https://www.scmp.com/rss/322266/feed The latest breaking news, politics and current affairs from Africa. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Göktuğ Çalışkan Göktuğ Çalışkan The first tankers that turned away from the Strait of Hormuz did not just redraw shipping maps. They redrew grocery lists, too. After Iran’s partial closure of the strait disrupted a chokepoint that carries roughly 20 per cent of the world’s oil, traders priced in something they know too well: war is not only about missiles; it’s about the bill that lands on kitchen tables months later. Brent crude climbing back above US$100 a barrel, and touching roughly US$120 on the worst days, is already... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3349221/war-premiums-hit-groceries-china-deals-give-africa-room-breathe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3349221/war-premiums-hit-groceries-china-deals-give-africa-room-breathe?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Muhammad Faizan Fakhar Muhammad Faizan Fakhar Much Western discourse on artificial intelligence has lately focused on establishing safeguards and installing guardrails against powerful new AI systems, algorithmic bias, the collusion of governments and tech oligarchs, and rising related environmental costs. The growing AI backlash in the West has been labelled a “botlash” in a recent commentary by Stanford University’s Marietje Schaake, who includes anti-AI movements such as “QuitGPT”, “Resist and Unsubscribe” and “Stealing Isn’t... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3349034/danger-global-souths-pursuit-ai-magical-cure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3349034/danger-global-souths-pursuit-ai-magical-cure?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Democratic Republic of Congo will receive some migrants as part of a new deal under the Trump administration’s third-country programme, its government said on Sunday, the latest such African nation to receive migrants being deported from the United States. The deportees will start arriving in DR Congo this month, the Congolese Ministry of Communications said in a statement, without further details on the date or the number of deportees expected. It described the arrangement as a “temporary”... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349108/dr-congo-latest-african-nation-receive-third-country-deportees-us-under-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349108/dr-congo-latest-african-nation-receive-third-country-deportees-us-under-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Apr 2026 22:53:36 +0000 Zhang Zhipeng Zhang Zhipeng The US-Israeli strikes on Iran and ensuing conflagration offer a window into how the US-led order works. For all its contributions, it functions like an air conditioner – cooling the American centre by pumping hot air into the periphery. Aggressive interest rate hikes export inflation to emerging markets. Proxy wars outsource geopolitical risk to distant theatres. The United States stays cool while the Global South absorbs the brunt of the heat. But the vents are closing: developing nations are... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3348447/global-south-nations-are-insulating-themselves-heat-us-actions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3348447/global-south-nations-are-insulating-themselves-heat-us-actions?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Apr 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Bob Savic Bob Savic China’s investments in North Africa have intensified in 2026, building on long-standing Belt and Road Initiative frameworks while accelerating amid the US-Israeli war with Iran. With 40-50 per cent of China’s seaborne oil imports traditionally passing through the Strait of Hormuz, which is now blocked to most container traffic, Beijing has sought to diversify energy sources away from Gulf Arab states. For more than a decade, Beijing has pursued deeper engagement across the Middle East and North... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3348801/chinas-growing-north-africa-presence-structural-challenge-europe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3348801/chinas-growing-north-africa-presence-structural-challenge-europe?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Apr 2026 21:30:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Senegalese government has banned all but essential foreign trips for government ministers as part of cost-saving measures triggered by the energy crisis linked to the Iran war. Senegal, like many African countries, imports most of the petroleum products it consumes, leaving its economy vulnerable to supply disruptions such as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has sent the price of crude soaring. For millions in the region, soaring fuel prices have worsened the hardships they already... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3349048/iran-war-senegal-limits-foreign-visits-ministers-fallout-conflict-deepens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3349048/iran-war-senegal-limits-foreign-visits-ministers-fallout-conflict-deepens?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Apr 2026 13:45:29 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Four children were stabbed to death on Thursday at a kindergarten in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, police said. The male suspect, in his thirties, gained access by posing as a parent before attacking children aged around two and three with a knife, police said. “We confirm a tragic incident at the Ggaba Early Childhood Development Program school in Makindye Division, Kampala City, where a male suspect brutally stabbed and killed four juveniles,” police spokeswoman Racheal Kawala said. The suspect... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3348855/man-stabs-4-children-death-uganda-kindergarten?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3348855/man-stabs-4-children-death-uganda-kindergarten?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 15:14:57 +0000 SCMP SCMP We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering global relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Iran’s exiled prince Reza Pahlavi plans to flip the script on Beijing Allies of exiled Iranian royal Reza Pahlavi signalled a potential reset in Tehran’s ties with China and Russia, as the 65-year-old increasingly positioned himself as a central figure in Iran’s political future – a claim that... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348584/chinas-iran-war-strategy-trumps-hormuz-ask-7-global-relations-reads?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348584/chinas-iran-war-strategy-trumps-hormuz-ask-7-global-relations-reads?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 15:00:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Gunmen killed at least a dozen people in Jos, the capital of Nigeria’s restive Plateau state, sparking retaliation from a mob that killed 10 more, locals said on Monday. Plateau state, in central Nigeria’s Middle Belt region, experiences recurring violence in the countryside, mostly linked to land disputes between farmers and herders. Jos has seen bouts of sectarian violence in the past, but deadly, mass casualty attacks in the crowded city have been rare in recent years. At least 12 people were... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3348391/mob-retaliates-after-gunmen-kill-12-nigeria-bar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3348391/mob-retaliates-after-gunmen-kill-12-nigeria-bar?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 08:43:35 +0000 David Dodwell David Dodwell In these turbulent times, focusing on the World Trade Organization’s 14th ministerial conference (MC14) in Yaounde, Cameroon, is a bit like trying to focus on a picnic sitting alongside a bar brawl, or listening to a lesson in pruning bonsai while a lumberjack takes a chainsaw to a giant redwood. But try we must. Even if the deliverables are meagre and may take years to materialise, the symbolism of Yaounde points to a possible future very different from today’s chaotic hegemonic unilateralism –... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3348028/wto-meeting-cameroon-signals-rise-world-minus-one-order?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3348028/wto-meeting-cameroon-signals-rise-world-minus-one-order?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 08:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The UN General Assembly on Wednesday designated the transatlantic African slave trade as “the gravest crime against humanity”, despite opposition by the United States and some European countries. In a move advocates hailed as a step towards healing and possible reparations, the resolution was adopted to applause by a vote of 123 in favour, three against and 52 abstentions. The US, Israel and Argentina opposed the measure, while Britain and EU member states abstained. Ghana’s President John... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3347954/un-designates-african-slave-trade-gravest-crime-against-humanity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3347954/un-designates-african-slave-trade-gravest-crime-against-humanity?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 05:37:55 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The world faces an energy crisis worse than both 1970s oil shocks combined if the Middle East war drags on, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) warned on Monday, as Israel launched fresh strikes on Tehran and threatened weeks more fighting. In a stark warning over what lies ahead unless the fighting ends soon, Fatih Birol said the world was losing more oil each day than the combined impact of the two 1970s oil shocks and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “This crisis as things stand is... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middleeast/article/3347599/iran-war-threatens-energy-crisis-worse-1970s-two-oil-shocks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middleeast/article/3347599/iran-war-threatens-energy-crisis-worse-1970s-two-oil-shocks?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 10:40:44 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The amount of heat trapped by the Earth reached record levels in 2025, with the consequences of such warming feared to last for thousands of years, the UN warned on Monday. The 11 hottest years ever recorded were all between 2015 and 2025, the United Nations’ World Meteorological Organization (WMO) weather and climate agency confirmed, in its flagship State of the Global Climate annual report. Last year was the second or third hottest year on record, at about 1.43 degrees Celsius above the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3347542/flashing-red-un-alarmed-heat-trapped-earth-hits-record-high?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3347542/flashing-red-un-alarmed-heat-trapped-earth-hits-record-high?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 05:03:51 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A strike on a healthcare facility in Sudan has killed 64 people and wounded 89 more, the World Health Organization reported on Saturday. The deceased included 13 children, WHO Director-General ‌Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on social media. The UN’s humanitarian office in Sudan had earlier said it was “appalled by the attack on a hospital in East Darfur yesterday, reportedly killing dozens, including children, and injuring more”. Sudanese rights group the Emergency Lawyers, who document... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3347452/64-killed-including-13-children-attack-sudan-hospital-who-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3347452/64-killed-including-13-children-attack-sudan-hospital-who-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Mar 2026 23:03:27 +0000 dpa dpa Iran launched ballistic missiles at the joint US-UK military base in Diego Garcia on Friday, showing a missile capability that goes beyond what Tehran was known to have possessed. The base, a strategic airfield that can host B-2 stealth bombers located nearly 4,000km (2,500 miles) from Iran, suffered no damage, according to a person familiar with the matter speaking on condition of anonymity. The attack was the first time in the three-week-old war that Tehran was reported to have used weapons... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347434/iran-fires-missiles-uk-us-base-diego-garcia-indian-ocean-us-media?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347434/iran-fires-missiles-uk-us-base-diego-garcia-indian-ocean-us-media?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Mar 2026 11:19:47 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Anyone applying to become a minister in Madagascar’s new government will be subjected to lie detector tests to root out those who are corrupt, the country’s military leader said on Thursday. President Michael Randrianirina, who took power in a coup in the Indian Ocean island in October, said Madagascar had acquired a polygraph machine and a specialist to operate it to vet new government ministers. “We will know who is corrupt and who can help us,” Randrianirina said. “We are not looking for... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3347249/madagascars-leader-orders-lie-detector-tests-prospective-ministers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3347249/madagascars-leader-orders-lie-detector-tests-prospective-ministers?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 04:13:49 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The first two months of 2026 saw a record number of migrant deaths in the Mediterranean, despite fewer crossing attempts towards Europe, according to data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM). At least 655 people died or went missing in January and February - more than double the 287 recorded for the same period last year. NGOs and researchers said the reasons were multiple: storms, complications for rescue operations and border closures. Frontex, the EU’s border control... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347136/hundreds-die-crossing-mediterranean-2026-already-smashes-records?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347136/hundreds-die-crossing-mediterranean-2026-already-smashes-records?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 07:07:11 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A Chinese national and a Kenyan man were charged on Tuesday with unlawfully dealing in wildlife species after they were found in possession of hundreds of live ants stored in specialised tubes. The case was the latest focused on the alleged smuggling of ants in the East African country, where authorities last year described a growing trend in the trafficking of ants to markets in Europe and Asia. Officials have not said if the ants are sought after as pets or for other purposes. The suspects,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3346945/chinese-national-and-kenyan-associate-charged-illegally-smuggling-ants?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3346945/chinese-national-and-kenyan-associate-charged-illegally-smuggling-ants?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 23:31:46 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Multiple explosions staged by suspected suicide bombers rocked the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri, killing at least 23 people and wounding more than 100 others, police said Tuesday, . The three blasts, which struck on Monday evening, came after an attack on a military post overnight Sunday to Monday, which authorities blamed on suspected jihadists. Combined with the attack on the military position the evening prior and a mosque bombing in December, the assaults have wrecked a peaceful... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3346862/suicide-attacks-nigeria-kill-23-wound-more-100?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3346862/suicide-attacks-nigeria-kill-23-wound-more-100?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 07:09:51 +0000 Reuters Reuters A total ⁠of ⁠62 ⁠people including eight children have died since heavy rains and flooding hit Kenya’s capital ‌Nairobi and other areas late last week, police said on Saturday. The capital was the worst hit with ⁠33 deaths, the force said in ‌a statement on X that updated the official ‌tally of casualties. More than 2,000 ⁠families ⁠have been displaced across Kenya and ‌intense rain was continuing in several ‌regions, it ‌added. Aid workers started pulling ‌bodies from floodwaters across Nairobi... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3346673/kenya-floods-death-toll-rises-62-police-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3346673/kenya-floods-death-toll-rises-62-police-say?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Mar 2026 12:48:32 +0000 Reuters Reuters A man was arrested with more ⁠than 2,200 live ⁠garden ants in his ⁠luggage at Nairobi’s main airport this week amid a rise in cases of smuggling of the insects in Kenya. Chinese national Zhang Kequn, 27, was arrested at Jomo Kenyatta ‌International Airport on Tuesday while he was trying to leave the country, court filings on Thursday showed. Immigration officials flagged a “stop order” on Zhang’s passport after he evaded arrest in Kenya last year. Ant aficionados pay large sums to ⁠maintain... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3346382/ant-smuggling-rises-kenya-chinese-national-caught-2238-insects-airport?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3346382/ant-smuggling-rises-kenya-chinese-national-caught-2238-insects-airport?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 11:15:10 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday the G7 will discuss a possible release of strategic oil reserves, as finance ministers of the world’s leading industrialised nations prepared to meet for crisis talks on the Middle East war. Macron, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the Group of Seven advanced economies, said that “the use of strategic reserves is an option being considered”. A possible meeting of G7 heads of state and government could take place this week, Macron told... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346002/g7-discuss-possible-emergency-release-oil-reserves-says-frances-macron?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346002/g7-discuss-possible-emergency-release-oil-reserves-says-frances-macron?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2026 11:24:34 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press At least 23 people were killed in flash flooding overnight in the capital Nairobi, police said Saturday, amid search and rescue operations and widespread devastation. Torrential rains lashed the city late on Friday, turning major streets into rivers and flooding thousands of homes and businesses. Rescue teams were still pulling out bodies and rescuing trapped residents on Saturday, while reporters saw heavily damaged roads and infrastructure from the city’s vast slums to upmarket areas like... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3345823/8-dead-kenya-floods-motorists-stranded-flights-disrupted?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3345823/8-dead-kenya-floods-motorists-stranded-flights-disrupted?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Mar 2026 12:04:16 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A mine collapse on Tuesday at a major coltan mining site in eastern DR Congo left at least 200 dead, according to Congolese authorities, a number disputed by the rebel group that controls the mine. The collapse took place on Tuesday at the Rubaya mines, which are controlled by the M23 rebels, according to a press release from the Ministry of Mines on Wednesday. Fanny Kaj, a senior official in the M23 rebel group, which controls the mines, disputed the figure and said that the collapse was caused... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3345511/dr-congo-says-least-200-dead-coltan-mine-collapse-rebels-dispute-toll?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3345511/dr-congo-says-least-200-dead-coltan-mine-collapse-rebels-dispute-toll?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Mar 2026 04:21:43 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin As China and the United States compete to shape the future of artificial intelligence, Africa’s rapidly expanding digital landscape is emerging as a new arena for their rivalry, far from the technology hubs of Silicon Valley or Shenzhen. With a growing population, expanding internet access and linguistic diversity, Africa is increasingly seen as a critical region for AI development, according to analysts. Early infrastructure and platform decisions can shape the future of emerging technology... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3345483/africa-emerges-new-arena-us-china-competition-over-artificial-intelligence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3345483/africa-emerges-new-arena-us-china-competition-over-artificial-intelligence?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 20:10:11 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The warming El Nino weather phenomenon could form later this year, potentially pushing global temperatures to record heights. There is a 50-60 per cent chance of El Nino developing during the July-September period and beyond, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The World Meteorological Organization will issue an update on El Nino on Tuesday. Here’s what you need to know about El Nino and its cooler sister, La Nina. Why the name? El Nino and La Nina are two... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3345180/el-nino-may-return-2026-making-planet-even-hotter?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3345180/el-nino-may-return-2026-making-planet-even-hotter?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 14:43:31 +0000 Göktuğ Çalışkan Göktuğ Çalışkan African nations have long been asking: who really opens their market, on what terms and how fast? Earlier this month, China provided a clear answer when it stated that starting on May 1, China will apply zero tariffs on imports from 53 African countries with which it maintains diplomatic relations. For years, Western governments have promised to rethink their partnerships with their African counterparts, tying positive language about equality and sustainability to complex trade frameworks. China... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3344301/chinas-zero-tariff-offer-africa-game-changer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3344301/chinas-zero-tariff-offer-africa-game-changer?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Feb 2026 21:30:07 +0000 Chenjie Song Chenjie Song If 2026 were a chess match, critical minerals would be the opening gambit, and both China and the United States are going all out. On January 28, China’s Zijin Mining announced a US$4 billion takeover of Allied Gold’s three African mines. On February 3, Swiss mining giant Glencore entered talks to sell a 40 per cent stake in its Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) copper and cobalt operations to the US-backed Orion Critical Mineral Consortium. Between the two announcements, US Secretary of State... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3343940/pax-sinica-vs-pax-silica-how-china-us-mineral-war-taking-shape?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3343940/pax-sinica-vs-pax-silica-how-china-us-mineral-war-taking-shape?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Feb 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters More than 1,000 Kenyans have been recruited to fight on Russia’s side in the war in Ukraine, according to a Kenyan intelligence report presented to lawmakers this week, five times more than authorities had previously estimated. The Russian embassy in Nairobi denied on Thursday that Moscow was involved in illegally recruiting Kenyans to fight in Ukraine, though it said ‌foreign citizens could voluntarily join its armed forces. Reading the report of Kenya’s National Intelligence Service to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344104/over-1000-kenyans-recruited-fight-russia-ukraine-war-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344104/over-1000-kenyans-recruited-fight-russia-ukraine-war-report?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Feb 2026 06:44:23 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The youngest son of former Zimbabwean ruler Robert Mugabe was in police custody after a gardener was shot at his South Africa home on Thursday, media reported. Police said they were investigating a case of attempted murder after the shooting in a wealthy suburb north of Johannesburg and had taken two men in for questioning. A police spokeswoman declined to identify the men but several South African media outlets reported that one of them was Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe. Photographs on the IOL... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3344044/mugabes-son-bellarmine-arrested-after-gardener-shot-south-africa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3344044/mugabes-son-bellarmine-arrested-after-gardener-shot-south-africa?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Feb 2026 14:53:51 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump’s pick for ambassador to South Africa has arrived in the country where he will seek to improve fraught ties between the two states. An embassy official told Reuters on Monday that ‌the envoy, conservative activist and writer Leo Brent Bozell III, had arrived. Bozell is expected to present his credentials to President Cyril Ramaphosa before officially taking up his post. Relations between Washington and Pretoria have deteriorated in the past year as Trump has accused... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3343771/trumps-new-ambassador-south-africa-arrives-country-amid-strained-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3343771/trumps-new-ambassador-south-africa-arrives-country-amid-strained-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Feb 2026 22:21:11 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Africa’s top regional body is hosting its annual summit in Ethiopia this weekend to discuss the future of the continent of some 1.4 billion people, as the organisation faces widespread discontent. Set up to “promote the unity and solidarity of the African States,” analysts say the African Union faces a legitimacy crisis among youth for failing to meet their expectations. Meanwhile, several African countries battle military coups, disputed elections and protests inspired by economic hardship... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3343583/african-union-youth-anger-mounts-over-corruption-lack-accountability?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3343583/african-union-youth-anger-mounts-over-corruption-lack-accountability?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Feb 2026 09:54:30 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A French tourist who went missing in northeastern Chad after heading off to visit an oasis in the desert has been found dead “after a fall”, Chad’s tourism minister said on Friday. The 70-year-old man – from the city of Dijon, according to a French newspaper report – had been missing since Wednesday. He was part of a group visiting Chad for the International Festival of Saharan Cultures in the city of Amdjarass, about 100km (60 miles) from the Sudan border. “We found the body in the Bachekele... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3343529/missing-french-tourist-chad-found-dead-after-fall?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3343529/missing-french-tourist-chad-found-dead-after-fall?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Feb 2026 12:12:01 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Abandoned for months on their fishing boat off West Africa, Indonesian sailor Surono and his shipmates face a dilemma: return home without almost a year’s wages or stay on the docked vessel. He is among a growing number of migrant workers abandoned by shipowners, who flout their obligations and desert crews without paying the salaries owed. “My family cries because I can’t get any money. My children and wife need money to eat,” Surono, 47, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, said from... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342881/bitter-choice-indonesian-sailors-abandoned-africa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342881/bitter-choice-indonesian-sailors-abandoned-africa?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Feb 2026 05:03:21 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse First, the jihadists sent a letter saying they were coming to the village to preach, said Nigerian chief Umar Bio Salihu. When no one attended, they went on a rampage, killing people and torching houses, he said. Salihu is the traditional chief of Woro, a small, Muslim-majority village in west-central Nigeria where alleged jihadist gunmen are reported to have perpetrated a massacre late Tuesday. Details were still emerging from the attack, but it was one of the country’s deadliest in recent... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3342625/survivors-recount-terror-nigeria-massacre-where-people-were-burned-inside-houses?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3342625/survivors-recount-terror-nigeria-massacre-where-people-were-burned-inside-houses?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Feb 2026 06:45:50 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The last 89 Christians held captive since criminal gangs attacked three churches in northern Nigeria in mid-January were released on Thursday, following a spate of mass kidnappings in the country. The worshippers, dressed in yellow and including children, arrived on a bus escorted by security forces, and were received by the governor of Kaduna state, Uba Sani, who said 183 people were initially abducted. They were snatched from three churches during Sunday services on January 18, in the Kurmin... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3342570/remaining-89-kidnapped-nigerian-christians-released-captivity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3342570/remaining-89-kidnapped-nigerian-christians-released-captivity?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Feb 2026 20:25:52 +0000 Reuters Reuters Nearly 200 people have been ‍killed by armed men in separate attacks in remote villages in central and northern Nigeria, a local lawmaker, residents and police said on Wednesday, as security forces searched for survivors and chased the attackers. In central Kwara state, gunmen attacked the Woro community on Tuesday leaving at least 170 ⁠people dead, the lawmaker for the area, Saidu Baba Ahmed, said by phone. It was the deadliest assault recorded this year in the district bordering Niger state,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3342458/gunmen-massacre-nearly-200-nigeria-attacks-some-bound-and-executed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3342458/gunmen-massacre-nearly-200-nigeria-attacks-some-bound-and-executed?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Feb 2026 04:03:15 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of Libya’s late long-time ruler, was killed on Tuesday by gunmen who stormed his home in western Libya’s Zintan, his French lawyer Marcel Ceccaldi said. “He was killed today at 2pm ... in Zintan in his home by a four-man commando,” Ceccaldi said. Saif al-Islam, 53, had been seen by some as his father’s successor, despite being targeted by a warrant from the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity. In 2021, he announced he would run for... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3342304/son-libyas-late-ruler-gaddafi-killed-gunmen-who-stormed-home?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3342304/son-libyas-late-ruler-gaddafi-killed-gunmen-who-stormed-home?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 02:12:59 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Nigerian army said on Sunday it killed a top commander of Boko Haram and 10 members of the Islamic extremist group in a night raid in the northeastern part of the country. Abu Khalid, a commander of Boko Haram in the Sambisa Forest in Borno state, was a key figure within “the terrorist hierarchy, coordinating operations and logistics in the Sambisa axis,” army spokesman Sani Uba said in a statement. The soldiers attacked the Boko Haram militants on Saturday night in the Kodunga area of Borno... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3342019/nigerian-army-kills-top-boko-haram-commander-10-militants-night-raid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3342019/nigerian-army-kills-top-boko-haram-commander-10-militants-night-raid?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 15:21:24 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A landslide earlier this week collapsed several mines at a major coltan mining site in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), leaving at least 200 people dead, rebel authorities said on Saturday. The collapse took place on Wednesday at the Rubaya mines, which are controlled by the M23 rebels, said Lumumba Kambere Muyisa, spokesman for the rebel-appointed governor of North Kivu province. He said the landslide was caused by heavy rains. “For now, there are more than 200 dead, some of whom... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3341942/over-200-die-dr-congo-after-landslide-causes-mines-collapse-rebel-authorities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3341942/over-200-die-dr-congo-after-landslide-causes-mines-collapse-rebel-authorities?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Jan 2026 09:44:18 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Islamic State extremist group on Friday claimed responsibility for an attack in Niger on an air force base in the capital that wounded four soldiers and damaged an aircraft. The claim of responsibility was contained in a statement on Amaq News Agency, the group’s propaganda wing, that said it was “a surprise and coordinated attack” that inflicted heavy losses. State television reported that Niger’s forces responded quickly to the assault early on Thursday, killing 20 of the attackers and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3341894/islamic-state-claims-bold-attack-nigers-strategic-airport-hub?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3341894/islamic-state-claims-bold-attack-nigers-strategic-airport-hub?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jan 2026 16:00:13 +0000 Reuters Reuters Niger’s military ruler Abdourahamane Tiani on Thursday blamed the French, Benin and Ivory Coast presidents for sponsoring an attack on Niamey international airport, an accusation he made without offering any evidence. Gunfire and ‍loud explosions echoed around Niger’s international airport in Niamey shortly before midnight in what two security sources described as a “terrorist attack”, before calm returned to the capital on Thursday morning. Tiani accused French President Emmanuel Macron,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3341777/nigers-junta-accuses-foreign-leaders-sponsoring-attack-airport-thanks-russians?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3341777/nigers-junta-accuses-foreign-leaders-sponsoring-attack-airport-thanks-russians?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jan 2026 04:32:52 +0000 Jiang Jiani Jiang Jiani At Davos this year, a familiar but sobering warning echoed through the slopes: the global order is fracturing into closed loops. In Western capitals, “de-risking” remains the dominant keyword, framing the global economy as a series of strategic high walls. Yet, beyond these barriers, a more tangible crisis is unfolding across the Global South. The infrastructure deficit continues to widen, estimated at a staggering US$1.7 trillion annually for Asia alone. This is a crisis of global governance.... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3341126/china-grows-it-reshaping-how-global-public-goods-are-delivered?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3341126/china-grows-it-reshaping-how-global-public-goods-are-delivered?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jan 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Hundreds of migrants may be missing at sea or feared dead following reports of multiple deadly shipwrecks in the central Mediterranean in recent days, the UN’s migration agency warned on Monday. The International Organisation for Migration said it was “deeply concerned” by the reports, which it was currently verifying. “Several boats are believed to have been involved over the past 10 days, with preliminary information suggesting that hundreds of people may be missing at sea or feared dead,” a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341356/hundreds-feared-missing-or-dead-mediterranean-shipwrecks-un-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341356/hundreds-feared-missing-or-dead-mediterranean-shipwrecks-un-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jan 2026 05:55:18 +0000 Reuters Reuters Uganda’s opposition leader Bobi Wine’s wife was taken to hospital after soldiers invaded their residence, partially undressed and choked her, the couple said. Wine, a pop star-turned-politician, was not at the property and is in hiding after he escaped a previous raid on his home last week ⁠hours before he was announced as the runner-up in the January 15 presidential election. Incumbent ruler President Yoweri Museveni, 81, president since 1986, was declared winner of ‍the vote with 71.6 per cent... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3341129/uganda-opposition-leader-bobi-wines-wife-hospitalised-after-soldiers-invade-home?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3341129/uganda-opposition-leader-bobi-wines-wife-hospitalised-after-soldiers-invade-home?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Jan 2026 16:03:06 +0000 He Huifeng He Huifeng Despite a slowing economy, recurring trade frictions and intensifying price competition, the value of China’s exports rose in 2025 by 6.1 per cent, year on year, to a record 26.98 trillion yuan (US$3.87 trillion) – cementing its position as the world’s largest trading nation. Behind that growth, China’s export machine is increasingly being shaped by coastal concentration and industrial upgrading, with market diversification cushioning external shocks at the cost of weaker prices and thinner... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3341023/how-are-us-tariffs-and-trade-barriers-redrawing-chinas-export-map?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3341023/how-are-us-tariffs-and-trade-barriers-redrawing-chinas-export-map?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jan 2026 13:30:08 +0000 Göktuğ Çalışkan Göktuğ Çalışkan This month, a telling scene unfolded in Addis Ababa. The African Union and China held their ninth strategic dialogue in the Ethiopian capital and launched the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, framing the agenda around modernisation, connectivity and industrialisation rather than bloc politics. The moment captures what many smaller states are doing in today’s fractured world: choosing workable partnership over performative rivalry. The loudest conversations in global politics... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3340606/many-states-partnership-china-makes-more-sense-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3340606/many-states-partnership-china-makes-more-sense-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 08:30:08 +0000 Reuters,Associated Press Reuters,Associated Press South Africa mourned the deaths on Monday of 13 schoolchildren who died when their minibus collided with a truck, ⁠local officials said in a statement, in an incident that put the spotlight on the country’s dismal road safety record. The private vehicle was transporting students to various primary schools and high schools in the southwest of Johannesburg when the incident occurred around 7am, according to authorities. Parents were seen weeping uncontrollably at the scene of the accident, while... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3340464/13-children-killed-south-africa-minibus-collides-truck-near-johannesburg?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3340464/13-children-killed-south-africa-minibus-collides-truck-near-johannesburg?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 13:15:24 +0000 Roberto Bocca Roberto Bocca For much of the past decade, the energy transition debate has largely revolved around one question: can clean technologies work at scale? That is increasingly being answered. Solar panels, wind turbines, batteries and electric vehicles (EVs) have moved into the mainstream as key technologies become more cost-effective, efficient and faster to deploy. In many markets, these energy sources are no longer the future of energy; they are the present. The challenge is no longer simply proving that more... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3340218/energy-transitions-next-big-challenge-systems-integration?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3340218/energy-transitions-next-big-challenge-systems-integration?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 08:30:10 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni won his seventh term with 71.65 per cent of votes, according to official results Saturday, in an election marred by an internet shutdown and fraud claims by his youthful challenger, who rejected the outcome and called for peaceful protests. The musician-turned-politician best known as Bobi Wine took 24.72 per cent of the vote, the final results showed. Wine, whose real name is Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, has condemned what he described as an unfair electoral process... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3340282/ugandas-president-yoweri-museveni-wins-seventh-term-election-marred-fraud-claims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3340282/ugandas-president-yoweri-museveni-wins-seventh-term-election-marred-fraud-claims?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Jan 2026 15:48:56 +0000