North Africa

After 18 years away, Eritrea is finally stepping back onto Africa’s biggest football stage, set to “host” Eswatini in a 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier that will be played on neutral ground in Morocco. The preliminary round first leg is scheduled for the 20,000-seat Stade d'Honneur, shifted from East to North Africa because Eritrea does not have a stadium that meets international standards. The Red Sea Camels have not featured in the AFCON since a 2008 qualifier ended in a draw in Eswatini, the country formerly known…

Timothy Abraham, BBC Sport journalist and Aadam Patel, Liverpool reporterWednesday March 25, 2026 Mohamed Salah’s nine-year Liverpool story is heading for its final chapter after the forward announced he will leave Anfield at the end of the season. The 33-year-old Egypt international, signed from Roma in June 2017, confirmed his decision in a video posted on his social media accounts. "Unfortunately the day has come. This is the first part of my farewell," Salah said. "I will be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season."…

Chad has started moving refugees away from its volatile frontier with Sudan after a deadly cross-border raid that killed 17 people, including mourners at a funeral, escalating tensions and prompting vows of retaliation from President Mahamat Idriss Déby. In a formal announcement, the government said it had reinforced security along the border and signaled it may pursue operations inside Sudan if necessary. Local officials added that investigators have yet to determine which group carried out the attack. The eastern border…

In a bid to accelerate the fight against tuberculosis, the World Health Organization is urging countries to expand access to new, low-cost diagnostic tools that deliver rapid, point-of-care results. The push centers on innovations such as portable tests that return findings in under an hour and tongue swab sampling to enable earlier detection—approaches designed to widen coverage, cut expenses, and reach people at highest risk. WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said these advances have the potential to…

Monday March 23, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — A sharp new dispute between Somalia’s federal government and Southwest State is spilling into the security arena, with regional authorities warning that fresh troop deployments could ignite wider conflict and compound an already precarious humanitarian situation. In a statement released Monday from Baidoa, Southwest State officials said the arrival of Somali National Army forces in the region amounts to a military escalation rooted in political disagreements—issues they argued should be…

Monday March 23, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — A fresh accusation from Baidoa is intensifying a growing rift with Mogadishu, as the speaker of Southwest State’s parliament claims the federal government is diverting Egyptian-supplied weapons—intended for national defense—into a volatile local power struggle in the Southwest region. In a post on X dated March 21, 2026, Dr. Ali Said Fiqi alleged that rifles provided by Egypt to help Somalia battle al-Shabab are instead being distributed to militias in the Burhakaba district. “These…

At least 64 people, including 13 children, lost their lives in a devastating assault on a hospital in Sudan, according to the World Health Organization on Saturday. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed the attack on Friday targeted el-Daein Teaching Hospital, the capital of East Darfur. He called for an end to the nearly three-year conflict plaguing Sudan, asserting that "enough blood has been spilled." The assault claimed the lives of at least 64 individuals, among them 13 children, two female…

In a dramatic turn of events, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) is under scrutiny following its recent decision to revoke Senegal's hosting rights for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), a mere 58 days after the tournament concluded. Leading the charge for accountability, the Guinean Football Federation (FGF) has formally requested that CAF apply uniform disciplinary measures, drawing attention to a pivotal moment in AFCON history: the contentious 1976 match between Morocco and Guinea. In that encounter,…

Friday March 20, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — A deepening rift between Mogadishu and Southwest State burst into public view on Friday as a group of federal cabinet members from the region resigned en masse. The departing officials are State Minister for Fisheries and Marine Resources Dr. Mohamed Yusuf Hassan (Waliid); Deputy Minister of Planning, Investment and Economic Development Mohamed Aden Mohamed; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Isaak Mohamud Mursal; Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate…

Intense Clashes Erupt in Sudan's Kordofan Region The Sudanese Kordofan region has become a focal point of intense conflict as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched coordinated attacks on strategic locations. This escalation aims to isolate el-Obeid, a vital hub in the ongoing conflict. RSF targeted North Kordofan city of Bara and South Kordofan city of Dilling. The conflict marks a pivotal phase in the three-year war between the army and RSF. Tens of thousands have been displaced, exacerbating humanitarian…