MOGADISHU, Somalia – Every month, Abdow Omar, who runs a business importing flour and sugar, gets a call from the Somali militant group Al Shabab reminding him that it’s time to pay them taxes – or risk losing his business, or even his life. After more than 16 years, the Shabab, a terrorist group linked …
Somalia Elects Next President, but Terrorists Hold True Power Read More »
JOHANNESBURG – The first factory in Africa licensed to produce Covid-19 vaccines for the African market has not received a single order and may shut down that production line within weeks if the situation does not change, according to executives of the company, Aspen Pharmacare . The factory, in the coastal South African city of …
Africa’s First Covid-19 Vaccine Factory Has Not Received a Single Order Read More »
SAINT-LOUIS, Senegal – For more than a century, the French general who shaped Senegal’s former capital was hailed as a hero and a father figure, his bronze statue triumphantly standing on a square that bore his name. Under his feet, carved into the stone of a massive pedestal, a message read: “To its governor Faidherbe, …
In Senegal’s Former Capital, a Colonial Statue in Hiding Is No Longer Welcome Read More »
Coronavirus cases are surging again in South Africa, and public health experts are monitoring the situation, eager to know what’s driving the spike, what it says about immunity from previous infections and what its implications are globally. South Africa experienced a decline in cases after hitting an Omicron-fueled, pandemic peak in December. But in the …
South Africa’s latest surge is a possible preview of the pandemic’s next chapter. Read More »
KHARTOUM, Sudan – Friday night by the Nile, and a love song wafted on the warm breeze that blew across Tuti Island, a crescent of land at the confluence of the river’s two great branches. Hundreds of people had gathered on the beach for iftar, the sunset meal that breaks the daily fast during the …
Ramadan Nights Provide Cherished Pause in Tense Sudan Read More »
NAIROBI, Kenya – Mwai Kibaki, who helped transform Kenya’s economy and usher in a new Constitution as its third president, but whose tenure was marred by high-profile corruption cases and election-related violence, has died. He was 90. His death was announced in a televised speech by President Uhuru Kenyatta, who did not specify a cause. …
Mwai Kibaki, Former President of Kenya, Dies at 90 Read More »
DIAMNIADIO, Senegal – Standing on the sidelines of Senegal’s brand-new national stadium, Aliou Cissé, the biggest fan of his own team, waved his arms at 50,000 fans, exhorting them to cheer even louder, his signature dreadlocks bouncing on his shoulders. Fans roared back, clapping and blowing their vuvuzelas at a more deafening pitch. Minutes later, …
Aliou Cissé Has Senegal Ready to Shine in World Cup Read More »
DURBAN, South Africa – In 2009, as officials in the port city of Durban prepared to host the next year’s World Cup of soccer, they moved hundreds of residents from their tin shacks near the city center to a flood-prone field south of town. The new settlement, a tight cluster of squat homes made of …
Housing Crisis Propels High Death Toll in South Africa Floods Read More »
The US Fish and Wildlife Service informed some hunters last month that it would allow the import of six elephant trophies into the United States from Zimbabwe. The African elephant carcasses will be the first allowed into the country in five years. The decision reverses an agencywide hold on processing elephant trophy import permits that …
US Allows Hunters to Import Some Elephant Trophies From African Countries Read More »
DAKAR, Senegal – French, American and European officials have expressed serious concerns about allegations that hundreds of people were killed last week in a town in the West African nation of Mali by Malian soldiers accompanied by Russian mercenaries on a campaign to fight insurgents. Although the accounts are still unclear, human rights organizations, security …
Western Officials Condemn Reports of ‘Massacre’ by Military in Central Mali Read More »