Africa Business

Cyclone Chido obliterated shantytowns on the French island territory of Mayotte on Saturday, with French ministers fearing a “heavy” death toll from the destruction, which has already claimed two lives.Acting Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said the storm had left a “dramatic” trail of destruction on the impoverished islands, warning that the territory’s numerous shantytowns had …

France fears heavy toll as Cyclone Chido batters Mayotte Read More »

Negotiators failed to produce an agreement on how to respond to drought at Saudi-hosted UN talks, participants said on Saturday, falling short of a hoped-for binding protocol addressing the scourge.The 12-day meeting of parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), known as COP16, concluded early on Saturday morning, a day later than …

World falls short of drought deal at Saudi-hosted talks Read More »

At least two people were killed Saturday as fierce winds from Cyclone Chido lashed French Indian Ocean territory Mayotte, with authorities warning of severe damage and residents fearing the worst.The two confirmed deaths came on Petite-Terre, the smaller of Mayotte’s two major islands, a security source told AFP.Also on Petite-Terre, the Pamandzi airport “suffered major …

At least two killed as Cyclone Chido batters France’s Mayotte Read More »

Cyclone Chido inflicted “catastrophic” damage on the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte on Saturday, a senior local official told AFP, battering the archipelago with winds of up to 220 kilometres (137 miles) per hour.”We don’t know if anyone has been killed but, given the damage, it’s likely,” said Madi Madi Souf, head of the …

Cyclone batters French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte Read More »

Through a cloud of dust in the late afternoon sunshine, Chadian jockeys, some riding bareback, raced their sleek, muscular steeds around the oval track marked out just a few days earlier to the cheers of a large crowd.Horse racing in the central African country draws the wealthy and elite who venture far from the comforts of …

‘Last of Mohicans’: Chadians saddle up for bush horse racing Read More »

Maputo’s normally bustling markets are emptier than usual with the stalls for staples such as potatoes and onions nearly bare and traders anxious as two months of post-election unrest regularly blocks imports from South Africa.Protests over Mozambique’s disputed election result — which have killed more than 100 people, according to civil society groups — have …

Mozambique markets struggle as vote protests hit imports Read More »

More than two-thirds of displaced families in eastern Sudan are unable to secure enough food, as war has pushed millions to the brink of famine, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said on Friday.The number of displaced in eastern Sudan has surged particularly since mid-year when paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), at war with Sudan’s army, …

Over two-thirds of displaced families in east Sudan short of food: NGO Read More »

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said Friday it was stopping its migrant search and rescue operation in the Mediterranean as the hard-right Italian government’s policies have made it “impossible” to continue.”We have ceased operations on board our search and rescue vessel, Geo Barents, which had been operational since June 2021,” the international NGO said in a statement.”Italian …

MSF pulls migrant search vessel from Med over Italy policies Read More »

The African Union on Thursday urged Ethiopia and Somalia to implement “without delay” an agreement aimed at ending tensions between the neighbours over Ethiopia’s access to the sea, calling the deal an “important act”.The two countries have been at loggerheads since landlocked Ethiopia struck a deal in January with Somalia’s breakaway region Somaliland to lease …

African Union urges Somalia, Ethiopia to swiftly implement agreement Read More »

The African Union on Thursday urged Ethiopia and Somalia to implement “without delay” a breakthrough agreement aimed at ending tensions between the neighbours over Ethiopia’s access to the sea and called the deal an “important act”.The two countries have been at loggerheads since landlocked Ethiopia struck a deal in January with Somalia’s breakaway region Somaliland …

African Union urges swift implementation of Somalia-Ethiopia deal Read More »