Africa: News and Reviews from The New York Times

Here is the latest African News from The New York Times.

World Briefing: Burundi: Army Officer Is Assassinated in the Capital
The officer, Lt. Col. Darius Ikurakure, was shot inside the army headquarters, multiple military officials said.

Ebola Fears Shut a Liberian Border
Liberia closed its border with Guinea as a precaution against the spread of Ebola after at least four deaths from the virus in Guinea.

Morocco Asks That U.N. Close Western Sahara Military Office
The request was an indication that an escalating dispute between the Moroccan authorities and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon over the disputed territory is not abating.

World Briefing: Congo: U.N. Warns of Election Violence
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged the Security Council to help United Nations peacekeepers preserve political stability in Congo.

BP and Statoil Pull Employees From Algeria Gas Fields After Attack
An affiliate of Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for a grenade attack that hit one of the largest natural gas fields in Algeria.

Attack Reported on Mali Hotel Used by European Union Military
The European Union’s military mission said in a Twitter post that its headquarters in Bamako had been assaulted. It reported no casualties.

Congolese Politician, Jean-Pierre Bemba, Is Convicted of War Crimes
Mr. Bemba led a militia that committed rape and murder in the Central African Republic in 2002 and 2003, the International Criminal Court found.

Congo Clamps Down for Election
The Republic of Congo’s government has ordered the country’s two largest telecommunications providers to block all communication during a presidential election on Sunday for security reasons.

Gas Facility in Algeria Is Attacked With Rockets
The identities of the attackers, who struck the site that is jointly operated by Statoil and BP, were not known, and there were no immediate reports of injuries.

A Lion Escapes a Kenyan National Park Again, Injuring a Man
It was the fourth time in less than a month that one of the animals at a Nairobi reserve escaped and headed into the capital.

Sinosphere: China Resumes Diplomatic Relations With Gambia, Shutting Out Taiwan
The move raised the prospect of a renewed contest between China and Taiwan over allies, as Gambia had maintained ties to Taiwan for nearly 20 years.

U.N. Officials Warned That Congolese Soldiers Were Linked to Rape
Just months after troops from the Democratic Republic of Congo arrived on a peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic, allegations of sexual abuse began piling up.

Morocco Orders U.N. to Cut Staff in Disputed Western Sahara Territory
Reacting to comments from the U.N. leader, Morocco demanded the evacuation of 84 members of the organization’s mission in Western Sahara, where it has played a peacemaking role for 25 years.

Elephant in Stealth Mode: A Bull Named Morgan Survives Somali War Zone
Morgan briefly crossed from Kenya into Somalia, where elephants are thought to have been wiped out during the 1980s and ’90s as the country descended into chaos.

Ebola Flare-Up Has Ended in Sierra Leone, W.H.O. Says
The World Health Organization said two incubation periods – or 42 days – had passed since the last known victim had tested negative for the deadly virus.

Jacob Zuma Denies Letting Gupta Family Pick South Africa’s Ministers
President Zuma denied accusations that the Guptas, a wealthy family with widespread business interests and links to his own family, had influenced his appointments.

Op-Ed Columnist: ‘Big Government’ Looks Great When There Is None
What Republican candidates consider an American weakness seems like a strength when viewed from South Sudan.

World Briefing: Morocco: U.N. Chief Angers Officials
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon recently described Morocco’s hold on the Western Sahara territory as an occupation.

World Briefing: South Africa: A Rich Family’s Clout
A senior government official said that a wealthy family close to President Jacob G. Zuma had offered him a cabinet position, a revelation that added to corruption allegations against the president.

2 Female Suicide Bombers Attack Nigerian Mosque, Killing Over 20
The militant Islamic group Boko Haram is suspected of carrying out the bombings, which wounded 18 people, an army spokesman said.

Monrovia Journal: Fearing the Tide in West Point, a Slum Already Swamped With Worry
About 75,000 Monrovia residents await word on whether infrastructure will be improved to withstand the sea, or if they will be relocated.

Al Qaeda’s African Offshoot Makes a Lethal Comeback
Only a few years after French troops scattered its fighters, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has regrouped and extended its reach in three nations.

News Analysis: Is the U.S. Now at War With the Shabab? Not Exactly
Last week’s airstrike against a training camp in Somalia shows how the executive branch has stretched a 2001 congressional authorization for military force originally aimed at Al Qaeda.

World Briefing: Nigeria: Huge Methamphetamine Lab Built With Mexican Help, Officials Say
Nigerian officials arrested four Mexicans who were accused of creating a lab capable of producing billions of dollars’ worth of methamphetamine.

European Union Suspends Aid to Burundi Over Political Crisis
Officials announced a halt in financial support over a political crisis that has claimed hundreds of lives, but said humanitarian aid would continue.

Witness Recalls Ivory Coast Attack: ‘Shooting, Then Boom, Boom, Boom’
Charline Burton, who works for a nonprofit, hid in a bathroom with her 1-year-old daughter as gunmen outside carried out a bloody rampage.

Gunmen Carry Out Fatal Attacks at Hotels in Ivory Coast
Gunmen stormed resort hotels in Ivory Coast on Sunday, piercing the calm that has prevailed in recent years.

Peace Event Hosts Wives of South Sudan Leaders Tied to Rape
The spouses of two South Sudanese rivals accused by the United Nations of using sexual violence as a war tactic are participating in a United Nations panel.

Angolan President, in Power Nearly Four Decades, Says He’ll Step Down
José Eduardo dos Santos, a former guerrilla who came to power in 1979, has been criticized for human rights violations and rampant inequality in Angola.

Juba Journal: In South Sudan, City of Hope Is Now City of Fear
The Republic of South Sudan is not even five years old, but already 50,000 people have been killed in an ethnically driven civil war.

U.N. Reports Systematic Rape in South Sudan Conflict
The rapes are part of wider violence against civilians in the civil war, with government-allied forces the worst offenders, the United Nations said.

World Briefing: Nigeria: Building Collapse Kills 34
The collapse of a complex under construction killed mostly foreign workers from Benin and Niger in Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos, officials said.

Arts | Long Island: Documenting Violence Against Women, Even if It’s Hard to Look
A new exhibit at the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County explores the brutal treatment of women around the world.

Killer of Chris Hani, Anti-Apartheid Activist, Is Granted Parole
Some South Africans expressed outrage over the paroling of Janusz Walus, who had been serving a life sentence for the 1993 killing.

World Briefing: 34 Countries Need Food Aid, Report Says
The report said conflicts in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia and the Central African Republic had taken a heavy toll on agricultural production.

19 Shabab Fighters Die in Somalia in Strike Aided by U.S.
The commando attack occurred at a village 40 miles west of Mogadishu on Tuesday night, with the help of American military advisers and helicopters.

U.S. Broadens Sanctions on Joseph Kony and His Group
The Treasury Department action against Mr. Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army, an African guerrilla organization, could hamper their ability to raise money by selling poached ivory.

Pentagon Plan to Fight ISIS in Libya Includes Barrage of Airstrikes
A bid to aid Western-backed militias in a ground battle against the Islamic State in Libya has drawn warnings about an effect on diplomatic efforts.

Egyptian Aviation Student Who Made Trump Threat Is Leaving U.S.
Emadeldin Elsayed’s comments on Donald J. Trump’s idea to bar Muslims from the United States stirred debate about what is a threat or “mouthing off.”

Shabab Claim Responsibility for Blast at Somali Airport
A bomb in a laptop computer went off at a security checkpoint at the airport in Beletwein in central Somalia, wounding at least six people, officials said.

U.S. Strikes Kill 150 Shabab Fighters in Somalia, Officials Say
The strikes hit a camp where officials said fighters with the Shabab militant group were preparing an attack against American troops and their allies.

Global Health: Studies Offer Hope for Malnourished Children
Research on mice indicates that the gut bacteria of healthy children can fix that of starving children, and that breast milk can be improved.

Clash at Military Barracks Near Tunisia-Libya Border Kills at Least 27
The assault comes at a time of growing concern that the war in Libya, where the Islamic State has aggressively expanded, is spilling over.

Money Given to Kenya, Since Stolen, Puts Nike in Spotlight
According to email exchanges, letters, bank records and invoices, Nike’s attempt to maintain sponsorship of Kenya’s runners has precipitated a scandal.

Hassan al-Turabi, Islamist Who Championed Bin Laden, Dies at 84
After the expulsion of Al Qaeda from Sudan, his home country, in 1996, Mr. Turabi sought to reposition himself as a mainstream politician.

Boko Haram Falls Victim to a Food Crisis It Created
Across northeastern Nigeria and bordering Cameroon, farmers have fled, herdsmen have rerouted cattle drives, and markets have shut down.

World Briefing: South Africa: Oscar Pistorius’s Appeal of Conviction Is Rejected
South Africa’s highest court on Thursday dismissed a final appeal from the former track star to overturn his murder conviction in the 2013 death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

Egypt’s Parliament Expels Lawmaker Who Dined With Israel’s Ambassador
The lawmaker, Tawfik Okasha, had already been attacked with a shoe by a fellow lawmaker three days earlier over the same episode, which highlighted Egyptian sensitivity toward Israel.

Lens Blog: Young Africans, Wrapped in Tradition
Joana Choumali, a photographer from Ivory Coast, is documenting modern African women wearing traditional clothing. She said these portraits allow her subjects to reconnect with their family history.

Shell and Nigerian Partner Are Sued in Britain Over Spills
Farmers and fishermen in the Niger Delta say they have suffered for years because of large spills from oil pipelines.

Debris in Mozambique Is Thought to Come From Malaysia Airlines Flight
Pieces that washed up could be part of the wreckage from Flight 370, which vanished almost exactly two years ago, NBC and CNN reported.

World Briefing: Zimbabwe: Ex-Ally Challenges Mugabe
Joice Mujuru, a former vice president, on Tuesday announced plans to run in elections scheduled for 2018.

Letter From Africa: Raw Tensions Over Race Fester in South Africa
Bitter controversies on social media have shown that two decades of democracy have muted neither the perception nor the reality of inequality.

In Zimbabwe, Mugabe’s Birthday Is Rife With Political Jockeying
The visible frailty of President Robert G. Mugabe has focused attention on the increasingly fierce struggle within his party to succeed him.

Cape Town Journal: Muslim Enclave Forged in Apartheid Now Faces Gentrification
Residents of the vibrant and historic Bo-Kaap neighborhood fear that their traditions and close-knit community are at risk as money pours in.

Twin Suicide Bombings Kill at Least 20 as Shabab Violence Intensifies in Somalia
The Islamist militant group the Shabab said it carried out consecutive suicide bombings in the city of Baidoa that killed at least 20 people.

The Killing Fields of South Sudan
Atrocities are being committed by a government that the United States has helped establish.

Shabab Militants Claim Deadly Attack on Hotel in Somalia
At least 10 people were killed and dozens were wounded in an attack on a hotel and public garden in Mogadishu. Security forces managed to stop militants from storming the building, officials said.

At Least 14 Dead as Shabab Gunmen Attack Hotel in Somalia
Gunmen forced their way into a hotel in the Somali capital on Friday night, exchanging fire with hotel guards and leaving 14 dead before government security forces ended the attack, the police said.

In DNA, Clues to the Cheetah’s Speed and Hurdles
A big cat named Chewbaaka has enabled scientists to sequence and decrypt the cheetah’s complete genome.

Editorial: Helping Women in Africa Avoid H.I.V.
A promising new device lowered infection rates for some women, but more work and research is needed.

World Briefing: South Africa: Student Protesters Force Their University to Close
North-West University said the protesting students burned an administration building and science center at the campus in Mafikeng on Wednesday night.

U.S. Plans to Put Advisers on Front Lines of Nigeria’s War on Boko Haram
The deployment of dozens of Special Operations advisers would push American troops hundreds of miles closer to the battle that Nigerian forces are waging against the militants.

Rights Group Reports Deepening Violence in Burundi
Human Rights Watch said it had found “an alarming new pattern of abductions and possible disappearances” in the Central African country.

World Briefing: South Africa: Students Injured in Clash
University guards fired rubber bullets and tear gas after disruption at a student council event, officials said.

World Briefing: Burundi: President to Free Detainees
President Pierre Nkurunziza has promised to release 2,000 people detained during months of unrest.

World Briefing: Zimbabwe: Government Seizes Mining Operations
All diamond mining will now be managed by the Zimbabwe Consolidated Mining Company, wholly owned by the government.

John E. Reinhardt, Ambassador and Head of U.S. Information Agency, Dies at 95
Dr. Reinhardt was the first black American ambassador to Nigeria, and the first career diplomat and first university educator to lead the information agency.

Vaginal Ring With Drug Lowers H.I.V. Rates in African Women
A flexible ring that slowly releases an antiviral drug into the vagina helped protect African women against H.I.V. infection, two studies reported.

Uganda Opposition Candidate Taken From Home
Kizza Besigye, the runner-up in the presidential election last week, had been under house arrest, and the United States had called for his release.

U.S. Scrambles to Contain Growing ISIS Threat in Libya
As U.S. intelligence agencies say the number of Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria has dropped, the group’s ranks in Libya have roughly doubled.

Newly Elected Central African Republic Leader Faces Hard Realities
Faustin Archange Touadéra, a former prime minister, was declared the winner of the presidential election in the Central African Republic, which emerged from a civil war with a devastated economy.

U.S. Calls for Release of Uganda’s Opposition Leader
The police arrested the most popular challenger to the president, before the results of a flawed election were announced.

Yoweri Museveni, Uganda’s President, Wins a Widely Criticized Election
Mr. Museveni, the country’s longtime president, cruised to victory in an election marred by irregularities, violent protests and the arrest of his main opponent.

Former Prime Minister Wins Central African Republic’s Presidential Runoff
Faustin-Archange Touadéra inherits the enormous task of trying to restore order in a country where armed rebel groups still control much territory.

Cameroon Blames Boko Haram in Pair of Suicide Bombings
A week after Cameroon began a new offensive against the militant group, two attackers detonated explosives in Mémé, local reports said, killing nearly two dozen people.

Kizza Besigye, Main Opposition Candidate in Uganda, Is Arrested Again
Mr. Besigye was arrested for the second time in two days as voting continued amid unrest in the capital.

Nairobi Park’s Lions, a Draw for Tourists, Take a Trip of Their Own
A number of lions that slipped out of Nairobi National Park on Friday, but the police did not report any unwanted encounters.

U.S. Strikes ISIS Camp in Libya, Killing More Than 30
The airstrikes targeted a senior Tunisian operative linked to two major terrorist attacks in Tunisia last year, a Western official said.

Letter From Africa: Truth, Reconciliation and Now, a Prosecution in South Africa
Four police officers will be tried in the torture and murder of an anti-apartheid courier in 1983, a triumph for the judicial process, however slow.

World Briefing: Ghana: Dozens Killed in Road Accident
A head-on collision between a passenger bus and a truck killed at least 61 people in the deadliest road accident in recent memory in the country, officials and witnesses said Thursday.

Top Opposition Candidate in Uganda Is Arrested on Election Day
Kizza Besigye, the main challenger to President Yoweri Museveni, was apprehended by the Ugandan authorities, who did not comment on the arrest.

With a Boom Before the Cameras, Nigeria Redefines African Life
Nollywood is resonating across the continent with its stories of a pre-colonial past and of a present caught between village life and urban modernity.

News Analysis: Uganda, Firmly Under One Man’s Rule, Dusts Off Trappings of an Election
The pressure for multiparty democracy seems to be fading in African politics, but many longtime leaders feel the need to go through the motions.

Editorial: A Tale of Horror at the United Nations
The organization is failing some of the world’s most vulnerable children by not cracking down on sexually abusive peacekeeping troops.

World Briefing: Zimbabwe: Owner of Impounded Jet Says Body on Board Was a Stowaway
The American corporate owner of the cargo jet impounded in Zimbabwe after the bloodied body of a man was discovered aboard during a refueling stop confirmed that man was a stowaway.

Nigerian Women Freed From Boko Haram Face Rejection at Home
Community members worry that the women and girls, many of whom were raped, have been radicalized and might try to recruit for the militant group.

Op-Ed Contributor: Uganda’s Least Equal Voters: The L.G.B.T.I.
One hate law has been overturned, but the government still finds ways to silence and punish L.G.B.T.I. activists and groups.

Americans and Dutch Train Senegal Commandos as Fears of Terrorism Grow
The exercises come at a time of heightened worries after recent Qaeda attacks at luxury hotels in the capitals of Mali and Burkina Faso.

U.S.-Owned Plane Carrying Corpse and Cash Is Impounded in Zimbabwe
The cargo jet, transporting money for the South African Reserve Bank, was seized during a refueling stop after a body dripping blood was found on board.

Op-Ed Contributor: Le procès Habré, un succès à ne pas répéter
Jamais dans une affaire de crimes contre l’humanité la voix des victimes n’aura été aussi dominante. Et l’Union africaine conclut : ne recommençons pas.

Op-Ed Contributor: The Landmark Trial of Hissène Habré
Never in a trial for mass crimes have the victims’ voices been so dominant. And the African Union is saying: Never again.

Opposition Candidate Arrested Days Before Uganda’s Presidential Vote
Kizza Besigye, a onetime confidant of President Yoweri Museveni who is now challenging him for the presidency, was detained as he was holding a rally.

Malawi Gets Its First Grammy Nomination, With Album by Prison Inmates
The work has been an unexpected boon for the tiny African nation and now goes up against the works of well-known artists in the world music category.

Trial of Chad’s Ex-President Is Punctuated by His Noncooperation
Guards had to confine Hissène Habré, the former president of Chad, to the defendant’s chair nearly every day for four months.

Shabab Claims Plane Attack
A man who set off a bomb was sucked out of a Daallo Airlines plane through a hole when the blast ripped open the cabin in flight, officials said.

Congo Rebels Killed 6 and Kidnapped 14, Group Says
A statement from the group blamed the Allied Democratic Forces, a rebel group with origins in neighboring Uganda.

War, Disease, Scandals: Slugging It Out in Sierra Leone’s Soccer Politics
Isha Johansen, the president of Sierra Leone’s soccer association, is one of just a handful of women in the world to have held such a post.

Ex-Guantánamo Detainee Is Freed From Moroccan Prison
Younis Shokuri had remained in custody for months despite assurances from Morocco that he would probably be released soon after his transfer from the prison in Cuba.

Rivals Disrupt Jacob Zuma’s Speech on South African Economy
Rocked by scandal, Mr. Zuma gave a state of the nation address more humbled than he has ever been. The opposition took the chance to demand his resignation.