 people dead, the local news media reported, as an official blamed the violence on the militant group Boko Haram. The official, Muhammad Bulama, said on Sunday that the attack had occurred around midday Saturday and that 10 people were […]
The Islamist militant group Boko Haram has been active in north-eastern Nigeria for well over a decade. President Buhari says its activities have been largely brought under control since he assumed office in 2015. His political opponents disagree and say the situation has recently deteriorated both in terms of the number of attacks and kidnappings […]