South Sudan says head of army is dead

South Sudan's army chief General James Ajongo died in Cairo on Friday following a short illness, government spokesman Michael Makuei Lueth said."It is with a heavy heart that I announce the untimely …

South Africa's opposition leader to be tried for corruption

A South Africa lobby group says it is going to privately prosecute outspoken South African opposition leader Julius Malema on allegations of corruption and fraud.Afriforum, a group that campaigns to …

Zimbabwe marks first independence day without Mugabe

Zimbabwe on Wednesday marked its first independence day without Robert Mugabe in power, with new leader Emmerson Mnangagwa vowing to hold "credible" elections and turn around the southern African cou…

South Sudan child soldiers freed

Armed groups in South Sudan have released 207 child soldiers, a statement from UN children's agency Unicef says.The 112 boys and 95 girls were from serving in the ranks of the South Sudan National Li…

Namibia to compensate families of victims killed by hippos and crocodiles

Namibian authorities have sad families of people killed by wild animals, including crocodile and hippos, will be compensated with with up to 100,000 Namibian dollars ($8,330).The compensation plan in…

Rare industrial strike grounds air services in Ethiopia

Dozens of flights from Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa have been delayed after air traffic controllers went on strike. It's not clear yet why the workers have downed their tools.I am aboard KQ flight…

African Land Forces Summit Holds In Abuja

Military top brass from across Africa on Monday kicked off a conference co-hosted by the United States aimed at boosting cooperation between countries fighting extremist groups. The African Land Forc…

South African father 'arrested for throwing child from a rooftop'

Police in South Africa's city of Port Elizabeth have arrested and charged a 38-year-old man with murder after he threw his baby daughter from a rooftop during a protest against demolition of informal…

Ethiopia's new Prime Minister dines with the opposition

Ethiopia's new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed hosted a dinner reception last night for opposition leaders and promised to widen the democratic space here.It was a rare, direct meeting between the governme…

Uganda accepts 500 African refugees from Israel

Uganda's government has announced that it will accept some 500 Eritreans and Sudanese refugees from Israel.It follows speculation that some African countries had signed a deal to take in Africans bei…

DR Congo boycotts its own aid conference

The Democratic Republic of Congo has boycotted a UN donor conference in Geneva seeking to raise $1.7bn (?1.2bn) for the country.The UN says more than 13 million Congolese need humanitarian aid, calli…

Zimbabwe to sell shares in state-owned firms as part of reforms

Zimbabwe is looking to sell shares in 35 state-owned firms, including telecoms and mining entities in the latest step to revive the economy under new political leadership, Finance Minister Patrick Ch…

Robert Mugabe yet to move out of official residence months after resignation

Zimbabwe's former president Robert Mugabe has yet to move out of an official residence in Harare five months after he was ousted from power, an official said Thursday.Presidential spokesman George Ch…

German aid worker kidnapped in Niger

A German aid worker has been abducted by unknown gunmen in Niger.The man and his Nigerien colleagues were travelling near the border with Mali on Wednesday when armed men on motorbikes surrounded the…

17 killed in the capital of Central African Republic

Seventeen people were killed in a flashpoint Muslim enclave of Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic (CAR), where a UN soldier also reportedly died, an AFP reporter saw Wednesday.Residents …

UPDATE: Death toll in Algerian military plane crash climbs to 257: state TV

The number of people believed to have died in an Algerian military plane crash on Wednesday has risen to 257, according to state TV.The military transport plane crashed into a field shortly after tak…

BREAKING: Military plane crashes in Algeria, at least 100 feared dead

An Algerian military plane, carrying at least 100 people have crashed near Boufarik military airport, an air force base outside the capital Algiers, on Wednesday morning.Local media sources are repor…

Western obsevers to monitor Zimbabwe's post-Mugabe election

Zimbabwe will invite Western powers to monitor its national elections for the first time in more than 15 years, official papers showed on Tuesday, ending a ban imposed by veteran former leader Robert…

Five park rangers, driver killed in DR Congo's Virunga wildlife sanctuary

Five rangers and a driver were killed on Monday in an ambush in the Virunga National Park, the Democratic Republic of Congo's famed haven for gorillas and other endangered species, the park said."We …

Uganda court hears challenge to presidential age-limit move

The High Court in Uganda is hearing an opposition attempt to annul a constitutional amendment which removes presidential age limits.MPs voted overwhelmingly last year to scrap the age limit of 75.It …