Fran Blandy
latest news & developments
New limbs, new life for South Sudan amputees
South Sudan’s five-year-long civil war has left possibly tens of thousands of people without limbs — a toll that may never be accurately established
Kenya police scour rubble as hotel attack toll jumps to 21
The police chief revised the death toll to 21 from 14, saying the victims included 16 Kenyans, one American, one Briton and three of African descent
Six dead in attack at upmarket Nairobi hotel complex
The attack at DusitD2 is the first in Nairobi in five years, when gunmen stormed the city’s Westgate shopping mall, killing at least 67 people
Clashes in Kenya as Kenyatta gets sworn in for disputed second term
Kenyan police clashed with both ruling party and opposition supporters ahead of the swearing in of President Uhuru Kenyatta after two disputed polls
Sierra Leone braces for poll results
Electoral officials tallied votes on Sunday from general elections seen as a key test of the west African nation’s post-war recovery.
Sall hails new era for Senegal after victory
Senegal’s president elect Macky Sall has hailed a new era after triumphing over veteran leader Abdoulaye Wade in Sunday’s runoff presidential vote.
Sahel braces for potentially deadly hungry season
Sahel states are bracing for a long hungry season, many weakened by the return of people from Libya who are creating fresh strife.
Wade hits campaign trail in Senegal despite protests
Abdoulaye Wade has rallied voters in Senegal’s city of Thies despite a storm of criticism over his third-term presidential bid.
Senegal opposition calls for rally against Wade’s third term
Senegal’s opposition has prepared for mass resistance against President Abdoulaye Wade’s third term bid — validated despite violent weekend riots.
Gambia’s Jammeh sweeps polls to secure fourth term
Yahya Jammeh scored a landslide win in presidential polls on Friday, securing a fourth term at the helm of the tiny state.
Liberia’s women still stalked by rape
Despite boasting Africa’s first female president and a Nobel prize for women’s rights, Liberia’s women are still vulnerable to the threat of rape.
Gambia wraps up poll campaign with opposition rallies
Gambia’s election campaign has wrapped up with rival presidential candidates staging rallies in the tiny capital Banjul ahead of polls.
Liberia’s Sirleaf leads halfway vote tally
Liberia’s Nobel winner and incumbent president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf took a strong lead over rival Winston Tubman on Friday.
Liberians test their democracy in second post-war polls
Liberians are voting in the country’s second election since it emerged from a 14-year civil war in 2003, a litmus test of its fragile democracy.
Nobel power marks feverish end of Liberia campaigning
Liberia buzzed with election fever as Nobel laureates, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and women’s activist Leymah Gbowee took to the streets.