Africa

A Ugandan university student who mysteriously went missing two months ago after posting a TikTok video that harshly criticised President Yoweri Museveni’s leadership has been jailed. Elson Tumwine disappeared on 8 June – sparking accusations from opposition figures and activists that he had been abducted and illegally detained by military …

BBC John Henry Smythe known as Johnny in his in RAF uniform A blue plaque has been unveiled to commemorate a war hero and to mark his legacy. John Henry Smythe, known as Johnny left Sierra Leone to join the RAF in 1941, then he became one of Britain’s first …

Members of Nigeria’s national female basketball team are to receive a cash reward of $100,000 (£75,000) each following their victory at the Fiba Women’s AfroBasket Championship over the weekend in Ivory Coast. At a special reception held in honour of the team, known as D’Tigress, Vice-President Kashim Shettima also promised …

Fiona Callow BBC News, Yorkshire Craig Hawkhead Photography Peace Lekuru moved from Uganda to Yorkshire to join York Valkyrie A female rugby player has made history as the first Ugandan national to sign for a women’s super league side. Peace Lekuru, 25, made the trip to North Yorkshire from Uganda …

Masaka’s position as an East African trailblazer in English football has increased her profile back in her homeland, something she is keen to capitalise on to promote the women’s game. “I inspire many players, many young girls now because this level I reached is very high, [a] big step for …

A white South African farmer and his two employees accused of shooting dead two black women and feeding their bodies to pigs are due to go on trial for their murders. Maria Makgato, 45, and Lucia Ndlovu, 34, were allegedly looking for food on the farm near Polokwane in South …

The UN’s main food agency has warned that families trapped within the besieged Sudanese city of el-Fasher face starvation. The World Food Programme (WFP) said it had not been able to deliver food to the city in the western Darfur region by road for more than a year. El-Fasher has …

More than 50 migrants died when a boat carrying around 150 people sank off the coast of Yemen in bad weather on Sunday. The vessel capsized off Yemen’s southern province of Abyan, with only 10 people rescued and dozens still missing, according to local authorities. Many of the victims are …

Megha Mohan Gender and identity correspondent, BBC World Service Getty Images During a meeting at her office in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, 24-year-old Faith suddenly became nervous – reluctant to be perceived as difficult in a part of the world that does not like opinionated young women. It had started …

A former prime minister of Mali, which is now under military rule, has been charged with undermining the credibility of the state over comments on social media. After a prison visit to see detained opposition figures in July, Moussa Mara declared on X his “unwavering solidarity with prisoners of conscience”. …

South African scientists have launched an anti-poaching campaign in which rhino’s horns will be injected with a radioactive material. The group, from the University of the Witwatersrand, said the process is harmless to rhinos but will allow customs officers to detect smuggled horns as they’re transported across the world. South …

South African products exported to the US will face a 30% tariff from 7 August, President Donald Trump has announced. South Africa is the only country from sub-Saharan Africa singled out in the announcement, reflecting Trump’s strained relationship with Cyril Ramaphosa’s government. Other southern African nations, including Lesotho and Zimbabwe, …

A selection of the week’s best photos from across the African continent and beyond: FAREED KOTB / ANADOLU / GETTY IMAGES Bathers float on salt lakes in the Siwa Oasis, north-western Egypt, on Monday. TAHSIN CEYLAN / ANADOLU / GETTY IMAGES Further east the next day, bioluminescence is captured underwater …

Getty Images Military planes have been used to fly migrants from the US, including to Honduras in January The US administration has turned to the African continent as another destination to deport migrants who it says are convicted criminals. While dozens have been flown to countries in Central and South …

Barcelona players will have “DR Congo – Heart of Africa” emblazoned on the back of their training shirts from the start of next season, after the top Spanish football team agreed on a four-year deal with the central African country. The partnership will reportedly cost the Democratic Republic of Congo …

A storm is brewing in Kenya over the latest proposals to control the sale and consumption of alcohol, including raising the minimum drinking age from 18 to 21. The sweeping proposed rules, unveiled on Wednesday, include a ban on purchasing alcohol in supermarkets, restaurants and on public transport. The online …

Anne Soy BBC News in Gwoza Kyla Herrmannsen / BBC This is the last handout of food to the many thousands sheltering from Boko Haram in Gwoza Drastic cuts to humanitarian aid in north-eastern Nigeria could prove a boon to one of the world’s most deadly militant groups, Boko Haram, …

EPA These are the most widespread wave of protests the country has witnessed in recent years. At least 22 people, including a police officer, have been killed and 200 others injured in protests against a rise in the price of fuel that began on Monday, Interior Minister Manuel Homem has …

In Nigeria’s northern Kano State, an unusual form of football is challenging perceptions and changing lives. Many of those who play skate soccer were once beggars, but have now been given a chance to shine on the pitch and support their families. But challenges remain. BBC Sport Africa went to …

Tanzania has barred foreign nationals from owning and operating mainly small-scale businesses, sparking concern and a backlash from neighbouring Kenya. The new directive prohibits them from 15 sectors including mobile money transfers, tour guiding, small-scale mining, on-farm crop buying, beauty salons, curio shops and establishing radio and TV operations. Trade …