AFP Africa

Far from the legendary skies above Hogwarts school, a young woman chased a “Golden Snitch” highlighting how the craze for Harry Potter’s favourite sport, Quidditch, has taken hold in a remote Ugandan village.In a clearing surrounded by banana trees, around 135 kilometres (80 miles) from the capital Kampala, players ran around with sticks between their …

Uganda’s Quidditch players with global dreamsWed, 28 Jan 2026 06:58:38 GMT Read More »

Manenos Selanyika could only receive a symbolic burial. His family never found his body after the violent unrest of Tanzania’s election three months ago. The 40-year-old journalist was shot dead by security forces on October 30, neighbours told the family. He had ventured out for food supplies amid protests that had engulfed Tanzania during elections the previous …

Tanzania families still looking for bodies 3 months after protestsWed, 28 Jan 2026 06:51:00 GMT Read More »

Less than a year after being elected, Gabonese President Brice Oligui Nguema is facing his first wave of social unrest, with teachers on strike and other civil servants threatening to down tools.The last action by teachers took place in 2022 under then president Ali Bongo, whose family ruled the small central African country for 55 …

Gabon’s new president faces first social protestTue, 27 Jan 2026 16:36:38 GMT Read More »

IShowSpeed, a 21-year-old African American influencer, has raced a cheetah, leapt with Maasai warriors and drawn huge crowds in a month-long tour of Africa that has also busted cliches about the continent.The YouTube and Twitch star’s tour, which started on December 29, has taken him to 20 countries, showing his tens of millions of followers …

American influencer shares ‘another’ Africa on tourTue, 27 Jan 2026 14:15:18 GMT Read More »

Guinea’s newly elected president, former junta leader Mamady Doumbouya, has appointed a prime minister to the west African country’s government less than two weeks after being sworn in.Amadou Oury Bah, who already served as prime minister from February 2024 to January 2026 under the country’s junta, will remain in the role under the new government, …

Guinea’s President Doumbouya confirms new prime ministerTue, 27 Jan 2026 12:57:39 GMT Read More »

 In drought-hit northeastern Kenya, villagers have been forced to drag their dead livestock to distant fields for burning to keep the stench of death and scavenging hyenas away from their homes.Mandera county along Kenya’s borders with Ethiopia and Somalia has seen no rain since May and is now on the point of a full-blown water …

‘Our children are next’ fear Kenyans as drought wipes out livestockTue, 27 Jan 2026 06:57:14 GMT Read More »

The next Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament is set for mid-2027, but already there have been reassuring comments and criticism for co-hosts Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.    Morocco were hugely successful hosts of the latest edition of the premier African sporting event, which ended this month with their national team losing the final 1-0 to …

Support and criticism for east African co-hosts of 2027 AFCONTue, 27 Jan 2026 06:55:11 GMT Read More »

Just over a week after the United States launched strikes targeting militants in Nigeria on Christmas Day, a roadside bomb ripped through an armoured troop carrier, killing at least eight Nigerian soldiers.Then, days ahead of a high-profile US-Nigeria security meeting in Abuja last week, armed gangs kidnapped more than 170 churchgoers in Nigeria’s northern Kaduna …

Can the US halt jihadist violence in Nigeria?Tue, 27 Jan 2026 06:49:16 GMT Read More »

Nigeria’s military will try several officers over an alleged plan to oust President Bola Tinubu last year, it said Monday, acknowledging a plot the government had initially denied.In October, the military said 16 officers had been arrested over “issues of indiscipline”.Despite official denials, sources across the Nigerian government and military had told AFP they were …

Nigerian military officers to face trial over 2025 coup plotMon, 26 Jan 2026 19:16:20 GMT Read More »

Nigeria’s military said Monday it will try several officers over an alleged plan to oust President Bola Tinubu last year, acknowledging a plot the government had initially denied.In October, the military said 16 officers had been arrested over “issues of indiscipline”. Despite official denials, sources across the Nigerian government and military had told AFP they were …

Nigerian military says will try officers over 2025 coup plotMon, 26 Jan 2026 17:36:28 GMT Read More »