Southern Africa has been hit by flooding that has left dozens dead across the region in the wake of Tropical Storm Ana. Madagascar has seen at least 41 deaths and 100,000 people have been forced to flee their homes to makeshift shelters. In Malawi, at least 19 people have died. The country has suffered a […]
Burkina Faso coup d’état 2022 Trained by the US and France in warfare, the young Lt-Col Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba turned on his political masters in Burkina Faso by seizing power in a coup. He anointed himself president just three weeks after celebrating his 41st birthday, making him the latest man in camouflage to overthrow […]
Heavy gunfire has been heard at several barracks in Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou, and at a nearby air base. The government has denied reports of a coup or that President Roch Kaboré has been detained. The defence minister said the crisis had been contained, though there was still shooting at some barracks. The government has […]
By Ferdinand Omondi BBC News, Yala, Kenya “I have just seen my brother’s face. Our faces are alike, even the mouth. I have also seen the legs, those are my brother’s. I have no doubt it’s him.” A distressed Irene Waheto has just stepped out of the hospital mortuary in Yala, western Kenya. At least […]
At least 17 people have been killed in a huge explosion near a mining town in western Ghana, officials say. Police say a vehicle carrying mining explosives collided with a motorcycle near the town of Bogoso. Images shared by local media showed a large plume of black smoke rising above destroyed buildings and scattered debris […]
By Emmanuel Igunza BBC News, central Kenya Kenya’s avocado sector has become so lucrative that organised criminal gangs have begun to target growers. This is because the fruit from just one tree can pay for the private education of a secondary school student for a whole year – up to $600 (£450). With the demand […]
In our series of letters from African journalists, Ghanaian writer Elizabeth Ohene considers what would have happened following Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s death had he been from her country. If ever there was someone who deserved the adjective “world-famous” it was Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu. When he died, it was agreed that the world had a […]
Six of Seychelles’ most prominent citizens including the former First Lady are facing charges in a corruption scandal involving $50m (£37m) of missing foreign aid which has delighted some islanders but courted danger for others, as Patrick Muirhead reports. Derrick Labrosse, a 25-year-old fisherman, mends his traps before placing them carefully in his little […]
By Patience Atuhaire BBC News, Kampala Children in Uganda have expressed their joy at finally returning to school nearly two years after they were closed because of Covid. “I am really excited because it’s been a long time without seeing our teachers. And we have missed out a lot,” Joel Tumusiime told the BBC. “I […]
A man who allegedly set fire to South Africa’s parliament was caught with explosives, prosecutors say. Zandile Christmas Mafe is facing five charges – including two counts of arson – following the blaze which began tearing its way through the historic Cape Town building on Sunday. The 49-year-old has denied all charges, and his lawyer […]
