International

Alexandre MARTINS LOPES Nigeria, leader of a key west African bloc and a continental economic powerhouse, has intensified its efforts to reverse the coup gripping neighbouring Niger, presenting Abuja with opportunities as well as risks.The ECOWAS bloc, currently chaired by Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu, said on Sunday that coup leaders had a week to restore Mohamed Bazoum to Niger's presidency after he was toppled by his presidential guard.But the organisation took many by surprise when it threatened the possible "use of force" to restore constitutional order."It's time for action," Tinubu said.Nigeria's chief of staff Christopher Musa echoed the commander in chief, warning in an interview on RFI Hausa that if ordered, his forces were ready to intervene.Burkina Faso and Mali, both led by military officers after coups, have warned that military intervention in Niger to restore Bazoum would be seen "as a declaration of war" against them. Resolving the crisis is a "survival test" for regional leaders, said Confidence MacHarry, a security expert at SBM Intelligence. "If the plotters are allowed to get away with it, other countries will live under the shadow of coups," he said.Tinubu lived through three decades of military dictatorship before Nigeria's return to democracy in 1999 and as such is seen as critical of a coup in a neighbouring country. - Jihadism, economic crisis -As Africa's most populous country with 215 million people, Nigeria will likely want to regain its status as a regional player as well as preventing issues on its soil. "Nigeria would have the most to fear from Niger's destabilisation as it shares a 1,000-mile border that Nigerian security forces are too overstretched to properly secure," said James Barnett, a researcher at the Hudson Institute in Washington. Tinubu said he feared a spill over of jihadist groups into Niger and an influx of refugees. Nigeria is already facing widespread insecurity, including criminal gangs in the centre and northwest, jihadist groups in the northeast and separatist unrest in the southeast. The multiple fronts are already straining the Nigerian army, one of the largest in the region that is in reality underfunded and under-equipped, and which is already failing to pacify the homeland. If there is a military intervention in Niger, "Nigeria would send soldiers. It is normal," MacHarry said. "But the government doesn't have the resources for that, not prepared."- 'Disastrous outing' -While President Bola Tinubu has made clear his determination to return Nigeria to the diplomatic map, declaring "Nigeria is back", he still faces immense challenges at home. Experts doubt he has the means to fulfil his ambitions at a time when the country is in the grip of a severe economic crisis. At home, huge social anger is rumbling on, with threats of nationwide strikes and protests. His first reforms aimed at reviving the economy have caused an inflationary surge in the country where nearly half the population lives in extreme poverty. Tinubu was elected president of Nigeria in a vote contested by his two main opponents. Their appeals are still being examined by the courts. Experts doubt that Nigerian soldiers will even agree to be deployed in Niger, given the strong links between the two armies, which are made up of many Hausa -- an ethnic group present across the Sahel. "It is unthinkable that Nigerian soldiers will go into Niger and fight its soldiers which we see as our brothers," said a senior military official who asked not to be named. "It is most likely be a disastrous outing because the troops will not have the courage to execute the mission." Experts are asking whether the threat of intervention itself could resolve the crisis. Barnett, the researcher, said that if Niger's military wavers, a return to civilian rule is possible. But if the junta follows through on its threat to rally the population to its cause, "things could get quite ugly".

Niger's new junta on Monday accused former colonial ruler France of wanting to "intervene militarily" to reinstate deposed President Mohamed Bazoum."In its search for ways and means to intervene militarily in Niger, France with the complicity of some Nigeriens, held a meeting with the chief of staff of the Nigerien national guard to obtain the necessary political and military authorisation needed," said a statement read out on national television.In another statement, the putschists accused the security services of an unnamed Western embassy of firing teargas Sunday on pro-coup demonstrators in the capital Niamey.It said six people had been hospitalised after the incident.French President Emmanuel Macron had Sunday vowed "immediate" action if French citizens or interests were attacked in Niger, after thousands of Nigeriens rallied outside the French embassy.Anti-French sentiment runs high in some former African colonies as the continent becomes a renewed diplomatic battleground, with Russian and Chinese influence growing.France has some 1,500 troops in the West African nation, which is one of its last allies in the Sahel region, after French forces had to withdraw from neighbouring Mali earlier this year.Following Mali and Burkina Faso, Niger has become the third country in the Sahel to be undermined by jihadist attacks linked to the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda.

The Central African Republic began voting on Sunday in a referendum on a new constitution that would allow President Faustin-Archange Touadera to seek a third term in a country which has endured several coups.In 2020 Touadera won a second term through to 2025, after a vote interrupted by several incursions by armed rebel groups, while he also had to overcome allegations of fraud.His rivals now charge that he wants to remain "president for life" -- under the increasingly visible protection of private Russian mercenary group Wagner, which first deployed to the CAR in 2018.The country of 5.5 million people is one of the world's poorest.Voting was scheduled to begin at 6:00 am (0500 GMT) but polling stations opened around one hour late.The polls are due to close at 4:00 pm, with some 1.9 million people called on to cast their ballots.Provisional results are not expected for eight days, while the constitutional court is scheduled to publish the definitive outcome on August 27, according to the national electoral authority.- Boycott - The proposed new constitution would extend the presidential mandate from five to seven years and abolish the two-term limit.Opinion polls suggest the "yes" camp is likely to triumph."We know that the 'yes' camp is going to win -- but we shall put the emphasis on participation," national assembly vice-president and presidential majority spokesman Evariste Ngamana told AFP.The main opposition parties, civil groups and armed rebels have all called on voters to boycott the exercise.The opposition has notably complained about the lack of an up-to-date electoral register and says institutions tasked with guaranteeing a free and fair vote are not independent.In the capital Bangui, between 2,000 and 3,000 "yes" supporters turned out Friday for a final meeting to drum up further backing for the proposal.But observers said the vote might not inspire much interest among the general populace."The majority of the CAR population, who are struggling to survive in a difficult economic and security context, doubtless have other priorities aside from this referendum which mobilises few beyond those close to those in power," said Charles Bouessel, analyst with the International Crisis Group.- Russian influence - Touadera has announced, meanwhile, that Russia and Rwanda, two states whose influence has been very much on the rise in the CAR in recent years, would be "supporting" security forces during the vote.A Wagner-linked source said earlier in July that several hundred of the Russian fighters would be in place for the poll."It's a vote being pushed by the Russians and organised with their help -- the president of the constitutional court and of the national electoral body have been invited to Russia and doubtless have received instructions," a diplomatic source told AFP.Human Rights Watch says Russian embassy personnel in Bangui visited the former president of the constitutional court, Daniele Darlan, last year to ask for advice on how the constitution might be amended to enable Touadera to stay in power.HRW regarded this as a Russian attempt to influence the political process in the CAR.In September, the constitutional court inflicted a defeat on the political establishment by annulling a proposed committee to draw up a new constitution.But in January, Darlan was ousted.Government officials have cajoled and threatened referendum opponents, says HRW, and authorities also banned an opposition rally in the capital in a bid to keep a lid on hostility to the poll.Since December 2020, hundreds of Wagner fighters and Rwandan troops have been deployed to face an offensive led by an alliance of the country's most powerful rebel groups, which have found themselves pushed into rural areas.

The African Union demanded Niger's military "return to their barracks and restore constitutional authority" within 15 days as the EU intensified pressure on the coup leaders Saturday by suspending security cooperation with the jihadist-hit country.General Abdourahamane Tiani, head of the Presidential Guard since 2011, appeared on state television on Friday to declare himself the troubled West African country's new leader. His forces have confined democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum to his official residence in the capital Niamey since Wednesday, in a putsch Tiani presented as a response to "the degradation of the security situation" linked to jihadist bloodshed.The African Union and the European Union joined the chorus of international condemnation of the power grab, the latest to strike the Sahel region.Niger's neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso have both undergone two military coups since 2020, fuelled by anger at a failure to quash long-running insurgencies by jihadists linked to the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda.The AU's Peace and Security Council "demands the military personnel to immediately and unconditionally return to their barracks and restore constitutional authority, within a maximum period of fifteen (15) days", it said in a communique following a meeting Friday on the coup.It "condemns in the strongest terms possible" the overthrow of the elected government and expressed deep concern over the "alarming resurgence" of military coups in Africa.The EU's diplomatic chief Josep Borrell on Saturday said the bloc would not recognise the putschists and announced the suspension of security cooperation with Niger."The European Union does not recognise and will not recognise the authorities from the putsch in Niger," Borrell said in a statement."All cooperation in the security field is suspended indefinitely with immediate effect" in addition to the end to budgetary aid, he added.Bazoum "remains the only legitimate president of Niger", the statement said, calling for his immediate release and holding the coup leaders to account for the safety of him and his family.Borrell said the EU was ready to support future decisions taken by West Africa's regional bloc, "including the adoption of sanctions".- Regional leaders to meet -Leaders from the Economic Community of West African States will meet on Sunday in Abuja to discuss the coup, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said.French President Emmanuel Macron will chair a defence meeting on the coup on Saturday, the presidency said.France, Niger's former colonial power, has 1,500 soldiers in the country.Landlocked Niger is one of the world's poorest nations, often ranking last in the UN's Human Development Index.It has had a turbulent political history since gaining independence in 1960, with four coups as well as numerous other attempts -- including two previously against Bazoum. The 63-year-old has been one of a dwindling group of elected presidents and pro-Western leaders in the Sahel as juntas in Mali and Burkina Faso turn away from traditional allies and towards Russia.

Leaders of the coup in Niger declared General Abdourahamane Tiani as the new head of state on Friday, and said they had suspended the constitution and dissolved all former institutions after overthrowing President Mohamed Bazoum.Tiani was the head of the presidential guard, whose soldiers shut Bazoum in his palace on Wednesday and said it had ousted him because of bad governance and worsening security.The general appeared on state television on Friday with a banner on the screen that described him as the president of a newly formed military council, the National Council for Safeguarding the Homeland (CNSP)."The President of the CNSP is the head of state. He represents the state of Niger in international relations," an officer said, reading out a statement.The constitution has been suspended and the government dissolved, and the CNSP will exercise all legislative and executive power, the statement said.African countries, Western powers, regional and international organizations have reacted with alarm to the coup in Niger, insisting that Bazoum be freed and constitutional order restored.Before the uprising this week, it was seen as the West's most stable ally in a region beset by insurgents. A number of foreign troops are based there, including French and American forces.Niger is also the world's seventh-biggest producer of uranium, the radioactive metal widely used for nuclear energy and in nuclear weapons, as well as for treating cancer.Niger borders three countries - Mali, Burkina Faso and Chad - that have also experienced military coups in the last two years.France said on Friday morning that the coup was not "definitive" and urged those responsible to reinstate Bazoum.But after days of confusion over who was in charge, Tiani and his camp appeared to have consolidated power as they read out a series of decrees on state television."The action of the CNSP is motivated by the sole desire to preserve our dear homeland," Tiani said.Like the military rulers of Mali and Burkina Faso, he justified the coup by saying that the government had been failing in its fight against insurgents. He accused it of not collaborating with the leaders of those states.Militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State have been spreading across West Africa's Sahel region for years. Niger so far has held them off better than Mali and Burkina Faso, where violence has only worsened since the military coups.Foreign countries have not announced any plan to intervene in Niger but Tiani warned against any attempts to extract President Bazoum, who has been held with his family in the presidential palace since Wednesday morning.He said a foreign military intervention would result in "the massacre of the Niger population and chaos".The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will hold an emergency summit in Nigeria on Sunday to discuss the situation.Niger will be a test for the regional bloc, which has struggled to convince soldiers to give back power after the latest wave of coups in member states Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso.The European Union and United States have already threatened to cut support to Niger, which is a major recipient of Western security aid and a key partner of the European Union in containing irregular migration from sub-Saharan Africa"Any breakdown in the constitutional order will have consequences for cooperation between the EU and Niger, including the immediate suspension of all budgetary support," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Friday.U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said cooperation with Niger's government was contingent on its "continued commitment to democratic standards".Germany, Italy, France, and the United States have troops in Niger on military training and counter-insurgency missions.German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said the situation was still dynamic and the priority was the safety of soldiers on the ground."It is not yet clear how the leadership will position itself on the engagement of Western partners in the future," he told Spiegel news magazine.

Nigerian resident doctors working in government hospitals began a total and "indefinite" strike on Wednesday over pay and welfare in their latest industrial action.The strike began as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's government comes under pressure over his economic reforms that have won praise from investors, but have also sharply hiked fuel prices and the cost of living for Nigerians.The strike by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) came after a two-week notice on the failure of government to meet the demands of the association.In a statement at the end of an emergency meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the association on Tuesday, the NARD decided to go on an immediate strike."Having considered all the numerous ultimatums, appeals, and engagements with government, NEC unanimously resolved to proceed on a total and indefinite strike commencing from 12:00 am on Wednesday," it said.The association said that the strike would affect all government-owned hospitals throughout Africa's most populous nation.It said the work stoppage would be called off only when its demands were met, including payment of salary arrears, hazard allowance, employment and replacement of doctors who have left the country to work overseas.NARD is also asking for an improvement of facilities in state-run hospitals across the country.Wednesday's strike is the latest by the association in recent months. Previous strikes on similar issues were suspended after the intervention by prominent Nigerians, including leaders from parliament.The NARD represents resident doctors at government-owned hospitals in Nigeria, who account for about one-third of doctors operating in the country.The doctors strike comes as Nigerians are already struggling with more than 22 percent inflation, a tripling of petrol prices and the impact of a sharp devaluation of the national currency, the naira.In power for two months, President Tinubu has ended a fuel subsidy that kept petrol prices artificially low and also floated the naira in a bid to boost foreign investment.Economists see those policies as positive in the long term, although the reforms have hit Nigerians hard with a surge in food, fuel and transport costs.

At least 14 people who appeared to be migrants were killed when their wooden boat capsized off the Senegalese capital Dakar, a local official told AFP on Monday.Police and rescue workers were still looking for more bodies after the pirogue overturned overnight Sunday to Monday."The navy told the vessel to draw alongside and they fled," district deputy mayor Samba Kandji said."I was told 14 (dead) but two more bodies have been found. We assume it's 16," he said.A wooden boat, which several witnesses on the beach said had been carrying the victims, could be seen floating near the shore.An AFP journalist saw fire department workers recover a body and place it on a tarpaulin on the beach.Dozens of onlookers on the beach watched the drama unfold.One of them, 23-year-old Amndy Moustapha Sene, said he dreams of becoming a professional footballer and playing in Europe."I dreamed of going to Europe because there in no future here. I was ready to board a pirogue, but now I've decided to emigrate legally when the opportunity arises," he said, noting the boats were too risky.Activity has increased in recent weeks along the Atlantic sea route from northwest Africa used by migrants to try to reach Europe via Spain's Canary Islands.At least 14 people died in mid-July when a pirogue capsized off Senegal's Saint-Louis, near the border with Mauritania.Morocco's navy said it had rescued nearly 900 irregular migrants in a one-week period this month. Most were from sub-Saharan Africa.NGOs regularly report fatal shipwrecks in Moroccan, Spanish and international waters, with unofficial estimates putting the death toll in the dozens, if not hundreds.During a cabinet meeting on Thursday, Senegalese President Macky Sall, "paid tribute to the memory of those who died in recent accidents at sea".He called on the government to intensify controls at potential departure sites, as well as to deploy more "measures of surveillance, awareness-raising and support for youth" and reinforce public programmes that "combat clandestine emigration".

A Ghanaian minister resigned over the weekend after a probe into how her houseworkers allegedly stole more than $1 million in cash from her home last year.Sanitation Minister Cecilia Abena Dapaah denied any crimes, but the case drew criticism from Ghana's opposition who questioned why a minister would have such large amounts of cash in her house.In her statement on Saturday, Dapaah handed in her resignation to not be a "hindrance" to government, but rejected reports of such large amounts of cash at the family home.According to court documents in the trial, the two domestic workers face charges of stealing $1 million, 300,000 euros and millions of local Ghanaian cedis from the bedroom last year as well as clothing."Whereas I can state emphatically that those figures do not represent correctly what my husband and I reported to the police, I am very much aware of the import of such stories around someone in my position," the minister said."I am resigning therefore because I do not want this matter to become a preoccupation of government and a hindrance to the work of government."The furore comes as the government of President Nana Akufo-Addo deals with the country's worst economic crisis in years that has pushed Ghana to seek a $3 billion loan from the IMF.Akufo-Addo's ruling NPP party is preparing for primaries later this year to chose its candidate to run in next year's election.Akufo-Addo accepted the resignation and applauded the former minister for her loyalty and "devotion", his spokesman said.But former Ghana leader John Dramani Mahama, who is the opposition NDC candidate for the 2024 election, described the incident as "scandalous"."$1m + EUR300k and millions of GHS in a Ghanaian Minister's home? Scandalous!! Even if genuinely acquired, why keep millions of hard currency at home?" he wrote on his Twitter account."Will Akufo-Addo ever set a good example for public office holders in his administration?"A good governance advocate Baffour Agyeman-Duah called on the ombudsman to probe the case."A lot is going through people's minds," he told AFP. "It involves a high-ranking public official so the Office of the Special Prosecutor must take it up just to clear any doubts."

At least nine civilians were killed and over 60 injured in a triple suicide bomb attack in the central Mali town of Sevare early on Saturday, Yacouba Maiga, a spokesman for the regional governor, told Reuters."The blast destroyed about 20 houses in the neighbourhood. There are a total of nine dead and about 60 wounded, all civilians," Maiga told Reuters by phone.Earlier on Saturday, the West African country's government said in a statement read on national television that "a terrorist attack" had been stopped by the army in Savare."Three vehicles filled with explosives were destroyed by army drone fire," the statement said, without giving further details on casualties.There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.Images shared on social media showed several buildings, including a petrol station, destroyed by the blast, as well as injured people being given assistance. Reuters could not independently verify the images.

Mozambique and Malawi were on Monday counting the cost of Tropical Storm Freddy, which ripped through southern Africa for the second time in a month over the weekend, leaving a trail of destruction and killing at least 17 people.Freddy is one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the southern hemisphere and could be the longest-lasting tropical cyclone, according to the World Meteorological Organisation.It pummelled central Mozambique on Saturday, ripping roofs off buildings and bringing widespread flooding around the port of Quelimane, before moving inland towards Malawi with torrential rains that caused landslides.The full extent of the damage and loss of life in Mozambique in particular is not yet clear, as the power supply and phone signals were cut off in some parts of the affected area.In Malawi's second-largest city Blantyre, at least 11 people were killed and 16 are missing, police spokesman Peter Kalaya told Reuters, adding that those numbers were likely to rise as so far casualties were only in for Blantyre and the storm had affected 10 districts.He said rescue teams were looking for people in Chilobwe and Ndirande, two of the worst-affected townships in Blantyre, where it was still raining on Monday and many residents were without power."Some missing people are feared buried in rubble," Kalaya said.At least six people died in Mozambique port Quelimane, which was right in the eye of the storm, authorities announced on the public broadcaster on Monday.The total number killed by storm Freddy in Mozambique, Malawi and Madagascar since it first made landfall last month is now at least 44.Guy Taylor, chief of advocacy, communications and partnerships for United Nations children's agency UNICEF in Mozambique, told Reuters from Quelimane that humanitarian agencies in Mozambique did not currently have the capacity to deal with a disaster of this size."We saw a lot of destroyed buildings and clinics. People's homes had their roofs torn off by the wind. Even before the cyclone hit we saw localised flooding," he said.He said the wind had died down on Monday but there was still a lot of flooding that had destroyed crops and created a risk of waterborne diseases.Mozambique has seen more than a year's worth of rainfall in the past four weeks, prompting concern that rivers could burst their banks and cause widescale flooding.Malawi has been battling the deadliest cholera outbreak in its history, and U.N. agencies have warned the situation could worsen because of Freddy's heavy rains. Scientists say climate change is making tropical storms stronger, as oceans absorb heat from greenhouse gas emissions and when warm seawater evaporates heat energy is transferred to the atmosphere.

Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Demeke Mekonnen and Somali Minister of Foreign Affairs Absher Omar Jama discussed enhancing bilateral relations on the sidelines of the 42nd session of the Executive Council of the African Union.Somali National News Agency said that the two sides discussed strengthening and deepening bilateral relations between the two countries and joint cooperation in the areas of security, development and economy.Somali Foreign Minister praised the Ethiopian role in the recent summit of neighboring countries and Somalia held in Mogadishu, pointing to the need for the two countries to cooperate in combating terrorism.

* Plane was trying to land at nearby airport - airline * Rescuers in boats rushed out to save trapped passengers * Crash happened amid storms, heavy rain - broadcaster At least 19 people died when a passenger plane crashed into Lake Victoria in Tanzania on Sunday while trying to land at a nearby airport, the prime minister and airline said. Flight PW494, operated by Precision Air, hit the water during storms and heavy rain, the state Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) reported. Rescuers in boats rushed to the wreckage, which was almost fully submerged, to pull out trapped passengers, local authorities said. "All Tanzanians join you in mourning these 19 people ... who have lost their lives," Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa told reporters in the lakeside city of Bukoba, close to the scene of the crash. Investigators were looking into what happened, he added. The plane left the commercial capital Dar es Salaam and "crash-landed" at 8:53 a.m. (0553 GMT) as it was approaching Bukoba airport, Precision Air - Tanzania's largest privately owned airline - said in a statement. The plane was carrying 39 passengers, including an infant, as well as four crew members, the airline added. It initially said 26 of the 43 people on board were rescued but later said 24 survivors were reported by emergency services at the scene. A witness told TBC he saw the plane flying unsteadily as it approached the airport in poor visibility, saying it took a turn for the airport but missed and went into the lake. Video and pictures on social media showed the plane almost fully submerged, with only its green and brown-coloured tail visible above the waterline of Lake Victoria, Africa's largest lake. Footage from the broadcaster and onlookers showed scores of residents standing along the shoreline and others wading into the shallow waters to try to pull the aircraft closer to shore with ropes. The two pilots survived the crash and were in touch with rescue workers from the cockpit before reporting that their oxygen supply was dwindling, Albert Chalamila, chief administrator of Tanzania's Kagera region, told Reuters. They were dead when rescue workers reached them, but the two flight attendants survived, he said. Precision Air identified the aircraft as an ATR42-500. The Franco-Italian manufacturer ATR did not immediately respond to a request for comment. First introduced almost 40 years ago, the ATR42 is the smaller of two series of short-haul turboprops made by ATR, a joint-venture of Airbus and Leonardo. The last fatal accident was in 2017, according to aviation-safety.net, a safety database. "Precision Air extends its deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the passenger(s) and crew involved in this tragic accident," the airline said. "The company will strive to provide them with information and whatever assistance they will require in this difficult time." Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan called for calm. "I have received with sadness the news of the accident involving Precision Air's plane," she tweeted. "Let's be calm at this moment when rescuers are continuing with the rescue mission while praying to God to help us."

Kenya Airways pilots extended their strike into a second day Sunday, forcing further flight cancellations as the company warned of disciplinary action against anyone participating. Thousands of passengers were stranded as a result of the strike by the Kenya Airline Pilots Association (KALPA), which earlier said that no Kenya Airways flight flown by its members had departed Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport from 6:00 am (0300 GMT) onwards on Saturday. The pilots announced the strike in defiance of a court order against industrial action and gave no indication of how long it would last. On Saturday, the airline's managing director and CEO, Allan Kilavuka, urged the protesting pilots, who make up 10 percent of the workforce, to return to work by 10:30 am on Sunday. "Failure to do so will lead to immediate disciplinary action," he warned. The airline, part owned by the government and Air France-KLM, is one of the biggest in Africa, connecting multiple countries to Europe and Asia, but it is facing turbulent times, including years of losses. The Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) subsequently announced that ground staff would also strike from 2:00 pm onwards on Saturday in a separate, long-running dispute with the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) over salary increases. But the KAA insisted late Saturday that "staff have reported on duty and operations at all our airports are normal." The pilots' strike has thrown over 9,000 passengers' plans into disarray, according to the airline, with travellers turning up to the Nairobi airport on Sunday, only to find out that their flights were cancelled. "I came here at around 5:25 in the morning... but I have been informed that the flight has been cancelled," passenger Erick Muhanda, who was due to travel to South Africa's port city of Cape Town, told broadcaster Citizen TV. "It's quite inconveniencing," he said. The pilots are pressing for the reinstatement of contributions to a provident fund and payment of all salaries stopped during the Covid-19 pandemic. On Monday, the airline won a court injunction stopping the strike, but an official at KALPA, which has 400 members, told AFP the pilots "were acting within the provisions of the law" and that they were yet to be served with a court order. The carrier has warned that the strike would jeopardise its recovery, estimating losses at $2.5 million per day if the pilots went ahead with their plans. The airline was founded in 1977 following the demise of East African Airways and flies more than four million passengers to 42 destinations annually. It has been operating in large part thanks to state bailouts following years of losses.

Tens of thousands of people in colourful regalia gathered at a huge soccer stadium in the coastal city of Durban on Saturday to celebrate the official coronation of South Africa's Zulu king. President Cyril Ramaphosa was to hand over the certificate to formally recognise the new ruler of the country's richest and most influential traditional monarchy. Misuzulu Zulu ascended the throne once held by his late father, Goodwill Zwelithini, who died in March 2021 after a diabetes-related illness. The crowning -- the first South Africa has witnessed in more than half a century -- comes after a year of bitter feuding over the royal succession that has spilled into the courts. And the event that puts the final seal on the king's ascension to the throne also comes amid heightened security after a US embassy warning of a possible terror attack in the country's largest city, Johannesburg. Although the title of king does not bestow executive power, the monarchs wield great moral influence over more than 11 million Zulus, who make up nearly a fifth of South Africa's population. Amabutho, royal regiments, clad in traditional skirts, faux leopard skin tops, and carrying shields and sticks sang songs of praise for their king. Women wore brightly coloured broad-brimmed Zulu hats and traditional wraps, while young girls in pleated skirts and beads danced on the terraces in the 85,000-seater Moses Mabhida Stadium -- which was built for the FIFA 2010 World Cup tournament. Among the delegates were King Mswati III of Africa's last absolute monarchy, Eswatini, who is also uncle to the new Zulu king. Zulu kings are descendants of King Shaka, the 19th-century leader still revered for having united a large swathe of the country as the Zulu nation, which fought bloody battles against the British colonisers. King Zwelithini, who died after more than 50 years in charge, left six wives and at least 28 children. Misuzulu is the first son of Zwelithini's third wife, who he designated as regent in his will. But the queen died suddenly a month after Zwelithini, leaving a will naming Misuzulu as the next king -- a development that did not go down well with other family members. The new monarch's first name means "strengthening the Zulus" but his path to the crown has not been smooth.

A car laden with explosives rammed into the gate of a hotel in centre of Somalia's port city of Kismayu followed by gunfire - a police officer and a resident said on Sunday. The state-run Somali National Television said on Twitter security forces were dealing with a "terrorist incident" at the hotel, which al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab has taken responsibility for. "There is a blast at Tawakal hotel and there is gunfire being heard," Mohamed Nur, a police captain, told Reuters from Kismayu. There was no immediate word on casualties. Witnesses said a huge blast was heard before the gunfire started. "The security forces have besieged the scene," Farah Ali, a shopkeeper in Kismayu, told Reuters. Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab's military operation spokesperson, said the group was behind the attack, and had targeted Jubbaland region's administrators who work from the hotel.

The United Nations has warned of famine, not seen in half a century, threatening Somalia. Spokesperson for the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef) James Elder said in a press statement that 44,000 children were admitted to health facility in Somalia due to severe malnutrition since August, noting that child is admitted to a health facility for treatment of severe acute malnutrition "every single minute of every single day". Elder explained that many children cannot even reach these health facilities due to the insecure conditions that dominate Somalia, pointing out that Somalia will face the death of children on a scale not seen in half a century if the international community does not increase its financial support. "Severely malnourished children are up to 11 times more likely to die of diarrhea and measles than well-nourished children. With rates such as these, Somalia is on the brink of a tragedy at a scale not seen in decades," Elder said. 

More than 600 people have died in the worst flooding Nigeria has seen in a decade, according to a new toll released Sunday. More than 1.3 million people had to leave their homes as a result of the floods, Nigeria's Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs said on twitter. Over 603 lives have been lost as of October 16, 2022, and 2,407 persons have been injured, the ministry said. The previous toll from last week stood at 500, but the numbers had risen because some state governments had not prepared for the floods, said the ministry. The flooding also completely destroyed more than 82,000 houses and nearly 110,000 hectares of farmland, the ministry added.  

Lesotho’s newly formed party Revolution for Prosperity (RFP), which won the most seats in last week’s election but fell short of an overall majority, has formed a coalition government with two other opposition parties, its leader said yesterday. The kingdom of Lesotho in southern Africa has been marred by years of political instability under the outgoing All Basotho Convention (ABC) party, which had been in power since 2017. RFP founder Sam Matekane told a media briefing he had formed an alliance with two other parties — the Alliance of Democrats (AD) and the Movement for Economic Change (MEC) — after securing 56 seats in the election and needing to court other parties to control Lesotho’s 120-member parliament.  Formed in March this year, the populist RFP has promised to do away with rampant corruption and focus on economic growth. “One thing for sure of the many things that we are going to do is to downsize the cabinet, and all our members will declare their assets, including myself,” Matekane, the wealthy businessman who created the party, told reporters. He said the parties were also working on a coalition agreement, which will be made public after the approval.  The coalition would tackle “crime and eradicating corruption within the (first) 100 days in office,” Matekane said. “We are taking over a bankrupt government and we will be using our personal cars and staying in our homes until things have gone back to normalcy.” The election went ahead despite a deadlock in parliament on constitutional reforms meant to be enacted ahead of the vote to bring order to Lesotho’s fractious politics.

More than 50 people were killed in an air strike that hit a school in northern Ethiopia’s Tigray region that was sheltering people displaced by conflict between the federal and regional governments, two aid workers and Tigray forces said. The air strike in the town of Adi Daero, some 40km from the border with Eritrea, appears to be one of the deadliest carried out during the nearly two-year war, which has killed thousands and uprooted millions. The school was on a list of sites housing internally displaced persons (IDPs) that the Office of the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Co-ordinator in Ethiopia sent to Ethiopia’s foreign ministry in January, according to one of the aid workers and two UN sources. A range of Ethiopian government and military officials did not respond to Reuters requests for comment on the air strike or the letter. The government has previously denied targeting civilians in the conflict. The UN co-ordinator’s office also did not respond to requests for comment. Reuters could not independently verify details of the air strike or the death toll. Most communications have been down for over a year in Tigray, where the federal government has been battling regional forces since November 2020. But four humanitarian sources, who asked not to be named because they were not authorised to speak to the media, said that the school had been hit, citing eyewitnesses and local administrative officials. Survivors of the strike told humanitarian workers after fleeing to the town of Shire, about 25km away, that at least 50 people had been killed and more than 70 injured, an aid worker in Shire said. The survivors said they had heard what sounded like a drone, this aid worker said. Another aid worker, who was briefed on the death toll by colleagues, said 62 people had been killed. This person did not have information about the number of people wounded. The two other humanitarian sources, both from the United Nations, had no information about the number of casualties. The Tigray external relations office said in a statement that 65 people had been killed and 70 injured in the strike. It blamed the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments for what it called a “massacre”. Eritean troops have fought on the side of Ethiopia’s federal government during the conflict.

More penguins have died from avian flu at the colony at Cape Town’s Boulders beach, a popular tourist attraction and an important breeding site in South Africa, raising concerns for the species and for other seabirds. David Roberts, a clinical veterinarian at the South African Foundation For The Conservation Of Coastal Birds, said at least 28 out of around 3,000 penguins in the colony had died from the disease since the middle of August. “We have confirmed avian influenza in 14 African penguins since the middle of August,” Roberts said, adding that at least another 14 penguins were also affected but not tested for the virus. “This is a continuation of the outbreak that happened last year and it affects several different species of sea birds and at the moment we are quite concerned because the numbers of penguins that are being affected and dying from the disease is going up,” Roberts added. South African environmental authorities said on Sept 16 that the strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza was similar to that detected last year among a range of wild seabirds, including Cape cormorants and common terns. Roberts said scientists were monitoring the situation because it was not clear how the outbreak would evolve.