A series of brutal attacks against Congolese civilians by Islamic militants are possible war crimes, United Nations monitors said Monday. Eighteen months of attacks by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) have killed more than 1,000 civilians, the U.N. Joint Human Rights Office says in a new report. “In the majority of cases, the means and

Some are calling it an historic moment for France’s Greens party, others for the environmental movement in general. The Greens went from controlling just one major French city — Grenoble — to capturing a string of other large and mid-sized towns, including Bordeaux, Lyon, Strasbourg and Besançon. “What changed this election, the most important idea is ecology,” said Maud Lelievre a

Somalia’s electoral commission has announced that upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections will not take place on time, as scheduled. The chairperson of the National Independent Electoral Commission (NIEC), Halima Ismail Ibrahim, has told the Lower House of the parliament that political differences, insecurity, flooding and COVID-19 have hampered the commission’s work schedule. The parliamentary elections

Gambia’s renowned justice minister Abubacarr Tambadou, who established a probe to investigate abuses under the country’s ex-dictator and spearheaded the international defense of Myanmar’s Rohingya, has resigned, the government said Thursday. The tiny West African state said that Tambadou will step down as minister and attorney general effective from June 30, for an unspecified job at the United Nations.

Millions of Malawians cast votes Tuesday in the re-run of last year’s presidential election.  The fresh election comes after Malawi’s Constitutional Court nullified President Peter Mutharika’s victory in last year’s election, citing massive fraud.  Malawi’s Electoral Commission (MEC) says it expects a free and fair election this time, although a few incidents of violence were

South Africa will soon begin reopening full-service restaurants and casinos under strict conditions after nearly three months of being under lockdown restriction to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced Wednesday night in a televised address that accredited accommodations and salons will also be allowed to reopen. Ramaphosa said the decision

Evariste Ndayishimiye was sworn in as Burundi’s new president Thursday at the Ingoma stadium in the capital city, Gitegay, a week after the sudden death of outgoing President Pierre Nkurunziza. Ndayishimiye was originally scheduled to be sworn into office in August, but the Constitutional Court ruled last week that Ndayishimiye’s swearing take place as soon

Uganda’s 2021 election candidates will have to campaign online and through the media to reach voters as part of new rules to stem the spread of COVID-19. Uganda’s electoral commission banned mass gatherings during campaigning, which critics say will disadvantage opposition parties and voters, and may be unconstitutional. Simon Byamukama, chairman of the electoral commission,