Africa

An Afrikaner lobby group is holding a vigil on Saturday with thousands of white crosses on Washington’s National Mall to commemorate what it says are victims of “farm attacks”. Claims of genocide against white South Africans have been discredited by every political party in the country, including by those representing …

Internet and call services have been disrupted in Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray after fighting broke out this week between regional forces and the national army. Services provided by state-owned telecoms operator Ethio Telecom have been completely cut, although those from the much smaller private firm Safaricom remain operational. Internet …

A resident of Mekelle, the capital of Ethiopia’s Tigray region, says that the atmosphere is calm but people are very stressed after fighting broke out between government troops and the party that controls the region on Wednesday, raising fears of a return to full-scale civil war. He says that many …

Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote, Ethiopia and Djibouti have agreed to develop a $660m (£500m) petroleum pipeline and storage project linking the two countries. The project will include a 120km- (75 mile-) pipeline connecting Djibouti’s Damerjog port to a distribution facility in Dewele, Ethiopia, as well as storage capacity of about …

The scientists collaborated with the conservation charity the Mount Elgon Foundation, external. They interviewed local people, including wildlife scouts and community elders. Accounts described elephants selecting particular plants when they seemed unwell, and mothers reportedly giving medicinal plant material to their calves. From this, the researchers concluded that the elephants …

A humanitarian source in Afar told AFP news agency on Thursday that Tigrayan forces had launched heavy artillery attacks as they attempted to take control of the town of Yallo, near the border with Tigray. “We are in the situation of full-blown war now,” TPLF vice-president Amanuel Assefa is quoted …

Elsewhere, Eritrea are back in the group stage of Afcon qualifiers – for the first time since the build-up to the 2008 edition – after seeing off Eswatini 4-1 on aggregate in the preliminary round in March. Chad, Djibouti, Mauritius, Sao Tome and Principe and Seychelles are the other five …

The UK is reviewing its deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, the defence secretary has said, after US President Donald Trump called it “terrible” at the UN General Assembly. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said “we have to” review the deal “because the United States doesn’t support it”. …

South Sudan President Salva Kiir has dissolved the transitional government, three months before the country’s first election since its independence in 2011. The country has previously postponed elections twice and extended the transitional period several times. Under the amended law, signed on Monday, Kiir removed the country’s five vice-presidents and …

The flight suspension follows a series of reported drone strikes in Tigray. On Tuesday, a strike in the southern town of Alamata killed at least 14 people and injured 22 others, according to the Tigrayan authorities. The town’s mayor, Mogos Shiferaw, told the BBC that more than five drones and …

Yet, alongside the failure to reach the past two men’s World Cups, concerns over deteriorating infrastructure and inadequate investment have become recurring themes in discussions about the state of the Nigerian game. Across Africa, meanwhile, other nations have continued to invest in hosting major competitions. Senegal will be the venue …

At least 11 people have been killed in a mass shooting in a residential building near the South African city of Durban. Gunmen stormed a house in the KwaMakhutha township late on Tuesday and opened fire on 14 people. Ten were killed at the scene and four were taken to …

Disillusioned young voters in Morocco were courted with viral football slogans, promises of one million jobs and anti-Israel rallying calls ahead of Wednesday’s parliamentary elections. Yet, for many young Moroccans, politics remains deeply disconnected from reality. “I have no hope for this election. I’m ashamed of our political scene. It’s …

Usman Muhammad pauses by the entrance to a tiny Nigerian prison cell and leans his forehead against the wall unable to speak. The day before he had been trapped inside the stifling room, measuring roughly 6m (19.7ft) by 3m (9.8ft), with more than 50 other prisoners. Thirty-three of his cellmates …

One of South Africa’s highest ranking police officers has been charged with sexual offences at a brief appearance at a court north-west of Johannesburg. The charges relate to allegations that Lt Gen Shadrack Sibiya sexually groomed a 16-year-old girl and raped an 18-year-old woman. He is also facing a charge …

British journalist Mark Doyle, best known for his reporting on conflicts in Africa in the 1990s and 2000s, has died after a short illness. After living in Africa, he joined the BBC in 1986. Doyle became East Africa correspondent in 1993 and made his mark covering the Rwandan genocide a …

A species of lemur known for its song appears to use a similar technique to opera singers, researchers have found. Scientists from the University of Warwick, the University of Turin and the indri lemurs’ home nation Madagascar have spent a number of years watching the species. They have produced a …

Three suspects have been detained in South Africa in connection with the murder of a woman in an area east of Johannesburg – the last of nine recent cases in that region that has shone a spotlight on the level of violence against women in the country. Under pressure to …

Runners gathered in South Africa to pay tribute to Elizabeth Moselakgomo after her body was found east of Johannesburg. She is one of nine women found in the Kempton Park area, since July. The jogger, known as “Tsontso”, went missing during a routine run. Runners organised an event in city …

Lebogang Ramofoko, an advocate for gender and social justice, said the levels of violence against women in the country were symptomatic of a much bigger problem – a lack of regard for humanity. “The bodies of black women have been treated as disposable in this country for time in memorial, …