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.
Djibouti’s long-serving President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh claimed a landslide election victory on Saturday, securing a sixth consecutive term in office with nearly 98 percent of the vote.
Djibouti’s longstanding leader Ismael Omar Guelleh is expected to win Friday’s presidential election, handing him a sixth consecutive term in a race against one weak opposition candidate. While critics dismiss the election as “token competition”, supporters say the 78-year-old incumbent has brought stability to the Horn of Africa country strategically situated between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
More than a month after being hit by an explosion, the Arctic Metagaz, a liquid natural gas (LNG) carrier belonging to Russia’s "shadow fleet", is adrift in the Mediterranean following a failed Libyan towing operation. The incident underscores the risks and crisis management challenges posed by these shadow vessels.
Nigeria’s military said Sunday it rescued 31 worshippers abducted during Easter services in northwestern Kaduna state, after troops engaged gunmen in a firefight, though at least five people were killed in the attack. The assault on a Catholic and an evangelical church underscores worsening insecurity in the region, where criminal gangs and militant groups have intensified raids and kidnappings.
The Company – a network of Russian agents specialised in disinformation operations – has been carrying out a vast propaganda campaign against the Ukrainian embassy in Ivory Coast. When the pan-African media outlet The Continent received a trove of leaked documents about this operation, the FRANCE 24 Observers team joined forces with a consortium of international journalists to investigate the inner workings of this network.
A leak of confidential documents from a network of Russian agents operating on the African continent reveals how Russia managed to place hundreds of articles in 35 different West African French-language media outlets – sometimes without their knowledge. The FRANCE 24 Observers team worked with an international media consortium coordinated by Forbidden Stories to analyse these leaked documents, which show just how susceptible these media outlets are to foreign interference.
More than 1,800 civilians have been killed in violence-wracked Burkina Faso since 2023, Human Rights Watch said in a report released on Thursday that accuses the army and civilian militias of killing more civilians than jihadists do. The NGO called on prosecutors at the International Criminal Court to investigate war crimes "perpetrated by all parties to the conflict".
Multiple blasts hit Burundi's main city of Bujumbura on Tuesday after an electrical fire broke out at a military arsenal in the east African nation. An army spokesperson said emergency services were intervening and urged the public to remain calm after the incident sparked fears of a coup against the government.
Senegal on Tuesday signed into law legislation doubling the penalty for same-sex relations to up to 10 years in jail. The new law also includes criminal penalties for those found guilty of promoting or financing same-sex relationships.
Despite sometimes going without wages for months at a time, Gabon's eco-rangers continue to patrol the African nation's beaches to protect the nests of sea turtles against seagulls, crabs and encroaching sea levels.
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