Residents of Mayotte were jolted from sleep early Wednesday by yet another earthquake – this time, the strongest to affect the Indian Ocean island nation since July 5. The United States Geological Survey reports the 4.7-magnitude quake came at 2:37 a.m. local time, some 10 kilometers from Pamandzi on the…
Officials in the Comoros said Tuesday that a constitutional referendum that would allow current President Azali Assoumani to extend his term has passed with an overwhelming 93 percent of the vote. The provisional results released by the country’s electoral commission showed 170,240 votes in favor of the measure, which would…
Officials in the Comoros said they’re still tallying the results of a divisive referendum that would allow current President Azali Assoumani to extend his term in the Indian Ocean island nation. Interior Minister Mohamed Daoud said late Monday that 63 percent of voters participated across the three islands, with an…
It was June 14 when officials in Mayotte opened up a psychological support services unit, designed to help residents deal with the stress of hundreds of earthquakes they’ve experienced as part of the ongoing seismic activity the Indian Ocean island nation has endured for weeks. The situation has “caused concerned…
Officials in Mayotte have opened up a psychological support services unit to help residents deal with the stress of hundreds of earthquakes they’ve experienced as part of the ongoing seismic activity the Indian Ocean island nation has endured for weeks. The earthquake swarm that began May 10 shows no signs…
The weeks-long earthquake swarm in Mayotte continues, as a new team of seismic experts arrives Monday to begin estimates on the vulnerability of buildings and assess the level of damage on the Indian Ocean island nation. The French territory is home to about a quarter million people, historically and culturally…
A team of French government specialists in seismology and civil security arrives in Mayotte on Friday, as the small Indian Ocean island continues to experience the jolting of an earthquake swarm that began on May 10. Their arrival follows a request for support from Dominique Sorain, the new prefect for…
The small Indian Ocean island of Mayotte continues to experience an earthquake swarm that began on May 10, according to BRGM Mayotte, the France-based geological agency serving the territory. Schools in some parts of the island have now been temporarily closed as a precaution. Several hundred earthquakes have been recorded…
The small Indian Ocean island of Mayotte has experienced an earthquake swarm since last week, according to BRGM Mayotte, the France-based geological agency serving the territory – and the swarm is consistent with seismic activity last seen in the 1980s. In a statement Monday, the BRGM said Mahorans began feeling…
Africa’s island nations in the Indian Ocean are increasingly vulnerable to natural disaster and need to urgently make a priority of their community resilience and preparedness, says the head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). “The devastating humanitarian and economic impact of natural disasters…
This weekend’s South African Development Community summit in Pretoria began Friday evening with the six Double Troika nations meeting to discuss political and security issues. The six countries – Tanzania, Angola, Mozambique, Swaziland and Botswana, as well as host South Africa – planned to discuss the situation in Democratic Republic…
The nation of Chad has recalled its ambassador from Qatar, the latest African nation to distance itself from the small Arabian Gulf state following Bahrain’s severing of ties with Qatar over terrorism. Chad’s foreign ministry confirmed its decision in a statement Thursday, according to Reuters. Bahrain, immediately followed by Saudi…
Guinea Bissau President José Mário Vaz stepped aboard the ship Esperanza on Tuesday to hear reports from his nation’s Fisheries Surveillance Department (FISCAP) on their joint illegal fishing patrols with the Greenpeace vessel. Guinea Bissau authorities working with the international environmental organization told the president that just in the past…
Six African island nations will get economic development support designed to help make their agriculture more resilient to climate impacts, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization said Thursday. Farmers in Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome and Principe – as well as Mauritius, Comoros, and Seychelles – will benefit from shared…