Africa (except North Africa)

NDJAMENA, April 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — As Chad waits for the results of Sunday’s presidential election, the African Union said the vote was peaceful amid calls for a boycott by the opposition.

Incumbent President Idriss Deby is expected to extend his 30-year rule in the seven-candidate race, facing no major rivals and a campaign in which demonstrations were banned or violently dispersed.

Despite an Africanews correspondent reporting polling stations were quiet in the capital N’djamena, the ruling party said voter turnout was high.

MOGADISHU, Apr 12 (NNN-IRIN) – Somalia and the UN yesterday called for urgent action to mitigate the impact of worsening drought, saying, more than 116,000 people have already been displaced by extreme water shortages, since Oct, 2020.

In a joint statement issued in Mogadishu, the government and the humanitarian community warned that, high levels of population displacement are expected in the coming weeks and months.

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Mogadishu’s police chief announced he had suspended parliament on Monday, saying he was acting unilaterally to prevent lawmakers from extending the president’s term, only to be fired moments later by the police commissioner.

The chaos underscores the widening divisions within the Horn of Africa’s security services over extending the four-year term of President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, who faces growing pressure to quit after his term as national leader ended.

NAIROBI, April 12 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese-built seaport in Kenya's coastal island of Lamu will be operational in June, a Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) official said on Monday.

China Communications Construction Company has already completed construction of the first three berths of the port, Bernard Osero, head of KPA corporate affairs, told Xinhua over the phone.

"Lamu port will specialize in handling containers and oil cargo between the east African hinterland and the rest of the world," he said.

KAMPALA, April 11 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian President Samia Hassan Suluhu on Sunday arrived here to witness the signing of a tripartite deal that will kick off the construction of a crude oil pipeline from Uganda to the Tanzanian seaport of Tanga.

Uganda's ministry of foreign affairs in a statement issued earlier said during Suluhu's visit, the Agreement for the East African Crude Oil Pipeline Tripartite Project will be concluded.

N'DJAMENA, April 11 (Xinhua) -- Chad kicked off its presidential election on Sunday with people in the central African country queuing up to cast their votes.

A total of seven candidates, including incumbent President Idriss Deby Itno, are vying for the presidency for the next six years. One of Deby's most important challengers is former Prime Minister Pahimi Padacket Albert.

During his final campaign rally held Friday in capital N'Djamena, Deby called on his supportors to vote and assured them he would win.

ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo and one of his close allies have permission to return home following their acquittal on charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court, President Alassane Ouattara said on Wednesday.

But Gbagbo’s return could be complicated by a 20-year sentence given to him in absentia in November 2019 by an Ivorian court for misappropriating funds from the regional central bank.

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Tanzania’s new president appears to be taking a new, scientific approach to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan said Tuesday she will form a technical committee to advise her about the scope of COVID-19 infections in the country and how to respond to the pandemic.

COVID-19 is “not something we should be quiet about or refuse flatly or accept without doing a scientific examination,” Hassan said in Swahili.

OUAGADOUGOU, April 6 (Xinhua) -- At least three gendarmes and four defense volunteers were killed in an ambush on Monday afternoon in the eastern province of Gourma in Burkina Faso.

A senior police officer based in Fada N'gourma, the provincial capital said unidentified gunmen ambushed a squad composed of gendarmes and defense volunteers in the Tanwalbougou locality around 5 p.m. local time on Monday.

"The initial death toll stands at three gendarmes and four volunteers", the source said.

NIAMEY (Reuters) - Niger’s newly elected President Mohamed Bazoum has appointed former minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou as prime minister to lead his government, according to a decree read on national television late on Saturday.

Mahamadou until recently was the chief of staff of Bazoum’s predecessor President Mahamadou Issoufou.

Mahamadou, 69, first held a ministerial position 1991 as mines and energy minister. He was Niger’s finance minister between 2011 and 2012, and was appointed chief of staff in 2015.