Category: Africa

Madagascar Death Toll From Cyclone Batsirai Rises to 92: State Agency

ANTANANARIVO—The death toll in Madagascar from Cyclone Batsirai rose to 92, the state disaster relief agency said on Wednesday, as information continued to filter in from areas of the country that were badly affected. The cyclone slammed into the Indian Ocean island late on Saturday, knocking down houses and electricity lines as it battered the…


Mozambique Tottering as African Allies Battle ISIS Insurgents

JOHANNESBURG—It was five days before Christmas, but the 61-armed men creeping gently through the forested hills near the village of Chai in northern Mozambique were not in a holiday mood. Their mission was to “find and engage” jihadist militants linked to Islamic State of Central Africa, whose goal was to make Christian rites a forgotten…


UN: 13 Million People Face Severe Hunger in Horn of Africa

KAMPALA, Uganda—Drought conditions have left an estimated 13 million people facing severe hunger in the Horn of Africa, according to the United Nations World Food Program. People in a region including Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya face the driest conditions recorded since 1981, the agency reported Tuesday, calling for immediate assistance to forestall a major humanitarian…


A Trans-Africa Railway Courtesy of Communist China

News Analysis Unbeknownst to most of the world, the Chinese are hard at work exploiting African mineral wealth. The major component of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping’s plan for China to become the world’s leading economic power is the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The BRI goal is to develop a global infrastructure…


Madagascar Cyclone Kills 21, Leaves Homes and Lives in Ruins

MANANJARY, Madagascar—Residents of a coastal town in Madagascar that was battered by Cyclone Batsirai over the weekend were left picking through the wreckage of their homes on Monday, collecting soaking wet clothing and anything else worth salvaging. The cyclone killed 21 people and displaced more than 60,000 after it slammed into the Indian Ocean island…


Terrorists Targeting Civilian Guard Groups in Nigerian Villages

The air was a chill 55 degrees at midnight on Jan. 12, about as cold as it gets on the forested savannah of Nigeria’s north Plateau state, but John Rivi couldn’t think about the cold. Despite the darkness he could see the flashlights of 500 terrorists with assault rifles heading for his village of Ancha,…


Cyclone Kills at Least 10 in Madagascar, Destroying Homes and Cutting Power

ANTANANARIVO—A cyclone killed at least 10 people in southeastern Madagascar, the second to hit the Indian Ocean island in just two weeks, triggering floods, bringing down buildings, and cutting power, officials said on Sunday. One of the worst-hit towns was Nosy Varika on the east coast where almost 95 percent of buildings were destroyed “as…


Morocco’s King Says Boy, 5, Trapped in Deep Well Has Died

IGHRAN, Morocco—The Moroccan royal palace says a 5-year-old boy who was trapped in a deep well for four days has died. Moroccan King Mohammed VI expressed his condolences to the boy’s parents in a statement released by the palace. The boy, Rayan, was pulled out Saturday night by rescuers after a lengthy operation that captivated…


Cyclone Batsirai Blows Across Indian Ocean Toward Madagascar

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar—The full force of Cyclone Batsirai is forecast to hit Madagascar Saturday evening, according to weather officials. The cyclone is gaining strength as it blows across the Indian Ocean, with gale-force winds reaching peaks of 235 kilometers (145 miles) per hour, according to the island’s meteorology department. “Following its slow and quite variable movement,…


Moroccan Rescuers Dig Toward Child Trapped in Well

RABAT—Rescuers were delicately removing rocks on Saturday as they dug towards a young boy who has been trapped for five days in a well in northern Morocco, a dangerous operation constantly imperiled by the threat of landslides. Workers with mechanical diggers have been trying round the clock to rescue the 5-year-old child, identified just as…