Across the 54 Countries in Africa, these are the 5 top stories you may have missed:
Mali: Presidential election to hold in March
West African country, Mali, will hold its presidential elections in March 2022, a statement by the country’s foreign minister reads – All Africa reports
The announcement came at the conclusion of the second meeting of the Transition Support Group in Mali which was held in Togo’s capital Lome on Monday, 8th March. The meeting was also co-chaired by the United Nation, the African Union, and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
“The presidential election is what interests everyone. In principle, it will take place in March 2022,” the minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation, told the media.
COVID-19: Morocco vaccinates more than four million people
North African country, Morocco has vaccinated over four million people since the launch of the COVID-19 immunisation campaign which began at the end of January – Africa News reports
To protect itself from the influx of coronavirus variants, the North African nation, on Monday, 8th March, suspended all flights with Poland, Norway, Finland, Greece, Lebanon and Kuwait, bringing the total number of countries affected by air restrictions to 26.
Senegal: Sonko calls for more protests after landing bail
Senegalese opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko has called for more protests after he was granted bail – News Central Africa reports
Sonko who was arrested last week after being accused of rape has left the country in a state of violent protests, leading to the country’s biggest political upheaval in years – At least eight people have been reportedly killed from the clashes that resulted from the protests.
Sonko, after his release on Monday, 8th March, charged his supporters to protest peacefully, even as he called for more demonstrations.
SA economy hit 11-year low in 2020
South Africa’s economy has recorded its first annual contraction in 11-years in 2020 due to the pandemic – eNCA reports
The nation’s gross domestic product declined by seven per cent in 2020 compared to a 0.2 per cent expansion in 2019. The drop was “primarily led by decreases in manufacturing, trade, catering and accommodation,” a report by StatSA revealed.
Bobi Wine charges Ugandans to peaceful protest
Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine has called for peaceful demonstrations against President Museveni, two months after Museveni was declared winner of a disputed presidential election – Aljazeera Africa reports
“I call upon you to rise up peacefully, unarmed and demonstrate against the regime that has oppressed us,” Bobi Wine said on Tuesday at the headquarters of his National Unity Platform in the nation’s capital, Kampala.
