By Rédaction Africanews with AFP There are mixed emotions among locals in Granadilla de Abona municipality in the southern part of Spain’s Tenerife island off the coast of Africa. The hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius is due to dock there in a few days’ time, and the mood among locals ranges from “concerned” to “business as usual.” As it heads to the island, health officials in several countries are scrambling to trace and contain the outbreak of the potentially deadly human-to-human strain of the virus. Gas delivery driver,Cristo Alvarez, said that people are obviously concerned given what happened with Covid-19.…
Author: Montage Africa
By Rédaction Africanews with AFP The Nigerian army said on Thursday that its troops had freed seven children and two adults who had remained in captivity following a kidnapping from an orphanage last month. Mass kidnappings have become a common way for gangs and armed groups to make quick money in Africa’s most populous country, especially in rural areas with little government presence. In late April, gunmen raided an unregistered orphanage in central Kogi state, seizing 23 children and several adults. Most of the children were freed shortly after, but seven remained missing. Nigerian army troops “successfully rescued the remaining…
By Rédaction Africanews with AFP Two attacks in central Mali claimed by Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists have killed more than 30 people, local, security and administrative sources told AFP on Thursday. The two strikes came less than a fortnight after a large-scale, coordinated offensive by jihadists and separatists on junta positions, which plunged the west African country into a fresh security crisis. “At least 35 people were killed on Wednesday in near simultaneous attacks” on the villages of Korikori and Gomossogou, a youth official said. A security and an administrative source both reported more than 30 dead in the assaults, claimed by…
By Rédaction Africanews with AFP Chad has declared a 20-day state of emergency in the violence-hit Lake Chad region on Thursday following a wave of deadly attacks blamed on jihadist group Boko Haram. The decision comes after at least 26 army personnel, including two senior generals, were killed in ambushes this week, triggering nationwide mourning and intensified military operations. Government spokesman Gassim Cherif said authorities reviewed the worsening security and humanitarian situation in the region, citing renewed Boko Haram attacks, civilian displacement, and growing threats to people and property. The latest violence followed a deadly raid on the Barka Tolorom military base…
By Rédaction Africanews with AFP Kenya’s foreign minister said on Thursday that 19 citizens had died fighting on the Ukrainian frontline and 32 others were missing, as criticism mounts over reports of the forced enlistment of Kenyans into the Russian army. Speaking during a Senate committee session, Musalia Mudavadi said the number of Kenyans enlisted in the Russian army has risen to 291 from the previous figure of 250. The east African country’s intelligence services have put that figure much higher, estimating that more than 1,000 Kenyans have been recruited into the Russian military after being lured by recruiters with…
By Africanews with AP The day after a cruise ship at the centre of a deadly hantavirus outbreak departed from off the coast of the West African island nation of Cape Verde, daily life continued as usual for residents in the capital Praia. The MV Hondius, a Dutch ship on a weekslong polar cruise, departed 1 April from Argentina for Antarctica and several isolated islands in the South Atlantic. It was supposed to finish its journey in Cape Verde, but after three people died and the outbreak was confirmed, it called for help off the coast and was ultimately not…
By Rédaction Africanews with AFP Less that two weeks after a coordinated wave of attacks struck Mali, the country’s junta leader has appointed a new chief of the general staff to the armed forces. Elisée Jean Dao took office on Wednesday after being promoted from brigadier general in the National Guard to the rank of major general. Dao takes over from Oumar Diarra who has been named minister delegate to the minister of defence, a role now held by Mali’s transitional president and junta leader, General Assimi Goita. Former Defence Minister Sadio Camara was killed by a car bomb during…
By Rédaction Africanews with AFP Angola and Gabon on Wednesday signed three new agreements aimed at deepening collaboration in key economic sectors, as the two oil-producing nations seek to diversify their economies and strengthen regional partnerships. The agreements were announced during a high-level meeting in Luanda between Angolan President João Lourenço and Gabonese President Brice Oligui Nguema, who underscored the importance of expanding cooperation beyond the energy sector. Speaking after the talks, President Oligui Nguema said Gabon was looking to benefit from Angola’s experience in tourism, agriculture and other industries as Libreville pushes to reduce its dependence on oil revenues.…
By Rédaction Africanews The United Nations rights chief demanded Thursday that Tunisia end widening repression targeting civil society organizations, journalists, rights defenders and opposition figures. “The continued repression and restrictions on civic space by the Tunisian authorities undermine the rights of people protected under the country’s constitution and its international human rights obligations,” UN high commissioner for human rights Volker Turk said in a statement. His comment came after Tunisian authorities this week temporarily banned the local branch of international NGO Avocats Sans Frontieres, days after another leading group, the Tunisian League for Human Rights, was targeted by a similar…
By Rédaction Africanews Former president of Cameroon’s National Assembly and longtime political figure Cavaye Yéguié Djibril has died at the age of 86. His passing comes just 50 days after he relinquished his position as speaker, which he occupied for a record 34 years. Local media report that he died in his home village of Mada in the Far North Region, where he had retired to in March this year. First elected as parliament speaker in 1992, Djibril was a key figure in President Paul Biya’s authoritarian regime and played a pivotal role in Cameroon’s political landscape. Critics say that…