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Violence causes thousands to flee Cameroon for Nigeria

Thousands of people have sought refuge in Nigeria after fleeing the Anglophone regions of Cameroon due to new violence there, according to UN Refugee Agency UNHCR. The UNHCR is collaborating with local authorities in Nigeria to “provide assistance to asylum and protection seekers from Cameroon, who have arrived in Southeastern Nigeria in the past month”. “Thousands have fled to Nigeria …

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Berlin Africa film festival’s 10th anniversary focuses on Sahel

Within a few years, the Sahel has become a region characterized by a dangerous entanglement of fundamentalist religion, terrorism and politics. From 13 – 19 November, the tenth edition of AFRIKAMERA – Latest Cinema from Africa presents a selection of current feature and documentary films addressing the political and societal challenges of the region in West Africa against this socio-political …

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Books: Aka Teraka – Something to offer new audiences 

The work of Aka Teraka, a Nigerian poet living in Germany, is an eclectic mix of music, poetry and novellas. Aka Teraka writes in three languages, English, Igbo and German, simultaneously projecting three– different paced and distinct voices in his work. This conflict is aptly captured in the poem Language from the artist’s anthology, Softly, it Rained. In a foreign …

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UN Climate Change Conference 2017 opens in Bonn

The signatories to the landmark Paris climate treaty will meet for two weeks in Germany beginning tomorrow to prepare discussions on how to implement their promises. The 2017 UN Climate Change Conference opens on Monday (6 November) in the western German city of Bonn, with the aim of launching nations towards the next level of ambition needed to tackle global …

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Niger Delta militants to resume attacks on Nigeria’s oil installations

Nigerian militant group Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) said on Friday its ceasefire on attacks in the country’s southern oil-rich region was at an end. “We can assure you that every oil installation in our region will feel the warmth of the wrath of the Niger Delta Avengers,” the group said in a statement on its website. The NDA took the …

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Eritreans abroad protest against human rights situation in home country

Eritreans living abroad have staged protests decrying the human rights situation back home. The protests held on Friday were originally planned for Washington, London and Stockholm. It comes in the wake of Tuesday’s rare protest in the streets of the capital Asmara against the government. Security forces used gunfire to disperse students who reportedly demanded the release of a school …

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Liberia: Supreme Court to rule on run-off election on Monday

Liberia’s apex court has reserved ruling on the challenge to the presidential run-off election for Monday after listening to submissions by aspirant and leader of the Liberty Party, Charles Brumskine. Brumskine, who finished third in the 10 October poll, petitioned the court alleging fraud in the conduct of the election. His party said widespread fraud had marred the outcome of …

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Kenya: Why Odinga’s resistance movement could be positive for democracy

Opposition leader Raila Odinga has rejected the result of the presidential election rerun of 26 October, which gave a landslide victory to President Uhuru Kenyatta. The veteran politician has vowed to challenge the legitimacy of Kenyatta’s presidency. Sekou Toure Otondi of the University of Nairobi argues that Odinga’s resistance to the government could in the long run benefit democratic development …

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30,000 rejected asylum seekers ‘disappeared’ in Germany, newspaper claims

The German government has admitted that it does not always know the whereabouts of rejected asylum seekers, but argues that the number doesn’t tell the whole truth. The government’s asylum agency faces a file backlog. Ben Knight reports. Around 30,000 rejected asylum seekers have simply disappeared from Germany’s records, a German newspaper has claimed, though the government and refugee organizations …

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Start-up Night! brings German and African businesses together in Berlin

German Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Brigitte Zypries opened the Start-up Night! Africa on 26 October in Berlin. The Start-up Night! Africa is the latest event to take place as part of the successful series of Start-up Nights!, a string of business-matching events hosted by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs designed to bring young businesses and established companies …

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