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Candidates for Sierra Leone’s 2018 presidential election emerge

Sierra Leoneans will go to the polls in 2018 to elect a new president. Incumbent Ernest Bai Koroma is not eligible to stand after serving two consecutive terms. Koroma came to power in 2007 under the aegis of the All People’s Congress (APC), he won a second term in November 2012. The two main candidates aiming for Bai Koroma’s seat …

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Date set for Liberia’s presidential run-off

Liberia’s National Elections Commission (NEC) on Thursday released the full results of the 10 October general election. The body further confirmed a run-off vote between the two top candidates for the presidency, which it has set for 7 November. Ex-football star George Weah of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) will face current vice-president, Joseph Boakai of the ruling Unity …

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Thousands protest Somalia’s deadliest attack

Thousands of Somalis led by President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed have staged a demonstration in Mogadishu following Saturday’s terror attack. Thousands of protesters flooded the streets of Mogadishu on Wednesday in defiance of Saturday’s blasts that claimed more than 300 lives. Somalia’s deadliest attacks to date reportedly came in retaliation for a joint raid by the country’s government and the US …

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Nigerians to converge on Lisbon for NIDO housing investment summit

Nigerians from across Europe will converge on the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, on 9-11 November for the annual general meeting or AGM of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Europe (NIDOE). The congress will deliberate on the state of the organisation and on issues important to the Nigerian Diaspora generally. Moreover, NIDOE members will discuss developments at home as they affect the …

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Kenya: Election commissioner resigns, flees ahead of presidential poll

A senior official of Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has resigned from her job a week before a repeat presidential election, saying the election body was under siege and could not hold a credible election. “The commission in its current state can surely not guarantee a credible election on 26 October 2017,” Roselyn Akombe, an IEBC commissioner, said …

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London’s Somerset House showcases contemporary African art

The 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair rolled into town at the historic Somerset House in London on 5-8 October. The exhibition now in its 5th year is now firmly rooted in the international arts calendar and is a fantastic platform for contemporary African art, reports Ade Omoloja from London. The 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair takes place at Somerset House …

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Cameroon: The long history of Anglophone discord

Since October 2016, protests and strikes related to sectoral demands have escalated into a crisis over the economic and political marginalisation of Cameroon’s Anglophone minority. The crisis reached a new low at the weekend of 30 September-1 October when at least 17 people were shot dead by security forces and 50 wounded, according to Amnesty International. Mbom Sixtus, freelance journalist …

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US changes application date for 2019 Diversity Visa Lottery

The United States Department of State will restart the registration period for the 2019 Diversity Visa Lottery after it was marred by technical issues. The new registration period opens for electronic entries on 18 October 2017 at 6 p.m. GMT, and closes on 22 November 2017 at 6 p.m. GMT. The official website of the US Department of State issued …

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Shock and revulsion over Mogadishu bombing

The bomb was as enormous as the flecks of torn skin smudging the ground are miniscule. Entire overcrowded buses were blown up, every passenger killed. No one in the vicinity was spared: shopkeepers at the side of the road selling khat; office managers; children fooling around or running errands for parents; a medical student about to graduate; mothers; fathers; sisters; …

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Liberia: George Weah, VP Boakai for run-off

It is not yet victory for former soccer star George Weah in the Liberian election as he would need to go for a run-off against incumbent Vice-President Joseph Boakai. Weah, who ran on the platform of the opposition CDC party, ended up with 39 per cent of the votes, 11 per cent less than the 50 per cent needed to …

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