Africa

Libya’s internationally recognized parliament on Monday voted to reject the government of national accord which was proposed under a UN-sponsored agreement to end the country’s political division. At a session at the parliament headquarter in the eastern city of Tubrug on Monday, 89 out of 104 members voted against the …

Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi paid tribute on Sunday to the country’s 2011 uprising that toppled longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak. El-Sissi said Egyptians “are building together a modern developed civilian state that upholds the values of democracy and freedom.” El-Sissi delivered his remarks via a televised speech on the eve of …

Gunmen killed three gendarmes in an overnight ambush near a town in central Mali, the defence ministry said on Wednesday (Thursday NZ Time), confirming the latest in a growing wave of attacks that risk spilling over into Mali’s West African neighbours. However, UN and French officials vigorously denied a claim …

Tunis – Tunisia’s Prime Minister Habib Essid held an emergency cabinet meeting on Saturday, after authorities declared a nighttime curfew nationwide following the worst outbreak of social unrest since the 2011 revolution. Essid met his defence and interior ministers before the cabinet session, as AFP journalists reported relative calm in …

Ouagadougou — Burkina Faso’s army has said it has detained five members of a disbanded unit loyal to the country’s former president who are suspected of involvement in a raid on an armoury. One member of the unit was killed in an exchange of gunfire near the border with Ghana, …

Juba – Forced displacement of civilians is emerging as a strategy South Sudanese forces are putting to use to weaken rebels in the country’s civil conflict, the UN said on Thursday. “From the middle of 2015, a new pattern emerged,” especially in northern Unity state, “with entire villages being burned …

New York – The UN secretary-general is urging African Union states to address South Sudan’s failure to meet a deadline to establish a transitional government of national unity. Ban Ki-moon said through his spokesperson on Monday that forming a transitional government is an “essential step” in implementing a peace deal …

Oil tanks were on fire Thursday in the north of Libya after a new attack by jihadists to gain control of oil facilities. Islamic State group fighters (EI) attacked at dawn tanks in Ras Lanuf, the heart of “oil Crescent” of Libya, about 650 km east of Tripoli, announced the …

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday signed for multi-billion dollar contracts with Egypt as part of a tour in the Middle East to strengthen the economic presence of his country in this region. Arrived the previous evening from Saudi Arabia, Xi held talks Thursday in Cairo with his Egyptian counterpart …

After the “success of the presidential election” last October, organized in quiet, the UN decided Wednesday to downsize its mission of maintaining peace in Ivory Coast. By 30 March, UNOCI must thus from 5 437-4 000 soldiers. At the latest early in 2018, all peacekeepers must have left Ivorian territory. …