By Sarah Miansoni with AFP Gunmen have killed at least 60 people across several remote villages in northwest Nigeria this week, local clergy and humanitarian groups said Wednesday, as the country battles a surge in insecurity in its mostly Muslim north. The attacks, spanning two neighbouring states of Kebbi and Niger, have hit at least 10 villages, according to clergymen and a humanitarian report seen by AFP. According to a situation report citing three local humanitarian sources, including a health facility and a community organising group, 20 deaths were recorded in a Tuesday attack in Erena, in Shiroro local government…
Author: Montage Africa
Madagascar has declared a two‑week nationwide state of energy emergency amid severe fuel shortages caused by the US and Israel’s war in Iran. The presidency said the decision was taken following Tuesday’s cabinet meeting over fears the situation could lead to public disorder. The Indian Ocean island, which relies on oil to produce much of its electricity, is dependent on fuel imports from the Middle East – and supplies are likely to be disrupted for sometime despite the two-week ceasefire announced overnight. Last year, persistent power and water shortages in Madagascar led to youth-led protests, which escalated to broader political unrest,…
By Rédaction Africanews and AP For Pope Leo XIV, an upcoming visit to Algeria marks both a personal and historic milestone, as the North African nation prepares to welcome a sitting pontiff for the first time. For Jean-Paul Vesco, the trip is a dream come true. He says he hopes the visit will foster a “true encounter,” emphasizing openness and mutual respect in a country where Islam shapes culture and identity. Algeria’s small Christian community sees the visit as a powerful gesture of recognition, while authorities view it as highly significant in a nation where ancient Christian heritage coexists with…
By Rédaction Africanews with AFP Ethiopian police said they arrested a “dangerous international human trafficker” and nine accomplices accused of smuggling over 3,000 people to Libya, where they were held hostage and, in some cases, tortured, raped, or killed. The human trafficking network has been under investigation since 2018, police said in a statement posted on Facebook on Tuesday, recruiting young people from Ethiopia, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Kenya, and Somalia who hoped to migrate to Europe through Libya. The ring operated five warehouses in Libya, holding victims hostage while forcing their families to pay huge ransoms. Those who could not…
By Africanews with AP The rapper formerly known as Kanye West was barred Tuesday from entering the U.K., where he was scheduled to headline the Wireless Festival in July, after a backlash over Ye’s history of antisemitic remarks. Festival organizers canceled the three-day outdoor event as a result of the travel ban and said those who had bought tickets would get refunds. Ye applied for an electronic travel authorization to visit the U.K., but it was blocked by the government on the grounds that his presence in the country would not be “conducive to the public good.” “Kanye West should…
Fears are growing in opposition circles in Zimbabwe that the ruling Zanu-PF party is making a new grab for power as it presses ahead with constitutional amendments aimed at giving parliament – rather than voters – the right to elect the president and to extend his term from five to seven years. “This is a coup, a slow coup that is unfolding in Zimbabwe,” veteran opposition politician and former finance minister Tendai Biti told the BBC. But Zanu-PF – in power since independence in 1980 – has vehemently defended the proposed changes. “There’s nothing that stops us to change, to…
Sixteen Cameroonians have been killed fighting for Russia in Ukraine, the BBC has confirmed after a foreign ministry source verified that a recently leaked diplomatic note circulating on social media about the deaths was authentic. The government has faced criticism over its prolonged silence on the issue – and this marks the first recognition of the involvement of its nationals in the conflict. A recent report by All Eyes on Wagner, a group that investigates mercenary activities worldwide, said 94 Cameroonians had died in the war between 2023 and 2025. The leaked note – from Cameroon’s foreign ministry to the…
Cameroon confirmed on Monday the death of 16 of its citizens involved alongside the Russian military in Ukraine. The Cameroonian ministry of external relations published a list of 16 names it had obtained through a verbal note from the Russian embassy in Yaoundé on March 5, 2026. The document said the death of these Cameroonian nationals occurred in the zone of the so-called “special military operation,” a term used by Russiato describe its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched in February 2022. The names of the 16 citizens were read on national radio on Monday. Authorities called on the families of the…
By Serge Patrick MANKOU As the war in the Middle East continues to spread uncertainty around the world, Donald Trump once again postponed his ultimatum to Iran. He gave Iranian authorities until Tuesday at 8 p.m. Washington time to open the Strait of Hormuz. Otherwise, the US President said he would destroy Iranian bridges and nuclear facilities. The weeks-long blockade of the vital Strait of Hormuz maritime route is having repercussions in Africa. In Zambia, the government has called the current fuel supply situation a “national emergency.” Against the backdrop of the war, Pope Leo XIV is calling for de-escalation. “Let those who have…
By Rédaction Africanews As the war in the Middle East continues to drive up fuel prices, the Zambian government has called the current fuel supply situation an emergency. Although they are thousands of kilometres away from the front line, residents in the country say they’re feeling the impact of supply disruptions linked to Iran’s effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane. Fredrick Nabuzoka, a local resident, said, “you have to spend some time on looking for fuel. The war should come to an end, and then fuel supply will flow.” Fridah Mbiza, another local resident, said, “my business…