By Rédaction Africanews and AP They are accused of committing atrocities or fuelling Sudan’s brutal war through mercenaries and military supplies and now Britain is imposing sanctions on them Among the six targeted are senior commanders from both sides of the conflict, the Sudanese Armed Forces and the rival Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, as fighting between the two has devastated the country since April 2023. The war has displaced millions, drawn in regional powers, and triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with aid agencies struggling to reach civilians. The sanctions also target three foreign nationals accused of…
Author: Montage Africa
By Nathalie Wakam In many parts of the world, access to education is still held back by poor internet connectivity and the lack of smartphones. To help close this gap, students Happy Niyorurema and Mame Niang from Texas Christian University have created a system that delivers educational content via ordinary phone calls, removing the need for a smartphone. Their innovation was recognised in Dubai, where they received the Global Best M-Gov Award. “When we talk about AI, we often assume people are online and able to use it. But there are 2.9 billion people, most of them in the Global South, who…
Dozens of people have been killed in a ferocious shooting attack on two villages in Nigeria’s western state of Kwara after they refused to “surrender to extremists who preached a strange doctrine”, according to the state’s governor. Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq said on X that “75 local Muslims were massacred” in Tuesday’s raid, while a state lawmaker told the BBC that 78 people had been buried so far and the death toll could rise to an estimated 170 as more corpses were being recovered. Blaming Islamist militant group Boko Haram for the killings, President Bola Tinubu deployed an army battalion to…
An unknown number of aid workers are missing after air strikes hit a hospital in South Sudan, near the Ethiopian border, a charity group says. The hospital, run by medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Jonglei state, “was hit in an air strike by the government of South Sudan forces during the night on Tuesday”, MSF said. The South Sudan government is yet to comment. In a separate attack, MSF said its health facility in Pieri, also in Jonglei state, was on the same day looted by unknown assailants, leaving it “unusable for the local community”. “Our colleagues had…
By Rédaction Africanews with AP Organisers of an international flotilla of boats carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza last year said on Thursday that they plan a bigger mission of more than 100 vessels in March. The announcement was made in Johannesburg at the headquarters of the foundation of late South African president and Nobel Peace laureate, Nelson Mandela. Campaigners described the upcoming mission as the biggest civilian-led mobilisation against Israel’s actions in the Palestinian enclave. “We will sail with this time thousands of participants including more than 1,000 doctors, nurses, health professionals, … and we are inviting participants from every…
All the worshippers kidnapped by gunmen from churches in a village in Nigeria’s northern Kaduna state have now been released more than a fortnight after their abduction, according to officials. Gunmen raided Kurmin Wali on 18 January as services were going on. Residents told the BBC that 177 people were taken away in all, with 11 escaping shortly after. A further 80, who had fled from their captors and hid in neighbouring villages for fear of being taken again, returned home earlier this week. The police have not revealed what led to the release of the last group of victims.…
By Africanews with AP People in Mozambique were receiving cholera vaccinations following the global resumption of preventive Cholera vaccination programs which were halted for nearly four years due to a vaccine shortage, the World Health Organization said Wednesday. In a joint statement, WHO, vaccine alliance GAVI and the United Nations Children’s Fund said stocks of oral cholera vaccines in the global stockpile they manage had improved to nearly 70 million doses last year. The vaccines are distributed free to countries that need them, but they had to be used only in reaction to outbreaks rather than preventative campaigns after a…
By Africanews with AFP Iran and the United States were preparing for talks on Friday in Oman, with Washington looking to see if there was any prospect of diplomatic progress on the Iranian nuclear programme and other issues while refusing to rule out military action. The talks — finally confirmed by both sides late Wednesday after uncertainty over the location, timing and format — will be the first such encounter between the two foes since the United States joined Israel’s war against the Islamic republic in June with strikes on nuclear sites. President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff…
The US has backed the UK’s deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and lease back a key military base, Downing Street has told the BBC. On Thursday, Donald Trump signalled his approval for the move, describing Sir Keir Starmer’s agreement as the “best he could make”. It comes just a few weeks after the US president prompted fears in Whitehall that he would withdraw his support, after he branded the deal an “act of great stupidity”. Trump’s comments led to additional talks between officials to confirm continued American support for the agreement, which will impact the future…
In the town of Grazalema, in Cádiz province, more than 470 litres of rain have already fallen, overwhelming underground channels and pushing river water into the streets. About 60 residents from low-lying neighbourhoods were evacuated, with the mayor warning that homes further uphill could be affected later on 5 February. The region remains under red alert, with up to 150 litres per square metre still expected and winds reaching 80 km/h. Classes are suspended and travel is discouraged. Emergency services have logged hundreds of incidents nationwide, from road closures to power risks. After weeks of storms, soaked ground can no…