Eye on Africa

Algeria has arrested 22 people suspected of being behind the most devastating forest fires in the country's history, killing 69 people, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said on Thursday, calling the fires a "disaster" and calling for national unity. Dozens of forest fires have hit mountainous areas in northern Algeria since Monday, mainly in Tizi Ouzou, the main province of the Kabylie region east of the capital, Algiers. On Thursday, Algeria held a national day of mourning for dozens killed. "Some…

Flames erupted across northern Algeria on Thursday as the country observed a national day of mourning for dozens of people killed in recent forest fires to cover the Mediterranean. The North African country has been…

The Zambians made their ballots in crowded polling stations until the closing time of the country's general election. While the day of the vote was largely peaceful, President Edgar Lungu said at least two people were killed, including the chairman of his party in the northwestern province.…

Zambians flocked to vote for a president on Thursday in controversial polls by incumbent Edgar Lungu and longtime rival Hakainde Hichilema as the internet saw restrictions. After 12 hours of voting, the polls closed at 18.00 (1600 GMT) with several hundred left in queues waiting to vote.The closely fought presidential election is seen as a test of the country's…

On Thursday, one of Tunisia's largest parties in parliament announced the formation of a temporary committee to deal with the country's political crisis. In a statement, Ennahdha said the new committee will be chaired by Mohamed Goumani, a member of the party's executive office. The statement added that the committee has jurisdiction and that its decision is binding on the party. The statement also said that the committee would look for solutions and understandings to avoid the worst for Tunisia and…

Flames erupted across northern Algeria on Thursday as the country observed a national day of mourning for dozens of people killed in recent forest fires to cover the Mediterranean. The North African country has been gripping devastating fires since Monday that have claimed 69 lives - 41 civilians and 28 soldiers. Soldiers and civilian volunteers have joined firefighters on several fronts in an effort to put out the fires that are being blown by windy and dry dry conditions. In the district of Tizi…

Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina has fired all his ministers, his office said, days after he criticized some of their achievements, as in par and weeks after officials said they had opposed a plan to kill the former coup leader.…

The death toll rose to at least 69 as firefighters, soldiers and civilian volunteers fought fires in forests across northern Algeria on Wednesday, in the latest forest fires to cover the Mediterranean. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune declared three days of national mourning starting on Thursday, and authorities say they…

Zambia goes to the polls on Thursday to vote for a new president and member of the National Assembly. The vote comes at a challenging time for the copper-rich nation, which is currently struggling with a serious economic crisis on top of political tensions and severe coronavirus restrictions. There are 16 names on the ballot papers for the president, but the race is expected to be a close head-to-head between incumbent Edgar Lungu of the Patriotic Front (PF) and main opposition candidate Hakainde…

Another nine bodies were found in a new mass grave on Wednesday in Libya's Tarhuna province, which was liberated from forces loyal to Putist general Khalifa Haftar. The General Authority for Research and Identification of Missed Persons said in a statement that the mass grave was discovered in an agricultural area in Tarhuna. Tarhuna, a strategic city about 65 kilometers (41 miles) southeast of the Libyan capital Tripoli, was under the control of the al-Kaniyat militia, which gained a reputation for…