Eye on Africa

Author of a corpus of thirty books in which fiction co-exists with poetry and essays, the Congolese Alain Mabanckou is also a professor of literature in California. In the fall, the author publishes "Rumors of America," a collection of essays, halfway between sociological reflections and journalistic chronicles that tell American life and its turbulences. “I came to literature from excessive loneliness and lived in Africa as the only child who carried amazement in his dreams. And then there was this kind of fear of…

"Behind the scenes of a liberation". It is a title that we find at the same time on the front page of Le Figaro and on the front page of Liberation exactly when Le Monde prefers to show "the end of the ordeal for Sophie Pétronin". Because, of course, the newspapers are returning to the release of this 75-year-old French humanitarian, Thursday night after nearly four years of captivity in Mali. A liberation, yes, and "a lot of questions" according to Le Parisien Today in France. The first of them on Emmanuel Macron's…

The release on Thursday night of the four hostages in Mali, Soumaïla Cissé, Sophie Pétronin and the two Italians, Nicola Chiacchio and father Pier Luigi Maccalli, came after long and difficult negotiations with a long uncertain outcome. A ransom would have been paid and many jihadists were released by the Malian authorities. A look back at what we know about the negotiations and the compensation required. with our correspondent in Bamako, On April 5, a few days after the kidnapping of Soumaïla Cissé, the then Prime…

NAIROBI, Kenya - The presidential election scheduled for February 2021 appears to have shifted to Nairobi as leading candidates plan to defeat President Farmajo, whose term has been shaken by major divisions inside and outside the government, with international partners also raising concerns about the alleged human rights abuses. The country's leadership agreed to hold elections from December this year after a long-running dispute over the election model among other contentious issues settled after months of…

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The Somali National Army and the African Union Mission Forces has promised to work closely together to coordinate joint military operations against the Al-Shabaab militants, with the liberation of several strategic cities in the country a high priority. On Thursday, Force Commander Lieutenant General Diomede Ndegeya, SNA Land Forces Commander Brig Gen Abas Amin Ali and AMISOM and SNA sector commands agreed to be important in setting up a Joint Operations Coordination Cell. The team signed a…

In Abidjan, a large gathering of the entire front of the opposition is held. This major event worries as sporadic unrest has rocked the country since August between supporters of the outgoing president and opposition activists. Authorities and parties nevertheless ensure that all safety conditions are met. as reported from…

They are ten Malagasy comics that have been selected for the first artistic stay on the island since the start of the pandemic. This training aims to enable them to perfect their technique, but also to learn how to sell themselves to publishers. From our correspondent in Antananarivo,They are between 19 and 33 years old and…

Number 2 of the Sovereign Transitional Council, General Hemeti, met in Juba, South Sudan, the leader of one of the country's most important uprisings, Abdelaziz al-Hilu. The latter was not a signatory to the peace treaty signed on 3 October. General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as "Hemeti", wore a civilian costume on Thursday in Juba, a purple shirt and a tie, while usually wearing the sand-colored uniform of his rapid support forces instead. But this time the occasion was special. Abdelaziz al-Hilu agreed to seek an…

They are two candidates for the head of the organization: a Korean, Yoo Myung-hee, and a Nigerian, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Portrait of the latter carrying hope on the African continent. as reported from Lagos, Liza FabbianShe is the first woman to have held the positionMinister of Finance in her country she has been twice. Ngozi…

The curfew has been established in several major provinces such as Tunis, Sousse or Monastir. Prayers and weekly markets are now banned and festivities and gatherings are canceled. While in early summer the Tunisian model was praised for its control of the pandemic, the tone has changed. as reported from Tunis Michel PicardThe…