http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/?service=Rss http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/geldofs-return-to-ethiopia-1829848.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/geldofs-return-to-ethiopia-1829848.html ]]> <p> The first time Bob Geldof saw Birhan Woldu was on television. It was 1984 and the face of the child was one of the most haunting images in the BBC report which alerted the world to the famine in Ethiopia in which as many as a million people died. </p> Africa Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/jet-man-ditches-into-the-sea-1827283.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/jet-man-ditches-into-the-sea-1827283.html ]]> <p> A Swiss pilot aiming to become the first person to complete an intercontinental crossing using a jet-powered wing was forced to ditch into the sea today. </p> Africa Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:50:07 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/congolese-warlords-deny-slaughtering-entire-villages-1826939.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/congolese-warlords-deny-slaughtering-entire-villages-1826939.html ]]> <p>The attack came at first light. The village of Bogoro was turned into a slaughterhouse where "some were shot dead in their sleep, some cut up by machetes to save bullets", the International Criminal Court (ICC) was told yesterday. "Others were burned alive after their houses were set on fire by the attackers," the prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, recounted. </p> Africa Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/commonwealth-offer-for-zimbabwe-1826944.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/commonwealth-offer-for-zimbabwe-1826944.html <p>Zimbabwe will be offered a seat back in the Commonwealth within two years as long as it agrees to political and economic reform.</p> Africa Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/human-rights-concerns-raised-as-rwanda-set-to-join-commonwealth-1825930.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/human-rights-concerns-raised-as-rwanda-set-to-join-commonwealth-1825930.html ]]> <p>Rwanda is set to succeed in its bid to join the Commonwealth this week despite serious concerns over its human rights record, according to a senior source close to the negotiations. </p> Africa Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/feed-the-world-band-aid-25-years-on-1825385.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/feed-the-world-band-aid-25-years-on-1825385.html ]]> <p>It's Christmas time (nearly) and quite soon it will be impossible to switch on the radio without being bombarded by the preachy strains of a slightly shambolic Christmas song recorded 25 years ago in an effort to feed the world.</p> Africa Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/pirate-hostages-fear-they-will-be-killed-in-days-1825071.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/pirate-hostages-fear-they-will-be-killed-in-days-1825071.html <p> Fears are intensifying for the plight of the British couple captured by pirates in the Indian Ocean in October, after a new video aired yesterday showed the pair surrounded by gunmen and desperately urging the British Government to negotiate a ransom. </p> Africa Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:55:51 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/hes-off-egypt-pulls-ambassador-in-fallout-from-world-cup-clash-1824953.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/hes-off-egypt-pulls-ambassador-in-fallout-from-world-cup-clash-1824953.html ]]> <p>Never mind the "hand of Henry" – the "foot of Yahia" has caused an even greater World Cup fallout in north Africa as rioting erupted in the early hours of yesterday morning in Cairo. It was Algerian defender Antar Yahia's powerful right-foot volley that settled their play-off with bitter rivals Egypt in the week's most contentious match.</p> Africa Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/prehistoric-masterpieces-the-swimmers-and-the-beast-1823637.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/prehistoric-masterpieces-the-swimmers-and-the-beast-1823637.html <p> The inhospitable plateau of Gilf Kebir in the far south-west Egyptian desert was once home to an early Egyptian civilization, who left behind spectacular cave art. </p> News Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:40:18 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/spirit-of-the-past-inspires-congo-campaign-1823230.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/spirit-of-the-past-inspires-congo-campaign-1823230.html ]]> <p>One hundred years ago today, a crowd gathered at the Royal Albert Hall in London to be told of atrocities in the Congo. Luminaries such as Arthur Conan Doyle, the writer, and the Archbishop of Canterbury were joined in their public outrage by scores of peers and MPs. The demonstration was the culmination of an extraordinary campaign by a former shipping clerk, Edmund Morel, to reveal the truth about King Leopold's Congo Free State.</p> Africa Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/virginislands-tankers-captain-dies-of-wounds-1822789.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/virginislands-tankers-captain-dies-of-wounds-1822789.html <p> The captain of a Virgin-Islands owned chemical tanker hijacked earlier this week has died from gunshot wounds sustained when the ship was attacked, a Somali pirate said today. </p> Africa Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:54:46 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/a-matter-of-life-and-death-egypt-vs-algeria-is-more-important-than-that-1822424.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/a-matter-of-life-and-death-egypt-vs-algeria-is-more-important-than-that-1822424.html ]]> <p>Had Bill Shankly hailed from Cairo rather than a Scottish mining village, he might have said: "Football's not a matter of life and death – but it can cost you your eyesight." Ask the Egyptian team doctor who lost an eye after being attacked with a broken bottle by an Algerian footballer when the two countries last met for a place in the World Cup finals two decades ago.</p> News & Comment Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/some-african-countries-are-just-not-viable-says-philanthropist-1821750.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/some-african-countries-are-just-not-viable-says-philanthropist-1821750.html <p>A month after withholding a $5m African leadership prize because there was no suitable recipient, the wealthy philanthropist Mo Ibrahim has caused another stir by saying that some countries on the continent are too small to survive.</p> Africa Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/joyce-mulama-challenges-in-promoting-childrens-health-in-kenya-1821554.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/joyce-mulama-challenges-in-promoting-childrens-health-in-kenya-1821554.html <p> At age seven, Johnson Mungai, from Chokaa village, in Ruai, a peri-urban settlement on the outskirts of Nairobi, already knows that children are getting a raw deal where their health is concerned. </p> Africa Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:23:29 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/ugandan-official-cane-dead-bodies-as-example-to-the-living-1821497.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/ugandan-official-cane-dead-bodies-as-example-to-the-living-1821497.html <p> A Ugandan government official said the bodies of those who die because of drinking a local illicit gin should be caned six times before burial as an example to the living. </p> Africa Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:25:57 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/demand-for-illegal-ivory-soars-in-booming-china-1820976.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/demand-for-illegal-ivory-soars-in-booming-china-1820976.html ]]> <p>Tucked into a grimy building in Guangzhou, a small band of Chinese master carvers chip away at ivory tusks with chisels, fashioning them into the sorts of intricate carvings once prized by the Chinese emperors. A passion for ornaments such as these is what helped decimate African and Asian elephant populations until the United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) banned the ivory trade two decades ago, in 1989. Today, China's economic rise, along with a seemingly insatiable appetite for status symbols among its nouveaux-riches, has spurred the demand for African ivory. </p> Africa Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/news/kangalicious-let-your-dress-do-the-talking-1820408.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/news/kangalicious-let-your-dress-do-the-talking-1820408.html ]]> <p>What you wear can say a lot about you. If you happen to be wrapped in a kanga, then your clothing can even speak for itself. The complex, beguiling and proudly loud patterns of East Africa's favourite cotton rectangle are bordered with proverbial wisdom which can pass on messages as subtle as, Dunia dara, the Earth is round, or as blunt as, "I won't be sleeping with you this evening".</p> News Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/will-the-lights-go-out-on-south-africas-world-cup-1818228.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/will-the-lights-go-out-on-south-africas-world-cup-1818228.html ]]> <p>An ugly race row has left South Africa's national power company leaderless and is threatening to turn the lights out in the country only nine months before it is due to host the World Cup.</p> Africa Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/somali-pirates-in-record-attack-1817737.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/somali-pirates-in-record-attack-1817737.html <p>Somali pirates yesterday attacked an oil tanker and fired automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades farther out at sea than any previous assault, suggesting that pirate capabilities are growing as they increase activity off East Africa. </p> Africa Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/tsvangirai-ally-faces-death-penalty-as-trial-begins-1817738.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/tsvangirai-ally-faces-death-penalty-as-trial-begins-1817738.html ]]> <p>Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's ally Roy Bennett went on trial accused of terrorism yesterday in a case that has stoked tensions in the unity government with President Robert Mugabe. </p> Africa Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/foreign-office-warns-mann-to-keep-quiet-1816864.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/foreign-office-warns-mann-to-keep-quiet-1816864.html ]]> <p>Simon Mann has been urged by Foreign Office officials to remain silent about the coup attempt that left him languishing in an African prison, and settle for a "quiet life" with his wife and family in the UK, <i>The Independent on Sunday</i> has learnt.</p> Africa Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/british-indiana-jones-finds-missing-legs-of-900yearold-buddhist-statue-1816568.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/british-indiana-jones-finds-missing-legs-of-900yearold-buddhist-statue-1816568.html ]]> <p>It sounds like the plot of an Indiana Jones movie: an archaeology professor with little more to go on than a yellowing photograph discovers part of a 900-year-old statue deep in the Cambodian jungle, rewriting history in the process.</p> Africa Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/un-attempts-to-slow-the-new-scramble-for-africa-1816577.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/un-attempts-to-slow-the-new-scramble-for-africa-1816577.html <p>More than 50 heads of state will gather for a summit later this month to look at ways of policing the extraordinary "land grab" that has seen richer countries buy up at least 20 million hectares of farmland in Africa in the last 18 months. The United Nations is drawing up a "code of conduct" in an effort to slow what's been described as a new scramble for Africa, while agriculture experts are calling for a new global watchdog and aid agencies are appealing for a moratorium on new deals.</p> Africa Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/prosecutor-arrives-in-kenya-on-trail-of-war-crimes-1815751.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/prosecutor-arrives-in-kenya-on-trail-of-war-crimes-1815751.html ]]> <p>Some of Kenya's most powerful figures could find themselves in the dock at The Hague charged with crimes against humanity after the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) said he would pursue the masterminds behind the country's post-election violence last year.</p> Africa Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/mdc-pushes-for-powershare-deal-1815929.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/mdc-pushes-for-powershare-deal-1815929.html <p>Zimbabwe's MDC party yesterday ended its boycott of the government, giving President Robert Mugabe a month to settle a new power-sharing deal. </p> Africa Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/court-freezes-trafigura-compensation-1814793.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/court-freezes-trafigura-compensation-1814793.html ]]> <p> Nearly 30,000 victims of toxic dumping in the Ivory Coast may be deprived of £30m compensation after an African court froze the bank accounts into which the money has been paid. </p> Africa Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/zimbabwe-to-escape-censure-over-abuses-in-diamond-mines-1814190.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/zimbabwe-to-escape-censure-over-abuses-in-diamond-mines-1814190.html ]]> <p>Zimbabwe looks set to escape any punishment over its trade in blood diamonds after a ruthless lobbying campaign by the Mugabe regime that has included threats and intimidation of a key witness at an international summit in neighbouring Namibia.</p> Africa Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/maasai-feel-brunt-of-wests-crisis-in-giving-1813972.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/maasai-feel-brunt-of-wests-crisis-in-giving-1813972.html ]]> <p> The smell of burning charcoal wafts from the little maasai homes made of stick and animal skins, where large families crowd around small pans taking the little food that is available. </p> Africa Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:21:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/mercenary-simon-manns-family-delighted-over-pardon-1813800.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/mercenary-simon-manns-family-delighted-over-pardon-1813800.html ]]> <p> The family of former British soldier Simon Mann spoke today of their delight after he was granted a full pardon for his part in a failed coup plot in Equatorial Guinea. </p> Africa Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:24:35 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/guy-adams-the-glaciers-seemed-remote-and-shrivelled-1813630.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/guy-adams-the-glaciers-seemed-remote-and-shrivelled-1813630.html <p>According to the guide who took me up Africa's tallest mountain, the name "Kilimanjaro" comes from two words. The first, "Kilima" is Swahili for "hill". The second, "Njaro", can mean "white", or "shiny", or even, depending on both the vigour with which it's pronounced and the imagination of the listener, "shimmering".</p> Africa Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/climate-change-will-melt-snows-of-kilimanjaro-within-20-years-1813631.html http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/climate-change-will-melt-snows-of-kilimanjaro-within-20-years-1813631.html ]]> <p>The snows of Mount Kilimanjaro – the highest mountain in Africa – may soon be falling on bare ground following a study showing that its ice cap is destined to disappear entirely within 20 years, due largely to climate change.</p> Climate Change Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/talks-to-free-british-couple-threatened-by-media-circus-1813176.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/talks-to-free-british-couple-threatened-by-media-circus-1813176.html <p>There was mounting concern among security experts last night that efforts to free two British hostages being held by Somali pirates were degenerating into a "circus".</p> Africa Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/south-sudan-leader-calls-for--south-to-secede-1813195.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/south-sudan-leader-calls-for--south-to-secede-1813195.html <p>The leader of southern Sudan called on his people to vote for secession in an upcoming referendum if they do not want to end up as second class citizens, as voter registration began Sunday for elections across the country. </p> Africa Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/our-man-in-cairo-rashly-enters-egypts-veil-debate-1812775.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/our-man-in-cairo-rashly-enters-egypts-veil-debate-1812775.html ]]> <p>As the great-grandson of the Liberal Prime Minister Herbert Asquith, and as a rising star in the Foreign Office, Britain's ambassador to Cairo should be fluent in the carefully crafted language of negotiation and diplomacy.</p> Africa Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/rival-pirate-gangs-squabble-over-fate-of-kidnapped-british-couple-1812911.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/rival-pirate-gangs-squabble-over-fate-of-kidnapped-british-couple-1812911.html <p>Somali pirates said yesterday that a captured British couple had been moved from a container vessel to shore and there was now a dispute between different gangs over the captives.</p> Africa Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/our-guns-will-exterminate-them-randomly-pirates-warn-1812266.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/our-guns-will-exterminate-them-randomly-pirates-warn-1812266.html ]]> <p>Somali pirates holding the British couple Paul and Rachel Chandler were last night considering their ransom demands – which will be made "soon" – and warned that any attempted rescue would result in the death of the hostages.</p> Africa Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/congo-villagers-kill-47-policemen-1812288.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/congo-villagers-kill-47-policemen-1812288.html <p>Kinshasa: Armed villagers killed at least 47 policemen trying to intervene in ethnic clashes in northern Democratic Republic of Congo. An unknown number of civilians also died in the violence in the village of Dongo, near the border with Republic of the Congo, early on Thursday.</p> Africa Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/please-dont-worry-pirate-kidnap-briton-tells-family-1811869.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/please-dont-worry-pirate-kidnap-briton-tells-family-1811869.html ]]> <p> A tearful Rachel Chandler told her family not to worry about her as she made contact for the first time since being taken captive by Somali pirates a week ago. </p> Africa Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:19:47 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/couple-tell-of-lucky-escape-from-pirates-1811978.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/couple-tell-of-lucky-escape-from-pirates-1811978.html <p> A second British couple targeted by Somali pirates today spoke of their lucky escape. </p> Africa Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:20:22 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/charlize-theron-told-hands-off-mandela-1811733.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/charlize-theron-told-hands-off-mandela-1811733.html ]]> <p>Neither presidents nor film stars are safe from moves to protect the image of Nelson Mandela. Actress Charlize Theron has become the latest person to fall foul of the protectors of the 91-year-old icon's legacy. </p> Africa Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000