Africa

Ivory Coast asks French troops to leave, the latest African country to do so

Ivory Coast says that French troops will leave the country starting January 2025, becoming the latest African nation to downscale military ties with its former colonial power.

Zimbabwe’s new currency woes hit traditional stores while illegal night bazaars flourish

Politician among protesters arrested in Kenya while calling for an end to alleged abductions

Jimmy Carter sought to expand democracy worldwide long after he left the White House

Low turnout in Chad parliamentary election boycotted by opposition as military rule ends

AFRICA PULSE

‘We fall and we rise': Some amputees in Sierra Leone turn to farming to combat discrimination

· JACK THOMPSON

This Somali migrant watched others around her die at sea. But she wants to try again for Europe

· OMAR FARUK

Nigerian agency ‘failed completely’ to clean up oil damage despite funding, leaked files say

· ED DAVEY

As flooding becomes a yearly disaster in South Sudan, thousands survive on the edge of a canal

· FLORENCE MIETTAUX

At least 66 people die after a truck plunges into a river in southern Ethiopia

A hospital in southern Ethiopia says at least 66 people have died after a truck plunged into a river.

23 Congolese soldiers face the death penalty or prison for alleged desertion or other crimes

At least 23 Congolese soldiers are facing the death penalty or 10 to 20 years in prison following their arraignment for alleged rape, desertion and other crimes amid the fighting in the country’s conflict-battered east.

Lessons from the elections held in 70 countries in 2024

Some 70 countries that are home to half the world’s population held elections in 2024, and voters’ message was often: “You’re fired.”

A butterfly collector in Africa with more than 4.2 million seeks to share them for the future

What began as a childhood hobby more than six decades ago has led to what might be Africa’s largest butterfly collection in a suburb of Kenya’s capital.

Airstrike on insurgents mistakenly killed 10 civilians, Nigerian military says

Nigeria’s military says an airstrike targeting an armed group in northwestern Nigeria mistakenly killed at least 10 civilians.

Jimmy Carter made eradicating Guinea worm disease a top mission

Nobel Peace Prize winner Jimmy Carter spent decades waging war against an ancient parasite. Carter tried to rid the world of Guinea worm, which infects people who drink unclean water tainted with larva.

Senegal says it’s closing ‘all foreign military bases,’ a move aimed at French troops in the country

Senegal’s prime minister has announced the closure of “all foreign military bases” in the country, a statement essentially aimed at France, the African nation’s former colonial ruler.

6,000 inmates escape from a high-security prison as post-election violence roils Mozambique

Mozambique’s police chief says at least 6,000 inmates escaped from a high-security prison in the capital of Maputo on Christmas Day after a rebellion, as widespread post-election riots and violence are roiling the country.

Southern Africa elections brought big changes in 2024

Old liberation movements in Southern Africa suffered serious electoral declines this year as millions of people made their voices heard in elections.

Mozambique court upholds the governing party’s presidential election victory as protests flare again

Mozambique’s highest court has upheld the governing party’s win in the October presidential election following weeks of opposition protests in which more than 100 people have died.

France observes a day of mourning for victims of Cyclone Chido in its Mayotte territory off Africa

France marked a day of mourning Monday for victims of Cyclone Chido, which devastated its poorest territory, Mayotte, over a week ago.

Ballerinas turn one of Kenya’s largest slums into a stage for a Christmas show

With perfect pirouettes and plies, dozens of young ballet dancers gracefully moved between the makeshift iron houses of one of Africa’s largest urban slums, spreading Christmas spirit.

It’s the holidays in Zimbabwe. Time to celebrate by unveiling a family tombstone

Some of the most festive times of Zimbabwe’s holiday season occur around the unveiling of tombstones for late relatives.

Why did at least 67 people die in Christmas charity stampedes in struggling Nigeria?

Stampedes during three Christmas charity events across Nigeria have left at least 67 people dead in the past week, many of them children.

Destructive Cyclone Chido unearths a rift between locals and migrants in France’s Mayotte

Cyclone Chido not only ravaged Mayotte’s fragile infrastructure but also laid bare deep-seated tensions between the island’s residents and its large migrant population.

Stampedes in Nigeria leave at least 32 dead during Christmas food distribution

Nigerian police say the death toll from stampedes during two Christmas charity events has increased from 13 to 32.

13 people including children die in stampedes in Nigeria at Christmas charity events

Authorities in Nigeria say At least 13 people, including four children, were killed in two separate stampedes in the country, as large crowds gathered to collect food and clothing items distributed at annual Christmas events.

Ten people including children die in a stampede in Nigeria at a Christmas food distribution event

Authorities in Nigeria say ten people, including four children, have been killed in a stampede in the capital city as a large crowd gathered to collect food items distributed by a local church at a Christmas event.

Zambian police arrest 2 over alleged plot to bewitch President Hichilema

Two people have been arrested for allegedly plotting to harm Zambia’s president Hakainde Hichilema using witchcraft.

Crowds in Mayotte vent frustration with cyclone response as Macron tours devastation

Crowds in Mayotte have vented their frustration at French President Emmanuel Macron, with some booing.

UN food agency says 40 million people are struggling to feed themselves in West and Central Africa

The U.N.'s food agency says more than 40 million people are struggling to feed themselves across West and Central Africa.

Congo replaces top military chief and other senior officers as fighting in the east rages on

Congolese state media says President Felix Tshisekedi has replaced the armed forces chief and several other top military officers in a major reshuffle amid the ongoing fight against rebels in the country’s eastern region.

France’s military is being ousted from more African countries. Here’s why

It’s been a tumultuous month for France and its relationship with former colonies in Africa, as its influence on the continent faces the biggest challenge in decades.

AP Week in Pictures

Dec. 13 - 19, 2024

Community members in Wisconsin continued to wrestle with grief in the aftermath of a school shooting that killed a teacher and a student and wounded six others.

Kenya announces plan to combat rising gender-based violence as 100 women are killed in four months

The Kenyan government has declared gender-based violence the nation’s most pressing security threat, with 100 women killed in the past four months alone, most of them by men who were known to them, including intimate partners.

20 migrants die in a shipwreck off the coast of Tunisia

Tunisian authorities recovered the bodies of 20 people who appeared to have drowned after a shipwreck off the country’s Mediterranean coastline, near a popular point of departure for migrants attempting to reach Europe by boat.

Burkina Faso releases four French nationals after detaining them for a year

Four French nationals detained for more than a year in Burkina Faso were released this week after negotiations between the two countries and Morocco.

France’s Macron says tour of cyclone-devastated Mayotte is a day he won’t forget

French President Emmanuel Macron has traveled to the Indian Ocean archipelago of Mayotte to survey the devastation wreaked by Cyclone Chido.

Warmer oceans fueled Cyclone Chido

The Indian Ocean archipelago of Mayotte is reeling from Cyclone Chido, the most intense storm to hit the French territory in 90 years, according to officials.

Several children killed in stampede at a holiday fair event in Nigeria, state governor says

Several children have died following a stampede during a school holiday fair in Nigeria. Authorities said the incident happened Wednesday at the Islamic High School, in Basorun, Oyo State.

Nigerians press for solar jobs and electricity, with little success

In Nigeria, roughly 85 million people do not have access to electricity. Yet large solar projects that could improve this situation have faltered.

Liberia’s parliament building catches fire as anti-government protests enter a second day

The parliament building in Liberia caught fire Wednesday and the country’s president condemned the “wanton destruction,” even as no link was immediately confirmed to anti-government protests in the capital.

At least 25 are killed and dozens are missing after an overcrowded boat capsizes in Congo

Local officials and residents say an overcrowded boat capsized on a river in central Congo, killing at least 25 people, including children, and leaving dozens missing.

Pirates demand $10 million in ransom after hijacking Chinese-owned fishing vessel with 18 captives

An official says that the pirates who hijacked a Chinese-owned fishing vessel with 18 crew off the northeastern coast of Somalia last month are demanding $10 million in ransom.

A Kenyan man gets 50 years in prison for the murder of a gay rights activist

The housemate of an LGBTQ+ activist in Kenya has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for the murder of Edwin Chiloba, whose mutilated body was discovered in a metal box almost two years ago.