Displaying items by tag: Africa

For reporter Haru Mutasa, covering climate change stories was not part of the plan, yet one assignment led relentlessly to another. A routine trip to Kenya’s Mandera County revealed a devastating drought along the Kenya–Somalia border. Dry riverbeds, starving camels and burned livestock graves told a grim story. Communities depended on infrequent water deliveries, sharing muddy water with animals. Pastoralists like Mohamed Hussein had lost most of their livestock, struggling to keep families alive. After leaving Kenya, Haru thought the story was over. Instead, heavy rains and floods swept across southern Africa. Soon she was deployed again, this time to Mozambique. In Maputo, neighbourhoods lay submerged in filthy floodwaters. Further south, highways had disappeared underwater and farmland had vanished beneath rising rivers. With dams upstream full, more flooding threatens. While the world looks elsewhere, these communities remain, facing a climate crisis that refuses to pause.

A national disaster has been declared in South Africa after weeks of torrential rain and severe flooding killed at least thirty people in the country’s north and caused widespread destruction. In Limpopo and Mpumalanga, the worst-hit provinces, homes, roads, and bridges have been washed away, leaving many families displaced. Heavy rains have also affected other provinces, while neighbouring Mozambique and Zimbabwe also suffered deadly floods, bringing the regional death toll to more than a hundred In Limpopo alone, damage is estimated at around £180 million. Rescue teams are still searching for missing people, including a five-year-old child believed to have been swept away when his home flooded. Hundreds of tourists and staff were evacuated from Kruger National Park during the crisis, highlighting the scale of disruption. As recovery efforts continue, communities face deep loss and an uncertain road ahead.

On 15 January Uganda headed into a tense election as Yoweri Museveni sought a seventh term as president after nearly four decades in power. The final days of campaigning have been marked by heavy military deployments in the capital, Kampala, and a government-ordered suspension of mobile internet services, measures which opposition figures say signal growing authoritarianism. Museveni’s main challenger, Bobi Wine, has drawn strong support from younger, urban voters frustrated by unemployment, corruption and limited political change. Security forces say their presence is intended to prevent violence, but rights groups are concerned about intimidation and force used against opposition supporters. While Museveni retains strong backing in rural regions and is expected to win, critics fear the process will lack credibility. The aging president's authority has become increasingly dependent on the military led by his controversial son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba. The election highlights deep divisions in Uganda, as many citizens long for peaceful transition, accountable leadership and hope for a more inclusive future.

The US government has made a $7.5 million payment to the government of Equatorial Guinea as it seeks agreements to deport migrants to third countries, prompting sharp criticism from a top Democratic senator. Jeanne Shaheen said the payment, drawn from a migration and refugee assistance fund, raises serious concerns about transparency and proper use of taxpayer money; it far exceeds all US aid given to the country in the past eight years. She questioned whether funds intended for humanitarian crises should be transferred directly to one of the world’s most corrupt governments. The State Department defended the move as part of implementing the Trump administration’s immigration priorities. The payment raises questions about how the government is enmeshing its deportation agenda with other foreign policy goals, as well as the international leaders it is willing to trust. Immigration advocacy groups have called the policy a reckless tactic which violates due process rights and can strand deportees in countries with long histories of human rights violations and corruption.

Authorities in Burkina Faso say they have thwarted a new coup attempt, underscoring ongoing political instability in the West African nation. Officials said the alleged plot was uncovered late on 3 January before it could be carried out, with security forces remaining on high alert. In a televised address, Security minister Mahamadou Sana said the plan involved coordinated efforts to destabilise the country through targeted assassinations of civilian and military leaders, including the head of state, Captain Ibrahim Traoré (see). Investigations are continuing and arrests have reportedly begun, with those implicated expected to face prosecution. The government praised intelligence services for preventing what it described as another attempt to destabilise the country. The alleged plot is the latest in a series of claims of attempts to remove Captain Traoré, who himself seized power in 2022.

Authorities in Morocco are confronting a severe winter emergency as freezing temperatures, heavy rainfall, snowfall, and flash floods impact large swathes of the country. In response, they have launched a nationwide relief operation covering 28 provinces, aiming to assist around 73,000 vulnerable households with food supplies, blankets, and essential aid. Red weather alerts warn of as much as 80 cm of snow in the High Atlas mountains, while orange alerts signal intense rainfall across central and northern regions. The extreme conditions have already proved deadly: flash floods in the coastal city of Safi killed at least 37 people, damaged homes, and swept away vehicles. To mitigate further harm, the government has mobilised road clearance teams, emergency monitoring centres, and provincial vigilance committees to maintain access to remote and high-altitude areas: residents are being urged to remina cautious, especially when travelling. The relief efforts reflect Morocco’s broader strategy to protect vulnerable communities and mitigate the impacts of what authorities describe as unusually severe winter weather.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has sentenced former Janjaweed commander Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, better known as Ali Kushayb, to twenty years in prison for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur in 2003–04. Convicted on 27 charges, he is the first person tried by the ICC for atrocities linked to the Darfur conflict. Judges found that he both ordered and personally participated in attacks aimed at ‘wiping out’ non-Arab communities, including killings, mass displacement and widespread sexual violence. Survivors testified to villages being burned and families destroyed. The ruling comes as Sudan faces renewed conflict, with the Rapid Support Forces (successors to the Janjaweed) accused of carrying out similar abuses today. While the ICC hopes the sentence will offer justice and deterrence, experts question its immediate impact, noting that millions of survivors remain displaced and key figures, including former president Omar al-Bashir, are still wanted. The verdict nevertheless stands as a significant acknowledgment of long-ignored suffering.

Nearly 100,000 people in northern Mozambique have fled in recent weeks as armed groups have stormed their villages, often at night. They have burnt homes, killed civilians, and forced families to escape without belongings or documents. Nampula province now faces a fourth major influx of displaced people in recent months, pushing already fragile host communities beyond capacity. Schools, churches, and open spaces are overflowing, while humanitarian workers are struggling to respond to simultaneous attacks in many districts. Violence linked to the so-called IS has already displaced more than 1.3 million people since 2017, and now threatens communities which have previously been safe refuges. UNHCR warns that current funding covers only half of what is required, and needs will rise sharply into 2026. Lacking adequate shelter, food, and water, some families are returning to unsafe areas simply because overcrowded conditions leave them no other choice.

On 21 November, at St Mary’s Catholic School in Niger state, more than three hundred students were abducted in a mass kidnapping - the worst such attack recorded against a Catholic school in the region. Although fifty children managed to escape and have been reunited with their families, 253 students and twelve staff members remain captive. Parents of missing children are traumatised, anxiously searching for any sign of their loved ones. This kidnapping follows several recent attacks, including the abduction of over two dozen schoolgirls in Kebbi and of 38 people attending a church service in Kwara state (though these have now been rescued). These incidents come only a few weeks after Donald Trump spoke of ‘Christian genocide’, which the government denied (see) President Bola Tinubu has reassigned VIPs' bodyguards to core policing duties and ordered the recruitment of 30,000 new police officers, acknowledging that ‘many parts of Nigeria’ are not adequately policed. Church leaders and global voices, including the Pope, have called for urgent action to rescue the hostages and restore safety for Nigeria’s citizens. Many feel that the West doesn’t seem to care about this ongoing level of terrorism: see

Northern Nigeria is facing a rapidly escalating hunger emergency as militant attacks make it too dangerous for farmers to work their land. According to a new World Food Programme (WFP) report, Nigeria is on track to experience the worst-ever food crisis in Africa next year, with an estimated 35 million people expected to suffer severe hunger. In Borno state, the centre of ongoing insurgencies, at least 15,000 people are projected to face catastrophic hunger including famine-like conditions, as it is now classified at the highest level of food crisis severity. Violence from armed groups has spread, including recent kidnappings and the arrival of an al-Qaeda-linked faction claiming attacks in Nigeria for the first time. The crisis has been intensified by a major reduction in humanitarian aid following Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw US funding from the WFP. Without renewed support, millions may be left without critical food assistance, deepening instability and human suffering across the region.