(France24) A French court agreed on Wednesday to adjourn the corruption trial of the playboy son of Equatorial Guinea’s leader at the request of his defence team. Dates for the resumption of the trial, which opened on Monday, were being discussed, with the presiding judge in favour of June 19. Teodorin Obiang, his country’s vice-president, is suspected of using more… Read more »
(France24) A Somali police officer says a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at a security checkpoint near Mogadishu’s international airport, killing at least three people. Capt. Mohamed Hussein says the bomb detonated Monday as security forces were searching cars at the checkpoint, a few hundred meters (yards) from the main base of the African Union peacekeeping mission. The checkpoint… Read more »
(Al Jazeera) Lawyers for Chad’s former ruler Hissene Habre argue trial by special court in Senegal was marred by procedural errors. Lawyers for former Chadian president Hissene Habre have filed an appeal against his conviction for crimes against humanity, marking the final stage in a case pursued by victims for more than 15 years. In May, the Extraordinary African Chambers (EAC)… Read more »
(Al Jazeera) Office of new president apologises for lifting passages from speeches by ex-US leaders during his inaugural address. Akufo-Addo, 72, was sworn-in in the capital Accra on Saturday [Luc Gnago/Reuters] The office of Nana Akufo-Addo issued an apology on Sunday after the new Ghanaian president was accused of lifting passages from speeches by Bill Clinton and George W Bush… Read more »
A Malian court began a trial of former coup leader General Amadou Sanogo on Wednesday on charges of “complicity in kidnapping and assassination,” three and a half years after his junta was accused of killing 21 soldiers. Sanogo led a coup in March 2012 that deposed former President Amadou Toumani Toure and plunged Mali into chaos, enabling Tuareg rebels and… Read more »
(France 24) At least 73 people were killed and scores more injured when an oil tank truck burst into flames in a village in western Mozambique on Thursday, the nation’s public radio announced. “The death toll of the incident is now 73,” state-run Radio Mocambique announced, citing authorities in Tete. “The incident occurred when citizens tried to take petrol from… Read more »
(France 24) Nigeria’s military has killed at least 150 peaceful protesters in a “chilling campaign” to repress renewed demands to create a breakaway state of Biafra in the southeast, Amnesty International said Thursday The military denied any “killing of defenseless agitators.” Security forces have “exercised maximum restraint” in response to violent protesters who in May killed five police officers and… Read more »
(Al Jazeera)Subsidy cuts have led to sharp rise in prices of food and medicine, leading opposition parties to call for a strike. Sudanese police forces have fired tear gas at about 300 Sudanese protesters demonstrating against a government decision to cut fuel subsidies. Strike in Sudan in protest against rising costs Groups have staged persistent protests for weeks over the… Read more »
At first I thought that doing a blog about Sub-Saharan Africa would be boring. It seemed I would be hearing stories about terrorist attacks mainly since there are two active terrorists groups in Sub-Saharan Africa, Boko Haram and Al-Shabab, but I was very wrong. Sub-Saharan Africa has a lot to offer in terms of great news stories. Just recently, Al-Shabab… Read more »
(Reuters) Congo’s prime minister and cabinet resigned on Monday as part of a deal that extends the tenure of President Joseph Kabila, who also defended the right of the Congolese people to change the constitution currently barring him from running again. Kabila is supposed to step down when his mandate runs out on Dec. 19, but his ruling coalition and… Read more »