In a significant development for Sudan’s devastating civil war, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has agreed to a ceasefire proposal brokered by the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. This deal proposes a three-month humanitarian truce to be followed by a permanent ceasefire and a transition to civilian rule. The announcement arrives as the nation faces a catastrophic hunger crisis, with famine declared in parts of Darfur. However, a critical hurdle remains, as the Sudanese military government has yet to respond to the proposal. This diplomatic breakthrough comes amid mounting international pressure on the UAE, accused of…
Author: Montage Africa
Bill Gates has pledged $1.4 billion through his foundation to help smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia adapt to the growing threat of extreme weather. Over the next four years, the investment will fund technologies that boost crop yields, improve livestock farming, and restore degraded land, while expanding access to digital advisory tools. The initiative, announced recently, seeks to strengthen food security and climate resilience among farmers who produce over a third of the world’s food yet receive less than 1% of climate finance. By strengthening agricultural resilience, the foundation aims to combat poverty and climate change through practical, human-centered innovation.
The United States has now overtaken China as Africa’s largest source of foreign direct investment, marking the first time it has held the top spot since 2012. This shift is driven by a US government effort to secure supplies of essential materials such as cobalt and lithium, which are vital for electronics from smartphones to electric vehicles. Spearheaded by the US International Development Finance Corporation, this initiative aims to counter China’s long-standing dominance in the sector. For African nations, this competition presents a significant opportunity to negotiate better terms, such as building local processing plants to capture more value from their…
By Africanews Tanzanian authorities on Monday released four opposition figures who were arrested on accusations of involvement in deadly election protests in October. CHADEMA vice-chairman John Heche was among the four released on bail. He had been arrested on October 22 and questioned by police on suspicion of terrorism, according to his lawyer. The protests, which observers say are the east African country’s biggest political crisis to date started on the eve of the election which President Samia Suluhu Hassan won with nearly 98%. CHADEMA has claimed as many as 1,000 people were killed by security forces. There has been…
By Rédaction Africanews with AP Intense violence continues to tear apart Sudan after the fall of El Fasher, with new images from the city revealing the extent of its destruction, and the United Nations warning about the increasing number of displaced people in the country. Saudi Arabian state-owned TV channel Al Arabiya aired footage from this weekend of the damage in el-Fasher. The video shows the walls of buildings and a mosque inside a military medical facility bearing traces of heavy gunfire, while red tape indicates the presence of landmines. The medical military facility was near the 6th army division…
By Rédaction Africanews with AP Armed men in Mali killed a TikTok influencer who had posted videos in support of the West African nation’s military, authorities said Monday. “The young TikTok user Mariame Cissé was abducted by armed men on Friday while she was at the weekly market in Echel … The following day, at dusk, the same men brought her back to Independence Square in Tonka and executed her in front of a crowd,” Yehia Tandina, the mayor of Timbuktu, told The Associated Press. The mayor of Tonka in the Timbuktu region, Mamadou Konipo, confirmed the killing but said…
In a landmark move for historical justice, South Africa has reopened the inquest into the 1967 death of Chief Albert Luthuli, the first African Nobel Peace Prize winner and former ANC president. Luthuli, the leader of the African National Congress at the time, was struck by a train while walking near his home. The original inquest ruled his death an accident. For decades, his family and historians questioned this finding, suspecting state involvement in the death of the prominent government critic. This new judicial review, prompted by family petitions, seeks to uncover the truth regarding Luthuli’s death finally. The inquest is part…
Yusuf Ishaya, a Nigerian documentary filmmaker did not set out to make a film about FESTAC. He was at a workshop with archivists, filmmakers, and creators in Lagos, discussing the possibilities of archival materials, when the conversation shifted towards FESTAC. “Up until that moment, I had not known that there had been an event like that,” Ishaya admits. “I knew about Festac Town, and I knew that it was in Lagos, but I didn’t know why it was built or what it was built for.” This curiosity led Ishaya towards digging into the vast history of FESTAC (Festival of Arts and Culture). In…
By Rédaction Africanews with AP Protesters in Nigeria have disrupted this week’s opening of a major museum of West African art, where local disputes over the world-renowned Benin Bronzes have already kept them from being put on display. Videos circulating online show more than a dozen young people on Sunday evening rushing the grounds of the multi-million-dollar Museum of West African Art in Benin City, the seat of a famous pre-colonial empire. The demonstrators asserted that the museum’s opening is a violation of Benin City’s cultural heritage, which falls under the authority of its traditional ruler. They chanted in support…
By Rédaction Africanews with AP More than 130 gold and bronze artefacts taken between the 1870s and early 20th century were returned to Ghana on Sunday. They were delivered by Britain and South Africa to King Otumfuo Osei Tutu II at the Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi. The artefacts included royal regalia, drums, and ceremonial gold weights. Dating between 45 and 160 years old, they depict governance systems, spiritual beliefs, and the role of gold in Asante society. The king thanked South African mining company, AngloGold Ashanti, for returning several items purchased on the open market. Other artefacts came from…