Malian soldiers advance anxiously in the streets of Timbuktu, a historic Muslim city freed from nine months of Islamist militant rule by French forces in January.
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Africa
French may scare Timbuktu if they withdraw forces
- Tuesday, 09 April 2013 07:18
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Darfur to receive billions of dollars international aid for development
- Tuesday, 09 April 2013 06:00
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Donor countries have pledged $3.6 billion (2.77 billion euros) to finance the development of war-torn Darfur at a fundraising conference in Qatar. The hosts were among the biggest contributors, offering $500 million.
Mali troops sweep Timbuktu for Islamist rebels after battle
- Monday, 01 April 2013 09:05
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Malian troops swept Timbuktu for remaining Islamist fighters after a weekend battle that left seven dead and forced France to dispatch reinforcements and fighter jets to help Mali's army, AFP reports.
Demonstration held in support of CAR's new leader
- Sunday, 31 March 2013 07:38
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Central African Republic (AP) — A demonstration in support of Central African Republic's new leader Michel Djotodia was held in the capital, Bangui.
President flees as Central African rebels seize capital
- Monday, 25 March 2013 11:36
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Central African rebels seized control of the capital Bangui as the president fled, but they promised to respect a January peace deal that provides for elections within three years, AFP reports.
Emergency Grant Aid to the (AFISMA) to Mali by Japan
- Monday, 18 March 2013 23:43
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Emergency Grant Aid to the African-led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA) United Nation Trust Fund
Wanted for War Crimes Bosco Ntaganda surrendered at US embassy in DRC
- Monday, 18 March 2013 23:21
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Democratic Republic of Congo war crimes suspect Bosco Ntaganda has handed himself over to the US embassy in the Rwandan capital Kigali, the US says.
Kenya election: Uhuru Kenyatta hails 'democracy triumph'
- Sunday, 10 March 2013 01:20
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Newly elected Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has hailed his poll win as a "triumph of democracy" and peace.
After being declared winner of Monday's poll by the slimmest of margins - 50.07% - Mr Kenyatta said voters had upheld "respect for the rule of law", and promised to work with opponents.
However his main rival, Raila Odinga, vowed to challenge the result in court.
Mr Kenyatta is set to be tried at the International Criminal Court over violence that followed the 2007 polls.
He is accused of fuelling the communal violence that saw more than 1,000 people killed and 600,000 forced from their homes.
On Saturday the election commission said Mr Kenyatta had narrowly avoided a run-off by winning 50.07% of votes in a credible and transparent poll.
It said the turnout, at 86%, was the largest ever in the country.
The BBC's Gabriel Gatehouse in Nairobi says it was the closest of races with the tightest of margins.
After the results were announced, Mr Kenyatta told cheering supporters he would serve all Kenyans "without fear or favour".
Speaking at the Catholic University in Nairobi, he said Kenyans were celebrating the "triumph of democracy, the triumph of peace, the triumph of nationhood".
Voters, he said, had "demonstrated a level of political maturity that surpassed expectations", and he called on Mr Odinga and other leaders to "join us in moving our nation forward".
However Mr Odinga, the current prime minister, said the election commission had "failed Kenyans" and that democracy itself was "on trial".
He announced that he would challenge the results of a "tainted election" in the Supreme Court.
He also appealed for calm, saying: "Any violence could destroy this nation forever."
The count has been plagued with technical glitches, including a programming error that led to the number of rejected votes being multiplied by a factor of eight.
Mr Odinga's Cord alliance had earlier complained that votes from 11 constituencies were missing, in effect leaving him more than 250,000 votes short.
How Mr Odinga now handles his supporters will determine whether his dispute stays in the courts or spills out on the streets, our correspondent says.
'Historic moment'
Western powers welcomed the peaceful vote but avoided mentioning Mr Kenyatta.
Ahead of the election, the US and the UK had hinted that his election would complicate relations because of the charges of crimes against humanity he faces.
US Secretary of State John Kerry called the election a "historic moment" and said America would "continue to be a strong friend and ally" of the Kenyan people.
The British Minister for Africa, Mark Simmonds, urged all sides to show restraint.
In July Mr Kenyatta is due to go on trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague
His running mate, William Ruto, also faces similar charges. Both men deny the accusations.
In his victory speech, Mr Kenyatta restated his promise to co-operate "with all nations and international institutions".
The ICC has agreed to postpone Mr Ruto's trial by a month until May after his lawyers complained they did not have enough time to prepare his defence.
Uhuru Kenyatta
- Aged 51
- Son of founding President Mzee Jomo Kenyatta
- Heir to one of the largest fortunes in Kenya, according to Forbes magazine
- Entered politics in 1990s, groomed by former President Daniel arap Moi to be his successor
- Known as "njamba" ("hero") in his Kikuyu language
- Indicted by ICC on charges of crimes against humanity for 2007 post-election violence - which he denies
- Married father of three
Egypt court backs Port Said football riot death sentences
- Saturday, 09 March 2013 12:04
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A court in Egypt has upheld 21 death sentences handed down to fans over deadly football riots in Port Said, amid continuing unrest.
Five of 52 other defendants were sentenced to life in prison for rioting while others received lesser sentences or were acquitted.
Locals accuse the Cairo court of leniency towards the police over the riots, in which 74 people died.
Rival protests are reported in both Port Said and the capital.
In Port Said, demonstrators tried to disrupt car ferry traffic across the Suez Canal while in Cairo, a police social club was set on fire.
Fans of the two rival football teams, Port Said's al-Masry and Cairo's al-Ahly, responded angrily to the verdicts for different reasons.
The army is patrolling Port Said instead of the police in an effort to ease tension.
Elsewhere, at least 10 of Egypt's 29 provinces were affected by an unprecedented strike by thousands of low-ranking police. Some units reportedly left their headquarters after sealing them with chains.
They were protesting against being forced by the government of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi to confront protesters as well as a lack of protection from prosecution.
The chief of security forces was replaced on Friday to try to defuse anger among police.
'Politicised'
Confirming the capital punishment sentences, Judge Sobhi Abdel-Maguid specified "the death penalty by hanging".
Port Said stadium security chief Essam Eddin Samak and nine other defendants were each sentenced to 15 years in jail
Six received 10-year jail terms and two were sent to prison for five years
A single defendant got a 12-month jail term and 28 of the accused, including seven policemen, walked free
The court's verdicts, broadcast live on TV, were greeted with suspicion and anger in Port Said.
Some demonstrators tried to block the canal by untying speedboats and setting them adrift while others sought to interrupt car ferry traffic.
El-Sayed Hafez, a retired resident of the city, told the al-Ahram newspaper: "The verdict is politicised... only two of the police officers were convicted."
He accused President Mohammed Morsi of trying to placate fans of al-Ahly, who are known as the Ultras.
Most of the victims in last year's riots were supporters of the team.
Ultras initially cheered Saturday's verdicts but there was anger that they had not gone far enough.
As fans headed for a rally in their stadium, the main social club of the interior ministry was set on fire.
After word spread that the defendants were being moved outside Port Said, the city saw six days of clashes between police and protesters around the security headquarters.
At least seven people - civilians and security officials - were killed.
The original death sentences imposed on the 21 defendants in January sparked a revolt in Port Said, where many residents saw the trial as unjust and politically biased.
There has been widespread antagonism towards the police since the mass protests which brought down former President Hosni Mubarak in February 2011.
Many people believe police in Port Said stood by in revenge for the fans' role in anti-Mubarak unrest. Police deny the accusation.
Port Said 2012 football deaths
- 74 people killed in Port Said stadium on 2 February 2012
- Clashes broke out between rival fans of Port Said club al-Masry and Cairo's al-Ahly
- Fans flooded on to pitch attacking Ahly players and fans as match ended
- Most died of concussion, cuts and suffocation
- The largest death toll in Egypt's football history
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