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CAIRO (AP) — Rival Libyan officials on Sunday resumed talks in the Egyptian capital, the latest U.N.-led efforts to agree on constitutional amendments for elections as the North African nation again finds itself at a political impasse.Twelve lawmakers from Libya’s east-based parliament and 11 from the High Council of State, an advisory body from western Libya, were attending the Cairo-hosted talks, said Abdullah Bliheg, the parliament’s spokesman.The U.N. special adviser on Libya, Stephanie Williams, said the talks aim at addressing core challenges — including the political system, eligibility criteria, and a timeline for elections. She advised the attendees that they have until May 28 to come with an agreement.“This session constitutes your last chance to provide a credible response to the expectations of the Libyan people and make concrete progress on these issues,” she said.The first round of the talks

Hundreds of Chadians joined anti-French protests called by the opposition coalition Wakit Tama on Saturday, May 14.
Protesters oppose France’s military presence in the country and support for transitional President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, who has been in power since his father’s death in 2021.
They reportedly attacked “symbols” of their former colonial power, including several Total petrol stations.

The protest was mainly attended by students with many on motocycles and chanting “France get out”.
**”Now France is meddling in politics, we don’t know, now the whole Chadian territory is occupied by the French army. The French army is concerned with the wealth of Chad’s subsoil and not with the well-being of the Chadian people.”**Souleyman Tahir, Protester
Former president, Idriss Déby Itno, headed an authoritarian regime for 30 years and was killed in battle on April 20, 2021, during a rebellion in the north of the country.
Chadian police fired tear gas and used water canon to disperse hundreds of protesters who took to the streets of the capital and other towns in an anti-French protest that saw the destruction of some French-linked businesses.
The protest was called by Chadian civil society coalition Wakit Tamma to denounce France’s backing of the Transitional Military Council that seized power following the battlefield death of President Idriss Deby in April 2021, a spokesman said.
As France’s influence wanes in its former colonies, recent protests in countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have seen calls for increased military ties with Russia instead of France.

The African nation of Liberia, located on the Western Coast of the continent is noted for the Ebola epidemic that severely impacted the country in 2014, as well as a civil war that claimed thousands of lives and displaced millions of people in the 1990s and 2000s. The sorrowful images of disease and war linger…

By TESFA-ALEM TEKLE

Ethiopian authorities on Friday revoked the press credentials of a foreign journalist who had been working for The Economist in the Horn of Africa nation.In a letter issued Friday afternoon and seen by The EastAfrican, the Ethiopian Media Authority (EMA) said it has cancelled media accreditation of Tom Gardner, citing failure to maintain professional ethics and violations of the country’s laws and regulations. It did not gave details of the allegations.“As a professional journalist accredited to work in Ethiopia, you know very well that the condition of your permit is dependent on your strict observation of professional ethics and the rules and the regulations of the country,” it said.“This letter is written to inform you that your accreditation is revoked effective immediately, and you are no longer allowed to work as a journalist in Ethiopia.”EMA said that prior to the decision, the authority had several discussions with the journalist.However, the authority alleged that Mr Gardner failed to live to standards of conduct for journalists.  

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“Despite our repeated discussions, verbal warnings and written reprimands, you have not shown the willingness to correct your mistaken approach,” the letter said.It, however, said The Economist is welcome to appoint an “unbiased and independent” journalist to replace Mr Gardner.A few weeks ago, EMA had issued a warning letter to the journalist after he posted on his private social media that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and TPLF rebel leader Debre Zion Gebre-Michael had a telephone conversation.Authorities warned him to be careful about his reporting, especially on stories that could affect national interest.Since the Tigray conflict broke out in November 2020, the Ethiopian government has been criticised for creating a difficult environment for journalists and dissidents.Journalists have also complained that they have been denied access to war zones where right violations, including massacres, rapes, and other serious crimes, have been reported.The Ethiopian government led by PM Abiy Ahmed, a 2019 Noble Peace Prize winner, has been criticised by several international right groups for using the state of emergency as a tool to arbitrarily detain several journalists to stifle critical reporting and to silence war zone news coverage.The Committee to Protect Journalists’ (CPJ) 2021 prison census ranked Ethiopia as sub-Saharan Africa’s second-worst jailer of journalists.“We are very concerned. This development is the latest sign of Ethiopia’s deteriorating press freedom environment,” CPJ’s Africa Program Coordinator, Angela Quintal, told The EastAfrican on Friday.Since the conflict in Tigray erupted, several Ethiopian journalists and translators working for a range of international media organisation—including to AFP, Nation Media Group, Reuters, the BBC and the Financial Times—have been detained while doing their jobs.Last year Ethiopian authorities also revoked press accreditation of a New York Times reporter.