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Agence France-Presse

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March 16, 2024
South Sudan Closes Schools Due to Heatwave

JUBA — South Sudan on Saturday said it would close schools and told children not to play outside as temperatures were set to soar to an exceptional 45 degrees Celsius.
March 16, 2024
UN Demands Unimpeded Aid Access to Sudan as Famine Looms

The United Nations on Friday called on Sudan's warring factions to provide unimpeded access for desperately needed aid as the specter of famine looms after nearly a year of conflict.
March 15, 2024
Anti-Establishment Figures Lead Senegal Elections

DAKAR—Ousmane Sonko and Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Senegal's leading opposition figures who were released from prison late Thursday, are key elements of an anti-establishment movement hoping to win the presidential vote on a ticket of change.
March 15, 2024
Freed Opposition Leader Predicts Win in Senegal Elections

DAKAR—Leading Senegalese opposition figure Ousmane Sonko on Friday predicted a comfortable first-round win for his coalition's presidential candidate, in his first public appearance a day after being freed from prison.
March 15, 2024
Ugandan Mud Wrestlers Emulate American Stars

MUKONO, UGANDA — Young barefoot Ugandans hope their skills will lead to fame and glory as they train in "soft ground wrestling" at the Bumbash Wrestling Academy in the town of Mukono, some 30 kilometers west of the capital Kampala.
March 15, 2024
Zimbabwe Project Protects School Children From Wildlife Risks

HWANGE, ZIMBABWE — Wild animals killed 50 people and injured 85 more in Zimbabwe last year, and elephants are among the most dangerous. In order to shorten the amount of time kids are exposed on the route to school, park authorities have come up with an unconventional solution: bicycles.
March 14, 2024
Senegal President Urges Quick Amnesty For Opposition Leaders

DAKAR—Senegal's President Macky Sall has told his government to enact an amnesty law as soon as it is officially published, amid hope a jailed main opposition candidate could be released ahead of the presidential poll in 10 days' time.
March 14, 2024
Damaged Undersea Cables Cut Africa Internet Access

ABIDJAN—Major internet access cuts struck several African countries Thursday because of damage to submarine communications cables, telecom operators said.
March 14, 2024
Paris Club Creditors Cancel $2 Billion of Somali Debt

NAIROBI—Somalia has secured an agreement with international creditors to cancel more than $2 billion (1.8 billion euros) in debt, the Paris Club of creditor nations said.
March 14, 2024
Ethiopia Releases Former Head of Somali Region

ADDIS ABABA—The former president of Ethiopia's southeastern Somali region was released from prison after five years, state media reported on Thursday.
March 14, 2024
Mali Military Government Disbands Student Group

BAMAKO— Mali's junta has dissolved the restive West African nation's main student organization, blaming it for disrupting classes and provoking clashes and killings.
March 14, 2024
Nigeria Re-Opens Border with Neighboring Niger

LAGOS — Nigerian border officials were Thursday ordered to immediately reopen the frontier with Niger, closed since August following a coup that ushered in military rule.
March 14, 2024
High Sea Tides Drown Nine People in Gabon, Authorities Say

LIBREVILLE, GABON — At least nine people, including four teenagers, drowned in Gabon following exceptionally high sea tides, the government said on Wednesday.
March 14, 2024
Mali Freezes Assets of Separatists, Islamic Militant Leaders

BAMAKO—Mali's ruling junta has imposed financial sanctions on two jihadist leaders and four heads of the Tuareg separatist rebellion, according to a document seen by AFP on Wednesday.
March 14, 2024
Nigeria Refuses to Pay Ransom Demanded by Kidnappers

KADUNA, Nigeria—Nigeria's president has ordered security forces not to pay a ransom for the release of more than 250 school pupils seized by gunmen last week, the country's information minister said on Wednesday.
March 14, 2024
Water Cuts Increase Frustration in South Africa Ahead of May 29 Elections

JOHANNESBURG—Anger is mounting in some Johannesburg districts left without water for more than a week, fewer than three months before general elections marked by voter discontent with South Africa's failing infrastructure.
March 14, 2024
Senegalese Businesswoman Runs for President, Works to Break Down Barriers

DAKAR - Anta Babacar Ngom was on her third day of the campaign trail and, like the other 18 candidates in the race, she has less than two weeks to win over voters.
March 13, 2024
Cameroon Government Warns Two Opposition Groups Are Illegal

YAOUNDE —Cameroon's government has branded two political coalition groups as having an "illegal character" and warned them to suspend their activities 18 months ahead of a presidential election.
March 13, 2024
Critic of Rwandan President Banned From July Elections

KIGALI —A Rwandan court on Wednesday found opposition leader and dissident Victoire Ingabire ineligible to run in the July presidential polls because of previous convictions for terrorism and genocide denial.
March 13, 2024
Putin Says France Resents Russia Over Africa Ties

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview published on Wednesday that French leader Emmanuel Macron's criticism of Moscow on Ukraine is due to "resentment" at losing allies in Africa to the Kremlin.

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