DR Congo Eruption ‘False Alarm’ as Humanitarian Crisis Mounts
BENI, DR CONGO, – DR Congo’s government mistakenly announced Saturday that another volcano had erupted, later admitting it was a false alarm, with the scare coming a week after Mount Nyiragongo roared back into life, causing devastation and sparking a …
Mali’s Top Court Declares Coup Leader Goita Interim President
Mali’s constitutional court on Friday declared Assimi Goita, the colonel who led a military coup this week while serving as vice president, to be the new interim president.The ruling raises the stakes as West African leaders prepare to meet on Sunday t…
UN Calls for Protection of Tigray Civilians After Soldier Arrests
The United Nations issued an appeal Friday for the protection of civilians in Ethiopia’s embattled Tigray region, amid reports of soldiers taking hundreds of people away from displacement camps in the region. “We reiterate our call on all parties to en…
Mali Strongman Goita Reaches Out Amid International Pressure
Malian Colonel Assimi Goita on Friday said a new prime minister will be appointed within days, in his first remarks since seizing power this week. The army officer made the announcement during a meeting with political and civil-society figures in Bam…
Fearing Volcanic Eruption, Thousands Flee Goma in Eastern DRC
U.N. aid agencies say residents of Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are fleeing the city in fear of further volcanic eruptions from Mount Nyiragongo.Barely one week has passed since thousands of people in eastern Congo fled to neighbori…
Mali President, PM Released From Military Custody
Officials in Mali say the country’s interim president and prime minister have been released, one day after they resigned while in military custody. The military arrested interim president Bah N’daw and his prime minister, Moctar Ouane, on Monday in th…
France Had Role in 1994 Rwanda Genocide, Macron Says
French President Emmanuel Macron was in Rwanda’s capital Thursday, where he acknowledged France’s role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide and said he hoped for forgiveness. Speaking alongside Rwandan President Paul Kagame at the Gisozi genocide memorial in …
VOA Exclusive: Tobacco Giant’s Burkina Faso Distributor Denies Smuggling, Funding Terrorism
Two investigative reports this year accused the Burkina Faso representative of tobacco giant Philip Morris of funding terrorism through tobacco smuggling. In an exclusive interview with VOA, Apollinaire Compaoré rejects those findings. Selling cigaret…
Former South African President Zuma Pleads Not Guilty to Corruption Charges?
Former South African President Jacob Zuma pleaded not guilty to corruption charges Wednesday in a trial that began more than a quarter century ago after some of the alleged crimes were committed. Zuma, 79, is being tried on multiple counts of corruptio…
Mali President, PM Resign After Arrest, Confirming 2nd Coup in 9 Months
Mali’s interim president and prime minister have resigned following their arrest by the military, in what amounts to a second coup for the troubled West African county in nine months. President Bah N’Daw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane resigned accordi…