Forest rangers say pressure is mounting. Corneille Makonga recalls how a powerful individual arrived with heavy machinery, claiming to have purchased the community’s forest despite villagers holding official documents. He says the attempt amounted to a land grab.

In Aomori, Japan, women in kimonos performed the Taue Mochitsuki rice pounding ceremony amid snowfall, aiming for a good harvest and family protection.

Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno has been named the winner of the 2026 African Peace Prize for his peaceful management of Chad’s political transition and the country’s humanitarian response to Sudanese refugees, the African Conference for Peace has announced.

Ukraine faces another harsh winter as Russian strikes leave Kyiv without stable electricity or heating. Residents rely on emergency centres to cope with the cold.

Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine was placed under house arrest on Friday, a day after elections that early results show President Yoweri Museveni firmly in the lead as he seeks to extend his four-decade rule.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk continued his visit to war-ravaged Sudan on Thursday, as he met with civil society representatives and NGOs in the capital of the Northern State, Dongola.

Violence erupted after Hassan won the vote with more than 97 percent, as major opposition candidates were barred and the main opposition leader remained jailed on treason charges. Rights groups say hundreds were killed.

“To our partners in the diplomatic community and foreigners residing here in Tanzania, I express my sincere sympathy for the uncertainty, service restrictions and internet shutdowns you experienced,”

Germany’s Berlinale film festival is preparing its iconic bear trophies at a small foundry in Berlin-Charlottenburg, where the awards have been made for decades.

Uganda’s electoral commission says early provisional results from the presidential election show President Yoweri Museveni leading with 61.7 percent of valid votes counted so far.

Japan and Italy upgraded their relationship to a special strategic partnership, emphasizing economic and energy security and marking 160 years of diplomatic ties.

Flooding triggered by torrential rains in northeastern South Africa claimed at least 10 lives overnight and forced the closure of the iconic Kruger National Park, officials said Thursday.

The Gambia opened its first trial Thursday against a member of the country’s notorious “Junglers” paramilitary unit, which acted as a death squad under the reign of ex-dictator Yahya Jammeh.

The final draw for this year’s women’s AFCON took place in Rabat, Morocco, on Thursday. The four groups will lead to some already highly anticipated encounters.

Polls closed in Uganda on Thursday after a chaotic day of voting that took place under an internet blackout and with long delays caused by technical breakdowns as President Yoweri Museveni seeks to extend his 40 years in power.

In Senegal’s Kedougou region, a group of locals have had their lives changed – thanks to a community of chimpanzees. From working in precarious conditions in the many gold mines of the region, the men have become researchers and observers of the primates as part of a 15-year-old scientific project.

India welcomes Ai Weiwei’s first solo exhibition, blending art and political critique, in New Delhi. The show features works from over two decades of his career.

According to the UN, more than 21 million people — nearly half of Sudan’s population — are now facing acute food insecurity. Famine has been confirmed in El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, and in Kadugli in neighbouring Kordofan, both heavily affected by fighting.

The tragedy has struck a chord in a country where confidence in healthcare is fragile. Many Nigerians who can afford it, including political elites, routinely seek treatment abroad.

Ethiopian police have seized more than 50,000 rounds of ammunition sent by Eritrea to arm rebels in the country amid increasingly tense relations between the two Horn of Africa nations.

An American financial company has filed a lawsuit in the United States against the Democratic Republic of Congo and several senior officials, alleging attempted bribery, according to a document seen by AFP on Wednesday.

Ugandan opposition candidate Bobi Wine slammed an internet shutdown as he cast his ballot on Thursday in the country’s presidential election. Uganda’s internet was shut down Tuesday by the government communications agency, which cited misinformation and electoral fraud as reasons for the shutdown.

Kenya has secured zero-duty access for almost all its exports to China in a preliminary deal, its trade minister said Thursday, as Nairobi seeks to offset the impact of higher US tariffs.

Burkina Faso has sacked coach Brama Traoré and his assistants following the team’s disappointing performance at the Africa Cup of Nations.

The streets of Rabat erupted in celebration late Wednesday night as Morocco’s Atlas Lions booked their place in the Africa Cup of Nations final.

Four ISS crew members, including astronauts from Japan, Russia, and the US, returned early due to a medical issue. The SpaceX capsule landed safely in the Pacific.

23-year-old Mariam Soumah initially came to Belarus in the hope of getting to Europe. There, she gave birth to her daughter – and was deported back to her home country without her child. The Guinean embassy in Moscow, which oversees Belarus, is reportedly following the case.

The election is taking place under an internet blackout imposed earlier this week and a heavy police presence. Museveni faces his strongest challenge from opposition leader and pop star Bobi Wine, who has warned of mass protests if the vote is rigged.

The United States has completed its first sale of Venezuelan oil, generating around $500 million, a US official said Wednesday, the first major energy transaction since Washington’s dramatic intervention in Venezuela earlier this month.

Severe thunderstorms caused flash flooding in Victoria, Australia, with over 170 mm of rain. Cars were swept away, but no injuries were reported.

Tens of thousands of mourners thronged the streets of Tehran for a mass funeral of security forces and civilians on Wednesday. Activists say more than 2,500 people have been killed in the protests, the vast majority demonstrators.

Youssef El-Nesyri scored the winning penalty, and Yassine” Bono” Bounou saved two as Morocco advanced to the Africa Cup of Nations final with a 4-2 win on penalties over Nigeria on Wednesday.

Tear gas was deployed by federal agents and local police in Minneapolis after a suspect was shot in the leg. Authorities say the officer had been assaulted with a shovel.

With crude exports potentially starting as soon as October, the promise of nearly $2 billion a year is on the horizon. But can the nation avoid the dreaded “resource curse” that has plagued others?

Voting began Thursday in Uganda’s presidential election despite a days-long internet shutdown that has been criticised as an anti-democratic tactic in a country where the president has held office since 1986.

Senegalese football fans celebrated in Dakar on Wednesday after their national team secured a place in the African Cup of Nations final with a 1-0 victory over Egypt.

Thailand reports a new construction accident near Bangkok on Thursday, a day after a deadly crane collapse on a train renewed concerns over site safety.

Thousands gathered in Sofia to demand fair elections and the coalition’s resignation, citing vote buying, manipulation, and economic concerns.

As Madagascar continues its political transition after the ouster of the previous government, it is strengthening cooperation with Russia.

Sudan peace efforts resumed in Cairo on Wednesday as Egypt, the United Nations and the United States called for the warring parties to agree to a nationwide humanitarian truce, as the war between the army and its rival paramilitary nears the three-year mark.