Eye on Africa

Zambia has declared 21 days of national mourning following the death of father Kenneth Kaunda on Thursday at the age of 97. And tributes follow each other from especially southern Africa. Like Zambia, South Africa has declared a period of national mourning: ten days of immediate effect in memory, says Cyril Ramaphosa, of…

In Burundi, President Evariste Ndayishimiy celebrates the first anniversary of his accession to power on June 18 with a three-day religious crusade in Gitega, in the center of the country. The presidency made a brilliant assessment of this first year, civil society for its part is more reserved. The religious crusade in Gitega,…

A 1098-carat diamond was discovered this week in Botswana, in the Jwaneng mine, located a few dozen kilometers from Gaborone, in the southeastern part of the country. It is the third largest known diamond in history. On Wednesday, Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi was able to hold in his hands a transparent stone the size of…

Former Liberian rebel leader Alieu Kosiah was convicted on Friday of war crimes in Liberia. Leverdict was handed down in Switzerland before the Federal Criminal Court. In the early 1990s, when Liberia was on fire, Alieu Kosiah commanded a militia in the armed movement Ulimo against Charles Taylor's rebels. He moved to…

Boko Haram's alleged new leader has confirmed that its "impossible" commander, Abubakar Shekau, died in May while battling an outbreak, he said in a video. In the short video in Arabic, Boko Haram commander Bakura Modu, also known as Sahaba, urged his faction commander to remain loyal despite the loss of their historic commander. Shekau's death is seen as a major shift in Nigeria's conflict, although Daesh in the West African province (ISWAP) has recently emerged as the dominant force in the more than…

Concerns about the Russian partner increase after several investigations into abuses committed by the paramilitaries in the Central African Republic. RFI had published a survey in May that revealed the methods used. Last week, it was CNN, in collaboration with the organization The Sentry, that published a large format on the subject.…

Laurent Gbagbo returned to Côte d'Ivoire on Thursday 17 June after a ten-year absence. A historic day, but also chaotic marked by clashes between young supporters and the police. And if the unrest lasted until late in the evening, the situation recovered on Friday. From our special correspondent in Abidjan,No more traces of…

It had already been announced by the group Islamic State in West Africa on Sunday, June 6, but Boko Haram confirmed it in a video. The jihadist leader took his own life almost a month ago to escape his rivals from Iswap, who besieged him in his stronghold in Sambisa. From our correspondent in Lagos,Liza FabbianIt is truly "like…

The Congolese president continued his stay in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday in Beni and Butembo, northern Kivu, before landing in Bunia, Ituri. Felix Tshisekedia once again defended the besieged state established in these abused provinces. According to him, it should make it possible to put an end to the uncertainty but also to the army's "shenanigans" in the management of the…

The Nigerian government has decided to close the Intikane refugee camp in Tillia prefecture, 60 km from the Malian border, home to Malian refugees and internally displaced Nigerians. It is infiltrated by jihadists and is also in the way of drug traffickers. as reported from Niamey, Moussa KakaThe decision to close the Intikane…