At least 64 people have been killed in floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains in the Gamo Zone of southern Ethiopia, local police inspector Abraham Buha says. Earlier in the week officials had put the death toll at more than 30. Dozens are still missing. The authorities reported that most people had died in highland areas, where saturated slopes gave way after days of intense rain. They urged residents in vulnerable areas to take precautions. Torrential rains have unleashed widespread flooding across East Africa in recent days. Dozens have also died in neighbouring Kenya. Forecasters say storms are becoming…
Author: Montage Africa
The South African government has summoned the new US ambassador after he made what they called “undiplomatic” comments about an anti-apartheid chant. Leo Brent Bozell III, who started in the role last month, caused offence by disagreeing with a legal ruling about the chant Kill The Boer. Some say the chant amounts to hate speech, although the Constitutional Court has ruled previously that it does not. A formal protest was issued – known as a demarche – by the government, which said it took Bozell’s comments “with a very dim view”. He issued a clarification on Wednesday and a representative…
By Africanews with AFP South Sudan’s government forces announce the recapture of the opposition-held town of Akobo — the latest flashpoint in fighting between rival armies that has brought the country back to the brink of all-out civil war. “Akobo is safe, the surrounding areas are safe,” says General Lul Ruai Koang, a spokesperson for the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF), in the capital Juba. Prior to the offensive, the army had issued an evacuation order for civilians, United Nations agencies and aid workers. Some 200,000 people fled to neighboring Ethiopia as a result. South Sudan gained independence in…
By Rédaction Africanews and AP Burkina Faso is facing another surge of violence as jihadists linked to Al-Qaeda intensify attacks on civilians. According to Human Rights Watch, militants killed at least 38 civilians and kidnapped nine women in less than a month. The attacks are blamed on the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, also known as JNIM, one of the most powerful Islamist militant groups operating across the Sahel. The group has spent years expanding its insurgency across Burkina Faso and neighboring countries, including Benin. Human Rights Watch documented three separate incidents between January 29 and February…
A near pristine desert and coastal wilderness in Namibia could soon host a huge hydrogen production facility, raising hopes for jobs but also fears for the unique plant and animal life of the region, such as rare succulents and endangered African penguins. It is part of the government’s plan to become a green hydrogen superpower, exporting a clean-burning fuel that could help cut emissions elsewhere. Hyphen, a joint venture led by the Germany-based green energy group Enertrag, says Namibia has the “world class” solar and wind power potential needed for large-scale, competitive production. Hydrogen, a highly flammable gas that produces…
A judge of the High Court of Kenya has struck out a Notice of Motion application after determining that the submitted documents were generated by a computer and failed to meet basic procedural requirements. In a ruling delivered virtually, Justice Bahati Mwamuye said the application filed by Nayan Mansukhlal Savla against the Commission on Administrative Justice and the Kenya Psychiatric Association did not comply with the Civil Procedure Rules at the Milimani Law Courts, according to local media Capital FM Kenya. The court found that the Notice of Motion did not meet Order 51 Rule 13 of the Civil Procedure Rules of…
By Rédaction Africanews The Secretary-General expressed outrage over the death of UNICEF’s Karine Buisset, who was killed in a drone strike on a building housing aid workers in Goma, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Speaking to reporters Wednesday in New York, U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Buisset was a dedicated humanitarian who worked tirelessly to support children and families affected by conflict and crises. The U.N., along with UNICEF, extended their deepest condolences to her families, her friends and her colleagues at UNICEF, Dujarric said. A series of drone strikes hit Lake Kivu, and a private residence located…
By Dominic Wabwireh with other agencies The death toll from devastating floods and landslides across East Africa has surpassed 110, with at least 64 people killed in Ethiopia and 50 in Kenya, as torrential rains continue to batter the region, destroying homes and displacing thousands. In southern Ethiopia’s Gamo Zone, at least 64 people have died after saturated slopes gave way following days of intense rainfall, local police inspector Abraham Buha confirmed. Dozens remain missing as search operations continue. The town of Arba Minch and surrounding areas suffered widespread damage to homes, infrastructure, and farmland, with mudslides blocking key roads…
By Dominic Wabwireh with other agencies Burundi’s former Prime Minister General Alain-Guillaume Bunyoni, serving a life sentence for conspiracy against the head of state, was provisionally released Wednesday for medical reasons, judicial sources and relatives confirmed. Bunyoni, hospitalized since October 2025 at Gitega regional hospital, was granted provisional freedom due to his deteriorating health. An ambulance transported him to his Bujumbura home around midday. “His condition is more than worrying,” a relative told AFP. The diabetic general suffered loss of motor skills and speech in prison, where he was long deprived of adequate care, according to prison sources and rights…
By Africanews with AP Days before Congo’s presidential election on Sunday, its streets were filled with campaign posters and banners urging the country’s 2.6 million registered voters to head to the polls. The Republic of Congo, home to 6 million people and one of Africa’s major oil producers, continues to face persistent economic challenges, including a youth unemployment rate of 40% and a low standard of living for much of the population. President Denis Sassou Nguesso, 82, is widely seen as the frontrunner. In power since 1997, he is seeking another term against six other candidates. Few voters expect any…