Africa (except North Africa)

NAIROBI, Dec 21 (Reuters) - The Ethiopian government said on Tuesday the army was clearing rebellious Tigrayan forces from the northern Amhara and Afar regions, dismissing Tigrayan statements that their forces were retreating voluntarily to create an "opening for peace".

Thousands of civilians have been killed as a result of the 13-month-old conflict while about 400,000 are facing famine conditions in Tigray and 9.4 million people need food aid across northern Ethiopia.

MOGADISHU, Dec 20 (NNN-Xinhua) — Somali National Army (SNA)’s special forces (Danab) on Sunday killed six fighters of al-Shabaab militant group during the operation in the southern region, military officials confirmed on Monday.

SNA commanders who led the operation told the State-owned Radio Mogadishu that the security forces which have intensified onslaught agonist the terrorists also destroyed al-Shabaab’s hideouts Mayondo, Dhay, Abdi-Marodi and Kubow in the Lower Jubba region.

NAIROBI, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Tigrayan forces fighting the central government have withdrawn from neighbouring regions in Ethiopia's north, a Tigrayan spokesman said on Monday, a step towards a possible ceasefire after major territorial gains by the Ethiopian military.

The 13-month-old war in Africa's second most populous nation has destabilised an already fragile region, sent 60,000 refugees into Sudan, pulled Ethiopian soldiers away from war-ravaged Somalia and sucked in armed forces from neighbouring Eritrea.

KIGALI, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- With Christmas and New Year holidays around the corner, the Rwandan government has imposed restrictions for unvaccinated people in the country, excluding them from indoor restaurants, worship places, public transport and bars starting on Dec. 20 to minimize the spread of coronavirus and encourage vaccine skeptics to get their jabs.

The measures were announced by the office of the Prime Minister on Monday and will be reviewed upon health assessment.

ABUJA, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- A total of 80 deaths have been reported across Nigeria following the spread of Lassa fever in the most populous African country so far this year, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) has said.

A total of 434 confirmed cases of Lassa fever have been reported from 17 states and and the federal capital territory in the country between January and December 8, of which 80 deaths were recorded, said a NCDC statement reaching Xinhua on Thursday.

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The omicron variant appears to cause less severe disease than previous versions of the coronavirus, and the Pfizer vaccine seems to offer less defense against infection from it but still good protection from hospitalization, according to an analysis of data from South Africa, where the new variant is driving a surge in infections.

14 Dec 2021; MEMO: The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) yesterday announced that the Egyptian footballer Mohamed Salah had won the Africa Player of the Year award for 2021.

The IFFHS released a photo on its website displaying Salah receiving the award which comes among several awards conferred by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

BANJUL, Dec 13 (Reuters) - The runner-up in Gambia's election, Ousainou Darboe, has launched a legal challenge to President Adama Barrow's victory, his party said on Monday

Barrow won the Dec. 4 poll with 53% of the vote, well ahead of Darboe who got about 28%. The election was the first in 27 years without despotic former president Yahya Jammeh and was seen as a test of the tiny West African nation's fragile democracy.

LAGOS, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Sixteen people were killed when a speeding bus ran into a truck on a highway in Nigeria's northeast Bauchi state on Sunday, police said on Monday.

The collision happened in Bambal village along the Kano-Jama'are highway at about 7:00 p.m. local time on Sunday, Yusuf Abdullahi, commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps in Bauchi, said in a statement.

All 16 passengers on board the bus lost their lives in the crash, Abdullahi said.

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — As the omicron variant sweeps through South Africa, Dr. Unben Pillay is seeing dozens of sick patients a day. Yet he hasn’t had to send anyone to the hospital.

That’s one of the reasons why he, along with other doctors and medical experts, suspect that the omicron version really is causing milder COVID-19 than delta, even if it seems to be spreading faster.

“They are able to manage the disease at home,” Pillay said of his patients. “Most have recovered within the 10 to 14-day isolation period.” said Pillay.