West Africa

Armed men abducted 317 students on Friday and a rescue operation is underway, police in northwestern Nigeria said of the country's latest mass kidnapping. "The Zamfara State Police Command, in cooperation with the military, has launched a joint rescue operation to rescue the 317 students abducted by the armed bandits of the Government Girls Science Secondary School in Jangebe," police spokesman Mohammed Shehu said in a statement. "Unknown armed men came shooting sporadically and abducted the girls,"…

Ghana received the first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines from COVAX on Wednesday, a global scheme to obtain and distribute free vaccinations as the world competes to contain the pandemic. COVAX, launched in April last year to ensure a fairer distribution of coronavirus vaccines between rich and poor countries, said it would deliver 2 billion doses to its members by the end of the year. "We are pleased that Ghana has become the first country to receive COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX facility," said the…

In Burkina Faso, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré was invested on Monday, December 28, following the election on November 22. A ceremony attended by many African heads of state and representatives of international institutions. The President of Burkinabè has promised to open a national consultation within the framework of national reconciliation, which must not avoid blood crimes and economic crimes and to…

After the count, it is now time to compile the results. For this, Céni has set up its operations center at the Palais des Congrès in Niamey. It is only after receipt and verification that it gradually shows the preliminary results. With our special envoy to Niamey, Magali LagrangeStart of compilation, which makes it possible…

Of the seven people arrested last week by state security, five are being prosecuted. The transitional authorities did not talk about this topic, but RFI was able to cross-check a certain amount of unpublished information. Two people were released, five others transferred to the gendarmerie. Sékou Traoré, chief of staff for the…

One survivor came on broken bones, others on the run. In this fragile group of refugees on the edge of the Ethiopian Tigray conflict, those who have fled nearly two months of deadly fighting continue with new stories of terror. At a simple clinic in Sudan, a doctor who became a refugee, Tewodros Tefera, examines the war years: children injured in explosions, blows from axes and knives, broken ribs from blows, feet scraped raw from days of hiking to safety. One new day, he treated the shattered legs of…

The tourism sector does not really benefit from these annual festivities. Travel restrictions, restaurants and bars closed in several countries, ski lifts also quiet in France. Not enough to compensate for a year to be crossed by the calendar of professional tourists. LeCovid-19 caused a descent into hell. From January to October 2020, global tourism suffered a loss ten times greater than during the financial crisis in 2009. This is the finding of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). During the same period, it recorded…

In the Central African Republic, first of all, the presidential and legislative elections yesterday, which took place "in a tense security context", commemorate the radio Long Luke. On her website, she takes stock of this day and notes that “several cities did not have the chance to participate in these polls. This is the case, for example, with Bouar, Bozoum, Bambari, Kaga Bandoro, Kabo, Batangafo, the list is long, ”says…

Look back on a year of entrepreneurship in Africa with this nugget worth being listed in this year’s startup, according to Africa Economy. It's called KKiaPay, and it's a Beninese FinTech that has established itself as a key player in integrated payment with mobile money. "We are fortunate to be one of the fastest growing…

In Niger, polling stations have closed since 1 p.m. 19, and the count has started. A day of voting in peace and in a peaceful climate, according to observers. As for the Independent National Electoral Commission, Ceni, it is preparing for an election in which all the preliminary results will be centralized and disseminated.…