By Rédaction Africanews and Agencies Benin’s former president Thomas Boni Yayi is stepping down as leader of the opposition Les Démocrates party, citing health reasons. The 72-year-old said he wanted to “fully dedicate this new phase of his life to rest.” He says he’ll hand over interim leadership of the party to its vice presidents and governing bodies. But his departure comes at a crucial moment for the party. Despite being Benin’s main opposition, Les Démocrates don’t have a single seat in parliament, after losing to President Patrice Talon’s bloc in January’s parliamentary elections. The party’s candidate for April’s presidential…
Author: Montage Africa
By Africanews with AFP The death toll from a landslide at a mining site in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has passed 200, the government said Wednesday. A shaft collapsed at the country’s largest coltan mine in the rebel-controlled east on Tuesday, witnesses told AFP, with an initial toll of six dead. The Rubaya mining site lies about 70 kilometres (45 miles) west of Goma, capital of North Kivu province, which is under the control of the Rwanda-backed armed group M23. “The provisional toll counts more than 200 compatriots who lost their lives, including 70 children and numerous wounded,” said…
By Africanews with AP More than two dozen Doctors Without Borders workers remain unaccounted for a month after attacks in South Sudan, the medical charity said. Two facilities operated by the group, known by French acronym MSF, were attacked on Feb. 3 in Jonglei State, northeast of the capital, Juba, where violence has displaced an estimated 280,000 people since December. A hospital in the town of Lankien was bombed by government forces, MSF said, while another medical facility in the town of Pieri was raided by “unknown assailants.” Both were located in opposition-held areas. Staff working at the two facilities…
By Agencies with AP British recording artist Ghetts has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after admitting to causing the death of a student while driving under the influence and at high speed. The rapper, whose real name is Justin Clarke-Samuel, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving. At London’s Old Bailey, Judge Mark Lucraft KC handed down the 12-year sentence and banned him from driving for 17 years. The victim was 20-year-old Nepalese student Yubin Tamang, who died two days after being struck while crossing the road. Prosecutor Philip McGhee told the court that Clarke-Samuel was driving…
By Rédaction Africanews with AFP Somalia has passed a new constitution that will see lawmakers directly elected by the public for the first time. In recent years, MPs voted for the president, while clan heads and elders elected lawmakers in both the federal government and regional states. Described as “an historic victory” by Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, the move was passed on Wednesday despite a boycott by an opposition alliance. “This becomes the first official constitution Somalia has had since the civil war, after the federal parliament decided to vote and approve it,” said MP Mohamed Hassan Bulale. President…
Rebels in Ethiopia’s restive Tigray region say they believe the federal authorities are preparing to “wage war” again the northern regional state. There have been reports that the Ethiopian National Defence Force has massed troops and equipment at multiple locations along the regional border. Tigray emerged from a two-year civil war in 2022 that saw federal forces, backed by militias and the Eritrean army, clash with rebels from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). It’s estimated that at least 600,000 people were killed in the conflict. A ceasefire held for more than two years, but there have been sporadic clashes…
By Rédaction Africanews with AP A torpedo fired by a US submarine sank an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, whose navy said Wednesday it recovered 87 bodies and rescued 32 people. The Iranian vessel sunk in the Indian Ocean was the Islamic Republic’s “prize ship,” US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said. It was one of the few instances of a submarine sinking a ship since World War II. The sinking of the IRIS Dena illustrates a US-Israeli military operation against Iran that is stretching beyond its borders. US President Donald Trump has said one of the key…
By Rédaction Africanews South Africa is seeking to produce a key HIV prevention drug locally as part of a broader effort to improve access to treatment and strengthen the country’s pharmaceutical industry. The government is working with international partners, including Unitaid and United States Pharmacopeia, to identify a domestic manufacturer capable of producing the long-acting HIV prevention medicine lenacapavir. The drug, developed by Gilead Sciences, is administered as an injection twice a year and has been seen as a promising tool in the fight against HIV. Officials say local production could make the medication more affordable and widely available in…
Computer tablet screens glow inside a row of partitioned booths at a new-style Ethiopian police station. There is no commotion. There is no front desk, no bench of anxiously waiting civilians, no officer calling out names. It is a pilot project of what is being called a “smart” – or unmanned – police station in the Bole district of the capital, Addis Ababa, is the latest chapter in Ethiopia’s bid to catch up with the digital revolution. A large monitor on the wall cycles through welcome messages as well as images of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. But at the moment…
A newly disclosed U.S. State Department document reveals plans to process up to 4,500 refugee applications per month from white South Africans — a figure that would significantly exceed President Donald Trump’s publicly stated global refugee cap for fiscal year 2026. The January 27 contracting document also details preparations underway at the U.S. embassy in Pretoria, including the installation of temporary processing facilities, signaling an accelerated effort to expand admissions from South Africa even as refugee entries from other regions remain sharply restricted. This story is written and edited by Global South World The U.S. aims to process 4,500 refugee…