At least 94 people, many of whom are believed to be children, were killed on Sunday after a makeshift ferry sank off Mozambique’s northern coast, according to officials in the area. The boat was carrying 130 people and was between Lunga and the Island of Mozambique, which is part of the Nampula province off Mozambique’s northern coast, when it capsized, …
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Rwanda's leader is concerned over perceived US ambiguity about victims of the 1994 genocide
KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) — Rwandan President Paul Kagame said Monday he was concerned by what he saw as a U.S. failure to characterize the 1994 massacres as a genocide against the country’s minority Tutsis. Kagame told reporters that the issue was an “element of discussion” in talks with former U.S. President Bill Clinton, who led the American delegation to a …
Read More »First U.N. food supplies arrive in Sudan's Darfur after months but millions face acute hunger
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The United Nations said Friday it has begun distributing food in Sudan’s war-ravaged Darfur province for the first time in months, following two successful cross-border operations, but the population still faces widespread starvation unless more help arrives. The yearlong war between military and paramilitary forces in Sudan is causing one of the world’s worst hunger crises. …
Read More »Zimbabwe introduces new currency as depreciation and rising inflation stoke economic turmoil
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe on Friday launched a new currency to replace its previous one that in recent months has been battered by depreciation, and in some instances rejection by the population. Authorities hope the new measure will halt a currency crisis underlining the country’s yearslong economic troubles. Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Gov. John Mushayavanhu said the new currency …
Read More »Egyptian authorities arrest 10 after a pro-Gaza rally calling for severing ties with Israel
CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian authorities this week arrested 10 activists who participated in a pro-Palestinian protest where they accused the government of contributing to the siege of Gaza and called for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador, a human rights lawyer said. Egypt’s government has condemned Israel’s campaign in Gaza and has played a central role, along with the U.S. …
Read More »Nigerian film raises awareness about dozens of girls abducted from school in 2014
Not a day goes by without Lawan Zanna remembering his daughter Aisha in prayers. She was among the 276 schoolgirls kidnapped 10 years ago when Islamic extremists broke into their school in northeastern Nigeria’s Chibok village. “It makes me so angry to talk about it,” said Zanna, 55, whose daughter is among the nearly 100 girls still missing after the …
Read More »Hundreds of mass graves unearthed in Rwanda decades after 1994 genocide
The diggers’ hoes scrape the brown soil, looking for — and often finding — human bone fragments. The women then wipe the bone pieces with their hands as others watch in solemn silence. The digging goes on, a scene that’s become all too familiar in a verdant area of rural southern Rwanda, where the discovery in October of human remains …
Read More »79-year-old US tourist killed by bull elephant while on Zambian safari
A tourist from the United States was killed by a bull elephant last week during an African safari. Gail Mattson, 79, died Saturday after being attacked at the Kafue National Park in Zambia. Mattson was one member of a six-person safari group that was participating in a game drive that day organized by safari company Wilderness. “At around 09h30 on …
Read More »Vet awarded Silver Star three decades after actions in Battle of Mogadishu
A U.S. Army veteran who fought in the legendary Battle of Mogadishu was awarded a Silver Star three decades after his actions in the battle. Retired Maj. Larry Moores received a Silver Star, the U.S. military’s third-highest award for acts of valor, in a ceremony last week for actions that included coming to the aid of troops pinned down and …
Read More »Activists seek more pressure on Uganda over 'aggravated homosexuality' law
Ugandan gay rights activists asked the international community to mount more pressure on the government of Uganda to repeal an anti-gay law which the country’s Constitutional Court refused to nullify on Wednesday. Activist Frank Mugisha said Tuesday’s ruling was “wrong and deplorable.” “This ruling should result in further restrictions to donor funding for Uganda — no donor should be funding …
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