Tag

Africa

All articles tagged with #africa

world13 hours ago•5 min saved

Pope Leo XIV Launches Longest-Ever Africa Pilgrimage Across Four Nations

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni outlined Pope Leo XIV’s 11-day Apostolic Journey (April 13–23) to Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea, with addresses in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish and focus on peace, migration, the environment, youth and the family. It will be the pope’s longest trip yet, his first visit to Algeria and decades-long first visits to the other countries, featuring a diverse delegation and an in-flight press conference on the return.

via Vatican News|

#africa #algeria #angola

africa11 days ago•5 min saved

MSF: Sexual violence pervasive in Sudan beyond battlefronts

MSF warns that sexual violence remains a daily reality in Sudan, even in Darfur areas far from active fighting. Based on 3,396 survivor testimonies (2024–25), most assaults are by armed men—primarily RSF fighters—with ethnic targeting and brutal violence. Many victims were women performing routine tasks like collecting water or traveling to markets. The report calls for accountability and says the humanitarian system has failed to adequately protect survivors.

via BBC|

#africa #darfur #msf

science13 days ago•6 min saved

New African Mushroom Rewrites the Evolutionary Tale of Psychedelic Fungi

Researchers identify Psilocybe ochraceocentrata in southern Africa as a distinct species from the cultivated P. cubensis, dating their last common ancestor to about 1.5 million years ago and challenging the idea that cubensis spread to the Americas with 16th‑century cattle. Using multi-locus phylogenetics, molecular clocks, and ecological niche modeling, the team shows the two mushrooms diverged long ago, and that popular NSS/Transkei strains belong to the new species. The work highlights Africa’s under-sampling of fungal diversity and reshapes the origin story of magic mushrooms.

via SciTechDaily|

#africa #evolution #genetics

world16 days ago•3 min saved

UN General Assembly backs reparations for slavery’s lasting harms

A Ghana-led UN General Assembly resolution calling for reparations for slavery passed with 123 votes in favor, three against (Argentina, Israel, United States) and 52 abstentions. It labels the transatlantic slave trade as a gravest crime against humanity and urges concrete steps toward justice, healing, and addressing enduring racism; the United States questioned the legal basis for reparations. UN and African-led efforts, including the Second International Decade for People of African Descent and the African Union’s Decade of Reparations, were highlighted as frameworks to push for action and systemic change.

via UN News|

#africa #human-rights #reparations

archaeology18 days ago•5 min saved

Ancient ostrich eggshell engravings hint at humanity's first geometric grammar

Analysis of 112 engraved ostrich eggshell fragments from Diepkloof, Klipdrift, Apollo 11 and Namibia shows that over 80% display coherent spatial organization—grids, parallel lines and right angles—indicating intentional, systematic thought and suggesting an embryonic visual grammar marking early geometric and abstract thinking about 60,000 years ago.

via The Jerusalem Post|

#abstract-thought #africa #archaeology

science20 days ago•4 min saved

60,000-Year-Old Ostrich Eggshell Art Reveals Early Human Geometry

A study of 112 engraved ostrich eggshell fragments from southern Africa, dating about 60,000 years ago, shows coherent geometric patterns—grids, right angles, and repeating lines—indicating early Homo sapiens used abstract, visuo-spatial planning and developed a geometric grammar that underpins later symbolic thought.

via ScienceAlert|

#africa #archaeology #cognition

africa25 days ago•41 min saved

Maiduguri blasts: at least 23 dead as suspected suicides rock Nigeria’s northeast

At least 23 people were killed and about 108 wounded in suspected suicide-bomb attacks in Maiduguri, hitting a post office, Monday Market, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and Kaleri; police say preliminary investigations point to suicide attackers, with security tightened as investigators probe the incident. Analysts say the strikes bear the hallmarks of Boko Haram/ISWAP activity, underscoring ongoing security challenges in Nigeria’s insurgency-hit northeast.

via Reuters|

#africa #bomb #cwp

africa25 days ago•3 min saved

Maiduguri bombings leave 23 dead and 108 injured, police say

A series of suspected suicide bombings in Maiduguri, Nigeria, killed 23 people and injured about 108 at the entrance of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and two markets, with no group yet claiming responsibility; security forces and emergency teams are assessing the attacks amid Nigeria’s ongoing security crisis involving Boko Haram and the ISWAP insurgency.

via Al Jazeera|

#africa #boko-haram #iswap

africa26 days ago•4 min saved

Africa treads carefully as Russia-linked recruitment of citizens for Ukraine war surfaces

African governments are navigating cautious diplomacy as reports of Russia-linked recruitment of Africans to fight in Ukraine emerge; Kenya’s foreign minister visits Moscow under domestic pressure to halt recruitment, while Ghana and South Africa report casualties and investigations. Estimates suggest thousands of Africans could be involved, including over 1,000 Kenyans, but officials emphasize dialogue over confrontation and analysts say public backlash remains limited for now.

via Reuters|

#africa #ghana #kenya

science27 days ago•20 min saved

Ancient Face, Connected Africa: Little Foot’s Reconstruction Rewrites Hominin History

Scientists digitally rebuilt the distorted face of Little Foot, a 3.67‑million‑year‑old Australopithecus from South Africa, using high‑resolution scans. The resulting features show Little Foot’s face resembles East African fossils more than a younger South African counterpart, suggesting Africa was a connected evolutionary landscape and facial evolution 4–3 million years ago may have been more complex than regional models imply. The study highlights orbital (eye region) evolution and notes the face is only part of the story, with other skull parts still deformed and awaiting digital reconstruction.

via Earth.com|

#africa #australopithecus #facial-reconstruction

africa1 month ago•3 min saved

Kenya detains Chinese national over plan to smuggle 2,248 queen garden ants

A Chinese national, Zhang Kequn, was arrested at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for attempting to smuggle about 2,248 live queen garden ants (1,948 in test tubes and 300 hidden in tissue rolls) to China, signaling ties to a broader ant‑trafficking network. The ants, protected under biodiversity treaties, are regulated trade; prosecutors asked to forensically examine his devices as investigations widen and more arrests are anticipated. A similar high‑profile case last year underscored the seriousness of wildlife trafficking in Kenya.

via BBC|

#africa #ants #china

africa1 month ago•4 min saved

Drone strike in rebel-held Goma kills UNICEF worker and two others

A French UN UNICEF aid worker, Karine Buisset, was killed along with two others when drones struck a two-storey residence in the rebel-held city of Goma, DR Congo. President Macron confirmed her death and UN officials condemned the attack as it underscored the risks to civilians and aid workers amid fighting between government forces and M23 rebels, including the increasing use of drones by both sides. The incident comes as M23 controls parts of eastern Congo and international concerns over regional involvement persist.

via BBC|

#africa #dr-congo #goma

science1 month ago•5 min saved

Kenya Cave Unearths Africa’s Earliest Known Burial, 78,000 Years Old

Archaeologists in Kenya’s Panga ya Saidi cave have uncovered a 78,000-year-old burial of a 2.5–3-year-old child—the oldest known in Africa—deliberately arranged and accompanied by Middle Stone Age tools, suggesting early mortuary practices and complex social behavior among Homo sapiens. Discovered in 2013 and clarified by 2017, the find highlights East Africa’s pivotal role in early human cultural and symbolic life and reshapes what we know about ancient burial traditions on the continent.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#africa #archaeology #burials

africa1 month ago•3 min saved

Kenyan recruiter charged after luring Kenyans to fight in Ukraine for Russia

Kenya’s Festus Arasa Omwamba, head of Global Faces Human Resources, was charged with luring 22 Kenyans to Russia under false job promises, only for them to be deployed to Ukraine’s front lines; three others had already left Kenya and were on the front, while authorities say about 1,000 Kenyans have been recruited to fight for Russia. Omwamba, 33, pleaded not guilty to the charges as investigations continue near the Ethiopian border.

via BBC|

#africa #kenya #recruitment

africa1 month ago•8 min saved

Risks of Renewed War in Ethiopia's Tigray Looms as Peace Unravels

Fears of a renewed conflict in northern Ethiopia are prompting displacement from Tigray, where residents face shortages and rising prices as the Pretoria peace deal frays amid rising tensions with Eritrea and Amhara ahead of June elections, threatening broader regional stability if fighting resumes.

via BBC|

#africa #conflict #eritrea