Africa

Anas Aremeyaw Anas says that his libel victory will encourage other journalists to stand up to powerful figures.

8 hours agoShareSaveDorcas WangiraBBC Africa health correspondentShareSaveGavi says that 500 million children need to be immunised around the worldA global health organisation has warned that one million children could die from preventable diseases if the US terminates its financial support.
Dr Sania Nishtar – head of Gavi, an alliance that buys critical vaccines for developing countries – told the BBC a cut in US funding would have a “disastrous impact on global health security”.
This follows a report in the New York Times that the Trump administration intends to terminate Gavi’s funding – the US is the alliance’s third largest donor.
Gavi had not received a termination notice from the US but it was “engaging with the White House and Congress” to secure $300m (£230m) for its activities in 2025, and longer-term funding, Dr Nishtar said.
The US has pledged $1.6bn for the 2026-2030 period – about 15% of Gavi’s total funding.
Since taking office in January 2025, US President Donald ..

The Kenya Football Federation launches an investigation into allegations that goalkeeper Patrick Matasi has been involved in match manipulation.

7 hours agoShareSaveNatasha Booty & Daniel DadzieBBC News, London & AccraShareSaveAn investigative journalist who won an $18m (£14m) defamation case against a Ghanaian MP says that, although he is hopeful he will receive the money, what is more rewarding is the message his victory sends.
Anas Aremeyaw Anas began legal action against Kennedy Agyapong after the MP labelled him a “criminal” following his investigation into football corruption in Ghana and elsewhere.
He initially brought the case in Ghana, and lost, but then took it to the US, where Agyapong owns property, and won.
“The bigger impact for me is not the money but the fact that young journalists are encouraged [to hold the powerful to account] no matter how big you are [as] a politician”, Anas told the BBC.
The court heard that Agyapong, among other accusations made on a podcast, had called the reporter a “criminal” and alleged he was behind the murder of fellow journalist Ahmed Suale.
Anas told the BBC he was still gri..

South Africa could face a sanction, including a points deduction, after fielding an ineligible player against Lesotho in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.

10 hours agoShareSaveWycliffe Muia & Ashley LimeBBC NewsShareSaveMachar’s senior allies were arrested by security forces earlier this month The detention of South Sudan’s First Vice-President Riek Machar has effectively collapsed the 2018 peace deal that ended the country’s five-year civil war, his party has said.
An armed convoy led by top security officials, including the defence minister, entered Machar’s residence in the capital, Juba, and disarmed his bodyguards late on Wednesday, said the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement In Opposition (SPLM/IO).
Machar was detained alongside his wife Angelina Teny, who is also the country’s interior minister, the party added.
The US has urged the authorities to free Machar, while the UN, African Union and neighbouring countries have all expressed their concern.
The UN Mission in South Sudan, Unmiss, warned that the world’s newest nation risked losing the “hard-won gains of the past seven years” if it returned to “a state of war”.
“Tonight, ..

26 March 2025ShareSaveJack LauGlobal China Unit, BBC World ServiceShareSaveRwandan-backed M23 rebels have taken control of two major cities in eastern DR Congo in the past two monthsChina's efforts to build up huge business interests across Africa have been accompanied by a careful policy of maintaining neutrality – but the conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo has caused a shift in its approach.
Rwanda has been widely accused of stoking the fighting in the mineral-rich region and Beijing, which has close relations with both DR Congo and Rwanda, has in recent weeks joined the criticism.
But it is trying to walk a diplomatic tightrope to maintain good relations with both countries, while also continuing to operate its businesses – and buy crucial minerals.
For decades, China has been careful not to take sides in conflicts in Africa, to avoid causing problems that might interfere with its extensive commercial interests.
Up to now it has shied away from criticising..

22 hours agoShareSaveAzeezat Olaoluwa & Nkechi OgbonnaBBC NewsShareSaveGeneral Abdourahamane Tchiani led the military in a coup two years agoNiger’s military ruler has been sworn in as the country’s president for a transitional period of five years.
Gen Abdourahamane Tchiani has led the country since 2023, after he deposed Niger’s elected President, Mohamed Bazoum.
On Wednesday, Gen Tchiani took the presidential office under a new charter that replaces the West African country’s constitution.
He was also promoted to the country’s highest military rank of army general, and signed a decree ordering that all political parties be dissolved.
During a ceremony in the capital, Niamey, Gen Tchiani said of his new military rank: “I receive this distinction with great humility… I will strive to live up to the trust placed in me.”
The transition to democratic rule is in line with recommendations that a commission made following national discussions.
This five-year time period is “flexible” dep..

12 hours agoShareSaveBernd Debusmann JrBBC News, WashingtonShareSaveBrent Bozell has founded a number of conservative media organisations, including the Media Research Center. US President Donald Trump has named conservative media critic and pro-Israel commentator Leo Brent Bozell III as ambassador to South Africa, amid worsening diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Mr Bozell ‘s nomination follows Washington’s expulsion of South Africa’s ambassador, Ebrahim Rasool, for remarks deemed critical of Trump.
The Trump administration has condemned South Africa’s legal action against Israel at the International Court of Justice over the war in Gaza and has accused its government of discriminating against white South Africans to seize their land.
The nomination must still be confirmed by the US Senate.
Mr Bozell, 69, was previously nominated to lead the US Agency for Global Media – a now-closed umbrella organisation that oversaw Voice of America and Radio Free Europe – but the bid was l..

16 hours agoShareSaveTeklemariam BekitBBC TigrinyaShareSaveGetachew Reda became Tigray’s president following a devastating civil warIn an effort to quell rising tensions in its troubled Tigray region, Ethiopia’s prime minister has said he will appoint a new leader in the area.
Tigray’s interim President Getachew Reda fled to the capital, Addis Ababa, earlier this month following a power struggle in the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which runs the region.
In a novel approach, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed asked Tigrayans to suggest who the region’s new leader should be via email.
The infighting has sparked fears that Tigray could return to the civil war that claimed an estimated half a million lives.
Prime Minister Abiy on Wednesday said Tigray’s leadership had failed to create the conditions for elections following the 2020-22 civil war which saw the TPLF battle Ethiopia’s federal government.
A peace deal – known as the Pretoria Agreement – stopped the gruelling conflict and led..