A United Nations peacekeeper from South Africa was killed in an attack on a helicopter in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Sunday (5 February), just as East African regional leaders have renewed their call for an immediate ceasefire by all sides involved in the bloody conflict. The UN aircraft came under fire during […]
Features
Pope Francis condemns ‘brutal atrocities’, ‘poison of greed’ fueling conflict in DRC
Pope Francis on Wednesday (1 February) slammed “brutal atrocities, which bring shame upon all humanity” and denounced the “poison of greed” for mineral resources driving conflict in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as he began a visit there a day earlier. The 86-year-old Francis is the first pontiff to visit Congo since John Paul II […]
UN experts call for war crimes probe into Wagner group, gov’t forces in Mali
UN experts on Tuesday (31 January) called for an independent investigation into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Russian private military contractor Wagner Group and government forces in Mali. This comes just days after the US formally designated (26 January) Russia’s Kremlin-affiliated Wagner Group as a transnational criminal organization responsible for widespread […]
Africa-China trade in 2022 surges, dwarfing commerce with US
Africa’s bilateral trade with China surged to a record high in 2022, highlighting how Beijing’s commercial influence over the continent continues to dwarf that of the United States. Beijing’s push to promote imports from Africa and rising commodity prices pushed trade up 11% to $282 billion last year. China’s exports to Africa were $164.49 billion, […]
Burkina Faso: dozens of soldiers, civilians killed in jihadist-hit north
At least 28 people, including soldiers and civilians, have been killed in two separate attacks by rebel fighters in northern Burkina Faso, a regional governor and the army said in separate statements. The army said on Monday (30 January) that a combat unit in Falagountou, in the country’s north near its border with Niger, came […]
Namibia rhino poaching surges to record level, blame on cross-border syndicates
The number of endangered rhinos poached in Namibia reached the highest level on record in 2022, as twice as many animals — 87 compared to 45 — were killed in 2021, official government data showed on Monday (30 January). Africa’s rhino population has been decimated over the decades to feed demand for rhino horn, which, […]
Belarusian president visits fellow Russia ally Zimbabwe
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko arrived in Harare to pomp and fanfare on Monday (30 January) for a two-day visit and talks with his Zimbabwean counterpart, Emmerson Mnangagwa, aimed at cementing economic and political ties between the two countries that are both close allies of Russia. Mnangagwa and hundreds of singing and cheering ruling party supporters […]
CHAN: U23 Soccer Team at Airport Awaiting Official Authorization to Take Off to Constantine
The U23 national soccer team is, Friday morning, at the Rabat-Salé airport waiting for the official authorization to take off to Constantine to take part in the African Nations Championship (CHAN), which will be held from January 13 to February 4, 2023. “We are at the airport and we are still waiting for the official […]
South Africa vows to use BRICS chair role to advance African interests
South Africa will use its chairmanship of the BRICS group of leading emerging economies — comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — to focus on advancing African interests, the country’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has said. South Africa has just taken over the chairmanship of the BRICS — a bloc widely seen as an […]
Mali: five people killed in rare attack near capital Bamako
Armed men Monday (2 January) attacked a civil defense post in a small southwest town in Mali in what was a rare attack near the capital Bamako, killing five people, Mali’s security ministry has said. The ministry said in a statement Tuesday (3 January) the unidentified armed individuals attacked the defense post in the town […]









