A few months ago I found an article that reported on Nigeria passing a controversial law that banned cattle grazing, allegedly targeting the semi-nomadic group in the country known as the Fulani. At the time I thought nothing of it. Today I found an article that related back to it and then I looked up the topic more and found… Read more »
Source: BBC Ethiopia has banned the adoption of children by foreigners amid concerns they face abuse and neglect abroad. Ethiopia is one of the biggest source countries for international adoptions by US citizens, accounting for about 20% of the total. Celebrities Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are among those who have adopted children from Ethiopia. However, in 2013, a US couple… Read more »
Source: BBC Bitcoin’s eye-watering price surge over the past year is proving too tempting to resist despite fears that cryptocurrencies are a bubble floating towards an inevitable burst. One group for whom it holds particular appeal is African millennials, writes the BBC’s Catherine Byaruhanga from Uganda. Thirty year-old Peace Akware in Kampala is a convert to the cryptocurrency craze. Like… Read more »
Source: BBC Ghanaian schoolgirls have been banned from crossing a river while they are menstruating – and on Tuesdays. The ban, apparently given by a local river god, has outraged children’s activists, especially as girls must cross the river to reach school. It means girls in the Upper Denkyira East district, in the Central Region, could miss out on their… Read more »
Source: BBC A mass burial of more than 70 people is under way in Nigeria’s central Benue State. Dozens have been killed in conflicts between nomadic herdsmen and farming communities in three states – Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba – in recent weeks. The Nigerian army says it has deployed special forces to all three to “stem the menace”. Herders, mostly… Read more »
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a country torn by instability, caused by various militias and other armed groups seeking to gain land. It’s filled with corruption, environmental problems, and political instability. The displacement of people in the country has become worse than the refugee crisis in Syria, with 1.7 million people being displaced from their homes this year…. Read more »
Source: BBC Liberia’s Supreme Court has ruled that evidence of fraud during October’s first round of presidential elections was insufficient to merit a re-run. This means the final round of voting between the two leading candidates – ex-footballer George Weah and Vice-President Joseph Boakai – can go ahead. The electoral commission will now set a date for the delayed vote…. Read more »
Source: Al Jazeera At least 62 people were killed as security forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) recruited former rebel fighters to quash protests against President Joseph Kabila last year, a rights group claims. In a report on Monday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said more than 200 former M23 fighters were mobilised, during country-wide protests that erupted after Kabila refused to step down at the end… Read more »
Source: BBC Conflict has forced 1.7 million people to flee their homes in the Democratic Republic of Congo this year, causing “a mega-crisis”, aid agencies say. This means that for the second consecutive year, DR Congo is worst-affected by conflict displacement in the world, the agencies add. DR Congo has been hit by years of instability, with rival militias fighting… Read more »
Source: BBC Nigeria’s military has sacked the commander leading the fight against militant Islamist group Boko Haram. His redeployment to an unspecified post follows a string of attacks by the insurgents, including the killing of at least 50 people in a mosque last month. No official reason was given for Maj Gen Ibrahim Attahiru’s removal. Army chief Gen Tukur Buratai… Read more »