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Germany: Horst Seehofer to step down as Bavaria’s premier

Premier Horst Seehofer of Bavaria is set to step down but will remain head of the CSU as part of a party compromise. Intra-party conflict has made coalition building in Berlin difficult. Horst Seehofer is ready to step down as Bavaria’s state premier before local elections next year in order to end an internal crisis within his Christian Social Union …

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Gambians celebrate first anniversary of Yahya Jammeh’s downfall

Gambians celebrated the first anniversary of the electoral defeat of long-serving leader Yahya Jammeh on Saturday. The main event saw President Adama Barrow addressing citizens about the victory of 2 December 2016 and warning that there was more work to be done to better the lives of the people. Jammeh until 2016 had been president of the Gambia for 22 …

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More than 400,000 migrants still stranded in Libya – AU Commission

European and African leaders have set themselves a tall order to stamp out horrific abuse of African migrants in Libya, where thousands are suffering in a vast, lawless territory. On Thursday, a summit of the African Union and European Union set a goal of immediately repatriating 3,800 migrants languishing in a camp near Tripoli. But experts point to a daunting …

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Book: Teaching children about sharing, forgiveness and friendship

British-Nigerian comedian TBoy (real name Tolulope Ogunmefun) is well known for his popular web series ‘Don’t Jealous Me’ which led to a spin off series that premièred on London Live last year. TBoy’s YouTube channel, which he launched in 2009, has been viewed over 41 million times and he has been entertaining fans, both young and old, with hilarious comedy …

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Opinion: EU-Africa summit ends with empty words

From 29-30 November, 55 African and 28 European government representatives came together in Abidjan to adopt a new strategy for Africa. Despite the expectations, the end result was an utter disappointment, writes Barbara Wesel of the German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle, DW. This huge gathering of leaders in Côte d’Ivoire’s economic hub, Abidjan, was an ambitious event. Soldiers, gala dinners, …

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EU, African leaders agree on evacuating migrants from Libya

Leaders taking part in the 5th EU-African Summit in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, have agreed to an emergency evacuation plan to return migrants stranded in Libya to their home countries. The EU along with the United Nations and the African Union on Wednesday agreed to jointly create a task force for Libya. A statement said its aim is to “save and …

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Nigeria swings into action on stranded citizens in Libya

Following harsh criticisms of its perceived indifference to the suffering of thousands of its citizens who are stranded in Libya, Nigeria’s federal government has finally swung into action. After meeting with heads of agencies in charge of migration in Abuja on Wednesday, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo announced that Nigeria was considering urgent and permanent solutions to the plight of Nigerians refugees …

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Protesters in Cologne condemn Arab racism and Libyan slave trade

Hundreds of people of African descent and their supporters marched through the streets of Cologne on Monday evening to express their anger and outrage at the widespread human rights violation of African migrants in Libya.   Speakers lament the racist treatment of Africans in North Africa pointing out that the CNN video footage of migrant auctioning was the tip of …

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Why Europe’s panic over migration is a big opportunity for Africa

The EU-African Summit, bringing together African and European leaders in Abidjan from 29-30 November, is a chance to find a win-win solution, argues the International Crisis Group’s Elissa Jobson* Video footage of African migrants detained on their way to Europe being sold as slaves in Libya has provoked outrage and dismay in Africa and the wider international community. As a …

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EU sugar-coats Swazi absolute monarchy’s bitter pill

EU-support for Swaziland’s monarchy-controlled sugar industry undermines the fight for democracy, even though it nominally benefits smallholders, says new report from Danish solidarity organization, reports Peter Kenworthy. A new report from Afrika Kontakt commends the EU for supporting Swaziland’s sugar industry, which benefits thousands of smallholder growers of sugar cane. The problem is, however, that the smallholder growers are also …

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