Top Africa News

Russia’s ambassador to Sudan has been found dead in a swimming pool at his residence in Khartoum. Sudanese police said a preliminary investigation indicated Mirgayas Shirinsky had died of natural causes. Although his death is not suspicious, Mr Shirinsky is the fourth Russian diplomat to die in service in the past year. In February, Russian UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin died ...

The woman who has accused Zimbabwe’s First Lady Grace Mugabe of assaulting her has mounted a legal challenge against the South African government for giving her diplomatic immunity. Gabriella Engels said in court papers that a head of state, let alone a first lady, failed to qualify for immunity when accused of a serious crime. Mrs Mugabe left South Africa ...

RUSSIAN bombers have been flown on a huge drill through East Asia, sparking panic in a region already on edge due to North Korean chaos. The nuclear-capable jets have flown over the Pacific Ocean, the Sea of Japan, the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea in an intense military drill. The operation prompted a nervous Japan and South Korea ...

Brazil’s government has abolished a vast national reserve in the Amazon to open up the area to mining. The area, covering 46,000 sq km (17,800 sq miles), straddles the northern states of Amapa and Para, and is thought to be rich in gold, and other minerals. The government said nine conservation and indigenous land areas within it would continue to ...

With the elections approximately six weeks away, the winner of the popular vote will be entitled to just a brief moment to gloat and then get down to the business of assuming leadership of the country. And from the day the President-elect and Vice President-elect are announced, a series of transitional activities must take place leading up to inauguration. President ...

Private schools in Rwanda face an uncertain future amid dwindling admissions as learners increasingly enroll in public schools. Desperate proprietors who face closure of their institutions are now asking the government to sponsor students in private schools at public rates. However, the government has rejected the idea. More than 30 private schools are said to have closed indefinitely this year, ...

THE main suspect in the Barcelona terror attack has been shot dead by police after being spotted with an explosive belt strapped to him, Spanish authorities have confirmed. Younes Abouyaaqoub, 22, is believed to be the driver who ploughed a rented white van down the popular tourist promenade of Las Ramblas in central Barcelona on Thursday afternoon. A total of ...

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has given his first address since returning to the country on Saturday after three months medical leave in the UK. He made no reference to his health. The president called for unity in Nigeria, and said he would renew his fight against problems such as the war against Boko Haram militants, a sectarian uprising in the ...

An inspection mission to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations hosts Cameroon has been postponed by the Confederation of African Football (Caf). The Caf-appointed team was scheduled to begin the eight-day inspection on Sunday 20 August. Caf confirmed the visit would now take place at a later date following the withdrawal of audit firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC). No reason has been given for ...

A former Somali insurgent leader, Mukhtar Robow Abu Mansur, has defected to the government, a military official said on Sunday, severing ties with Islamist group al Shabaab. Al Shabaab fell out with its former spokesman and deputy leader Robow in 2013 and he has been laying low in the jungles with his forces since then. The Islamists have launched multiple ...