Eye on Africa

On Monday evening, March 15, 58 villagers returning from a massacre were shot by gunmen in Niger. On Wednesday, the head of state, Mahamadou Issoufou, chaired an extraordinary Security Council. The increase of military personnel in Tillabéry and the dispatch of a high-level ministerial mission on the ground have been decided. Emotions run high in the streets of the capital Niamey.…

Tanzanian President John Magufuli has died at the age of 61 of a heart disease, his vice president said in a speech on state television on Wednesday after days of uncertainty about his health and where he was. "It is with great regret that I inform you that today, 17 March 2021, at 6 pm, we lost our brave leader, the President of the Republic of Tanzania, John Pombe Magufuli," said Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan. She said Magufuli had died of a "heart disease", which he had suffered for a decade,…

Continuation of our series of interviews dedicated to presidential candidates in Congo-Brazzaville, taking place on Sunday, March 21, 2021. Seven candidates are underway and RFI gives them the floor. Tonight we welcome the youngest of them, Dave Mafoula, who at 39 years old is a candidate for the Sovereignty Party. What is his strategy and what will he prioritize? He answers Florence Morice's questions…

Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar on Wednesday said in a letter to the port and maritime transport administration that his forces do not oppose the docking of Turkish-flagged commercial ships in the port of eastern Benghazi province, which his militias control. "We have no objection to entering our ports with Turkish-flagged commercial vessels following the stated legal procedures and legislation," Libya Al-Hadath, a pro-Haftar television station, quoted him in the letter. Libya has been torn apart by…

It has been almost two weeks since the first doses of the Covid-19 vaccine arrived in Mali. But the vaccination campaign has still not started, and medical staff are expressing impatience and even concern, all in light of uncertainty surrounding the AstraZeneca vaccine, the use of which has already been suspended in several countries.…

On March 13, Congo-Brazzaville awarded the Chinese Sangha Mining Development the exploitation of three iron deposits in the north of the country. These mining permits were first awarded to three companies linked to Australian interests before the Congolese government took them back in November and angered the miners. They are threatening the Congo with lawsuits and demanding billions of dollars in compensation. The case could lead…

The European Union will extend its military mission in the Mediterranean for two years and police the UN arms embargo on conflict-torn Libya, senior EU officials said on Wednesday. The unit's member states will "adopt a decision next week to extend its mandate by another two years until the end of March 2023", said a senior EU official. The decision to extend the mandate comes when UN experts warned that the embargo imposed on Libya in 2011 was "completely ineffective" as it was clearly violated by…

South Africa's largest tribe paid tribute to its fallen king on Wednesday when Zulus gathered with leopard skins and multicolored pearls in mourning. King Goodwill Zwelithini died early Friday at the age of 72 in the eastern city of Durban after weeks of treatment for a diabetes-related illness. He was the longest-serving monarch in Zulu history and ruled for half a century through years of apartheid and democratic transition. His remains have been taken back to his birthplace, the small southeastern…

Ivory Coast on Wednesday pays tribute to its Prime Minister, who died last week, Hamed Bakayoko, who died of cancer at the age of 56. A charismatic and popular character, admired for his career and also appreciated for his ease in outlining a few dance steps on occasion. Like the character, tribute to him is both official and popular, and it began with a presidential ceremony.…

At least 30 Malian soldiers were killed two days ago in an ambush in the Gao region, an attack attributed to jihadists, against which forces allied with the Malian army, including Barkhane, intervened. as reported from Bamako, Serge DanielThe ambush, which took place in the Gao region, is attributed to "armed terrorist groups".…