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Left-wing Cameroonian opposition figure Anicet Ekane has died in detention, five weeks after he was arrested, his lawyers and party have announced. Ekane, 74, was among the leaders of an opposition coalition who endorsed Issa Tchiroma Bakary in October’s presidential election. Tchiroma Bakary says he was the rightful winner of the poll, officially won by […]
A radio presenter with South Africa’s public broadcaster has appeared in court on a charge related to the alleged recruitment of men for the Russian military. Nonkululeko Patricia Mantula is among five people who prosecutors say are facing charges for contravening a law which prohibits South Africans from joining a foreign army without official permission. […]
Guinea-Bissau’s deposed President Umaro Sissoco Embaló has arrived in neighbouring Senegal following his release by the military forces who toppled his government this week, Senegal’s authorities have announced. It follows negotiations by the regional West African bloc Ecowas to secure his transfer amid rising tensions in Guinea-Bissau. Senegal’s foreign ministry said in a statement that […]
Nigeria is currently grappling with a spate of mass abductions. But the vast country – bigger than France and Germany combined – also faces many other security challenges. Recent attempts by US President Donald Trump and his supporters to frame the insecurity purely as the persecution of Christians overlooks the complexity of Africa’s most-populous nation. […]
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has described as “regrettable” the announcement by US President Donald Trump that South Africa would not be invited to take part in next year’s G20 summit in Florida. In a social media post, Trump said South Africa had refused to hand over the G20 presidency to a US embassy representative […]
Warning: This story contains descriptions of torture and physical violence. Some readers may find it distressing. A shopkeeper has told the BBC how Russian mercenaries fighting jihadists in Mali carried out the cold-blooded murder of two men in front of him and then threatened to chop off his fingers and kill him too. This is […]
A group of 24 Nigerian girls who were abducted from their boarding school over a week ago have been released, the country’s president says. Armed assailants stormed the school in Nigeria’s Kebbi State on 17 November, killing two members of staff and abducting 25 students. One was able to escape soon after. Nigerian President Bola […]
Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema has come out fighting after a bruising month that saw him come under attack by stone throwers as he was trying to make a speech. Video clips of him crouching and then being whisked away from a rally in the Copperbelt province shocked Zambians and many people, irrespective of their political […]
Jimmy Cliff, one of the most prominent and beloved proponents of reggae music, has died at the age of 81. A star since the 1960s, he helped to bring the sound of Jamaica to a global audience through hits such as Wonderful World, Beautiful People and You Can Get It If You Really Want. His […]
Former Prime Minister David Cameron has revealed he has been treated for prostate cancer. Lord Cameron, 59, told the Times newspaper his wife had insisted he go for a check-up after they listened to a BBC radio interview with entrepreneur Nick Jones, who was campaigning for more men to be tested after being diagnosed himself. […]