The New Clique
NEED TO KNOW The New Clique WEST AFRICA Officials in the Economic Community of West African States’ (ECOWAS) headquarters in Lagos, Nigeria […]
Clinging to the Snake
NEED TO KNOW Clinging to the Snake GABON Hours after President Ali Bongo won reelection to a third term in Gabon in […]
Law & Disorder
NEED TO KNOW Law & Disorder SOUTH AFRICA Residents of Rabie Ridge, sick and tired of criminals running rampant through their township […]
A Spoonful of Salt
NEED TO KNOW A Spoonful of Salt THE GAMBIA Gambian Ebrima Sagnia, 44, in an emotional interview with Al Jazeera, recalled how […]
The Coming Storm
NEED TO KNOW The Coming Storm ETHIOPIA When Eritrea won independence from Ethiopia in 1993, the latter retained access to a port […]
Eternal Turmoil
NEED TO KNOW Eternal Turmoil COMOROS After he secured power in a coup in 1999, Azali Assoumani ran for the presidency of […]
Palace Intrigue
Editor’s Note: Dear Readers, This holiday week we’re reprising some of our lead stories of the past year, ones that illustrate ongoing […]
When Cynics Win
NEED TO KNOW When Cynics Win DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO Musa Bi, a 42-year-old mother, is one of the nearly 7 […]
Like Father, Like Son
NEED TO KNOW Like Father, Like Son CHAD Opposition and civil society leaders in Chad recently asked the military junta running the […]
Tragedy Redux
NEED TO KNOW Tragedy Redux SUDAN In 2003, rebels in Darfur, the western region of Sudan, took up arms against the central […]
Hooray for Nollywood
NEED TO KNOW Hooray for Nollywood NIGERIA In the Nigerian-produced film for Netflix, “The Black Book,” actor Richard Mofe Damijo plays an […]
The Grudge Match
NEED TO KNOW The Grudge Match MADAGASCAR A Madagascan court recently postponed the first round of the country’s presidential election by a […]
Books and Bombs
NEED TO KNOW Books and Bombs SOMALIA A locally filmed, 10-part television series about Mogadishu high school students called “Arday” hit the […]
Bittersweet Chocolate
NEED TO KNOW Bittersweet Chocolate IVORY COAST Half of the dark chocolate in the world comes from cocoa that originates from Ivory […]
The Devils You Know
NEED TO KNOW The Devils You Know LIBERIA The Supreme Court of Liberia last week called on the West African country’s National […]
An Absolute Problem
NEED TO KNOW An Absolute Problem ESWATINI Late last year, pro-democracy activists, political dissidents, and others gathered in South Africa to discuss […]
Bricks and Blood
NEED TO KNOW Bricks and Blood MOROCCO Mohammed Ounasser lost his wife and two daughters when a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Morocco […]
Scattered and Scarred
NEED TO KNOW Scattered and Scarred ERITREA Recently, the Israeli government appropriated $7.85 million to “encourage the voluntary repatriation of infiltrators” and […]
A Worn Out Welcome
NEED TO KNOW A Worn Out Welcome GABON The leaders of the Aug. 30 coup that ousted President Ali Bongo Ondimba of […]
Old Story, New Horrors
NEED TO KNOW Old Story, New Horrors SUDAN Sudan’s military-led central government and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary force formerly […]
All the Spoils
NEED TO KNOW All the Spoils GABON Gabon and the Bank of America recently finalized a “debt-for-nature swap,” the first on the […]
Lose, Lose
NEED TO KNOW Lose, Lose ZIMBABWE Police in Zimbabwe arrested 40 leaders of the opposition Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC) party on […]
Palace Intrigue
NEED TO KNOW Palace Intrigue NIGER Two years ago, the president of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, was elected in the West African country’s […]
The Hired Hands
NEED TO KNOW The Hired Hands CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC Mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner Group arrived in the Central African Republic (CAR) around […]