North-Africa

Pope Leo XIV will soon undertake a sweeping 18,000-kilometre journey through Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea, a packed itinerary that includes 11 speeches and seven masses before his return on 23 April. The trip is designed to spotlight some of the world’s most urgent concerns — from conflict and migration to corruption and human rights — against a backdrop of uncertainty tied to the Middle East war. Leo will make history as the first pope to visit Algeria, where Islam is the state religion. His programme…

Friday April 10, 2026 Ethiopian police say Yetbarek Dawit, who is yet to comment on the allegations, was wanted in various countries Mogadishu (AX) — Ethiopian authorities say they have arrested a man accused of running a trafficking ring that moved thousands of migrants, including Somalis, into Libya over a number of years, where many were allegedly tortured, abused and held for ransom. Federal police named the suspect as Yetbarek Dawit, saying he directed a cross-border operation that smuggled more than 3,000 people from…

Thursday April 9, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia on Wednesday welcomed the ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran, describing it as a meaningful step toward lowering tensions and protecting regional and international stability. In a statement released in Mogadishu, the Federal Government said that, as a member of the United Nations Security Council, Somalia considers the ceasefire a timely and significant move toward de-escalation, confidence-building and the preservation of peace and security. The government…

Relentless downpours have left a deadly mark on Angola, with at least 29 people killed in Luanda and Benguela provinces, the Civil Protection and Firefighters (SPCB) said. The severe storms tore through communities, toppling 114 houses in Benguela and damaging several others, while floodwaters swept away four vehicles. In Luanda, authorities reported six deaths, one person missing, and more than 33,000 residents affected as neighborhoods struggled with rising waters. The flooding inundated thousands of homes and battered…

The escalating conflict in the Middle East is prompting a significant shift in oil procurement strategies among European and Asian buyers, who are increasingly turning to African oil-producing nations. These countries not only offer lower insurance costs but also promise more consistent delivery timelines compared to the high-risk regions of the Middle East. According to industry analysts, leading African energy players—namely Nigeria, Libya, Angola, Gabon, Mozambique, Namibia, and Tanzania—are being regarded as safer…

At least two people have been confirmed dead and dozens remain unaccounted for after a migrant vessel capsized in the Mediterranean, rescuers said, as survivors and witnesses described a desperate scramble at sea. The small craft, which set off from Libya, overturned inside a search-and-rescue area that is officially the responsibility of Libyan authorities. German NGO Sea-Watch reported that two merchant ships passing nearby pulled 32 people from the water and transported them to Lampedusa, the Italian island that serves…

Sunday April 5, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia and Sudan have reached an agreement to waive visa requirements for diplomatic passport holders, a development both governments say will help deepen ties and make official travel easier. The accord was signed on April 2 at the second meeting of the Somalia-Sudan Political Consultation Committee. The session was jointly led by Hamza Adan Haadow, permanent secretary at Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Ambassador Muawiya Osman Khalid,…

Rachel Savage and agenciesFriday April 3, 2026 A deportation flight from the United States has touched down in Uganda, underscoring Donald Trump’s drive to send migrants to countries where they have no roots, no family and, in many cases, no clear future. The people removed from the US will remain in the east African country as “a transition phase for potential onward transmission to other countries”, an unnamed senior Ugandan government official told Reuters. The Uganda Law Society, which has denounced the arrivals, said 12…

Sudan's conflict-ridden Darfur region is facing a severe humanitarian crisis, as Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported on Tuesday that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militias are systematically using sexual violence to dominate civilians. Since April 2023, the Sudanese army and RSF have clashed in a devastating war, causing tens of thousands of deaths and displacing around 11 million people. The conflict is characterized by rampant sexual violence. From January 2024 to November 2025,…

Algeria declared three days of national mourning after announcing the death of former president Liamine Zeroual, who died at 84 following a serious illness. Born in Batna in 1941, Zeroual fought with the National Liberation Army during Algeria’s struggle for independence from France. He later steered a transitional government through the country's brutal civil war and organised the first multi-party presidential election in 1995, emerging as its victor. In 1998 he left office before his term concluded, clearing the way for…