News

A soldier sacked by the Nigerian military after she accused some senior officers of rape and sexual harassment has released a video condemning her treatment. Ex-private Ruth Ogunleye made the allegations via her TikTok account in January, saying she had suffered immensely as a result of her ordeal at the hands of a general and […]

Eswatini’s main opposition leader has been poisoned as part of an assassination attempt and is being treated in hospital, his party says. Mlungisi Makhanya, 46, has been living in exile in neighbouring South Africa for the last two years, saying he fears for his life at home following a violent crackdown on pro-democracy activists in […]

Three men in Benin, including a former minister and the man in charge of President Patrice Talon’s security, have been arrested on suspicion of plotting a coup, the state prosecutor has said. Ex-sports minister Oswald Homeky was caught on Tuesday while handing over six bags of money to the head of the Republican Guard, Elonm […]

A long-distance bus has come under attack by gunmen in South Sudan on a main road south of the capital, Juba, leaving at least one person dead and several others feared kidnapped, the army has said. The passenger vehicle, heading for the Ugandan capital, Kampala, was targeted on Tuesday morning. Images from the scene show […]

Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema has suspended three top judges over alleged judicial misconduct, prompting accusations of political interference in the judiciary. In 2016, the three Constitutional Court judges dismissed President Hichilema’s petition, in which he challenged the election victory of former President Edgar Lungu. They also took part in a controversial ruling allowing Lungu to […]

A row between a prominent journalist and a king has captivated many in Ghana. It began when Afia Pokua criticised the Ashanti king’s handling of tensions with other ethnic groups, the deference that politicians show him, and expressed her frustration about the apparent supremacy of the Asante community. “Even the president… bowed to show respect […]

The recent wave of abductions, arrests and the brutal killing of an opposition official in Tanzania seems to be dimming the ray of political hope that came with President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s rise to power in 2021. There was huge relief when Samia – Tanzania’ first female president – took office, with opposition parties allowed […]

Two leaders of Tanzania’s main opposition Chadema party are among 14 members who were briefly detained on Monday, as police attempted to block a banned demonstration in the main city, Dar es Salaam. Chadema said on X that its chairman, Freeman Mbowe, was taken into custody as he was preparing to “lead a peaceful protest”. […]

An American woman who disappeared while hiking on South Africa’s Table Mountain has been found dead, officials said. Brook Cheuvront, a student from North Carolina, was in Cape Town doing an internship at an NGO. The 20-year-old student was reported missing on Saturday after a tracking app she was using while on a solo hike […]

At least 30 decomposing bodies have been found on a boat off the coast of Senegal, military authorities say. The navy was informed of a vessel that was adrift about 70km (45 miles) from the capital Dakar, according to a military statement on X. They brought the wooden canoe, or pirogue, into port on Monday […]