Author: BBC

The members of Kenya’s security forces who shot dead anti-tax protesters at the country’s parliament last June have been identified by the BBC. The BBC’s analysis of more than 5,000 images also shows that those killed there were unarmed and not posing a threat. The East African nation’s constitution guarantees the right to peaceful protest, […]

Benin’s government has admitted that 54 soldiers were killed by suspected jihadists in the country’s north last week near the borders with Burkina Faso and Niger. The authorities had previously said that only eight soldiers were killed. The revised figure makes it the deadliest known attack since insurgents began operating in northern Benin at the […]

Shot 16 times in an assassination attempt in 2017, Tindu Lissu is the great survivor of Tanzanian politics – and one of its most persecuted politicians. But some are asking whether he has now reached the the end of the line. Lissu, the leader of the main opposition party, Chadema, is back in the limelight […]

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has ended an historic visit to South Africa, signalling a dramatic improvement in the once-strained relations between the two nations. The visit marked a diplomatic breakthrough for the Ukrainian leader in his efforts to counter Russia’s strong – and growing – influence in Africa. “I’m sure that Russia will be annoyed […]

South Africa’s finance minister has dropped plans to increase value-added tax (VAT), in a major climbdown to prevent the collapse of the coalition government. Enoch Godongwana’s decision came after the second-biggest party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), threatened to quit the government, warning a VAT hike would hurt the poor the most. Godongwana, a member of […]

Opposition MPs in Ghana have fiercely condemned the suspension of the country’s chief justice, accusing President John Mahama of trying to “pack the courts” with justices who are sympathetic to the governing party, the NDC. Gertrude Torkornoo was removed from her post on Wednesday – the first time a chief justice has been suspended in […]

US Senior Advisor for Africa Massad Boulos has said that President Donald Trump values Africa, despite announcing sweeping aid cuts that have caused considerable humanitarian distress across the continent. Trump announced the aid freeze on his first day in office in January in line with his “America First” foreign policy, while Trump’s recent tariffs have […]

Shot 16 times in an assassination attempt in 2017, Tindu Lissu is the great survivor of Tanzanian politics – and one of its most persecuted politicians. But some are asking whether he has now reached the the end of the line. Lissu, the leader of the main opposition party, Chadema, is back in the limelight […]

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is on a historic visit to South Africa, signalling a dramatic improvement in the once-strained relations between the two nations. The visit marks a diplomatic breakthrough for the Ukrainian leader in his efforts to counter Russia’s strong – and growing – influence in Africa. “I’m sure that Russia will be annoyed […]

In a stark warning, the head of the UN’s food aid agency in Ethiopia has said millions in the country are “one shock away from falling into a catastrophe”. Zlatan Milišić’s statement came as he announced that because of a lack of funding the World Food Programme (WFP ) “is being forced to halt treatment” […]