Gunmen Abduct Over 50 Schoolchildren in Nigeria More than 50 children, most of them aged between two and five, have been abducted by gunmen from three schools in Mussa, Borno State. Eyewitnesses who saw the attacks said that the suspects used the children as human shields while fleeing on motorbikes, preventing security forces from…
Brazzaville/Kinshasa — As part of efforts to support the ongoing response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the World Health Organization convened governments, partners and technical agencies to align response priorities and reinforce preparedness across affected and neighbouring countries. The outbreak has affected several health zones in Ituri Province, including…
Pursuant to paragraph 2 of Article 12 – Determination of a public health emergency of international concern, including a pandemic emergency of the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR), the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), after having consulted the States Parties where the event is known to be currently occurring, is hereby determining that…
A reported cyberattack on Senegal’s treasury highlights the vulnerability of African institutions to cybercrime. As parts of the continent go digital at breakneck speed, countries are struggling to build up their defences against hackers and fraudsters at the same pace. This week, Senegal fell victim to the third cyberattack on a public institution in less…
The death of former Botswana president Festus Mogae should force Africa into an uncomfortable but necessary conversation: why does staying too long in power so often end badly on our continent? Mogae belonged to a rare generation of African leaders who understood that leadership is temporary but institutions must endure. He served, governed, and stepped…
Millions more people will face hunger in the coming months if the conflict in the Middle East is not resolved soon, the UN has warned. The price of energy, which instantly affects the cost of producing and transporting food, has risen sharply due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The price of fertiliser,…
In February 2025, the classical pianist Betsy Arakawa died in her New Mexico home from a virus most people had never heard of. Her husband, the actor Gene Hackman, died a week later of heart disease. The pathogen that killed her was hantavirus, almost certainly picked up from deer mouse droppings on the property. Fourteen…
Kenya Keeps Somalia Border Closed Over Renewed Instability Kenyan President William Ruto has said that renewed instability in Somalia had forced Nairobi to keep its border with neighboring Somalia closed, nearly 15 years after the frontier was first shut. Speaking to France 24 during the Africa Champions Summit in Nairobi, Ruto said Kenya had initially…
Global pop artiste Shakira has released “Dai Dai”, the official song for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, in collaboration with Nigerian Grammy-winning Afrobeat superstar Burna Boy. The news agency reports that the Colombian singer announced the release of the highly anticipated song to fans on her social media page on Friday. The song is now…
Physicists have a term for systems that look simple but behave badly: the three-body problem. With two bodies in space, gravity is predictable. Add a third, and the system turns chaotic. Tiny changes cause big swings. Stability becomes rare and fragile. That is exactly where Africa’s health sovereignty agenda sits today. The African Union Strategic…
