Africa News Feed

Fans in Cameroon want a statue built for Michaely Bihina after she made four penalty saves against Morocco to help Cameroon reach the 2026 Wafcon final.

The electoral commission said violence had “resulted in the theft of marked ballot papers”.

Sisters Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga are the undoubted stars of Malawi’s unexpected run to the final of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

Chad’s President Mahamat Idriss Déby on Friday pardoned the jailed ex-prime minister and leader of Chad’s main opposition party Succès Masra, along with eight other party leaders. Masra had been serving a 20-year sentence, convicted of hate speech, xenophobia and inciting a massacre, in what Human Rights Watch called a politically motivated trial.

Zambia’s electoral commission on Friday suspended vote counting from Thursday’s presidential and parliamentary elections for at least 24 hours due to “violence targeted at poll staff” and reported instances of theft of marked ballot papers. Former minister Brian Mundubile, the main challenger to President Hakainde Hichilema, claimed a first-round victory and said his camp viewed “the continued delay … with grave concern”.

It paves the way for the release of Succès Masra from prison where he had been sentenced to 20 years.

In Zimbabwe, hundreds of people have attended a memorial service following a ferry disaster on Lake Kariba that claimed at least 46 lives. The boat was a vital link for villagers and fish traders around the vast lake, but was reportedly overloaded when it ran into trouble on Tuesday. Laurent Berstecher has the details.

Kevin Rideout, who was kidnapped outside his home in the capital last October, is now with US officials.

South Africa and Ghana progress to an inter-confederation qualifier for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, but Nigeria will miss the tournament for the first time.

In tonight’s programme: Mourners gather in memory of the 44 people killed in Tuesday’s ferry accident on Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba. Also, ballot counting has started in Zambia, where President Hakainde Hichilema is expected to win a second term. Finally, researchers believe that the rising cost of living and changing societal expectations is behind a marked drop in birthrates across North African countries.

France is yet to comment on Yann Vezilier’s pardon and previously called the accusations “unfounded”.

Mali President Assimi Goïta on Thursday pardoned a French ​national who had been sentenced to 20 years in prison. Last year, Mali’s military-led government accused Yann ​Vézilier, an official from the French embassy, of being involved in a plot ​to destabilise the West ‌African country. 

Rights groups have long raised concerns about alleged human rights violations in Ngorongoro.

Zambians vote Thursday in a general election widely expected to give President Hakainde Hichilema a second term, as his economic record faces a test from voters frustrated by the cost of living and opposition parties seek to capitalise on discontent despite deep divisions.

Cameroon’s Michaely Bihina saves an extra-time penalty and three more spot kicks in a shootout to send her side though to the 2026 Wafcon final at the expense of host nation Morocco.

Malawi’s fairy tale run at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations goes on as sisters Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga share three goals in a 3-1 semi-final win over Algeria.

The musician shares the personal stories behind her third album, and the time she teased a legend.

Some see them as sinister or hunt them for ritual use but these birds play a vital role in nature’s cycle.

Across parts of Africa, millions lifted their eyes skywards this Wednesday to observe a rare celestial event: a partial solar eclipse. Also, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema hopes for a second term in Thursday’s elections. Hs main rival says it’s been a tough campaign, in part because of deliberate obstruction from the government. Finally, Nigerian drivers are increasingly turning to electric vehicles as the country grapples with a decades-long fuel crisis, but challenges remain.

Meet Evelyn Okafor – a four-time Nigerian champion, three-time African champion, and the first African woman to qualify for the World Freestyle Football Championship.

The Libyan National Army, which controls the east and parts of southern Libya, said Tuesday that a car bomb killed its military intelligence chief Fawzi al-Mansouri in Benghazi. The assassination raises fresh questions over security in the stronghold of military commander Khalifa Haftar as efforts continue to reunify the divided country.

In tonight’s programme: Nigerian returnees are trying to forget the trauma they experienced during months of xenophobic protests in South Africa that have frayed diplomatic ties between the two African powerhouses. Also, Chad says teaming up with General Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army has made the country’s shared border safer. Finally, Liberia has got a new drug enforcement tsar as the country levels up its crackdown on drugs, weeks after two record-breaking cocaine busts.

At least 2,000 people have died in Congo’s Ebola outbreak – the fastest-growing on record, according to the latest data – as health authorities struggle to get help to remote localities due to rebel conflict, bad roads and work stoppages over payment issues.

Hakainde Hichilema was a shoo-in for a second term but the controversy following Edgar Lungu’s death has dented his chances.

The World Health Organization says that sequencing shows the fast-moving Ebola outbreak in DR Congo started about three months before the emergency was officially declared in May. Also, it’s crunch week for Zambia as voters gear up for presidential elections. Plus a Rwandan mine has become one of the US’s main suppliers of tungsten, a metal critical to the defence industry.

Kenya submits a bid to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships as it seeks to become the first African nation to stage the flagship event.

Nigeria must go “back to the drawing board” after missing out on automatic qualification for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, says keeper Chiamaka Nnadozie.

Born barely five years ago in Yopougon – the poorest, but also the liveliest area of Ivory Coast’s economic capital Abidjan – Biama has got the whole of Ivorian youth dancing. Faster than coupé-décalé, this newer musical and choreographic genre borrows many of its codes. But unlike its older sibling, which is associated with trendy nightclubs, biama is danced in the streets and on social media, making it easily accessible to its young, working-class audience.

Frans Mathipa was shot while driving – we got access to the prosecution case against eight accused men.

Algeria, Morocco, Cameroon and Malawi all qualify for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil by reaching the semi-finals of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

In Nigeria, people rescued this week after being held captive by jihadists are speaking out about their ordeal. On Thursday, security forces freed 308 people who had been abducted six months ago in two separate locations in the country’s northwest. The government described it as the largest single-day rescue operation in the country’s history.

The scheme is for couples who cannot afford the significant financial costs associated with marriage.

Newcastle United forward Yoane Wissa scores twice in a 2-1 win against Valencia in Matthias Jaissle’s first game in charge – but how did the Magpies players perform?

In recent years, Lake Baringo in Kenya’s Rift Valley has risen to levels not seen in decades. Scientists say extreme rainfall linked to climate change is behind the surge, submerging communities and bringing dangerous wildlife closer to people, with attacks on the rise. Laurent Berstecher has more.

In tonight’s programme: A grim new milestone is marked in the fast-growing Ebola outbreak in DR Congo as cases surpass 4,000. Also, low rainfall and failing pipes leave taps dry in Gabon’s capital Libreville. Finally, rising water levels at Lake Baringo in Kenya push communities into closer contact with crocodiles, leading to increased attacks.

Premier League newcomers Coventry City have completed the club-record signing of Ghana midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi.

Sharon Gaffney is pleased to welcome Heather Kerr, Country Director for Congo at the International Rescue Committee. The current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is unprecedented, not simply because of its scale, but because it spread undetected for months before it was correctly identified. According to Kerr, the response has been hindered by delayed diagnosis, the complexity of distinguishing this Bundibugyo strain from other common illnesses, and the immense operational challenges of working in an active conflict zone.

In his Lagos studio, Nigerian artist Emmanuel Olatunde is transforming the way portraits are painted, using clay sourced from the earth beneath his feet. The 39-year-old artist has developed a unique technique that turns natural clay into paint, using his background in science and his passion for art.

South Africa’s textile industry is facing a workforce crisis after thousands of migrant workers fled the country in the past few months, in the wake of violent xenophobic protests. The campaign led by anti-immigrant group March and March sought to free up jobs for South Africans, one-third of whom are unemployed. But factory owners in Newcastle on say they have yet to fill vacancies left by foreign workers who fled.