By Africanews with AFP A new coalition of major Togolese opposition parties and civil society groups held their first meeting Saturday, to relaunch protests against constitutional changes they say allow Faure Gnassingbe to consolidate power. Public opposition meetings have been rare in Togo in recent years, the last one taking place more than a year ago. Four opposition parties and civil society groups have formed a coalition called the National Consultation Framework for Change in Togo (CNCC). Several hundred people gathered for the first meeting in the capital, Lome, Saturday. “It was important for the Togolese people to show that…
Author: Montage Africa
A new study suggests malaria played a major role in shaping where prehistoric humans settled across sub-Saharan Africa, challenging long-held beliefs that migration patterns were driven mainly by agriculture and climate. Published in Science Advances, the research found that early humans avoided malaria-prone regions more than 70,000 years ago—long before farming spread across the continent between 3000 and 1000 BC. Researchers reconstructed ancient climate conditions and compared them with maps of early settlements, using data tied to habitats of Anopheles mosquitoes, which transmit the malaria-causing parasite Plasmodium falciparum. The findings indicate that disease influenced population distribution at least 13,000 years before agriculture…
By Rédaction Africanews with Agencies French President Emmanuel Macron kicked off a visit to Kenya on Sunday ahead of the Africa Forward Summit, a gathering meant to showcase France’s new policy for the continent — a shift from a former colonial power seen as dominating to what Paris describes as a partnership of equals. Held for the first time in an Anglophone country, the summit is expected to draw reactions to the withdrawal of French troops from West Africa that was completed last year amid France’s waning regional influence in recent years. Since the independence of France’s former African colonies,…
By Rédaction Africanews with AFP United States President Donald Trump branded Iran’s terms for ending the Middle East war “totally unacceptable,” raising the possibility of fresh conflict and sending oil prices sharply higher in early Asia trade on Monday. Iran had on Sunday responded to Washington’s latest peace proposal and warned it would not hold back from retaliating against any new US strikes or permit more foreign warships in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump made clear in a post on his Truth Social platform that he would reject Tehran’s counter-proposal, though he did not offer details on its contents. “I…
By Africanews with AP Three Israeli drone strikes on vehicles just south of Beirut on Saturday killed four people while a series of airstrikes on southern Lebanon killed at least 13, including a man and his 12-year-old daughter, state media and the Health Ministry said. The three drone strikes south of Beirut marked another escalation since a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect on April 17. Both Israel and Hezbollah have continued their daily attacks despite the truce. On Wednesday night, Israel’s air force carried out an airstrike on a southern suburb in which Israel said it killed…
A woman has given birth to rare quintuplets in Ethiopia’s Harari Regional state after 12 years of trying for a baby. Bedriya Adem said she and her husband were “overjoyed” to be “blessed with five children at once”. The 35-year-old delivered four boys and a girl, all of whom are in “full health”, at the Hiwot Fana Specialised Hospital, the hospital said. “I cannot express my happiness in words,” she told the BBC, recalling how she was “filled with depression and pain” until her prayers were answered. Hospital medical director Dr Mohammed Nur Abdulahi said the mother and babies remained…
France has passed a landmark law that makes it easier to return cultural artifacts looted during the colonial era, marking a major shift in the country’s approach to its imperial history. The legislation, approved unanimously by Parliament, creates an exception to France’s long-standing rule that objects in public collections cannot be permanently removed from museum collections. It applies to items unlawfully taken through theft, coercion, or violence between 1815 and 1972. The move follows President Emmanuel Macron’s 2017 pledge to prioritize the return of African heritage. Until now, each restitution required a separate law, slowing the process considerably. France has already returned…
Leading South African opposition figure Julius Malema has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to resign after the Constitutional Court ruled parliament had violated the constitution by blocking moves to impeach him in 2022. The judgement follows a legal challenge by Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and others, and could result in fresh impeachment proceedings. Ramaphosa’s office said he respects the judgement. In 2022, an independent panel said he may have a case to answer after burglars stole $580,000 (£430,000) in cash, hidden in a sofa, from his rural home. The theft led to allegations that he had not accounted for…
Months after it was announced that the surge of immigration agents in Minnesota was coming to an end, fear still pervades parts of the US state. The ongoing enforcement operation, which sparked nationwide protests after two US citizens were killed, has left some residents shaken – particularly among the largest Somali community outside Africa, found in the city of Minneapolis. Abdi, a 23-year-old man from Somalia whose name has been changed to protect his identity, is one of those who lives in the shadows – terrified of the immigration agents still patrolling the city. “It hasn’t ended,” Abdi told the…
It is often described as Africa’s biggest night in film and fashion. Celebrities, filmmakers and creators arrived at the 12th edition of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) in Nigeria with dramatic trains, sculptural gowns, shimmering fabrics and heavily theatrical designs that once again transformed the event from an awards show into a spectacle of style. Held at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos, the annual ceremony celebrates achievements in African film, television and digital storytelling, while also serving as one of the continent’s biggest cultural showcases where celebrities compete for being best-dressed, as much as they do…