The withdrawal of NASA presidential candidate Raila Odinga from the upcoming election rerun raises major political and constitutional challenges for Kenya. The country has seen many opposition rallies against the electoral commission that threaten public peace and security leading to government banning demonstrations altogether in the centres of Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu. It is currently unclear if there will be …

Former French culture minister Audrey Azoulay has been chosen as the new Director-General of the United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Azoulay defeated Qatar’s Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kawari after the fifth round of voting and the decision will now be put forward for approval to UNESCO’s 195 members on 10 November. If Azoulay’s election is approved, she will succeed …

More than 500 people have been swept up in mass arrests following violent demonstrations in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions earlier this month, Amnesty International has said. Troops and attack helicopters opened fire on protesters calling for independence at rallies on 1 October killing more than 20 people and escalating a long-simmering conflict with the Francophone-dominated central government. A central government spokesman …