Welcome to Africa Now, your weekly newsletter for Africa, presenting the most important developments in the continent - news that matters.
COMMENTARY
China has multiple military basing options in Africa, analysts say
China is reportedly looking to build a military presence in Equatorial Guinea, which would be its second such facility in Africa and the first along the Atlantic Ocean. But China's options are not limited to the small country, analysts say. Click here to read...
NEWS
Ethiopia govt says no further advance into Tigray
Ethiopia's government said on Friday that its troops would not advance further into the war-torn region of Tigray but warned that the decision could be overturned if "territorial sovereignty" was threatened. Click here to read...
A Tense Libya Delays Its Presidential Election
The postponement risks further destabilizing the oil-rich North African country, which has been mired in divisions and violence in the decade since Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi was toppled and killed in a revolution. Click here to read...
South African court allows Zuma to appeal return-to-jail order
South Africa’s ex-leader will spend Christmas at home after the court allows him to appeal the order to end his parole. Click here to read...
Mali rejects claims of Russian mercenaries' deployment
Bamako and Moscow are only involved in a state-to-state partnership and Russia is only supporting the country's national defence and security forces, Mali says. Click here to read...
Suicide bomber kills at least six in eastern Congo on Christmas Day
A suicide bomber attacked a restaurant and bar in Beni on Christmas Day, killing at least six people in the eastern Congolese town where Islamic extremists are known to be active. Click here to read...
Egypt, Russia to intensify joint efforts to settle Libya crisis
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi made a phone call on Saturday to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to discuss the current situation in Libya. Click here to read...
Kenya Drops Plan to Nationalize Struggling Airline, IMF Says
Kenya’s government has scrapped a plan to fully nationalize the partly state-owned airline and is looking at other ways to safeguard money it has loaned the carrier, according to the International Monetary Fund.Click here to read...
Tunisia court sentences ex-president Marzouki to prison in absentia
A Tunisian court on Wednesday issued a verdict in absentia sentencing former president Moncef Marzouki to four years in prison after he criticised President Kais Saied and called for protests. Click here to read...
Morocco to restore diplomatic ties with Germany
Morocco says it is ready to restore diplomatic cooperation with Germany, apparently thanks to a perceived shift in position toward the disputed Western Sahara. Click here to read...
Guinea's 2008 Coup Leader Returns Home from Exile
The man who led a 2008 coup in Guinea and whose brief rule was marked by a stadium massacre against peaceful demonstrators returned to the West African country Wednesday after more than a decade in exile. Click here to read...
Thousands again take to the streets in Sudan to call for return to civilian rule
Thousands of Sudanese protesters rallied Saturday two months on since a military coup, demanding soldiers "go back to the barracks" and calling for a transition to civilian rule. Click here to read...
Senegal: Railway to open in Dakar on Monday amidst protests
Senegal will on Monday December 27 welcome a new commuter railway line after having to wait for the past 5 years for work on the project to be completed. Click here to read...
Togo and Benin recently carried out a joint operation to fight illegal fishing
To fight illegal, unreported, and unregistered fishing (IUU) fishing, Benin and Togo surveyed their respective waters last week. The three-day operation closed on Tuesday and led to the interception of a vessel and four pirogues which were diverted to the Port of Lomé. Click here to read...
Nigeria destroys more than 1 million expired COVID vaccines
Move aims to reassure a wary public that the donated vaccines with a short shelf life were taken out of circulation. Click here to read...
The Gambia panel recommends ex-President Yahya Jammeh face trial
Truth and reconciliation commission says the former leader was responsible for a spree of killings, torture and rapes during his 22-year rule. Click here to read...
Rwanda achieves WHO's end-year COVID-19 vaccination target
Rwanda has now fully vaccinated 40 percent of its population against COVID-19, becoming the seventh African country to achieve the target set by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the end 2021. Click here to read...
Uganda buys Chinese arms for war on ADF
On Nov. 30, the Ugandan army alongside the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Forces (FARDC) launched joint air and artillery strikes against camps of the Congo-based Uganda rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). Click here to read...
'Istanbul' becomes most popular name in Somalia
The close cultural relationship between Turkey and Somalia morphed into popular culture as Turkish dramas are all the rage and 'Istanbul' becomes one of the most popular female names in the African countryClick here to read...
Nigeria’s Teesas secures $1.6M, to expand across Africa and launch tutor marketplace
After seven years in the production of electronic gadgets, under his company Imose Technologies, Osayi Izedonmwen took leave to explore an idea that he had toyed with for some time — an edtech startup, Teesas, which now offers video classes and other digital educational material for learners in Nigeria. Click here to read...
Madagascar shipwreck death toll rises to 85
Maritime authorities say 50 people have been rescued after boat sank with 138 people on board. Click here to read...
INDIA IN AFRICA
Shri Anindya Banerjee appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to the Republic of the Cameroon
Shri Anindya Banerjee (YOA: 2006), presently Assistant High Commissioner of India to Chittagong has been appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Cameroon. Click here to read...
Vale selling coal assets including Moatize mine to company of India’s Jindal Group
Vale has entered into a binding agreement with Vulcan Minerals to sell the Moatize coal mine and the Nacala Logistics Corridor (NLC) for total proceeds of $270 million, comprised of $80 million at closing and $190 million from the existing business until closing; plus a 10-year Royalty Agreement subject to certain mine production and coal price conditions. Vulcan is a private company and part of the renowned $18 billion Jindal Group. Click here to read...
Morocco, Costa Rica, Azerbaijan and Nigeria invite Indian investors
The ambassadors of Morocco, Costa Rica, Azerbaijan and Nigeria appealed to Indian entrepreneurs to invest in their countries during an international seminar organised by the Global India Business Forum (GIBF) here. Click here to read...
Vedanta continues its support against the Covid-19 pandemic in Zambia
The Zambian subsidiary of resources giant Vedanta Resources Ltd has further committed to assisting the fight against the increasing number of Covid-19 infections in the southern African nation. Click here to read...
Indian-origin philanthropist Dr Imtiaz Sooliman named South African of The Year
Indian-origin philanthropist and founder of disaster relief group 'Gift Of The Givers', Dr Imtiaz Sooliman has won the prestigious South African of the Year Award run by the Daily Maverick newspaper. Click here to read...
Indian-Origin Judge Appointed to South Africa's Highest Judicial Bench
Narandran 'Jody' Kollapen, who has now been elevated from his position as a judge of the high court, started legal practice in 1982, focussing largely on public interest work. Click here to read...
India-South Africa ties grow stronger in 2021 despite Covid crisis
South Africa and India ramped up their political and trade ties in 2021 and the coronavirus crisis presented an opportunity to the two countries to extend cooperation in fighting the deadly pandemic. Click here to read...
On Christmas, an Indian atheist’s prayer for the people of strife-torn Lalibela in Ethiopia
In a land which was among the first to adopt Christianity, an ethnic war tears apart lives and troops occupy ancient churches. Click here to read...
Three foreigners arrested from Delhi for online con: UP cops
With the arrest of three Nigerian nationals from Delhi, the Uttar Pradesh police claimed to have busted a gang of cheats involved in duping Indians through social media sites like Facebook and Instagram. Click here to read...
