Africa (except North Africa)

CAPE TOWN, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Cyril Ramaphosa's future as South African president hung in the balance on Thursday, as his office said it was about to make an announcement a day after a panel report found preliminary evidence he may have committed serious misconduct.

The inquiry centred on the alleged theft of millions of dollars of cash from the millionaire president's Phala Phala game farm in 2020, which came to light in June and has been dubbed the "Farmgate" scandal.

ABUJA, Nov 29 (NNN-Xinhua) — Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari reiterated the country’s commitment to bolstering peace, security, and political stability in West African countries.

Efforts are being made by the leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to restore order in Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso, the president said at the opening of the 2nd Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS parliament.

Nigeria is convinced that the rule of law should remain the norm in the sub-region, he added.

BLANTYRE (Malawi), Nov 29 (NNN-ALLAFRICA) — The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, says it “deeply regrets” Malawi’s decision to force about 8,000 refugees living in rural and urban areas back to the overcrowded Dzaleka refugee camp.

Malawi’s minister of homeland security last week said the forced relocations would start after Nov 30, when a deadline expires on voluntary returns.

UNHCR is asking the Malawi government to reconsider its decision to force refugees and asylum-seekers living in villages, towns, and cities back into the overcrowded Dzaleka camp.

NAIROBI, Nov 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — FIFA has lifted a ban on Kenya’s national football federation, following the government’s decision to reinstate the body after disbanding it over corruption allegations, the country’s sports minister said Monday.

In February, football’s world governing body suspended the Football Kenya Federation (FKF), citing government interference after the authorities shut down the organisation last year over graft allegations.

YAOUNDE, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- Equatorial Guinea's incumbent president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has been re-elected as the leader of the Central African country, according to official results published Saturday night.

The results were published by National electoral commission, as quoted by the official website of the government.

Obiang's ruling Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea, which is allied with 14 other parties, won all 100 seats in the National Assembly, all 55 seats in the Senate and all 588 municipal seats, the results showed.

DODOMA (Tanzania), Nov 27 (NNN-DAILYNEWS) — PRIME Minister Kassim Majaliwa said that the government will ensure that the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project is built to agreed-upon standards and completed on time.

He stated that the railway’s construction is progressing well in all sections and that the government will ensure that it is not stalled and will address all indicators that could impede its implementation.

The Premier made the remarks in Dodoma while inspecting the development of the construction of the Dodoma main station in the Mkonze area.

27 Nov 2022; AA: Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima was arrested Friday on corruption allegations by Malawi’s anti-corruption agency.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) said in a statement that between March 2021 and October 2021, Chilima received $280,000 and other unnamed items from UK-based Malawi-born businessman Zuneth Sattar.

The ACB alleges that the money and items were a reward for Chilima for assisting Xaviar Limited and Malachitte FZE -- companies connected to Sattar – in awarding government contracts.

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Allies of Ethiopia’s federal military are looting property and carrying out mass detentions in Tigray, according to eyewitnesses and aid workers.

The accounts raise fresh concern about alleged atrocities more than three weeks after the warring parties signed a truce that diplomats and others hoped would bring an end to suffering in the embattled region that’s home to more than 5 million people.

KAMPALA, Nov 26 (NNN-NEWVISION) — After close to five years of wait, Uganda and the People’s Republic of China have embarked on the third phase of the South to South Programme after the second phase ended in 2017. 

The South-to-South Cooperation project is a tripartite agreement between Uganda, China and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations whose first phase was signed in December 2011 to support the implementation of a development strategy and investment plan.

KIGALI, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda on Friday joined the rest of the world to mark the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence calling for collective efforts to stem the violence.

Under the national theme of "Unite, Build a Violence-Free Society", the campaign will be used to raise awareness of the need to stem the violence against women and girls, mobilize the public to combat the violence and reduce cases of child defilement and teenage pregnancy.