NPR News -Africa

President Biden greets Kenya’s President William Ruto at the South Portico of the White House on May 22. The two leaders met with a group of tech CEOs the day before the official state visit.

Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images/AFP

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Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images/AFP

President Biden welcomed Kenya’s President William Ruto for a state visit on Thursday, a trip aimed at showing his administration wants to deepen U.S. ties with the African continent.
As part of a long list of new agreements with Kenya, Biden announced he plans to designate the country as a major non-NATO ally, which comes with some defense trade benefits.
World Haiti’s notorious gang leader, Barbecue, says his forces are ready for a long fightKenya will be the first sub-Saharan African nation to receive the designation, which recognizes the country’s contributions to counterterrorism work, and its work leading a multinational force in Haiti.
The Biden administration is backi..

May 22, 20249:38 AM ET

The ZiG is Zimbabwe’s latest currency — yet another attempt to unravel the economic catastrophes of the past decades. (Story aired on All Things Considered on May 21, 2024.)

May 22, 20245:13 AM ET

NPR’s Leila Fadel speaks with William O’Neill, the United Nations independent expert on Human Rights in Haiti, about the Kenyan-led multinational force deploying to Haiti to help restore order there.

May 21, 20246:02 PM ET

The ZiG is Zimbabwe’s latest currency — yet another attempt to unravel the economic catastrophes of the past decades. According to many there, it’s every bit as baffling as its predecessors.

May 21, 20245:35 PM ET

NPR’s Ari Shapiro talks with Cindy MCcain, executive director of the World Food Programme, about her current trip to Zambia, where people are enduring a severe drought and going hungry.

May 21, 20245:12 AM ET

South Africa’s constitutional court has ruled that former president Jacob Zuma, one of the most divisive political figures in the country, is not allowed to participate in next week’s election.

May 20, 20245:31 PM ET

Questions are mounting about a failed coup attempt in the Democratic Republic of the Congo over the weekend that involved several U.S. citizens.

May 20, 202411:11 AM ET
Enlarge this imageFormer South African President Jacob Zuma arrives at Orlando stadium in the township of Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa, for the launch of his newly formed uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party’s manifesto Saturday, May 18, 2024.

Jerome Delay/AP

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Former South African President Jacob Zuma arrives at Orlando stadium in the township of Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa, for the launch of his newly formed uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party’s manifesto Saturday, May 18, 2024.

Jerome Delay/AP

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – The Constitutional Court in South Africa has ruled that former President Jacob Zuma cannot run for parliament, just 9 days before what’s being seen as the most pivotal vote in South Africa’s 30 years of democracy.
It’s a significant blow for Zuma and his new uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party, which is named after the former armed wing of his previous party, the ruling African National Congress. ..

May 20, 20245:00 AM ET
Enlarge this imageRwanda’s post-genocide transformation has been remarkable, but uneven.

Jacques Nkinzingabo for NPR

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Jacques Nkinzingabo for NPR

Rwanda’s post-genocide transformation has been remarkable, but uneven.

Jacques Nkinzingabo for NPR

KIGALI, Rwanda — Staring at the skyline in this city, you can’t miss the tiered dome of the Kigali Convention Center. At night, its blue, yellow and green lights can be seen from the surrounding hilltops.
Completed in 2016, it’s known to be the most expensive building on the African continent, and a project that’s special to Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
Staff inside the complex say he comes by “every day” to check on the progress. While that’s almost certainly an exaggeration, the building is one of the most visible signs of the ways in which the country has changed since Kagame came to power in the years after the brutal genocide shocked the world.
Yet that transformation ..

May 19, 20246:33 PM ET
Enlarge this imageSupporters of Niger’s ruling junta gather for a protest in Niamey, Niger, on Aug. 3, 2023.

Sam Mednick/AP

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Sam Mednick/AP

Supporters of Niger’s ruling junta gather for a protest in Niamey, Niger, on Aug. 3, 2023.

Sam Mednick/AP

WASHINGTON — U.S. troops ordered out of Niger by the West African country’s ruling junta will complete their withdrawal by the middle of September, the Pentagon and Nigerien defense officials said Sunday.
The timeline was the product of four days of talks between the countries’ defense officials in the capital city of Niamey, according to a joint statement.
Niger’s decision to kick out American forces dealt a blow to U.S. military operations in the Sahel, a vast region south of the Sahara desert where groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group operate.
U.S. troops and some gear already have begun leaving the country, a senior military official and a senior defense..