Africa

Defending champions Nigeria face a reunion with Zambia while Morocco have been handed a North African derby in the group draw for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon). The Super Falcons thrashed Zambia 5-0 on the way to beating Morocco 2-1 in the final in Rabat and claiming …

Ugandans are voting in an election which sees President Yoweri Museveni taking on a charismatic pop star in a bid to prolong his 40-year rule. The poll is essentially a two-horse race between Museveni and singer-turned-politician Bobi Wine, but given the president has won the six previous elections, analysts say …

Reuters Somali women protest in Mogadishu on 7 January during a demonstration against what they describe as Israel’s interference in Somalia’s sovereignty For weeks, Somalia has been engaged in intense diplomatic efforts to rally international support after Israel recognised its breakaway region of Somaliland as an independent state. Through diplomatic …

The head of Uganda’s electoral body says he has received threats warning him against declaring certain presidential candidates the winners of Thursday’s election. Simon Byabakama said he would not be intimidated by such threats from senior state officials, whom he did not name. He was responding to a BBC question …

APP/NurPhoto via Getty Images Across North Africa, the Amazigh people have been coming together to usher in the year 2976. They have, unfortunately, not cracked time travel. Rather, they are almost a thousand years ahead of much of the world because they follow a calendar that starts at 950 BC, …

More than 200 suspected members of an armed criminal gang in central Nigeria have been killed in an ongoing operation, an official has told the BBC. The large-scale, multi-agency offensive started on Saturday and had also led to arrests, the media officer for the Kogi state government said – without …

Uganda’s communications authority has told all service providers to suspend internet access ahead of Thursday’s general election. It justified the decision on the grounds of public safety to prevent “online misinformation, disinformation [and] electoral fraud… as well as preventing [the] incitement of violence”. Earlier this month, the Uganda Communications Commission …

Sammy AwamiBBC Africa, Kampala AFP via Getty Images Backers of Yoweri Museveni are hoping for a seventh successive election victory Whether decked in the bright yellow of the ruling party or donning the revolutionary red of the main opposition, young people are dominant among the foot soldiers of Uganda’s election …

SABC Carolina Cecilia Chirindza and Rosita were lifted to safety by a South African helicopter helping recovery operations She was seen as a “miracle baby” after being born in a tree which her mother had climbed to escape flooding, but nearly 26 years on Mozambican Rosita Salvador Mabuiango has died …

Nigerian artists secured a string of victories at the 9th All Africa Music Awards (Afrima), which concluded in Lagos on Sunday night. Global superstar Burna Boy claimed the prestigious Album of the Year award for his latest work No Sign of Weakness. He also shared the award for Best African …

AFP via Getty Images Ugandans under the age of 40 – and that is more than three-quarters of the population – have only known one president. Yoweri Museveni seized the top job in 1986 following an armed uprising and at the age of 81, he shows no signs of budging. …

Cameroon forward Bryan Mbeumo says their first-half performance let them down in their quarter-final defeat by hosts Morocco at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), leaving him “really sad” about the manner of his country’s exit from the tournament. The Indomitable Lions went down 2-0 at the Prince Moulay …

A project in South Africa is putting radioactive material in rhino horns to make it harder to smuggle them over borders. BBC News

US President Donald Trump has warned that he could order more airstrikes on Nigeria if Christians continue to be killed in the West African nation. In a wide-ranging interview with the New York Times, Trump was asked whether the Christmas Day strikes in Nigeria’s northern Sokoto state, targeting Islamist militants, …

Getty Images As Ugandans go to the polls next week they are faced with a choice of propelling a leader into his fifth decade in power or backing a candidate seeking to capitalise on the desire for change from some quarters. President Yoweri Museveni, 81, in office since 1986, is …

Law Officers’ Department The Royal Court found the funds were “more likely than not” proceeds from a corrupt scheme More than $9.5m (£7m) from “tainted property” held in a Jersey bank account is to be returned to the Government of Nigeria to support an infrastructure project. His Majesty’s Attorney General …

The Egyptian Tennis Federation confirmed to the BBC Abdelkader has never been registered as an Egyptian player and had not been entered into the tournament on Egypt’s behalf. Egyptian Tennis Federation technical director Dia Nabil Loutfy said: “We would like to clarify that she is not registered with the Egyptian …

One of Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s toddler twins has died, her family has confirmed. An official family statement said that 21-month-old boy Nkanu Nnamdi, who the novelist had with her husband Dr Ivara Esege, died on Wednesday after a brief illness. Issued on behalf of the family by Omawumi …

The US has suspended all assistance to the government of Somalia, alleging that officials destroyed a UN World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse and seized “donor-funded food aid”. “The Trump administration has a zero-tolerance policy for waste, theft, and diversion of life-saving assistance,” said a US State Department statement on X. …

A Nigerian court has granted bail to the country’s former attorney general, Abubakar Malami, along with his wife and son, who are facing money laundering charges. Malami, 58, was one of the most influential figures in the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari between 2015 and 2023. He was charged …