African Briefs ... DR Congo probes death of army military spy chief

KINSHASA — The army in the Democratic Republic of Congo is investigating the death of its head of intelligence. Delphin Kahimbi was found dead at his home in the capital, Kinshasa, on Friday, the day he was meant to appear before the country's security council.

He was to answer charges that he was involved in a plot to destabilise president Félix Tshisekedi. General Kahimbi was on a European Union sanctions list for alleged human rights violations and hindering the democratic process. Tshisekedi took over from Joseph Kabila in January last year, the first peaceful transfer of power in the country in nearly 60 years – though many disputed the election result. Kabila remains politically powerful and his party is in a coalition government with Tshisekedi's party. Kahimbi was undoubtedly one of the most powerful figures during Kabila's time in power.

Mozambique probes beheadings by suspected jihadists

MAPUTO — Mozambican police on Saturday were investigating the deaths of two young men found beheaded in a northern province prone to jihadist attacks. Shadowy attacks blamed on Islamists have hit the gas-rich Cabo Delgado province for two-and-a-half years, claiming more than 700 lives. At least 100 000 people have been displaced by the violence, according to the United Nations and humanitarian agencies. The two headless corpses were found last Sunday in a road in Pemba, the capital of Cabo Delgado, a local resident told AFP. It was the first such attack in the city and in the province's south. Jihadist violence has so far been confined to the northern areas. The police confirmed the two deaths but did not give any details. “We collected the bodies for the morgue. We are working with forensic medicine to clarify the case,” said local police spokesperson Augusto Guta.

Nigeria confirms first case in sub-Saharan Africa

LAGOS — The first case of the coronavirus in sub-Saharan Africa has been confirmed in Nigeria. The patient is an Italian citizen who works in Nigeria and flew into the commercial city of Lagos from Milan on 25 February. Authorities say he is stable with no serious symptoms and is being treated at a hospital in the city. Elsewhere on the continent, Algeria and Egypt have also confirmed cases of the disease. The World Health Organisation had warned that Africa's “fragile health systems” meant the threat posed by the virus was “considerable”. Meanwhile, South Africa's health ministry has announced that two nationals aboard a cruise ship docked in Japan have tested positive for the virus. In Kenya, the high court has ordered the temporary suspension of flights from China following a petition by the Law Society of Kenya.

President Condé postpones controversial referendum

CONAKRY — Guinea's president yesterday postponed a controversial referendum on changing the constitution that, if passed, could allow him to seek a third term. Alpha Condé (81) said the “slight postponement” was because the opposition say officials have tampered with the electoral register. The announcement comes amid mounting international concern about the fairness of the poll. There have been months of often violent demonstrations against the vote. At least 30 people have been killed in the protests since October. The African Union and the regional bloc, Ecowas, said they were not sending election observers to the mineral-rich West African nation. An estimated 7,7 million registered voters were also due to elect members of parliament yesterday. A grouping of French-speaking nations said there were problems identifying around 2,5 million names listed on the electoral roll.

– Nampa-AFP-BBC News