Author: Montage Africa

By MONIKA PRONCZUK Senegal has launched a harsh crackdown on LGBTQ+ people that includes arrests and violations of their rights, and has caused increasing fear and stigma in the gay community, Human Rights Watch said in a report Monday. The government’s punitive actions following passage of a law increasing punishment for homosexuality are forcing people to go into hiding and avoid HIV testing and treatment, the report said. There is no official data on the number of arrests under the new law, but according to the African Forum for the Defense of Human Rights, a Dakar-based rights group, at least…

A drone attack by Sudan’s paramilitary forces has killed 41 people in the country’s Blue Nile region bordering Ethiopia, a rights group has said. The strike by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeted a camp for displaced people in the state’s Abu Shandi area on Friday, Emergency Lawyers said. The UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) said it was “appalled by horrifying reports”. It said initial reports suggested most of the casualties were women and children. The Sudanese army and paramilitary forces including the RSF have been locked in a power struggle since 2023, a conflict that…

By Rédaction Africanews with AFP and AP Eritrea on Saturday asked the United Nations to take “deterrent measures” after what it described as Ethiopia’s “declaration of war” in the conflict over the Tigray region. In a letter to the UN, Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh said the Ethiopian action would cause “huge devastation to the peoples of both countries and destabilize the whole region”. Its request came a day after Addis Ababa accused Asmara of launching an “all-out invasion”, saying Eritrean troops had advanced up to 60 kilometres into Tigray. Asmara has denied the incursion which has raised fears of…

By Rédaction Africanews and Agencies Passengers arrived at Ethiopia’s Mekelle airport on Sunday for the first time in almost three weeks. Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to the capital of the northern Tigray region after the rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) seized the city and airport on September 23. The airline also stopped routes to Axum and Hire. The restoration of flights comes after federal forces recaptured Mekelle on October 3, with rebel fighters and their leaders abandoning the city. Unconfirmed reports say there could be about five flights a day, more if demand increases. A former Tigray leader now…

By Rédaction Africanews and AFP Algerian authorities say they arrested 61 Moroccan nationals earlier this month on suspicion of planning “acts of sabotage.” In a statement on Sunday, Morocco’s General Directorate of National Security said the suspects were part of “an international Moroccan criminal network.” Those arrested include a former soldier in the Moroccan army. They reportedly entered Algeria via mountain trails from neighbouring Tunisia. Algeria says they were “preparing to commit acts of sabotage undermining security and public order.” Relations between Algeria and Morocco have been strained for years over the issue of Western Sahara. The United Nations considers…

By Prosper Heri Ngorora The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has spread to another health zone in the east, while a fatal imported case in Kenya has underscored the risk of cross-border transmission. The World Health Organization (WHO) said in an October 8 update that Alimbongo health zone in North Kivu province had reported cases for the first time. As of October 6, four confirmed cases, including two deaths, had been recorded there. end of list The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a species of Ebola virus. According to the WHO, cases had…

By AFP and Reuters Two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge has won his first marathon in three years, with the Kenyan great cruising to victory in Melbourne, Australia. The most decorated marathoner in history crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 9 minutes and 10 seconds, two seconds under the race record, on Sunday. end of listIt was his first victory over the distance since Berlin in 2023 and part of his “World Tour” to raise funds for causes he believes in. The 41-year-old former world record-holder announced in 2025 that he planned to complete marathons on all seven continents,…

At least 139 migrants including 15 children have died and dozens more are still missing after a boat sank off the coast of Djibouti, the UN’s migration office has said. The boat had been travelling from Djibouti to Yemen with 305 people aboard when it capsized near the port town of Obock on Thursday night. Around 82 people were rescued, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said. IOM’s Djibouti mission chief Alexandre Coissac called the tragedy a “stark reminder” of the dangers migrants face when seeking a new life elsewhere. Tens of thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa…

Naomi Clarke Afrobeats singer Ayra Starr has already broken numerous records, and her NFL half-time performance this weekend is set to level up her list again. The Nigerian star will become the first African artist to headline one of the American football league’s international games when the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Sunday. Ahead of the performance at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Starr told BBC Newsbeat her history-making performance “itself is a message”. Earlier this year, Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny used his Super Bowl half-time show to celebrate Latin American culture. The 32-year-old also made…

By MOHAMED SHEIKH NOR and OMAR FARUK For three days, Halima Abdullahi Ibrahim carried her 3-year-old daughter from their village in Somalia to a hospital nearly 90 kilometers (56 miles) away. The girl’s body was swelling and she needed medical help unavailable closer to home. When she finally reached Kismayo Referral Hospital, Halima’s daughter, Asho Hassan Abdi, was taken to the stabilization center, a white-walled ward lined with metal-framed beds, some beneath mosquito nets. Halima held Asho on her lap, the child wrapped in purple cloth, as a health worker examined her feet and lower legs. They diagnosed her with…