Authorities in Botswana say that toxic cyanobacteria, a kind of algae found in water sources, is behind the mysterious death of elephant herds earlier this year. Dr. Mmadi Reuben, the principal veterinary officer for the Department of Wildlife & National Parks, said Monday that the laboratory samples of water obtained…
The ongoing Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo has been overshadowed by the COVID pandemic, the country’s security crisis in the east and other headlines, but the virus has now claimed four dozen lives and experts are worried of a spread into Kinshasa or across the border. “The most…
South Africans weighed in Tuesday on the alleged comments of President Donald Trump of the United States, whose remarks about African nations have faced scrutiny before but now include the late Nelson Mandela. This time they’ve come up again through a new book written by former Trump attorney and disgraced…
Another locust outbreak is threatening southern Africa, this time with the potential to affect some 7 million people in four more countries. Botswana has seen smallholder farmers lose entire crops, with the growing region of Pandamatenga and its key sorghum crops at risk as the country seeks to step up…
The International Criminal Court based in The Hague has condemned a United States decision to impose economic sanctions on Gambian native Fatou Bensouda, the ICC prosecutor, and an associate in retaliation for the ICC’s plans to investigate possible U.S. war crimes. The ICC said the decision, announced Wednesday by U.S….
Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said Friday that recent death threats targeting Dr. Denis Mukwege, a human rights defender and 2018 Nobel Prize winner in Democratic Republic of Congo, are causing concern for his safety and must be taken seriously. Mukwege, founder of the Panzi…
In Zimbabwe, friends and supporters of political activist Patson Dzamara are mourning the news that Dzamara has died while awaiting medical treatment. Dzamara, 34, was a human rights defender who opposed the ruling Zanu PF party and was active in calling for change during the end of former president Robert…
Dozens of African migrants were rescued this week from what international migration agencies say is the largest shipwreck this year off the Libyan coast, but the death of at least 45 others has renewed attention to policies that fail to protect Mediterranean Sea migrants. The International Organization for Migration (IOM)…
Tanzanians experienced a moderate earthquake on Thursday evening, one day after an unusually strong 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck just off the coast. The new quake, measured at 5.0 magnitude, occurred in the same Indian Ocean spot about 93 kilometers southeast of Dar es Salaam. The United States Geological Survey estimated a…
Officials in Mauritius say they’ve offloaded nearly all the fuel that was still trapped aboard the ill-fated MV Wakashio, the Japanese-owned ship that is stranded and leaking oil into a protected marine area of the Indian Ocean island nation. That’s according to Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth on Wednesday, as he…
Leaders in Niger and France said they were in close contact following the deaths of eight people attacked at the Kouré Giraffe Reserve on Sunday, seven of them working with the aid organizations ACTED and IMPACT Initiatives. President Mahamadou Issoufou said he had spoken with French President Emmanuel Macron by…
The French government is sending assistance to Mauritius, in order to help the Indian Ocean island nation deal with a shipwrecked tanker that is now leaking oil into a protected marine area. “When biodiversity is in danger, there is an urgent need to act. France is there,” said President Emmanuel…
The death toll continued to rise in Lebanon following a massive blast in Beirut, with the government confirming at least 73 people dead and another 4,700 injured and seeking care at overwhelmed and damaged hospitals. The explosion in the city’s port shattered buildings and overturned cars on nearby roadways with…
Some 6,500 service personnel will likely return to assignments in the United States as the U.S. Africa Command based in Stuttgart, Germany, plans a move of AFRICOM headquarters announced this week. U.S. Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander of AFRICOM, acknowledged President Donald Trump’s decision to move from Germany while assuring…
The music world is mourning the death of Balla Sidibé, a founding member and lead singer of the Senegalese music group Orchestra Baobab. He died in Dakar on Wednesday and was buried late in the day. “He was rehearsing new material with the group only yesterday. Balla was a giant…