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☆ Niger coup leaders dissolve govt, declare Tiani head of state
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Moussa Aksar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

NIAMEY, July 28 (Reuters) - Leaders of the coup in Niger declared General Abdourahamane Tiani as the new head of state on Friday, and said they had suspended the constitution and dissolved all former institutions after overthrowing President Mohamed Bazoum. He represents the state of Niger in international relations," an officer said, reading out a statement. African countries, Western powers, regional and international organizations have reacted with alarm to the coup in Niger, insisting that Bazoum be freed and constitutional order restored. Niger borders three countries - Mali, Burkina Faso and Chad - that have also experienced military coups in the last two years. Niger so far has held them off better than Mali and Burkina Faso, where violence has only worsened since the military coups.

Persons: Abdourahamane Tiani, Mohamed Bazoum, Tiani, Bazoum, Josep Borrell, Kamala Harris, Boris Pistorius, Bate Felix, Anait, Nellie Peyton, John Stonestreet, Angus MacSwan, Nick Macfie Organizations: National Council, Bazoum, REUTERS, Islamic, West African States, European Union, United, European, EU, German, Spiegel, Thomson Locations: NIAMEY, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, France, Niamey, al Qaeda, Islamic State, West Africa's, Nigeria, Guinea, United States, Africa, EU, Germany, Italy

'ONLY HOPE' FOR STABILITY IN SAHELNiger became a democratic outlier in West Africa's Sahel region following military takeovers in neighbouring Mali, Burkina Faso and Chad since 2020. All four countries of the arid Sahel region, just south of the Sahara, are now run by military leaders after soldiers in Niger said on Wednesday night they had ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. France, which has had counter-insurgency troops in West Africa for a decade, has turned to Niger to base the bulk of its forces. Their role is solely to support Niger's army when local forces identify operations in the border regions connecting Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. The European Union decided in December to set up a three-year military training mission in Niger, to which Germany contributes troops.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, juntas, Moussa Aksar, John Irish, Nellie Peyton, Bate Felix, Emelia Sithole, Leslie Adler Organizations: Islamic, National Assembly, REUTERS, European Union, DEMOCRATIC, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, John, Thomson Locations: West Africa, Niger, Africa's Sahel, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Russia, France, United States, U.S, Russian, Niamey, ACLED, Germany, Italy, Guinea, Bissau, Guinea Bissau, Paris

ORTN/via Reuters TV/Handout via REUTERSNIAMEY, July 27 (Reuters) - Niger's army command on Thursday declared its support for a coup instigated the previous day by soldiers of the presidential guard, saying its priority was to avoid destabilising the country. President Mohamed Bazoum and Foreign Minister Hassoumi Massoudou earlier urged democratic forces in the country to resist the power grab, as western officials said the status of the coup attempt was unclear. They earlier cut off the presidential palace in the capital Niamey, with the president inside. Massoudou also called on "democrats and patriots" to make the "attempted coup" fail, according to a posting on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Niamey was quiet on Thursday morning as citizens awoke to heavy rain, closed borders and a nationwide curfew imposed by the coup instigators.

Persons: Major Amadou Adramane, Mohamed Bazoum, Hassoumi Massoudou, Bazoum, Massoudou, Bate Felix, Boureima Balima, Moussa Aksar, John Irish, Sofia Christensen, John Stonestreet Organizations: Niger Army, Reuters, REUTERS, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, REUTERS NIAMEY, West, Central Africa, Sahel

BURKINA FASOBurkina Faso's army ousted President Roch Kabore in January 2022, blaming him for failing to contain violence by Islamist militants. MALIA group of Malian colonels led by Assimi Goita ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in August 2020. But the coup leaders clashed with the interim president, retired colonel Bah Ndaw, and engineered a second coup in May 2021. Deby's son, General Mahamat Idriss Deby, was named interim president and tasked with overseeing an 18-month transition to elections. GUINEASpecial forces commander Colonel Mamady Doumbouya ousted President Alpha Conde in September 2021.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Roch Kabore, Colonel Paul, Henri Damiba, Captain Ibrahim Traore, Assimi Goita, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, Bah Ndaw, Goita, CHAD Chad's, Idriss Deby, General Mahamat Idriss Deby, Mamady Doumbouya, Alpha Conde, Conde, Doumbouya, Bate Felix, Nick Macfie Organizations: Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, African, BURKINA FASO Burkina Faso's, Mali's West, Chadian, GUINEA Special, Thomson Locations: DAKAR, Niamey, African Union, West, Central Africa, BURKINA FASO, MALI, Mali, N'Djamena, GUINEA

☆ Wagner troops arrive in Central African Republic ahead of referendum
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Judicael Yongo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The government had said previously that the troops' movement was part of a rotation of forces rather a withdrawal. "They are also here to secure the constitutional referendum," the spokesperson said, declining to say how many troops had arrived. A senior CAR military official in the capital told Reuters that hundreds of troops had arrived. CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadera, who was first elected in 2016, and won reelection in 2020, turned to Russia for help to tackle the rebel groups. He is on the campaign trail for the constitutional referendum which, if passed, could remove a two-term presidential limit and enable him run again.

Persons: wagner, Faustin, Russia's Wagner, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Albert Yaloke Mokpem, Francois Bozize, Touadera, Judicael Yongo, Bate Felix, Anait Miridzhanian, Alison Williams Organizations: Central, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Bangui, Central, Read, BANGUI, Central African Republic, Russia

☆ Exclusive: Ivory Coast halts cocoa forward sales as rains hit production
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Ange Aboa | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SummaryCompanies Torrential rains hit Ivory Coast cocoa farmsIvory Coast CCC cocoa regulator says output could declineBlack pod fungal disease spreading in farmsABOISSO, Ivory Coast, July 13 (Reuters) - Ivory Coast has stopped selling contracts for cocoa exports for the 2023-2024 season after heavy rains battered and flooded farms in the world's top cocoa-producing nation in recent weeks, the head of the country's cocoa sector regulator told Reuters. Ivory Coast is in the middle of its April to November rainy season. But Ivory Coast and other major cocoa producers Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon that account for around 70% of global production, have witnessed heavy tropical downpours in recent weeks. On May 15, tropical rains fell continuously for eight hours with unprecedented intensity in the Aboisso region in southeastern Ivory Coast, farmers and residents told Reuters. Farmers, cocoa pod counters, and cocoa exporters based in Ivory Coast, also told Reuters that they expected a significant decline in output during the first part of the main harvest.

Persons: Yves Brahima Kone, Barry Callebaut, Kone, Jean Paul Kadjo, Soubre, Kouman Kouadio, Kouadio, CCC's Kone, Ange Aboa, Bate Felix, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: Ivory Coast, Reuters, United Nations, Cocoa Council, Cargill, Hershey, Nestle, Plantations, Thomson Locations: Ivory, ABOISSO, Ivory Coast, United, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Aboisso, Farmers, Akressi, San Pedro, Tai

☆ As Nigeria scraps fuel subsidy, a vibrant black market collapses
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Desire Danga Essigue | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Since Nigeria scrapped a state fuel subsidy on May 31, black market fuel vendors and commercial drivers in Cameroon, Benin and Togo who were heavily reliant on petrol smuggled from Nigeria have seen their businesses collapse. With supplies dwindling, queues have been forming at official petrol stations, where fuel is now competitively priced. "Supply has become scarce and customers think we're ripping them off with this high price, yet it's from Nigeria that prices have soared," said Perevet Dieudonne, a black market seller. The trade in black market fuel is so central to the local economy that authorities either turn a blind eye or are complicit. At Hilacondji, a border crossing between Togo and Benin, some black market fuel stalls were shut, while at others vendors waited among rows of empty plastic jerricans for potential deliveries.

Persons: Danga, turvy, Perevet Dieudonne, Ousmanou Mal Djoulde, Ayi Hilla, Alice Lawson, Pulcherie, Amindeh Blaise Atabong, Elisha Bala, MacDonald Dzirutwe, Estelle Shirbon, Bate Felix, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: REUTERS, CFA, Reuters, Dangote Petroleum, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Garoua, Cameroon, GAROUA, West, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Nigerian, West Africa, Dangote, Hilacondji, Africa, Cotonou, Pulcherie Adjoha

☆ Sierra Leone's President Bio leads presidential election
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FREETOWN, June 26 (Reuters) - Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio is leading the presidential election count, the West African country's electoral commission said on Monday after 60% of votes have been counted. His biggest rival is All People's Congress' (APC) candidate Samura Kamara, who narrowly lost to Bio in the last election in 2018. A provisional results sheet showed Bio had received over 1 million votes so far, compared with just under 800,000 for Kamara. The election commission on Sunday outlined several instances where officials were beaten or intimidated. Bio addressed the nation after the publication of provisional results on Monday evening and called on citizens to keep the peace.

Persons: Julius Maada, Samura Kamara, Kamara, Sierra, Augustine Sorie, hasn't, Marrah, Cooper Inveen, Anait Miridzhanian, Estelle Shirbon, Bate Felix, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Sierra, African, APC, Electoral Commission Sierra, Reuters, Thomson Locations: FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, Electoral Commission Sierra Leone

Mali, where military authorities seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, is battling a years-long Islamist insurgency. It has said Russian forces there are not Wagner mercenaries but trainers helping local troops with equipment bought from Russia. In February, French President Emmanuel Macron described the deployment of Wagner Group troops in Africa as the "life insurance of failing regimes in Africa" that will only sow misery. A suspension of Wagner operations in Africa could impact the group's finances. The group has cemented strong ties with several African governments over the past decade with operations in at least eight African nations, according to leaked U.S. documents, including Mali, Central African Republic, and Libya.

Persons: Wagner, Stringer, Bassirou Doumbia, Wagner's, Vladimir, Putin, Yvan Guichaoua, insurgencies, Emmanuel Macron, Edward McAllister, Bate Felix, Alessandra Prentice, Helen Popper Our Organizations: Southern Military District, REUTERS, Central African Republic, Kremlin, United Nations, Brussels School of International Studies, Central African, Wagner Group, West, United, Thomson Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, Mali, Central, Africa, BAMAKO, BANGUI, Moscow, Malian, Russian, Central African Republic, Francophone Africa, France, United States, Ukraine, Libya

☆ Sierra Leone opposition leader decries lack of access ahead of Saturday's vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Supporters of Sierra Leone's opposition leader and presidential candidate for the All People's Congress (APC) party, Dr. Samura Kamara, wipe rain drops from his campaign poster in Freetown, Sierra Leone June 23, 2023. REUTERS/Cooper InveenFREETOWN, June 23 (Reuters) - Sierra Leone's main opposition candidate said on Friday the lack of election campaign access to some strongholds of the ruling party and unsupervised distribution of ballots could open the door to rigging. "Our biggest concern going into this election is the lack of access of the opposition party to the southeastern part of the country, and we're talking about seven districts," Kamara said in an interview on Friday. "So that makes a worrying situation where you're opening a door, you're opening a window, even if you're not doing so, you're opening a window for great suspicions of rigging," Kamara said. Asked if he'll accept the outcome of Saturday's vote, Kamara said, "It's not me.

Persons: Sierra, Samura Kamara, Cooper Inveen, Julius Maada, Kamara, he'll, Bate Felix, Richard Chang Organizations: All, Congress, REUTERS, People's Congress, Thomson Locations: Freetown, Sierra Leone, Cooper Inveen FREETOWN, West

In the video, a Central African Republic rebel fighter says "the French want to drive Wagner out of Africa". Russia and Wagner have a track record of media manipulation and disinformation, which Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin has admitted to. The European Union sanctioned Wagner in February for alleged rights abuses and spreading disinformation, including in Africa. The foreign ministry unit doesn’t promote or generate fake news, the two diplomats said. However, the foreign ministry unit, and the broader strategy, will face an uphill battle to convince people in Africa that France has changed, seven analysts and diplomats said.

Persons: Ibrahim Traore, Vincent Bado, Wagner, Catherine Colonna, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Maria Zakharova, Meta, Anne, Sophie Ave, Lakhta, Prigozhin, Viginum, Faustin, Archange Touadera, “, Michael Shurkin, I'm, Jean Gaspard Ntoutoume Ayi, John Irish, Elizabeth Pineau, Bate Felix, Michel Rose, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: REUTERS, Russia, Central, Facebook, Kremlin, Reuters, Quai D'Orsay, Vigilance, Protection, European Union, West, Central African, Twitter, Democratic, Internet Research Agency, Meta, Global, National Union, Gabonese, Thomson Locations: Burkina, French, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Russia, PARIS, DAKAR, Central African Republic, France, Russian, Africa, Paris, France's, Ukraine, Moscow, Central, West Africa, Quai, Kinshasa, Mali, Sahel, Europe, Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC, U.S, Togo, Libreville, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Dakar

☆ Ghana sees agreement with bilateral creditors in coming weeks
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ofori-Atta said the West African nation aimed to reach agreement with bilateral creditors in coming weeks, adding that it was in the process of getting a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the creditors. The total external debt stock was about $30 billion. "We've successfully worked with the Paris Club and other creditors to determine the parameters for official debt restructuring under the G20 common framework for debt treatment," Ofori-Atta told journalists in Accra on Sunday. "In the coming weeks, we will seek to complete the MoU on terms with bilateral debt treatment," he added. Ofori-Atta said Ghana will continue discussions with private creditors, Eurobond investors on external debt to reach agreement with private creditors in the shortest possible time.

Persons: Ken Ofori, Atta, We've, Maxwell Akalaare Adombila, Bate Felix, Frances Kerry, David Evans Organizations: International Monetary Fund, IMF, Paris Club, Thomson Locations: ACCRA, Ghana, West, China, Accra

☆ Mali asks United Nations to withdraw peacekeeping force
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

NEW YORK, June 16 (Reuters) - Mali's interim military authorities on Friday asked for a United Nations peacekeeping force to leave "without delay", citing a "crisis of confidence" between Malian authorities and the decade-long U.N. mission known as MINUSMA. MINUSMA was deployed by the U.N. Security Council in 2013 to support foreign and local efforts to restore stability. "This situation is begetting mistrust among the Malian population and also causing a crisis of confidence between Malian authorities and MINUSMA," he said. Security Council members must adopt a resolution to extend MINUSMA's mandate by June 30. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recommended this month that the Security Council extend MINUSMA's mandate for a year, maintaining the current authorized strength of some 15,000 troops and police.

Persons: MINUSMA, Abdoulaye Diop, Wagner, Russia's U.N, Vassily Nebenzia, Nebenzia, Nicolas de Riviere, de Riviere, U.N, Antonio Guterres, Michelle Nichols, Bate Felix, Alessandra Prenticel, Frank Jack Daniel, Grant McCool Organizations: YORK, United Nations, West, . Security, Foreign, Security, UN, Thomson Locations: France, MINUSMA, Russia, China, United States, Britain, Mali, al Qaeda, State, Sahel, El

☆ Slump in global cashew demand pushes Ivory Coast industry to verge of collapse
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Ange Aboa | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Global demand for cashew nuts, eaten as snacks or used for cooking and desserts, has tumbled since the end of the coronavirus pandemic, driven by multiple factors, including consumer inflation and increased production. "No one wants to buy cashew, even if I ask for 150 CFA francs per kilogram ($0.24) instead of the farmgate price of 315 CFA francs. Dembele lost 20 million CFA francs ($33,000) during the 2022 season after buying nuts he could not resell to wholesale processors. Output rose from 400,000 tonnes in 2011 to 1 million tonnes in 2022, and is expected at the same level in 2023. In Bouake, the heart of the country's cashew processing industry, work has come to a near standstill as employers struggle to pay salaries.

Persons: Ange Aboa, Dembele, Ibrahim Coulibaly, Ivory Coast, Ganesh, Rajaraman, It's, Alessandra Prentice, Bate Felix, Ed Osmond Organizations: REUTERS, Ivory, Farmers, Global, CFA, Factories, Thomson Locations: Katiola, Ivory Coast, Korhogo, Bouake, Dakar

☆ Senegal government cuts mobile internet access amid deadly rioting
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] A supporter of Senegal opposition leader Ousmane Sonko walks near a burning barricade during clashes with security forces after Sonko was sentenced to prison, in Dakar, Senegal, June 3, 2023. REUTERS/Zohra BensemraDAKAR, June 4 (Reuters) - Senegal's government has cut access to mobile internet services in certain areas because of deadly rioting in which "hateful and subversive" messages have been posted online, it said in a statement on Sunday. It extended the outage on Sunday to include all data on mobile internet devices in certain areas and at certain times, the statement said. "Because of the spread of hateful and subversive messages ... mobile Internet is temporarily suspended at certain hours of the day," the statement said. Reporting by Bate Felix Writing by Edward McAllister Editing by David Holmes and Frances KerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ousmane Sonko, Sonko, Macky Sall's, Bate Felix, Edward McAllister, David Holmes, Frances Kerry Organizations: REUTERS, Amnesty, Thomson Locations: Senegal, Dakar, DAKAR, Africa, Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Gabon, Gambia, Democratic Republic of Congo

[1/5] A view of a ransacked supermarket Auchan, after Senegal opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was sentenced to prison in Dakar, Senegal June 3, 2023. REUTERS/Zohra BensemraDAKAR, June 3 (Reuters) - Streets filled with rubble and ransacked shops greeted residents of some Dakar neighbourhoods on Saturday - fallout from clashes between anti-government protesters and police that have gripped Senegal in recent days. Mobs smashed windows and looted at least two gas station shops overnight in Dakar's Ouakam and Ngor districts, while an Auchan supermarket in densely populated Grand Yoff was torched and ransacked. The unrest is the latest in a string of protests in Senegal, long considered one of West Africa's most stable democracies. The opposition is also concerned that President Macky Sall will try to bypass the two-term limit and run again in February elections.

Persons: Ousmane Sonko, Khadija, Ndiaye, Macky Sall, Edward McAllister, Bate Felix, Alessandra Prentice, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Senegal, Dakar, DAKAR, Dakar's, Ouakam, West

[1/5] People put out burning barricades that were set on fire by supporters of Senegal opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, after Sonko was sentenced to prison in Dakar, Senegal June 1, 2023. Nine people were killed in clashes between riot police and Sonko supporters on Thursday after he was sentenced to two years for corrupting youth. The opposition says the verdict, which could prevent Sonko from running in elections next year, was politically motivated. Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar was the epicentre of Thursday's violence, with protesters setting buses alight and throwing rocks at riot police, who responded by firing tear gas. One student, Alioune Ndiaye, said he planned to travel hundreds of miles to his home in eastern Senegal to escape the violence.

Persons: Ousmane Sonko, Sonko, Abdou Karim Fofana, Cheikh, Alioune Ndiaye, Macky Sall, Sall, Mouhamad Diouf, Diouf, Adji Sarr, Cheikh Hann, Bate Felix, Cooper Inveen, Sofia Christensen, Anait, Edward McAllister, Angus MacSwan, Frances Kerry Organizations: REUTERS, Army, Security, Cheikh Anta Diop University, Authorities, Thomson Locations: Senegal, Dakar, DAKAR, Senegalese, West, Ouakam

DAKAR, June 1 (Reuters) - Nine people were killed in Senegal on Thursday in clashes between riot police and supporters of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko after a court sentenced him to two years in jail, casting serious doubt on his chances of running for president next year. The justice ministry said the opposition leader could now be taken to prison at any time. Police remained stationed around his home Dakar as unrest flared in the capital and elsewhere after the verdict. But Sall's second term has been particularly turbulent for a country usually viewed as one of West Africa's strongest democracies. Separately, Sonko is appealing against a six-month suspended prison sentence for libel - an offence he also denies.

Persons: Ousmane Sonko, Sonko, Bamba Ciss, Sonko's, Antoine Felix Abdoulaye Diome, Abdou Karim Fofana, Ndiack Fall, Macky Sall, Sall, Ngouda Dione, Bate Felix, Diadie Ba, Edward McAllister, Sofia Christensen, Alessandra Prentice, Matthew Lewis, Andrew Heavens, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Police, REUTERS, University, Thomson Locations: DAKAR, Senegal, Dakar, Dakar Senegal, West, Lincoln

Sonko, 48, was accused of raping a woman who worked in a massage parlour in 2021, when she was 20, and making death threats against her. "With this sentence Sonko cannot be a candidate," said one of his lawyers, Bamba Cisse. University law professor Ndiack Fall said Sonko could demand a retrial if he turns himself in to authorities. But Sall's second term has been particularly turbulent for a country usually viewed as one of West Africa's strongest democracies. Separately, Sonko is appealing against a six-month suspended prison sentence for libel.

Persons: Ousmane Sonko, Bamba Cisse, Ndiack Fall, Sonko's, Sonko, Macky Sall, Sall, Ngouda Dione, Bate Felix, Sofia Christensen, Estelle Shirbon, Christina Fincher, Matthew Lewis Organizations: University, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: DAKAR, Dakar, West, Dakar Senegal, Senegal

☆ Senegal president promises fair election as tensions simmer
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sporadic violent protests have broken out across Senegal since opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was detained for alleged rape in 2021. Sonko's supporters say this is a tactic to bar him from the February presidential poll, which the government denies. Sall on Wednesday welcomed members of various parties, religious leaders and civil society to a multi-day national dialogue aimed at easing tensions and fostering dialogue. As a result, neither was able to run for president in 2019. Khalifa Sall attended Wednesday's dialogue and said he hoped the president's potential third term bid was up for discussion.

Persons: Macky Sall, Ousmane Sonko, Sonko's, Sall, Sonko, Anger, Khalifa Sall, Karim Wade, Abdoulaye Wade, Sofia Christensen, Alessandra Prentice, Ngouda Dione, Bate Felix, William Maclean Organizations: Dakar, Khalifa, Thomson Locations: DAKAR, Senegal, Sonko's, Dakar, Sall

Opposition MP Ramatoulaye Bodian said politicians and mayors had planned to visit Sonko at home on Monday, but were prevented by police who fired tear gas at them. Senegal's interior minister said Sunday's caravan had not sought permission and was stopped for security reasons. Senegal is seen as one of West Africa's strongest democracies and has a two-term limit for presidents. A guilty verdict could rule Sonko out of the election. Additional reporting by Joel Kouam Writing by Edward McAllister; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Congo security forces fire tear gas at anti-government protesters
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Ange Kasongo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] Tires and other objects burn as anti-government demonstrators take part in a riot after security forces broke up an attempted demonstration organized by the opposition and civil society members... Read moreKINSHASA, May 20 (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo security forces fired tear gas and fought running battles in the streets of the capital Kinshasa with anti-government protesters demonstrating on Saturday over alleged irregularities in voter registration. Around a dozen protesters were detained by security forces just after the start of the demonstration, which was called for by opposition leaders. Congo's human rights minister Albert-Fabrice Puela, in a statement on Saturday, condemned the violence by security forces against demonstrators and the minor, and called for an investigation. "It's sad, you see, they are firing tear gas. Fayulu said by telephone that his vehicle was surrounded by security forces who continued to fire tear gas to disperse demonstrators.

☆ Congo security forces fire tear gas, clash with anti-govt protesters
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Ange Kasongo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KINSHASA, May 20 (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo security forces fired tear gas and fought running battles in the streets of the capital Kinshasa with anti-government protesters demonstrating on Saturday over alleged irregularities in voter registration. Around a dozen protesters were detained by security forces just after the start of the demonstration, which was called for by opposition leaders. "It's sad, you see, they are firing tear gas. Fayulu said by telephone that his vehicle was surrounded by security forces who continued to fire tear gas to disperse demonstrators. Congo's electoral commission is expected to publish voter registration data on Sunday.

☆ Senegal opposition leader appeals conviction threatening his presidential bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Diadie Ba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

DAKAR, May 15 (Reuters) - Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko has appealed a libel conviction that could prevent him running in presidential elections next year, one of his lawyers said, as another round of protests broke out on Monday. Last week, Sonko received a suspended six-month sentence for libel stemming from his accusations that the minister of tourism had embezzled funds. The conviction casts doubt over Sonko's eligibility to run for president in an election that where President Macky Sall is widely expected to seek a third term. Sonko has denied the charges and denounced the conviction, as well as another trial he is facing on charges of rape, as politically motivated. Hundreds rallied in Dakar last week in the latest show of protest against Sall's potential bid for a third term in the upcoming February poll.

☆ A week after Congo floods, volunteers dig through debris for bodies
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Crispin Kyala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BUSHUSHU, Democratic Republic of Congo, May 12 (Reuters) - With shovels, sticks and bare hands, Red Cross volunteers struggled to clear caked mud from around a body half buried in a landslide in Bushushu village in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. A week after torrential rains triggered deadly floods, the workers said they were exhausted and running out of equipment. But they keep finding corpses under piles of debris, buried in hillsides, floating in waterways and the nearby lake. It's a serious problem," Désiré Yuma Machumu, head of the Red Cross in Congo's South Kivu province, said. On Thursday, Reuters watched the volunteers painstakingly recover 17 bodies.

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