Military authorities in coup-prone Guinea-Bissau have scheduled presidential and legislative elections for 6 December, despite calls for a swifter transition to civilian rule. Transitional President Horta N’Tam signed a decree on Wednesday after meeting members of the National Transitional Council, military, and government officials, as well as representatives of the electoral commission. He told reporters the conditions for free and fair elections had been met. Since seizing power from President Umaro Sissoco Embaló in November, Guinea-Bissau’s coup leaders have been under pressure from the West African regional body, Ecowas, to organise elections within a short transitional timeframe. The ‘narco-state’ trying…
Author: Montage Africa
By Dominic Wabwireh with AP As Sudan’s brutal internal conflict nears its third-year mark, humanitarian leaders at the World Economic Forum issued a stark warning: the world’s largest displacement crisis is being dangerously neglected, with millions facing famine and disease while international attention remains elsewhere. In a panel at Davos, David Miliband, President of the International Rescue Committee, framed the Sudan war as a symbol of global failing. He called it an “avatar for the new world disorder,” noting the conflict’s internationalization and a grim hallmark: more civilian deaths than combatant fatalities. With 33 million people in urgent humanitarian need,…
Mobile money agent Mirembe Tracy laments that her business in Uganda’s bustling capital Kampala was paralysed when the government shut the internet during last week’s fiercely contested general election. “All withdrawals were disconnected,” she tells the BBC, adding that she gets nearly all of her income from withdrawal commissions. Without it, her income dropped to zero. “In one week I can earn up to 450,000 [Ugandan] shillings (£96; $130). That money is what I use to pay rent. Losing it was a total loss,” she says. For two days either side of the election, there was nothing she could do…
By AP Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary on Wednesday dismissed Elon Musk’s idea of buying the budget airline and shrugged off insults from the billionaire, in a war of words that erupted over installing Starlink systems on aircraft. The spat between one of the world’s richest individuals and one of Europe’s most outspoken corporate bosses has been escalating for days. O’Leary said last week that the airline had ruled out putting Musk’s Starlink satellite Wi-Fi on Ryanair planes because the extra fuel drag from the system’s antennas would be too costly. Responding to Musk’s accusations that he was “misinformed,” O’Leary told…
By Rédaction Africanews and Agencies After weeks of heavy rains, floodwaters in Mozambique’s Maputo province have submerged vast areas of land. Nationwide, more than 100 people have been killed since the rainy season began in October. Rosita Augusto, a resident of Maputo Province, is trying to get to her home on the other side of the floodwater. “I am scared to cross here. We want to go home. Since the day before yesterday, we have been stuck on this side. We want to cross to get home. We have decided to take a risk.” In Maputo province alone, more than…
By Rédaction Africanews South Africa’s Human Settlements Minister, Thembi Simelane, says the death toll from the recent floods in Limpopo and Mpumalanga has risen to 38, as government accelerates emergency housing support for affected communities. In a statement delivered on Tuesday, Simelane confirmed that fatalities in Limpopo have increased from 17 to 18, while the death toll in Mpumalanga stands at 20, with six people still missing in Limpopo. The floods, triggered by days of intense rainfall, have destroyed or damaged thousands of homes across the two provinces. Simelane said 1,942 houses have been recorded as damaged in Limpopo and…
By Rédaction Africanews and Agencies Tourism to Africa rose by 8 percent last year to 81 million visitors, United Nations Tourism said on Tuesday. The first World Tourism Barometer of the year found that Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and South Africa all posted strong results. Morocco saw 14 percent more visitors and export revenues from tourism up by 19 percent. International arrivals to Egypt grew by 20 percent and by 19 percent to South Africa. But Europe remains the world’s most popular destination region, with almost 800 million international arrivals in 2025 – an increase of 4 percent over the year…
By Rédaction Africanews and AP A specialised police unit in Port-au-Prince came under attack on Monday as it patrolled the streets of the Haitian capital. Officers returned fire after suspected gang members threw molotov cocktails at the armoured car. The vehicle quickly filled with smoke as its roof set alight. Police sped away from the area and volunteers helped put out the fire. “We must help the police. The population must get involved,” said local resident Etienne Yvenner. “Today, the bandits are against us, against the people. If they were not against us, they would not burn our houses, they…
By Rédaction Africanews with AFP Flooding in Tunisia has killed four people, authorities said Tuesday, as schools and businesses were forced to close after parts of the country experienced their heaviest rainfall in more than 70 years. All four deaths occurred in Moknine in the Monastir governorate of the North African country, where “two people were swept away by floodwaters, while a woman drowned in her home,” said Khalil Mechri, a civil defence spokesman. Abderazak Rahal, head of forecasting at the National Institute of Meteorology (INM), told AFP some Tunisian regions had not seen so much rain since 1950. “We have recorded…
By Rédaction Africanews with AP Five soldiers and one police officer have been killed in an ambush in northwest Nigeria, the Nigerian army said on Tuesday. The attack occurred in Zamfara state on Monday, army spokesman David Adewusi said in a statement. “Despite the surprise of the ambush, the troops responded gallantly, engaging the terrorists and preventing further harm to nearby communities,” he said. “Regrettably, five soldiers and one police officer paid the supreme sacrifice during the encounter.” The ambush followed successful operations last week, where three suspects were arrested and weapons recovered, said the spokesman. Northern Nigeria has been…