Eritrea’s Roman Catholic Church has condemned the government in the one-party state for seizing and shutting all its health centres last week. In a letter to the ministry of health, the Church said patients were ordered to go home, and soldiers were deployed to the centres to guard them. The seizure of the buildings could […]

KHARTOUM, Sudan — Sudan’s deposed dictator, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, was taken from a Khartoum prison to face corruption charges on Sunday, in his first public appearance since he was ousted from power in April. Appearing in a white robe and turban, as he did for much of his 30 years in power, Mr. al-Bashir was […]

Sudan’s former-President Omar al-Bashir has appeared in public for the first time since he was overthrown in a coup in April. Mr Bashir was driven from a jail in the capital, Khartoum to the prosecutor’s office where he was read the corruption charges against him. Surrounded by security guards, the 75-year-old former leader was wearing […]

A feared unit of Sudan’s security forces raped women as they dispersed pro-democracy protesters camped outside the military’s headquarters 12 days ago, witnesses have told the BBC. The military authorities deny the allegations, but Khalid, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, told the BBC about the sexual assaults he saw on the […]

More than 1,400 people have died and more than 2,000 have been infected in latest outbreak of Ebola in central Africa, the World Health Organization has said. The international health body has declared it “very much an emergency” in the region, but says it is not a global threat. The outbreak is the second-largest in […]

Ethnic tensions threaten to further destabilise Mali, analysts say, calling for dialogue and accountability for victims. On Sunday night, armed assailants attacked the ethnic Dogon village of Sobane-Kou, in the Mopti region of central Mali, killing dozens of people. Survivors said the attackers surrounded the village of roughly 300 inhabitants, setting homes ablaze and slaughtering farm […]

Two Canadian women have been rescued after they were kidnapped last week by gunmen in Ghana’s second city, Kumasi, a government minister has said. The two students, aged 19 and 20, were working as volunteers for a charity when they were seized. Kidnappings in Ghana, regarded as one of West Africa’s most stable states, are […]

In a momentous case that prompted celebration among gay people and civil rights activists around the continent of Africa, Botswana’s High Court overturned laws on Tuesday that criminalized homosexuality. Yet the ruling was delivered only weeks after the High Court of Kenya upheld laws that criminalize gay sex, underscoring the wide differences in how L.B.G.T. […]

Protest and military leaders in Sudan have agreed to resume talks soon, an Ethiopian mediator says. Separately, an opposition alliance agreed to suspend its campaign of civil disobedience and widespread strikes. The army – which has been in control since long-time President Omar al-Bashir was ousted in April – has agreed to release political prisoners, […]

Botswana’s High Court has ruled in favour of decriminalising homosexuality in a landmark decision for campaigners. The High Court rejected laws that impose up to seven years in prison for same-sex relationships, stating they were unconstitutional. The move contrasts with Kenya’s recent ruling against campaigners seeking to overturn laws on gay sex. Angola, Mozambique and […]