By Rédaction Africanews and AP Rebels affiliated with the Islamic State group killed 66 people in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, local officials said Saturday. Fighters with the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which has ties to IS, killed civilians in the area of Irumu in the east of the country bordering Uganda. The attack comes as eastern Congo may see an end to its ongoing war with M23, a separate rebel group which is backed by Rwanda, another of Congo’s neighbors. Jean Tobie Okala, the spokesperson for the United Nations mission in Ituri in eastern Congo, called the attack a…
Author: Montage Africa
By Rédaction Africanews and AP Opposition pressure is mounting in Tanzania following the arrest of Chadema deputy chairperson John Heche, who was detained by police outside the High Court in Dar es Salaam. Heche had gone to attend the ongoing treason trial of Chadema leader Tundu Lissu, who was arrested in April and could face the death penalty if convicted. His detention has drawn sharp criticism from opposition figures and rights groups, who accuse the government of intensifying political repression. Lissu’s lawyer, Dr Rugemeleza Nshala, says restrictions on the opposition leader have significantly worsened. Speaking outside court, Nshala said Lissu…
By Africanews with AFP The scars on Victor’s forearm remind him constantly of the day a Ukrainian drone attacked him after he was forcibly conscripted, like hundreds of young Kenyans, into the Russian army. It was a war that had nothing to do with him and which he was exceptionally lucky to survive. Four Kenyans — Victor, Mark, Erik and Moses — recounted to AFP the web of deception that took them to the killing fields of Ukraine. Their names have been changed for fear of reprisals. It began with promises of well-paying jobs in Russia from a Nairobi recruitment…
By Rédaction Africanews and AP Tanzanian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Thabit Kombo held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Monday, in the latest sign of strengthening relations between the two countries. During the meeting, Kombo delivered a letter from Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan to Russian President Vladimir Putin, underscoring Dar es Salaam’s commitment to expanding bilateral cooperation. Speaking after the talks, Kombo thanked the Russian leadership for what he described as efforts to elevate relations between the two nations. He said the importance of strategic cooperation with Russia had been highlighted by President Hassan in a…
By Dominic Wabwireh with AFP A devastating outbreak of the deadly kala-azar disease is surging across Kenya, fueled by climate change and hampered by a critical lack of diagnostic and treatment facilities, pushing vulnerable communities to the brink. Kala-azar, or visceral leishmaniasis, is a neglected tropical disease with a 95% fatality rate if untreated. Cases in Kenya have more than doubled from 1,575 in 2024 to 3,577 in 2025. The parasite, spread by sandflies, is now reaching new regions, endangering millions. Diagnostic failures and human cost The story of 60-year-old Harada Hussein Abdirahman illustrates the crisis. Misdiagnosed for a year…
By Dominic Wabwireh with other agencies Sudan has announced its full return to the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), ending a two-year freeze imposed after the regional bloc invited a rival paramilitary commander to peace talks. Sudan suspended its IGAD membership in January 2024 in protest. The decisive factor was the bloc’s invitation to Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, head of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), to a summit in Uganda. The move was seen by Sudan’s army-aligned government as a breach of sovereignty amidst its brutal war with the RSF. War forms backdrop to diplomatic move The conflict, raging since April…
By Rédaction Africanews and AP A Malian appeal court has upheld the prison sentence of former prime minister Moussa Mara, convicted over social media posts expressing support for political prisoners. Mara, who served as prime minister from 2014 to 2015, was charged last October with undermining the credibility of the state and opposing legitimate authority. In July, he posted online that he had met detained political figures and promised them justice. He has been in prison since August 1. On Monday, a judge in Bamako confirmed his sentence: two years in jail, one suspended, and a 500,000 CFA franc fine.…
Tributes have been pouring in from across Ghana and the world since the death of Ghanaian highlife legend Ebo Taylor. A guitarist, composer and bandleader who died on Saturday, Taylor’s six-decade career played a key role in shaping modern popular music in West Africa. Often described as one of the founding fathers of contemporary highlife, Taylor died a day after the launch of a music festival bearing his name in the capital, Accra, and just a month after celebrating his 90th birthday. Highlife, a genre blending traditional African rhythms with jazz and Caribbean influences, was recently added to UNESCO’s Intangible…
By Rédaction Africanews and Agencies With the holy month of Ramadan starting next week, Muslims around the world are getting ready. Sudan is no exception, despite the country’s ongoing war. In the eastern city of Gedaref, people are heading to the market. But customers are shocked by the price of meat. “In Ramadan specifically, livestock’s prices go up because demand is higher than supply and due to people fasting during the day,” says Gedaref resident Mohamed Ibrahim Ahmed. “The prices in the market are too high, too expensive. An ewe costs 650 to 700 thousands Sudanese pound [$1080 to 1163].”…
By Africanews Burkina Faso’s transitional parliament on Monday approved a bill banning all political parties in a move observers say allows the military junta led by Captain Ibrahim Traore to consolidate control. The text which received no opposition from lawmakers repeals the charter of political parties and the law relating to the financing of parties, electoral campaigns and the status of the political opposition. Political party activities have been suspended in the Sahel country since the army seized power in 2022. On Thursday, the United Nations rights chief called on the Burkina Faso government to halt all repression of civic…