Residents of a Nigerian community have disputed the army’s assertion that it rescued 31 civilians held hostage following a Sunday morning church attack in the north. The army had said that it freed the civilians seized by gunmen who had raided a church in Ariko, Kaduna state, during Easter celebrations. The authorities said five civilians […]

Burkina Faso has rejected a report that said more than 1,800 civilians have been killed in acts amounting to “crimes against humanity” in the three years since Ibrahim Traoré seized power. The government on Sunday called the Human Rights Watch (HRW) report “false”, dismissing the findings as “conjecture and serious unfounded claims”. The report has […]

Martha Ongwane looks adoringly at her bouncy, giggling four-year-old, unable to believe that just two years ago she had wanted to kill her. Non-verbal, biting and unable to sit still, her daughter Rachael, who had been diagnosed with autism, had slowly overwhelmed Martha leaving her desperate and depressed. She was shunned by her neighbours in […]

Albert Mazibuko, who sang in iconic South African group Ladysmith Black Mambazo for more than five decades, has died aged 77. The musician’s death on Sunday came after a short illness, the choral group posted on their Facebook page. Mazibuko joined Ladysmith Black Mambazo in 1969 and the collective went on to win five Grammy […]

A 48-hour curfew has been imposed in parts of the central Nigerian city of Jos, after gunmen opened fire at an open-air bar, leading to deadly revenge attacks, local reports say. The police have confirmed that 26 people were killed. It is not clear how many died in the initial attack and how many during […]