The stage is set for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, with the qualifying rounds officially drawn at the Egyptian Football Association's headquarters. A total of 48 nations have been organized into 12 groups of four, igniting the competition for coveted spots in the tournament. This vibrant event is scheduled to take place from June 19 to July 17, 2027, across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, who will share hosting duties. Defending champions Morocco head Group A, where they will compete against Gabon, Niger, and Lesotho. Key…

Sunday May 17, 2026 Health officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo say the country is confronting a new Ebola outbreak in eastern Ituri province, where the death toll has climbed to at least 80 as authorities step up screening and contact tracing efforts to slow the spread. A fresh outbreak of Ebola has been reported in eastern DRC, where tens of people have died as a result. / Reuters Authorities announced the outbreak on Friday, saying 65 people had died and 246 suspected cases had been identified. By Saturday, they…

From the stage of the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali, President Paul Kagame delivered a sharp critique of global sanctions, saying they are wielded unevenly and weaponized against weaker states. He argued that the way sanctions are imposed reflects raw power rather than justice, advantaging countries with greater strategic or economic clout. During a session moderated by CNN anchor and correspondent Eleni Giokos, African leaders were pressed on how they are navigating escalating geopolitical strains — from disputed mineral…

Chad is teetering at a perilous tipping point, its structural weaknesses now so stark that the country—and the region around it—risks sliding toward state collapse. For years, regional powers and international partners equated military effectiveness with domestic stability and looked the other way. That misreading has run its course. The debate is no longer about whether President Mahamat Deby Itno presides over an authoritarian system—he does—but whether his government can keep the nation intact at all, writes Cameron…

By JEREMIAH WAKAYAThursday May 14, 2026 Ruto said Kenya had made significant progress toward reopening the frontier before clashes erupted between Somalia’s Federal Government and regional state forces near the Kenyan border/PCS/FILE President William Ruto has said the long-promised reopening of the Kenya-Somalia border collapsed because renewed violence and political turmoil in Somalia upended the plan. In an interview with France 24 on the sidelines of the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Ruto said Kenya had been moving…

Nik MartinTuesday May 12, 2026 Somali pirates have turned large dhows into floating bases, extending their reach and giving them a platform from which to target commercial vesselsImage: EU NAVFOR/Handout/dpa/picture alliance With ships already diverting around Africa to steer clear of conflict zones in the Middle East, piracy off Somalia is surging again. The comeback is adding pressure across global supply chains, driving up insurance bills, lengthening voyages and forcing operators to spend more on security. For the…

Human Rights Watch has urged authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo to safeguard free speech and ensure people can voice dissent without intimidation or harassment, following fresh accounts of journalists, activists, and opposition figures being arbitrarily detained. In a statement, the organization said the tightening grip on critics comes amid mounting political friction over a potential constitutional revision. Opponents warn that such a change could allow President Félix Tshisekedi to sidestep the country’s…

Tragedy strikes the Lake Chad Basin as over 40 Nigerian fishers are feared dead following airstrikes launched by Chad aimed at Boko Haram positions. Abubakar Gamandi Usman, the chairman of the Lake Chad Basin Fisheries Association of Nigeria, expressed grave concerns that some fishers might have been directly struck during the assaults, while others reportedly drowned while attempting to escape in overcrowded boats. As of now, no bodies have been recovered from the water. The Chadian government described the air raids as…

President Félix Tshisekedi has ignited a political backlash in the Democratic Republic of the Congo after saying he would consider a third term if citizens called for it, a statement that opposition leaders swiftly denounced. The constitution restricts presidents to two terms, and Tshisekedi said any modification would be decided by referendum. His critics counter that Article 220 expressly forbids changing presidential term limits, accusing him of laying the groundwork to prolong his time in office. The dispute…

Branding the sanctions “untimely and counterproductive,” politicians aligned with the Mouvement Sauvons la RDC — a movement co-founded by Joseph Kabila — condemned the measures, warning they could deepen the country’s protracted crisis. The pushback from the opposition comes as diplomatic efforts gather pace to tackle the conflict in eastern DR Congo, with parallel tracks seeking to address both the regional dynamics and the internal drivers of instability.