20120602
AP
COTONOU, Benin (AP) — A spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior confirmed an American citizen who was kidnapped in the West African nation of Benin earlier this month has been freed and two of his abductors are in custody.

20120602
AP
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Police in Nigeria's largest city used tear gas Friday to try to disperse a crowd of several hundred university students angry at the president's decision to change the name of their school.

20120602
AFP
Egyptian state television will broadcast live the verdict and sentencing on Saturday of ex-president Hosni Mubarak, his sons and security chiefs in a murder and corruption trial, official media reported.

20120602
AFP
Pirates attacked a Greek-owned oil tanker off Nigeria Friday but failed to hijack the ship after the crew hid in a safe room, the International Maritime Bureau said.

20120602
AP
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A private intelligence firm says the Somali militant group al-Shabab has threatened to bring down Kenya's skyscrapers within two weeks, a warning that followed a bomb attack in Nairobi's city center.

20120602
AP
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The politician who led Lesotho for the last 14 years could soon be leading the opposition after his party failed to win a majority in parliament in weekend elections in this mountainous southern African country.

20120601
AFP
South Africa still needs to heal the wounds of apartheid, 18 years on, President Jacob Zuma said Thursday, amid heated debate over free expression sparked by a controversial artwork.

20120601
AFP
Two American tourists kidnapped in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula by Bedouin tribesmen were released on Thursday after less than 24 hours in captivity, security and government officials told AFP.

20120601
AFP
Egypt's decades-old state of emergency came to an end on Thursday as its last renewal expired, the ruling military said, vowing to continue to "protect" the nation.

20120601
AFP
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A private intelligence firm says the Somali militant group al-Shabab has threatened to bring down Kenya's skyscrapers within two weeks, a warning that followed a bomb attack in Nairobi's city center.

20120530
AFP
Top negotiators for Sudan and South Sudan met Tuesday for their first talks since deadly border fighting last month took them to the brink of war, even as Juba accused Khartoum of fresh air strikes.

20120530
AFP
About 1,000 supporters of South Africa's ruling ANC marched on an art gallery Tuesday to protest a painting depicting President Jacob Zuma's genitals.

20120530
AP
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Students at one of Nigeria's oldest universities protested a presidential announcement renaming the school Tuesday, saying that while the institution has been neglected, its name is still a famous brand they want to hang on to.

20120530
AFP
Lesotho's ruling party won the most votes in weekend parliamentary polls but fell short of the required majority to govern alone and will have to form a coalition, final results showed Tuesday.

20120530
AFP
The leaders of Gambia and Mauritania on Tuesday expressed their concern over the deteriorating security situation in the Sahel region as northern Mali remains occupied by Tuareg and Islamist rebels.

20120530
AFP
Nelson Mandela arrived Tuesday at his residence in his childhood village of Qunu after spending several months at his Johannesburg home, the South African presidency said.

20120530
AP
BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau (AP) — Campaign banners from an election that was violently interrupted still hang in the main thoroughfare of this steamy capital, a reminder that a stable government is far from the country's grasp.

20120530
AP
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — An official says FBI agents are assisting Kenyan officials in the investigation into a large explosion in downtown Nairobi.

20120530
AFP
Egypt's Islamist presidential candidate Mohammed Mursi sought on Tuesday to reassure Coptic Christians and women, who fear a conservative Islamist in power could threaten their freedoms.

20120530
AP
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A fertilizer bomb could have caused the blast that ripped through a building full of small shops, an official told The Associated Press on Tuesday as the FBI joined the investigation.