Episodes
Chad’s election on Monday is almost certain to result in victory for transitional president and military leader Mahamat Idriss Déby, some analysts say. Some Sahel states favor restrictions on news media for reporting security-related stories that governments do not like. Presumed Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump says if elected he would restore a travel ban on some majority-Muslim countries; President Joe Biden rescinded the controversial ban the former president imposed in his...
Published 05/03/24
In its 2024 economic outlook for sub-Saharan Africa, the Bretton Wood Institution says it is upbeat about a good regional economic recovery but adds that growth has been more sluggish than expected. There are reports that Russian cargo planes were seen offloading scores of soldiers at Brak al-Shati, while cargo ships carrying equipment docked at the port of Tobruk. A South African whistleblower had to fight for her job after she exposed corruption.
Published 05/02/24
Former South African President Jacob Zuma has thrown his political weight behind a fresh rival to the ruling African National Congress, and adds more unpredictability to the elections. To mark Labor Day in Cameroon, hundreds of thousands of workers march against abuses they say include illegal dismissals and failure to pay the $70 monthly minimum wage. Economic and accountability bodies in Malawi urge the government to address flaws in the public procurement system, and counter corruption.
Published 05/01/24
Kenyan President William Ruto today led an emergency cabinet meeting to plan the government's response to the floods and ordered mandatory evacuations from at-risk areas. Mali’s military government says its forces have killed a senior Islamic State commander, Abu Huzeifa, during a joint operation with Burkina Faso and Niger. U.S. officials are negotiating the removal of American troops from Niger after the country's military junta ended a longstanding security pact.
Published 04/30/24
Heavy rains continue to pound a large portion of East Africa, causing death and devastation, with Kenya and Tanzania reporting nearly 250 deaths. The African Union has said it is deeply concerned about "escalating tensions between local communities" in a disputed area of northern Ethiopia and asked all parties to halt hostilities. African nations are hard hit by rising plastic pollution, although they lag behind developed nations in plastics use.
Published 04/29/24
The United Nations high commissioner for human right is urging Sudan’s warring parties to immediately de-escalate the violence in and around El-Fasher city in northern Darfur, which has killed dozens of civilians. El Nino may contribute to floods that have killed at more than 220 people in Kenya and Tanzania, and to the drought pushing Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe toward hunger crises. Gabon's month-long national dialogue intended to lay the groundwork for restoring civilian rule in the...
Published 04/26/24
U.S. and Niger officials are meeting today to discuss the withdrawal of American forces from the military-ruled country. Since their military coup, Niger’s new leaders have pursued closer ties with Russia, mirroring neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, where Russian military forces have established a presence. In the U.S., university students are demonstrating against the Israel and Hamas war in Gaza, and although some demonstrators have been arrested, it appears the protests are not dying down.
Published 04/25/24
Botswana says it rejected a proposal to accept asylum-seekers from Britain, an arrangement similar to the one that Rwanda has agreed to. A British analyst says the Labour Party could end the Rwanda asylum plan if it comes to power. Reporters Without Borders ranked Tunisia as 121st out of 180 countries in its freedom of the press index for 2023.
Published 04/24/24
Africa News Tonight is a lively news magazine show featuring VOA correspondent reports, interviews with African officials, opposition leaders, NGOs and human rights activists. News feature stories look at science and technology, environmental issues, humanitarian topics, and the African diaspora.
Published 04/23/24
Former South African President Jacob Zuma and his new Umkhonto Wesizwe party have survived an attempt to stop the use of the party’s name and its logo. Cameroon’s opposition and civil society have launched a mass campaign to combat voter apathy. The International Monetary Fund has made an urgent appeal to countries to build fiscal resilience so they can withstand an unforeseen crisis such as a pandemic, war or skyrocketing inflation.
Published 04/22/24
Kenya began three days of mourning today after its defense chief and nine other military personnel were killed in a helicopter crash yesterday, the latest accident to hit the nation's military. The group WaterAid says a lack of clean water in health facilities across seven African countries is causing enormous rates of infections, which lead to tens of thousands of avoidable deaths. Africa’s top basketball event – the BAL – returns to the court with Nile conference play.
Published 04/19/24
Africa News Tonight is a lively news magazine show featuring VOA correspondent reports, interviews with African officials, opposition leaders, NGOs and human rights activists. News feature stories look at science and technology, environmental issues, humanitarian topics, and the African diaspora.
Published 04/18/24
A year into Sudan’s conflict, the country’s healthcare system is wrecked, but one volunteer at an Omdurman hospital says he can’t leave his patients. A company is offering to help people fleeing the war in Gaza to enter Egypt – for thousands of dollars per person. The Cameroon Medical Council, an association of doctors, says the state of health care is a growing concern in the country, which faces a doctor shortage, and newly trained physicians increasingly leave for better pay.
Published 04/17/24
Africa News Tonight is a lively news magazine show featuring VOA correspondent reports, interviews with African officials, opposition leaders, NGOs and human rights activists. News feature stories look at science and technology, environmental issues, humanitarian topics, and the African diaspora.
Published 04/16/24
In Washington, Sudanese community members and human rights groups demonstrated in a call for U.S. action to end the year-long conflict in Sudan. Today, former U.S. President Donald Trump goes on trial on criminal charges in New York. More than 80 girls have not returned home, 10 years after the extremist Boko Haram group kidnapped hundreds from a school in Chibok, Nigeria, and since then, hundreds more school children have been snatched, leaving activists weary in their fight to return the...
Published 04/15/24
United Nations and international agencies warn the lives of millions of people in Sudan are at risk, saying the world is turning a blind eye to the enormous humanitarian needs facing this war-torn country. Kenyan doctors continue their strike calling for better pay and working conditions, but President William Ruto says the country has no money to meet their demands. More than 250 humanitarian and human rights groups are calling on all United Nations member states to immediately halt arms...
Published 04/12/24
160 groups are urging the Biden administration to approve an 18-month Temporary Protected Status, or “TPS,” for Congolese citizens, saying clashes involving militant groups over territory and natural resources, extrajudicial killings by security forces and rising tensions with Rwanda have led to chaos. Claude Kamana, the President of the Congolese Community of Washington Metropolitan (CCWM), tells VOA’s Carol Van Dam more than six million people in the DRC are internally displaced.
Published 04/12/24
Opposition candidates are accusing Chad’s military ruler General Mahamat Idriss Deby of flouting election rules and launching his campaign before the official starting date on Sunday. More than 150 organizations delivered a letter to President Joe Biden and top cabinet officials, urging approval of an initial, 18-month Temporary Protected Status, and Special Student Relief designation for citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo. As Russia aims to expand its influence in Africa, it plans...
Published 04/11/24
The United Nations refugee agency reports thousands of people flee Sudan every day in search of safety as the conflict, which has been raging for nearly a year, shows no signs of abating. Lisa Schlein reports from Geneva.
Published 04/11/24
A labor group says Nigerians are having a tough time handling a government-mandated electricity tariff hike. The Association of Electricity and Allied Companies warned of possible social unrest if President Bola Tinubu fails to reverse the over 245% increase. Political analyst Abubakar Mohammed tells VOA's Chinedu Offor that power supply has worsened since the new tariff went into effect.
Published 04/11/24
The opposition Egyptian Party for Development and Reform urged President Abdel Fattaf al-Sisi to form a strong cabinet that can tackle the economic crisis and focus on industrial and agricultural production. It also asked Sisi to enact political reforms that support political parties and allows them to compete for the peaceful transition of power. VOA senior analyst Mohamed Elshinnawi discussed this with the party president, Mohamed Anwar Al Sadat.
Published 04/11/24
30 years ago, one of the darkest episodes of the late 20th century occurred: more than 800,000 men, women and children were slaughtered in Rwanda. Most were ethnic Tutsis, but moderate Hutus were also murdered. The nation was rebuilt, but the trauma of genocide still lingers today. Nola Haynes, a political science professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, tells VOA’s Carol Van Dam at the time, Americans were being fed a certain narrative about African countries.
Published 04/10/24
Africa News Tonight is a lively news magazine show featuring VOA correspondent reports, interviews with African officials, opposition leaders, NGOs and human rights activists. News feature stories look at science and technology, environmental issues, humanitarian topics, and the African diaspora.
Published 04/10/24
The United Nations refugee agency reports thousands of people flee Sudan every day in search of safety as the conflict, which has been raging for nearly a year, shows no signs of abating. South Africa’s electoral court ruled that former President Jacob Zuma can run in the May 29 general election, overturning an electoral commission decision to bar him. Human Rights Watch says just before the Rwanda genocide in 1994, its employee on the ground warned the U.S. government and aid groups about...
Published 04/09/24