Africa

Corporal punishment has long been a fact of life for Nigerian schoolchildren. In Katsina State, officials say school attendance improved after the practice was banned.

Niger's military junta on Friday announced ordered French ambassador Sylvian Itte to leave the country within 48 hours. Macron reiterated Paris' support for ousted President Mohammed Bazoum.

Women and children in Tigray are still subject to sexual violence despite a peace agreement signed in November 2022, according to a new report. Survivors accuse both Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers of rape.

A widespread blackout across the country left passengers at the main airport in Nairobi stranded in darkness after the backup generator failed to turn on.

The pact allows Mali and Burkina Faso to provide military assistance to Niger in the event of military intervention against the putschists there.

Gabon's government has said it is imposing a curfew and disabling the internet as its general election draws to a close, saying this was necessary because of "calls for violence ... and false information."

The UN urged donors who had pledged aid to deliver on their promised contributions. Meanwhile, Sudan's military ruler left the capital to visit army bases, on a rare trip since the start of the fighting.

An aide to Chinese president Xi Jinping was stopped from entering the BRICS Summit venue in Johannesburg on Wednesday while following the leader onto a red carpet. Video shows Xi walking into the venue and security officials blocking the confused aide, closing the doors between him and his boss.

Zimbabwe's opposition blasted a "fundamentally flawed" electoral process, saying that delays, intimidation and other irregularities meant the ballot was "unable to produce a free and fair electoral outcome."

ECOWAS sanctions on Niger appear to be a double-edged sword. Many Nigerians living near the border with Niger, which Nigeria shut after the coup, say the economic and humanitarian impacts are enormous.

As Zimbabweans head to the polls this Wednesday, we take a look at the dire economic straits the country finds itself in. Inflation has gone from the single digits in 2017 to 77 percent this month, the currency has crashed against the US dollar, and high unemployment has led many to emigrate. While incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa has played up improved infrastructure on the campaign trail, his opponent Nelson Chamisa detailed a plan that he says will build Zimbabwe into a $100 billion economy.

Young people in Zimbabwe, including many first-time voters, could determine the election winner. But is Jamaican dancehall music enough to win them over?