Tag Archives: africa

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 …

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 …

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. …

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 …

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. …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Uganda’s Constitutional Court on Wednesday upheld an anti-gay law that allows the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality.” President Yoweri Museveni signed the bill into law in May last year. The law is supported by many in the East African country but widely condemned by rights activists and others abroad. Activists had contested the law in court, but the judges declined …

Norwegian Cruise passengers, who were stranded on an African island, missed the boarding time by more than an hour, which is why they were left behind, according to reports. Eight passengers, including six Americans and two Australians, were on a private tour of São Tomé and missed the 3 p.m. all-aboard call on Friday, the cruise line said. A cruise …