Sierra Leonean presidential election goes to 2nd round
Sierra Leone will vote in a presidential run-off election March 27, after neither of the candidates in the first round achieved the 55% of the ballot required to take office.
How ancient knowledge inspires African tech to flourish
The ancient philosophy of “Ubuntu” is encouraging African tech communities to collaborate and innovate.
Stunning photos capture Egypt’s ancient underworld
Sandro Vannini has photographed the Valley of Kings for over two decades.
Will Egypt’s Sisi tighten his grip?
A 50-foot campaign poster of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi stares down over Cairo's Tahrir Square, where hundreds of thousands of Egyptians demanded bread, freedom and social justice during the 2011 Arab Spring uprising. Across from the square, a huge screen shows a video montage of the President and his supporters.
Parents anxious for release of only schoolgirl in Boko Haram captivity
Parents of lone Dapchi schoolgirl in Boko Haram captivity urge Nigerian government to push for their daughter's release.
Global Health: South Sudan Halts Spread of Crippling Guinea Worms
South Sudan Halts Spread of Crippling Guinea Worms Photo A woman with scars on her leg left by two Guinea worms in Terekeka, South Sudan. Only 30 infestations were recorded worldwide last year, an enormous achievement since 1986, when there were an estimated 3.5 million cases in 21 Asian and African countries. Credit Mariah Quesada/Associated Press South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, appears to have stopped Guinea worm disease within its borders, the country’s health minister announced Wednesday.
“Having known the suffering it inflicted, one is very happy today,” the minister, Dr. Riek Gai Kok, said. “Future generations will just read of Guinea worm in the books as history.”
Dr. Kok made the announcement in Atlanta at the Carter Center, a philanthropy founded by former President Jimmy Carter that leads the effort to eliminate the parasitic worm.
Only 30 worm infestations were detected last year, 15 in Chad and 15 in Ethiopia. When Mr. Carter began the eradication drive in 1986, t..
China denies bugging African Union headquarters it built in Ethiopia
Leaders of China and the African Union have denied a published report that Beijing spied for years on the African Union headquarters through computer systems it helped install.
Deal With U.S. Military Sets Off Protests in Ghana
Deal With U.S. Military Sets Off Protests in Ghana Photo Protesters in Accra, Ghana, demonstrated Wednesday against a military agreement with the United States. Credit Cristina Aldehuela/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images DAKAR, Senegal — Thousands of Ghanaians rallied in the streets of their capital on Wednesday to protest a deal that would give the United States military an expanded role in Ghana.
As part of the agreement struck last week, the United States would invest about $20 million in equipment and training for the Ghanaian military, carrying out joint exercises with Ghana and using the nation’s radio channels and runways.
Ghanaian officials said the agreement was an extension of a two-decades-long relationship between the United States and Ghana, a West African nation that has been a regular host of bilateral and multilateral military exercises.
“It’s the same arrangement we’ve had in times past,” said Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the deputy minister of information. He said that resi..
Militants Linked to Al Qaeda Unleash Deadly Car Bombings in Somalia
Militants Linked to Al Qaeda Unleash Deadly Car Bombings in Somalia Photo The Shabab claimed responsibility for a deadly car bombing in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Sunday. Credit Said Yusuf Warsame/EPA, via Shutterstock MOGADISHU, Somalia — Three explosions over four days in or near the Somalian capital have left a trail of carnage, killing nearly 20 people and injuring dozens of others, as Islamist militants unleashed a wave of attacks on the country.
On Sunday, a car bomb exploded at a security checkpoint near the Interior Ministry on a road leading to the presidential palace in the capital, Mogadishu. At least three people, in addition to the bomber, were killed, a police chief said.
The blast sent a plume of black smoke billowing above the skyline.
The police chief, Gen. Bashir Mohamed Jama, said that five other people had been injured in the blast and that the authorities had thwarted two other suicide bombing attacks on Sunday morning.
The Shabab, an Islamist extremist group affiliate..