African news feeds (<front>)

James Neo Tshoaeli allegedly ran operations at an abandoned gold mine where 78 corpses were discovered.

[The Point] Ghana's newly elected President, John Dramani Mahama, arrived in The Gambia on Friday for a one-day working visit.

[SAPS] The Acting Provincial Commissioner of North West, Major General Patrick Asaneng has ordered maximum resources to be mobilised in finding an alleged kingpin who resurfaced from shaft 11 in Stilfontein last week.

[The Herald] ZIMBABWE is ramping up efforts to connect all health facilities to the internet to support the rollout of the Impilo, an electronic health record system.

[Addis Standard] His Holiness Abune Mathias I, Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC), has expressed concern over growing divisions among senior leaders of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), warning that such disputes could jeopardize the fragile peace in the region.

[Addis Standard] Addis Abeba -- Following a series of seismic activities in parts of Afar and Oromia, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that "Some residents in Awash and Dulecha districts are reluctant to evacuate, particularly pastoralist communities concerned about their livestock and property." In response, the Incident Command Post (ICP) is considering implementing mandatory evacuations in high-risk areas to ensure public safety, according to the UN agency.

[InfoWire] Recent protests in Paris , organized by representatives of the Malian, Nigerien, and Burkina Faso diasporas, have raised questions about their true objectives and organizers. Demonstrations opposing the withdrawal of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) from ECOWAS suggest potential external coordination, particularly by France. Is it a coincidence that similar protests were planned in Paris and Abidjan--a traditional ally of Paris in Africa?

[IPS] For female artisanal salt farmers in Pemba, salt production is both their livelihood and their struggle. In this deeply patriarchal Muslim community, the gleaming piles of white salt represent survival--a craft demanding patience, precision and grit. However, rising sea levels put their enterprise at risk.

[The Conversation Africa] Ethiopia's Afar and Oromia regions have been hit by several earthquakes and tremors since the beginning of 2025. The strongest, with a magnitude of 5.7, struck on 4 January. The US Geological Survey and the German Research Centre for Geosciences reported that its epicentre was 142km east of the capital, Addis Ababa, which is in the Oromia region. It came just a day after a quake with a magnitude of 5.5 hit the same area. Two more quakes were reported over the weekend of 11 January.

[Premium Times] Isoko Fela One treated guests to an unforgettable celebration at the wedding eve.

[Premium Times] Musa Lukuwa narrated to a Friday congregation that the incident occurred Tuesday night.

[Premium Times] The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the leading opposition party in the state, withdrew their participation 48 hours to the election.

[Nile Post] Justice Simon Byabakama, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, has announced that Ugandans who turn 18 after February 10, 2025, will not be eligible to vote in the 2026 general elections.

[Nile Post] President Museveni is set to commission two new steel factories in Iganga and Jinja respectively during his upcoming Parish Development Model tour in Busoga.

[Nile Post] A 47-year-old man, Elias Bwambale, lost his life in Kasese Municipality after being attacked by a solitary elephant in his home in Kanyangeya Ward, Nyamwamba Division.

President John Mahama orders an investigation and asks AngloGold Ashanti to pay for medical and burial costs.