Reuters Africa Top

By Edward McAllister DAKAR (Reuters) – France and military allies are leaving Mali after using it for almost a decade as a base for fighting Islamist insurgents who continue to wreak havoc and control swathes of territory around West Africa. WHICH GROUPS ARE PRESENT? Islamists including al Qaeda’s North African wing AQIM hijacked a Tuareg …

Explainer-Why has France been at war for a decade in the West African desert? Read More »

By Alexander Winning JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) -South Africa’s government said it was not planning to buy Merck’s COVID-19 treatment pill molnupiravir on Thursday for cost reasons, despite the drug gaining approval from the country’s health regulator. Molnupiravir and a rival antiviral pill from Pfizer called Paxlovid have demonstrated efficacy in trials of adults with COVID-19 who …

S.Africa allows use of Merck COVID pill but government not buying Read More »

(Corrects to show Sall is chairman of the African Union, not ECOWAS) PARIS (Reuters) – Senegalese President Macky Sall on Thursday said he understood why France decided to pull its military out of Mali, and that he was assured the fight against Islamist militants in the Sahel would continue. Sall, who heads the African Union, …

Senegal president: I understand why France is pulling troops out of Mali Read More »

HOEDSPRUIT, South Africa (Reuters) – One of the joys of artisanal gin-making is sniffing the fragrant botanicals, fruits and seeds used to create the aromatic spirit – but not usually after they’ve passed through the digestive tract of an elephant. Yet that is exactly what Les Ansley does when, foraging through the South African wilderness, …

Elephant dung filters botanical mix for South African gin maker Read More »

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Germany’s defence minister said on Thursday she was sceptical about whether a European Union training mission in Mali could continue and that a U.N. peacekeeping mission would have to be reviewed after France said it would begin a military exit. “I have to say that I am very sceptical about whether the …

Germany sceptical about future of EU training mission in Mali Read More »

By Wendell Roelf and Julie Steenhuysen CAPE TOWN/CHICAGO (Reuters) – Moderna Inc has applied for patents in South Africa relating to its COVID-19 vaccine, prompting fears the company could eventually seek to prevent a new African vaccine manufacturing hub from making its own version of the mRNA shot. Moderna spokesperson Colleen Hussey confirmed it had …

Moderna patent application raises fears for Africa COVID vaccine hub Read More »

PARIS (Reuters) – Ghana’s president Nana Akufo-Addo on Thursday said it was important a U.N. peacekeeping force continue to operate in Mali even after French forces pull out of the country and re-deployed elsewhere in the Sahel. (Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Richard Lough and John Stonestreet)

PARIS (Reuters) – President Emmanuel Macron on Friday said Niger had agreed to host European forces fighting Islamist militants in the Sahel after France and its allies decided to withdraw from neighbouring Mali. He also said the remaining forces would provide further assistance for countries in the Gulf of Guinea. “These states are increasingly exposed …

Macron says Niger will host French, European troops after Mali pullout Read More »

By John Irish PARIS (Reuters) – African and Western leaders met in Paris on Wednesday night to start fleshing out plans for how to continue fighting Islamist militants in the Sahel region once France and its European partners begin pulling out of Mali. Four European diplomatic sources told Reuters that an announcement on the withdrawal …

Macron hosts talks on how to keep fighting jihadists in Sahel Read More »

RABAT (Reuters) – Morocco will spend 10 billion dirhams ($ 1.07 bln) on a national plan to mitigate the impact of drought on farmers and the economy, the royal palace said on Wednesday. The plan targets water management, helping farmers and agricultural insurance as well as ensuring wheat and animal feed supply, the palace said …

Morocco to spend $1 billion to mitigate drought impact- palace Read More »