By Rédaction Africanews with AFP Azeez Akanni wipes sweat from his face as he squeezes into a crowded yellow bus heading to the busy business district of Lagos. The 32-year-old fashion designer spends his days moving across the city, delivering luxury clothes and shoes to clients. However, lately, the journey has become even harder. “The sun is too hot,” he says, pressed between two equally exhausted passengers. Across Nigeria, millions of people are battling a heatwave that is making daily life unbearable. Temperatures are not new here. But officials say the heat is getting worse. The country’s weather agency warns that recent…
Author: Montage Africa
Police in Ethiopia have arrested a man accused of being at the centre of a multi-million-dollar international human trafficking ring that since 2018 has lured thousands of people to Libya, where they hoped to travel on to Europe. Yetbarek Dawit is alleged to have operated five detention warehouses in Libya, torturing migrants there to try and force their relatives to send extra money. He was detained along with nine of his alleged accomplices in northern town of Shire, according to police. They are yet to be charged in court. Police say testimonies collected so far suggest the network has been…
An opinion article by Dr. Olive Shisana, Hon Professor, and Mr. Elhadj As Sy. Africa is entering a unique period in its history, one that requires more than a shift in donor models. It demands a new political order in global health, one that confronts how power is exercised and by whom. Global health has been treated primarily as a financing pain point rather than a health challenge: something to be addressed with more aid, more external support, and more donor-driven programs. However, as revealed during the Global Health Reform – Africa Regional Dialogue, Africa does not suffer from a…
By Africanews with AFP Nearly 5,000 white Afrikaners have entered the United States under a programme launched by President Donald Trump nearly a year ago based on unfounded claims that the South African minority faces persecution, a document seen by AFP on Wednesday showed. The Trump administration has essentially ended refugee admissions as part of a crackdown on immigration but made an exception for South Africa’s white Afrikaans community, descendants of the first European settlers. All of 4,499 people listed as resettled across 48 US states between October 1 last year and March 31 this year were South Africans except…
At the end of March, India delivered a consignment of 1,000 metric tonnes of rice to Burkina Faso to support its humanitarian efforts. This story is written and edited by Global South World Data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) shows that Burkina Faso hosts around 2,062,534 internally displaced persons (IDPs) and close to 43,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, 94% of whom are from neighbouring Mali. Recent reports highlight increasing food insecurity among these vulnerable groups, exacerbated by aid cuts a growing challenge for many refugee-hosting countries across Africa. The ever-raging conflicts are fuelling Africa’s refugee crises, piling pressure on…
By Sarah Miansoni with AFP Djibouti’s leader Ismail Omar Guelleh is expected to win a presidential election on Friday, extending his 27-year rule of the highly strategic Horn of Africa nation. Guelleh, 78, is one of Africa’s longest serving leaders and has ruled the nation of around one million people with an iron fist since 1999. He has turned the arid former French colony into an international military and maritime hub for both the United States and China. With the opposition divided and largely silenced, Guelleh faces a single, low-profile opponent. He has campaigned across the country dressed in green,…
By Rédaction Africanews and AP South Africa is mourning the loss of Albert Mazibuko, a founding member of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, who died at 77 after a short illness. Known for bringing Zulu music to the world, Mazibuko helped the group achieve international acclaim, including five Grammy Awards. Mazibuko joined the group in 1969, blending traditional Zulu songs with isicathamiya, a soft, shuffling a cappella dance style. His brother, Abednigo Mazibuko, described Albert as a steadfast supporter of leader Joseph Shabalala, saying he gave strength and guidance to the group, helping them navigate challenges and reach global recognition. Reflecting on…
Nigeria has begun the prosecution of more than 500 people accused of involvement in militant attacks in one of the country’s largest ever terrorism trials. The suspects face charges linked to aiding and abetting terrorism, particularly in the north-east where an insurgency by the Boko Haram Islamist group began 17 years ago. Since then insecurity has spread to many other areas of the West African nation, leaving communities, often those in rural areas, at the mercy of mushrooming militant groups and gangs that kidnap for ransom. The mass trial opened on Tuesday at a high court in the capital, Abuja,…
When COVID-19 hit Kenya, decision-makers faced a critical challenge: how to respond quickly to a fast-moving crisis without reliable, locally grounded data. Global models offered some guidance, but they often failed to reflect local realities. That gap is what the Center for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis (CEMA) was built to address. Founded during the pandemic and based at the University of Nairobi, CEMA has rapidly grown into a pan-African centre of excellence, bringing together experts in epidemiology, data science, statistics, and public health to generate insights that directly inform policy and decision-making. At the core of its work is the use of…
By Africanews with AP Ethiopia on Wednesday extended the mandate of the interim administrator of the northern Tigray region by one year, raising uncertainty over elections scheduled for June in the restive region. Tigray still suffers from the aftermath of a brutal two-year conflict, ended by a 2022 peace deal that established the interim administration. The war was one of the deadliest in recent decades, claiming roughly 600,000 lives and pitting Tigrayan rebels against federal forces, supported by local militias and the Eritrean army. The conflict disrupted legislative and regional elections in 2021, leading to the appointment of veteran Tigray…