Jihadist insurgency-scarred Mozambique to elect new president against backdrop of drought-induced hunger
Some 1.3 million people were forced to flee their homes. Around 600,000 people have since returned home, many to shattered communities where houses, markets, churches, schools and health facilities have been destroyed, the United Nations refugee agency said earlier this year.
Senegal’s budget deficit, weaker fiscal and debt position prompts Moody’s to lower it to B1 rating
Ratings agency Moody’s on Friday downgraded Senegal’s long-term ratings to B1 from Ba3, citing significantly weaker fiscal and debt position than expected. Senegal is in talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for corrective measures after an audit ordered by newly elected President Bassirou Diomaye Faye revealed the 2023 budget...
Solar power companies are growing fast in Africa, where 600 million still lack electricity
The International Energy Agency, in a report earlier this year, said small and medium-sized solar companies are making rapid progress reaching homes but more needs to be invested to reach all African homes and businesses by 2030.
Going back to the roots: Senegalese ditching French for Wolof as ‘language nationalism’ sweep west Africa
There are 25 languages in Senegal. Six of them have the status of national languages, but Wolof is largely dominant. Out of the population of 17 million people, over 12 million speak Wolof, compared to around 4 million French speakers.
UK gives sovereignty of Chagos Islands to Mauritius, but US base on Diego Garcia will remain
Following a lease agreement with Britain, the US built the naval base at Diego Garcia for defence purposes in the 1970s. The US has described the base as “an all but indispensable platform” for security operations in the Middle East, South Asia and East Africa.
Stop the war: Some 78 travellers die in boat ferrying 278 people on Lake Kivu in eastern Congo
In June, an overloaded boat sank near the capital of Kinshasa and 80 passengers lost their lives. In January, 22 people died on Lake Maî-Ndombe and in April 2023, six were killed and 64 went missing on Lake Kivu.
Raging mpox denies sex workers in Congo of income as government insists it’s their duty to protect themselves
Kamituga Mayor Alexandre Bundya M’pila says the government is creating awareness campaigns but lacks money to reach everyone. He also said sex workers should look for other jobs, without providing examples of what might be available.
Protests greet Nigeria’s independence celebrations as citizens demand better opportunities
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who has been in office since May last year after an election campaign forged on “renewed hope,” defended the reforms as necessary and said they were already yielding results, such as $30 billion in foreign direct investments attracted in the last year.
Head of UN mission in Congo Bintou Keita raises red flag over Rwanda-backed rebels’ $300,000 monthly revenue
M23, or the March 23 Movement, is a rebel military group mainly made up of ethnic Tutsis that broke away from the Congolese army just over a decade ago. They staged a large offensive in 2012 and took over the provincial capital of Goma near the border with Rwanda, the same city they are threatening again.
Israeli bombs fall as Kenyan, Ethiopian, Filipino and other migrant workers are stranded in Lebanon, passports confiscated
While the bombs fall, the death toll grows, and there are rumours of both a ceasefire and an Israeli ground invasion. Wangari is simply hoping for a new job so she can keep scraping together money to send to her five-year-old son in Nairobi. His name, Jayson, is tattooed across her arm as a reminder of why she is in Lebanon.
