February
The catastrophic war no one is talking about
Sudan’s vicious civil war is nearly two years old. Over 150,000 people are dead, and 12 million displaced, in the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis.
African leaders push for ceasefire in stricken Congo
The government has previously refused to negotiate. But with rebels seizing another major town, a deal is the only way to prevent more deaths.
September 2024
A genocide is under way in Sudan yet the world is silent
When an Arab militia rampaged through Maryam Suleiman’s village in the Darfur region of Sudan last year, “so many men were killed, like grains of sand”.
No one is talking about the world’s worst humanitarian crisis
Sudan’s catastrophic war could kill millions and spread chaos across Africa and the Middle East as huge numbers of refugees flee the country.
August 2024
As the world looks elsewhere, famine descends on Darfur
Conflicts in the Gaza Strip and Ukraine have attracted international attention while children die unnecessarily in Sudan.
June 2024
South Africa’s post-apartheid reckoning
The country that heroically freed itself of the colonial legacy of white minority rule in 1994 is now facing a political crossroads after Wednesday’s election.
Jacob Zuma the disruptor has South Africa’s fate in his hands
Six years after being pushed from office, the former prime minister successfully upstaged his successor Cyril Ramaphosa in national elections this week.
Party that freed South Africa from apartheid loses 30-year majority
With more than 99 per cent of votes counted, the once-dominant ANC had received just over 40 per cent in parliamentary elections – well short of the majority it held.
May 2024
Nelson Mandela’s party set to lose majority in seismic election
South African voters have watched the economy stagnate over the past decade, while unemployment and poverty have climbed and infrastructure has crumbled.
April 2024
The rare earths mine becoming a bellwether for US minerals policy
China is home to 70 per cent of rare earths mining and 90 per cent of processing capacity. Tackling this dominance has become one of Washington’s strategic priorities.
‘Hardest Geezer’ finishes 16,300km run across 16 countries in 352 days
Briton Russ Cook had hoped to jog the length of Africa in 240 days, the equivalent of more than a marathon every day. Sandstorms and robberies intervened.
December 2023
Meet the man who conned the world
Long before Nigerian princes became a fixture of email inboxes, John Ackah Blay-Miezah spun a web of lies that promised untold riches from Ghana’s colonial past.
Former Credit Suisse CEO seeks Ivory Coast presidency
Former Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam, who was forced out of the bank after an espionage scandal, has won a bid to lead the Ivorian opposition party.
OPEC member quits amid production disagreement
Angola says it will leave OPEC, in a blow to the Saudi-led oil producer group that has sought output cuts to prop up oil prices.
September 2023
Disastrous floods a rallying cry for divided Libya
The Derna dam tragedy has ramped up pressure on the country’s leading politicians, viewed by some as the architects of the catastrophe.
Rescuers race to find survivors over 48 hours after Morocco quake
Search teams from Spain and Britain are joining efforts to find survivors of the 6.8-magnitude quake that struck 72 kilometres south-west of Marrakech.
August 2023
A private jet loaded with fake gold sparks international mystery
When Zambian officials discovered millions of dollars of cash, weapons and hundreds of bars of gold in a Bombardier jet, the haul stirred wild speculation in Egypt and Zambia.
July 2023
Head of presidential guard claims power in Niger coup
The coup brings concerns that Niger, which hosts American and French troops, may move closer to Russia.
They saved elephants in Zambia - but at what cost?
Bestselling author Delia Owens and her husband helped save African wildlife but cost communities the way of life they had practised for generations.
April 2023
US, France evacuate embassy staff in embattled Sudan
The moves came on the eighth day of brutal fighting in Sudan between the army and a paramilitary group that has left more than 400 people dead.
Civilian death toll climbs as Sudan battles intensify
Since fighting erupted on Saturday, 97 civilians have been killed and hundreds have been wounded, said the Sudan Doctors’ Syndicate, a pro-democracy group monitoring casualties.
March 2023
Ramaphosa revamps cabinet as power crisis deepens
With elections scheduled for next year, the South African president needs to improve his administration’s response to rolling blackouts and rampant unemployment.
Scandal at South Africa’s Eskom: the CEO and the cyanide-laced coffee
The poisoning of André de Ruyter is a dramatic example of how organised crime cartels have seeped into the country’s state, bringing it to the brink.
January 2023
Eskom boss told police he survived murder attempt
Eskom’s crisis is seen as the single-biggest threat to the South African economy and to the ANC’s decades-long grip on power ahead of national elections next year.
December 2022
South Africa’s president refuses to quit over cash-in-sofa scandal
Cyril Ramaphosa’s reputation as a reformer has been damaged after he came to power in 2018 on a pledge to restore clean government following years of looting.