Africa StreaM

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Cameroon Wednesday for the next stop on his 11-day apostolic journey across Africa. Separatist groups in the English-speaking west declared a three-day ceasefire to allow the pontiff to travel to the conflicted region.

On the third anniversary of the start of the war in Sudan, which has killed tens of thousands of people, an aid worker from one of the main NGOs still there has spoken to FRANCE 24 about the starvation of the people. She also spoke about the incredible way the Sudanese come together to try to help each other.

This Wednesday marks three years since the start of the civil war in Sudan, a conflict that has forced 14 million people to flee their homes. Some 4 million of them have left their country altogether. While many have fled to neighbouring countries, some have chosen Kenya. The capital Nairobi has become a hub for welcoming not only Sudanese refugees, but also political and even armed groups linked to the conflict.

Sudan’s government on Wednesday slammed a donor conference hosted by Germany as “surprising and unacceptable”, saying the event meddles in the country’s internal affairs and was organised without consulting Khartoum. The conference is being held as the brutal war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) enters its fourth year.

In this edition: We focus on Sudan, which is set to mark three years of civil war. The conflict has already claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced around 12 million people. Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV continues his Africa tour. After spending his second day in Algeria, where he celebrated mass at St. Augustine’s Basilica, he will head to Cameroon.

French lawmakers on Monday passed a bill to simplify the return of artworks looted during the colonial era to their countries of origin. Speaking with FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney, historian Marie Cécile Zinsou, resident of the Zinsou Fondation, a contemporary art museum, explains that the restitution of artefacts looted from former colonies is "a moral obligation" and fundamental to the restoring of national identities in African countries.

Dozens of military vehicles transported from Russia were delivered to Mali through the port of Conakry, Guinea, in late March. The equipment was carried by a Russian cargo ship currently under international sanctions.

For the first time, the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda affiliate JNIM have clashed in West Africa’s Niger. While previous confrontations between the two jihadist groups had taken place in the tri-border area with Mali and Burkina Faso, they are now spreading toward a new border region between Niger, Nigeria, and Benin, in what FRANCE 24’s Wassim Nasr describes as a “race to the border” as the two groups vie for resources and recruits.

Pope Leo XIV arrived Tuesday in the city of Annaba, following in the footsteps of his spiritual father St. Augustine, on the second day of his historic Algeria trip marred by two suicide attacks.

Nearly 700 civilians have been reported killed in drone strikes so far this year, the United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher said Tuesday, lamenting that "the world has failed to meet the test of Sudan" after three years of a gruesome civil war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 11 million.

As Pope Leo XIV makes a historic visit to Algeria, in the spirit of interfaith dialogue, François Picard is pleased to welcome Father Fred Wekesa, Rector of the Basilica of Saint Augustine in Annaba. From his experience of living for over a decade in Algeria, he challenges inherited narratives shaped by the violence of the 1990s, highlighting the present reality of coexistence and tolerance. He argues that interreligious dialogue must extend beyond institutions into families and daily life.

Benin opposition candidate Paul Hounkpe suffered a bruising election loss on Monday after conceding to favourite Romuald Wadagni in Benin's presidential vote.

In tonight’s edition, violence continues in northern Nigeria, with killings and kidnappings reported in Sokoto State. Also, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) accuses Ethiopia’s government of violating the Pretoria peace deal that ended the 2020-2022 war, which killed hundreds of thousands. And at Paris Perfume Week, Ghana’s first artisan perfumer is putting African roots at the forefront, redefining luxury fragrance from the source.

Pope Leo XIV embarked on the first-ever papal trip to Algeria, aiming to promote Christian-Muslim coexistence at a time of global conflict and honour the locally born inspiration of his religious spirituality, St. Augustine.

Lawmakers in the National Assembly have overwhelmingly approved a bill to facilitate the return of artworks and other prized artefacts looted during the country’s colonial era. The bill, which was backed by the Senate earlier this year, could help address requests already submitted by various countries, including Mali, Algeria and Benin.

Pope Leo XIV began on Monday a landmark visit to Algeria, where he called for forgiveness in a speech paying tribute to victims of the country's war of independence from France. It marked the first visit by a pontiff to the Muslim-majority country, which risked being overshadowed by public criticism from US President Donald Trump over the pope’s stance on the Iran war.

Benin voters cast their ballots for the country's next president Sunday, with current Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni expected to win handily over the sole opposition candidate Paul Hounkpè. Results are expected earlier in the week.

Military air strikes on a village in northeastern Nigeria killed dozens of people on Saturday, Amnesty International reported Sunday. The country's air force initially said it had struck a "known terrorist enclave and logistics hub" before later saying it was launching an investigation into the attack following reports of civilian casualties.

No pope has ever set foot in Algeria. That changes on Monday, when Pope Leo XIV opens an African tour with a two-day visit to the Muslim-majority country. The Vatican frames it as a milestone for interfaith dialogue. Algiers, increasingly isolated on the world stage, has its own reasons to welcome the publicity.