By AFP Romuald Wadagni took the oath of office of Sunday to become Benin’s new president. The former finance minister of Benin, Romuald Wadagni, officially became the country’s president on Sunday, taking over from his former-boss Patrice Talon. Wadagni, an economist with a reputation as a technocrat who embodies continuity with Talon’s two mandates, was elected April 12 with 94 percent of the ballots. His sole token opponent, Paul Hounkpe, was easily beaten, and Hounkpe’s party quickly joined forces with Wadagni’s party in the parliament. The main opposition party, the Democrats, was not able to participate in the elections because insufficient endorsements and…
Author: Montage Africa
Three Red Cross volunteers died in the Democratic Republic of Congo from suspected Ebola likely caught while managing dead bodies, the organisation has said. They are believed to have contracted Ebola on 27 March while working in the eastern region of Ituri on a project unrelated to the virus, before the outbreak was identified. The volunteers are among the first known victims of DR Congo’s Ebola outbreak, which has resulted in more than 200 suspected deaths and more than 850 suspected cases. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said they had died after serving their…
“I saw the burial team taking eight of them,” recalls Ebola survivor Patrick Faley. “They put them into a bag and carried them to the burial. I made new friends although they ended up dying. I was the only person that was left there.” This week’s scenes from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where medics are scrambling to respond to an outbreak of Ebola, have brought back haunting memories for those who have lived through similar crises. A decade ago Faley found himself on the front line of a similar situation in West Africa – the worst recorded outbreak of…
Back in March, an email landed in my inbox from Irish airline Ryanair asking me if I was ready for my “next Moroccan adventure”. Sprawling along a windswept peninsula where the Sahara meets the Atlantic, the city of Dakhla certainly looked attractive. I would have to make my way to Madrid first, but from the Spanish capital return flights to Dakhla start from just €30 ($35). There are dozens of accommodation options too, from hostels to brand new luxury getaways advertising the area as Morocco’s hidden gem. But, despite what the adverts and websites say, any tourist making the trip…
Not even heavy rain can keep shoppers away from Gikomba, a lively Kenyan market that stands as the largest open-air trading hub in East Africa. Sections of the site were waterlogged on the day the BBC visited, yet shoppers, some wearing rubber boots, still inched their way through the congested pathways, hunting for Gikomba’s speciality – second-hand clothing. The trade in garments imported from the US, Europe and China poses a perennial problem for the East African Community (EAC), a regional bloc of which Kenya is a member. How can the region build a thriving fashion industry when it is…
By Rédaction Africanews with AP Former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo used his platform in the 4th edition of the Renaissance Festival in the town of Songon M’Brathé to condemn the imprisonment of political activists. The political and cultural gathering was organised by his African People’s Party – Côte d’Ivoire (PPA-CI) party which this week re-elected the 80-year-old as its president. “We have many comrades in prison. We must not only think of them, but we must work to ensure they are released,” Gbagbo said. Last October, an Ivorian court sentenced dozens of people to prison for taking part in banned…
By Rédaction Africanews with AP Cameroonian heavyweight star, Francis Ngannou, scored a first round knockout at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, on Saturday night. He exchanged strikes and clinches with Brazilian Philipe Lins before finishing him with a sweeping left hand to the head in the final minute. It was the veteran’s second mixed martial arts bout in four years and he immediately teased the possibility of new matches – with two names coming up. After the fight, the former Ultimate Fighting Champion spoke of his desire to share the cage with American Jon “Bones” Jones one time before…
By Rédaction Africanews with AP Residents in the Ugandan capital have expressed their fears and concerns after officials confirmed a death in the city from Ebola, following a new outbreak in neighbouring Congo. Authorities said on Friday that a Congolese man who died at the Kibuli Muslim Hospital in Kampala earlier in the week, had tested positive for the virus. As visitors arrived at the health facility on Saturday, they were screened with infrared thermometers and provided with hand sanitiser at the building’s entrance. “When I heard them saying they had got one suspect of Ebola, it frightened me,” said…
By Agencies Cape Verde is set for a major political transition. The country’s main opposition party, the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde, or PAICV, has won Sunday’s parliamentary elections with 46 percent of the vote, according to provisional results from nearly 98 percent of polling stations. Its leader, Francisco Carvalho, who is also the mayor of the capital Praia, is poised to become the country’s new Prime Minister. He will replace Ulisses Correia e Silva, who has led the government for the past ten years. PAICV has so far secured 33 of the 72 seats in the…
By Dominic Wabwireh with AP Cape Verdeans headed to the polls on Sunday in legislative elections marked by uncertainty, with five parties competing and Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva seeking a rare third term in a country long praised for its political stability. At polling stations in Mindelo and Praia, many voters voiced hopes for change — or at least for more accountability. Elisangela Brito, a poll monitor, said the country’s transport woes were top of mind: “We are currently facing many difficulties both in terms of ships and flights… I hope that with this vote, regardless of who…