Category: Africa

South Africa’s President Blames Russian Invasion on NATO: ‘It Could Have Been Avoided’

The president of South Africa said on Thursday that he believes the war in Ukraine “could have been avoided,” blaming NATO’s decision to continually expand military troops eastward, ultimately leading to the current war, which Moscow calls a “special military operation.” “The war could have been avoided if NATO had heeded the warnings from amongst…


Congo Freight Train Derailment Kills 75 in South

At least 75 people have died after a train derailed in Congo’s southern Lualaba province in Kinteta village. The toll from the freight train derailment last week rose from 60 to at least 75 over the weekend, Lualaba’s provincial minister of interior Deodat Kapenda said. Those dead were likely illegal stowaways, according to U.N. Radio…


Running Bandit Battles Displacing Thousands in Nigeria’s Kebbi State

Running battles between heavily armed bandits and Nigerian security forces have claimed more than 80 lives since March 6, The Epoch Times has learned. The firefights between motorcycle-riding bandits armed with assault rifles and small landowners using homemade single-shot rifles have been frequent since early January and fit into the emerging picture of lawlessness spreading…


Days of Attacks Kill at Least 70 People in Northwest Nigeria

ABUJA, Nigeria—Gunmen have killed nearly 70 members of a local defense group in Nigeria’s northwest region in attacks since Sunday and the violence is continuing, members of the force and residents told The Associated Press. The attackers ambushed members of the local defense group in the Zuru area of Kebbi state as they were responding…


Russia Steps in To Replace French Military Muscle in Mali

As Russia’s war machine massed on Ukraine’s borders in December, for months it had been expanding its military footprint in the Saharan nation of Mali. Moscow has quietly positioned itself to replace France as the provider of security technology and weapons, amid France’s move to pull out of a nine-year military campaign in the Sahel….


Christians in Nigeria’s North Charge Terror Raids Aim at Disenfranchisement

A razor-thin election victory in Nigeria’s Plateau State has prompted observers to question whether ethnic-cleansing raids by terrorists seek to tilt next year’s presidential elections. More than a decade of seemingly endless attacks on Nigeria’s rural populations has seen radical insurgents capturing large territories across the country’s north. The displacements and demographic distortions across hundreds…


Rights Group: 50 Detained in East Libya After Prison Escape

Libya’s east-based army rounded up at least 50 people in a coastal city following a prison escape earlier this year, a rights group said Tuesday. Human Rights Watch said in a statement that an armed group affiliated with the self-styled Libyan Arab Armed Forces launched the crackdown after five prisoners escaped from a prison in…


Libya’s Oil Company Says Production Resumed at Largest Field

CAIRO—Libya’s national oil company said it resumed oil production Tuesday from the country’s largest field three days after an armed group shut it down. The state-run National Oil Corporation said pump valves at the Sharara field were opened a few minutes after midnight local time. It said it lifted a force majeure, a legal maneuver…


At Least 6 Die as Ivory Coast Apartment Block Collapses

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast—At least six people, including two children, died when an apartment block collapsed in Ivory Coast’s commercial capital of Abidjan overnight, the fire brigade said on Monday. Rescuers used torches to search through the mounds of broken concrete and carried out 36 people alive, officials said. One firefighter cradled a baby in the…


Russia’s Pivot to Africa: Putin Firms up Alliances

A few hours after Vladimir Putin’s troops invaded Ukraine, South African government ministers attended a cocktail party at the Russian ambassador’s residence in Pretoria. The event aimed “to honor Russia’s brave soldiers,” according to the invitation seen by The Epoch Times. Since the war in eastern Europe began, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration has rebuffed requests…