AFRICA

Five English-speaking West African countries and Guinea have criticised a move to change the name of the regional currency from CFA franc to the eco. The West African Economic and Monetary Union, made up of eight former French colonies and former Portuguese colony Guinea Bissau, said in December that it …

A huge diamond unearthed in Botswana in April has been sold to French luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton for an undisclosed sum. The 1,758-carat stone is reportedly the second-largest found in a century. It has been named Sewelô meaning “rare find” in the Setswana language, and came from the Karowe …

A popular stand-up comedian in Akwa Ibom State has been arrested by the police allegedly on the order of an Akwa Ibom government official. The comedian, whose stage name is Sir James, was arrested on Wednesday in Uyo. He is accused of posting “injurious” comments on Facebook against the commissioner …

The Department of Home Affairs has limited work and study options for refugees and asylum seekers, and discouraged political activity in contravention with the Constitution. Minister of Home Affairs Aaron Motsoaledi has defended the new amendments to the Refugees Act that came into effect at the beginning of the year, …

There are reports from central Mali that at least 15 people have been killed in an overnight attack on a Fulani village. A security official told the French news agency that some of the victims had their throats slit during the attack on Sinda village near the town of Douentza …

Exiled daughter of former Angolan president Isabel dos Santos could consider running for the presidency reports have suggested. Isabale, who is Africa’s richest woman according to Forbes, has experienced hard times since her father left power in 2017. In an interview with the Portuguese TV channel RTP on Wednesday she …

Thousands of Eritreans, including many children, continue to flee Eritrea because of human rights abuses and the nation’s indefinite national service, a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report says. Legally, conscription begins at the age of 18, but many children are also caught during round-ups, especially in urban areas, and sent …

Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) director of legal and advisory services, Group Captain Albert Murove, on Saturday lost property worth thousands of dollars when his house in Ruwa was gutted by fire believed to have been caused by lightning. Ruwa Local Board engineers are still investigating the case to establish the …

Libya’s rival leaders have left Moscow without reaching agreement on a ceasefire deal proposed by Russia and Turkey in an effort to bring an end to the country’s long-running civil war. Fayez Sarraj, the head of Libya’s UN-recognised government in Tripoli, and General Khalifa Haftar – the power behind the …

Gunfire was heard from military bases operated by the Sudanese intelligence Service in Khartoum as some members of the facility mutinied against various reforms, the military said. The camps in Kafouri, north of Khartoum and Riyadh which hosts the Operations Corps, involved a group of soldiers who were protesting against …