Africa (except North Africa)

RUMONGE, Burundi, Sept 21 (NNN-XINHUA) – The China-aided Ruzibazi hydro-power station project, located in Burundi’s Rumonge province, will expand bilateral cooperation, Burundian President, Pierre Nkurunziza, said Friday.

Nkurunziza made the remark when attending a construction commencement ceremony for the project held onsite.

The project, the largest China-aided project in Burundi so far, involves the building of a hydro-power station with an installed capacity of 15 megawatt.

PRETORIA, Sept 17 (NNN-SANEWS) — The sending of special envoys to several African countries is a reflection of South Africa’s resolve to address recent attacks on foreign nationals, International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor said.

“South Africa… is taking this matter seriously and as a government, we will act with resolve to address these challenges. We are treating it with the level of seriousness required,” said the Minister.

KINSHASA (Reuters) - A former Congolese health minister was taken into custody on Saturday over alleged mismanagement of funds for the country’s response to the Ebola epidemic, police said.

Oly Ilunga oversaw Democratic Republic of Congo’s handling of the outbreak, the second deadliest in history, for nearly a year. He was stripped by the presidency of that responsibility in July and resigned from the government days later.

KAMPALA, Sept 12 (NNN-NEW VISION) — The asylum seeker and refugee population in Uganda has increased by about 48%, a report by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), has revealed, indicating an increase in asylum seekers from Burundi, DR Congo and South Sudan.

According to Yonna Tukundane, the social media expert for UNCHR, by July, Uganda was host to 1,313,802 asylum seekers and refugees.

JOHANNESBURG, Sept 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — At least one person was killed and five others injured in Johannesburg on Sunday, police said, after security forces clashed with looters in the latest outbreak of xenophobic violence.

South Africa’s biggest city and other areas were hit by a surge of attacks against businesses owned by migrants in the last week, leaving at least 10 people dead and prompting protests from several African countries.

PRETORIA, Sept 8 (NNN-Xinhua) — The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) voiced grave concern over the recurring violent attacks against foreign nationals, including refugees and asylum-seekers, in South Africa.

The agency said it has received a number of calls from affected refugees and asylum-seekers mainly from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Somalia who are too afraid to return to their homes due to the outbreak of violence.

CAPE TOWN, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari will pay a state visit to South Africa next month following a wave of xenophobic attacks in both countries, the South African presidency announced Saturday.

Buhari will meet with his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa "to reinforce the strong bonds between the two countries and to jointly develop responses to challenges affecting people and businesses in South Africa and Nigeria," the presidency said.

ANTANANARIVO, Sept 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) — True to his reputation as “pope of the poor”, Pope Francis starts a visit on Saturday to Madagascar, one of the world’s most impoverished nations.

Arriving from Mozambique, where he pleaded for understanding and the renunciation of violence in a country riven by 16 years of civil war and now hit by jihadist attacks, the Argentine pontiff’s first port of call on Saturday was to be a mass and prayer vigil with at least 12,000 young scouts.

DAR ES SALAAM, Sept 7 (NNN-Xinhua) — Tanzanian President John Magufuli and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on Friday inaugurated the Mwalimu Nyerere Foundation (MNF) Building built by China Railway Construction Engineering Group (CRCEG).

Both presidents commended CRCEG for its “excellent job for putting up such a magnificent structure.” The 30-story building is a cooperative project of CRCEG, MNF and International Finance Corporation with a total investment of 150 million U.S. dollars.

ANTANANARIVO (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Saturday rapid deforestation and reduction in biodiversity in individual countries should not be treated as local issues since they threaten the future of the whole planet.

Francis made his appeal on a visit to Madagascar, the world’s fourth largest island, which research institutes and aid agencies say has lost about 44% of its forest over the past 60 years, abetted by illegal exports of rosewood and ebony.