Global Pulse

标签： Africa

非洲

  • Malian authorities arrest 2 prominent journalists in latest crackdown on freedom of expression

    Malian authorities arrest 2 prominent journalists in latest crackdown on freedom of expression

    In the Sahel region of West Africa, Mali’s military-led government has launched another sweeping crackdown on dissenting speech, detaining two high-profile journalists within a 48-hour window amid a rapidly deteriorating extremist insurgency across the country. The West African nation’s leading national press body, Maison de La Presse, confirmed the arrests in a statement released Tuesday, outlining the controversial charges leveled against both media workers.

    The first journalist taken into custody Monday was Chahana Takiou, a veteran television anchor and editor-in-chief of the *22 Septembre* national newspaper. Takiou had recently publicly pushed back against the junta’s implementation of a new cybercrime law, arguing that the legislation was being intentionally used as a tool to stifle independent reporting and erode press freedom. Authorities have charged him with undermining state credibility through exploitation of the national judicial system, according to the press association.

    Just one day after Takiou’s arrest, security forces detained Abderhmane Keita, a popular broadcast journalist known for his high-viewership television program *Grand Jury*. Keita’s arrest stems from on-air comments he made confirming that JNIM—the al Qaeda-affiliated extremist group that has waged an insurgency across the Sahel for years—currently exercises full control over the strategic northern Malian town of Kidal. Kidal fell to JNIM and separatist rebel forces during large, coordinated offensives launched by the groups back in April. Under the current military regime, public claims that government forces are ceding territory to jihadist insurgents are frequently met with criminal prosecution, a pattern that has become well-established since the junta seized power.

    Keita faces two formal charges: undermining national unity and state credibility, and spreading what authorities describe as false and misleading information.

    This latest crackdown on independent media is part of a broader trend across the three Sahel nations that have fallen under military rule in recent years: Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. All three countries have seen coups d’état remove democratically elected governments since 2020, with new military junta leaders taking power on promises to eliminate extremist violence that had overwhelmed previous civilian administrations. After seizing control, the juntas cut long-standing security and political ties with France and other Western powers, formed a new regional security alliance called the Alliance of Sahel States, and turned to Russia for military training and support in their campaign against insurgent groups.

    Despite the juntas’ pledges to restore security, independent analysts warn that the security landscape across the three countries has grown dramatically worse in recent months, with extremist groups carrying out a record number of deadly attacks against civilian and military targets. Government forces, meanwhile, have faced repeated accusations of extrajudicial killings of civilian civilians suspected of collaborating with insurgent groups.

    Alongside failing to curb extremist violence, the military regimes have systematically targeted political opposition and independent media to consolidate their hold on power. In Mali alone, authorities have already implemented a growing list of press restrictions: in January 2025, the government banned distribution of the prominent Pan-African news outlet *Jeune Afrique*, and multiple major French media organizations including France24, TV5 Monde, and Radio France International have been barred from operating inside the country for months. Dozens of opposition political leaders have also been imprisoned on charges related to their criticism of the military government.

  • Ref Artan receives hero’s welcome after World Cup exclusion

    Ref Artan receives hero’s welcome after World Cup exclusion

    In a moment that blended national pride with unfulfilled dream, Somali referee Omar Artan has returned home to a rapturous, hero’s welcome in Mogadishu, just days after a sudden U.S. entry denial blocked his path to becoming the first Somali official to officiate at a FIFA World Cup finals. The 34-year-old, who earned the title of Africa’s Referee of the Year in 2025, was en route to the 2026 World Cup when he was turned away at Miami International Airport on Monday — a shocking outcome given he held both a valid diplomatic passport and an approved single-entry U.S. visa.

    Upon his arrival at Aden Adde International Airport in the Somali capital Wednesday, Artan was met by a cheering crowd that included senior Somali government officials, leadership from the Somali Football Federation, fellow regional referees, and hundreds of local residents eager to honor his trailblazing achievement even in the wake of disappointment. Addressing the gathered crowd, Artan expressed profound gratitude to his compatriots and his homeland, saying “I want to thank my people and my country from the bottom of my heart for this incredible show of support.”

    Despite the crushing setback of his World Cup exclusion, Artan has not stepped back from his career ambitions. The referee has publicly reaffirmed his commitment to reaching the global tournament, vowing that he will achieve his long-held goal of officiating at the 2030 FIFA World Cup, turning this unexpected disappointment into fuel for future progress for himself and for Somali football on the global stage.

  • Banned referee Artan arrives home in Somalia

    Banned referee Artan arrives home in Somalia

    Somalia’s star football referee Omar Artan has returned to a jubilant, nationwide welcome in Mogadishu after being denied entry to the United States ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, reaffirming his promise to reach the global tournament’s pitch at the 2030 edition.

    The 34-year-old, who was named the Confederation of African Football’s Men’s Referee of the Year for 2025, made history as the first Somali referee ever selected for a World Cup finals. He was one of just 52 on-pitch officials chosen for the 2026 co-hosted tournament, which splits matches across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. All match officials are required to be based in Florida for pre-tournament training, preparation and security protocols, making entry to the U.S. non-negotiable for Artan to take up his place.

    Despite holding a valid diplomatic passport and approved single-entry U.S. visa, Artan was detained for hours and subjected to an 11-hour immigration interview upon arrival at Miami International Airport on Monday. He was ultimately denied entry and repatriated, with U.S. authorities offering no public explanation for the decision. The move falls in line with a sweeping travel ban implemented by U.S. President Donald Trump in June 2025, which imposes a full entry ban on all visa holders from 12 countries, including Somalia.

    The incident comes on the heels of inflammatory comments Trump made about Somalia just two months before the tournament, ahead of an immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota’s large Somali-American community. Trump dismissed Somalia as “barely a country” claiming “they just run around killing each other. There’s no structure,” and added that Somali immigrants should “go back to where they came from,” warning the U.S. would “go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage to our country.”

    Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House Task Force on the World Cup, defended U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s decision in an interview with BBC World Service, saying “While I can’t go into the derog [derogatory information] on that I can tell you it was the right decision by customs and border patrol and I support that decision.”

    Artan arrived back at Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport on Wednesday, where hundreds of supporters, senior government officials, Somali Football Federation representatives, fellow referees and ordinary residents gathered to greet him. Crowds carried pro-Artan banners, wore custom hats printed with his image, and social media creators streamed the welcome live to their online audiences. Hundreds more were expected to join a public reception at Mogadishu Stadium later the same day, where Artan planned to attend a domestic league match between Heegan and Dekadaha.

    Speaking to reporters after his arrival, Artan expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support from his homeland. “Everything is pre-destined. Fifa supported me well and were in touch with me until I reached Mogadishu,” he said. “I promise you that I’ll be officiating you in the next World Cup. Somalia, everywhere, I’m letting you know.”

    In a message to young Somalis, Artan urged the next generation not to lose hope or be demoralized by his treatment. “Let’s all defend Somalia’s honour. We all belong to Somalia whether it’s bad or good. That flag is ours and so is the passport – let’s defend it,” he said. “Despite this happening to me, I’ll still stand for my nation. I want to continue my journey from here and urge the youth to do the same.”

    Artan, who has held FIFA referee credentials since 2018, has become a national icon in Somalia after his landmark selection to the 2026 World Cup squad. Supporters across the country have framed his rejection as an insult to Somali national dignity, even as the referee himself says he remains committed to pursuing his World Cup dream. The incident has also sparked broader questions about FIFA’s ability to manage logistics and protect its appointed officials ahead of the 2026 tournament, with critics asking how the governing body could allow a referee’s historic qualification to be derailed by U.S. immigration policy.

  • When will an African side win the World Cup?

    When will an African side win the World Cup?

    For decades, football fans across Africa have shared one enduring dream: to see a nation from the world’s second-largest continent lift the sport’s most prestigious prize, the FIFA World Cup. That dream remains unfulfilled decades after it was first predicted, but after historic breakthroughs and systematic investment across the continent, many believe the moment is closer than ever before.

    Sunday Oliseh, a 51-year-old former player who helped Nigeria claim Africa’s first Olympic men’s football gold medal at Atlanta 1996, sums up the widespread continental longing. “If there’s something I want to see before God takes me to heaven or hell it would be great to see an African nation win [the World Cup], because this is a tournament that we all love passionately in Africa,” he says.

    Since the first World Cup kicked off in 1930, 49 national teams from 13 African countries have taken part in 22 editions of the tournament. For decades, their progress was limited by systemic barriers rooted in colonialism, restricted allocation of tournament slots, and missed narrow opportunities. Before 2022, Africa had only ever produced three World Cup quarter-finalists: Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions in 1990, Senegal in 2002, and Ghana’s Black Stars in 2010. It was not until the 2022 Qatar World Cup that the continent made history, when Morocco’s Atlas Lions fought past heavyweights Belgium, Spain, and Portugal to become Africa’s first ever World Cup semi-finalists.

    This landmark achievement came as no accident: it was built on more than a decade of targeted, long-term investment backed by King Mohammed VI of Morocco. The King Mohammed VI Football Academy opened in 2009, followed by a $65 million state-of-the-art training complex in 2019, creating a development pipeline that turned Morocco into Africa’s highest-ranked men’s national side.

    William Troost-Ekong, a former Nigeria captain, says Morocco’s success created a replicable roadmap for other African nations. “Morocco has created a blueprint of how it can be done, which is years and years of investing in grassroots football and academies,” he told BBC Sport Africa. “It starts with structure, with planning. Investment [is] very, very important. It has to be something that comes from federations being supported from a governmental level. Morocco have invested not just money but also time and effort, with a clear idea of how they can progress. The facilities they have, the consistency throughout their age groups, I think that’s the only blueprint you can follow.”

    Confederation of African Football (Caf) has also taken steps to strengthen the game across the continent, boosting prize money for the Africa Cup of Nations and top continental club competitions to increase federation and club revenue, while also investing in national schools championships. Caf president Patrice Motsepe reaffirmed the governing body’s commitment to developing the sport, predicting that “An African country will be champions of the world. That is what we are working towards, that’s what we are investing in and we are confident it will happen.”

    Veteran manager Claude Le Roy, who led Cameroon at the 1998 World Cup and coached five other African national sides, echoes the focus on youth development as the foundation for long-term success. “If you want to permanently have high-level national teams in Africa, you need to work with youth categories,” the 78-year-old said. “That’s the base of everything.”

    Structural changes to the World Cup itself have also opened new doors for African nations. For most of the tournament’s history, Africa was severely underrepresented: between 1930 and 1962, Egypt was the only African entrant in the first eight editions, and the continent boycotted the 1966 World Cup after FIFA refused to allocate it a direct qualifying spot. Through successive tournament expansions, the number of African slots grew from 1 in the 1970s to five from 1998 onward, and the 2026 expanded 48-team tournament hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States will mark a new milestone: nine African teams qualify automatically, with DR Congo claiming an additional spot via inter-confederation play-offs to bring the total contingent to 10, the largest in African history.

    South Africa captain Ronwen Williams, who will lead his nation in the tournament’s opening match in Mexico City, says the growth of African participation reflects broader progress across the continental game. “We’ve been on the rise – the leagues, Caf, the [African] Champions League, Afcon,” he told the BBC. “Everything has improved immensely. For so many countries to go out and compete at the highest level, it’s amazing.”

    Williams and Troost-Ekong both argue that greater participation will directly improve performance, particularly under the new format that allows two-thirds of participating teams to advance past the group stage. “Making it more accessible is going to be the key factor in the long term for teams to be more competitive,” Troost-Ekong said. “You need that exposure for improvement. The more experience they get, the more capable they will be with handling pressure. Experience is invaluable.”

    Another growing advantage for African nations is the ability to tap into talent from global African diasporas, reversing decades of talent drain that saw top players choose to represent European nations. Many diaspora players develop their skills in elite European club academies, and a growing number of African federations are now actively recruiting eligible players to represent their ancestral nations. Morocco was an early pioneer of this approach, convincing Canada-born goalkeeper Yassine Bounou and Spain-born stars Achraf Hakimi and Brahim Diaz to represent the Atlas Lions. More recently, 2026 debutants Cape Verde and DR Congo, returning to the finals for the first time since 1974, both relied heavily on diaspora talent: 18 of DR Congo’s 26-man squad were born in Europe, including defenders Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Axel Tuanzebe, who switched allegiance from England’s youth setup. Tuanzebe even scored the decisive qualification goal that sent DR Congo to the 2026 finals.

    Gabriel Zakuani, a former DR Congo captain now working as a technical consultant identifying and recruiting eligible diaspora players, says outreach and persuasion are key to unlocking this talent pool. “Recruitment is massive,” he told the More Than The Score podcast. “You have to get players to believe in your vision. Potentially they can’t play for England, Belgium or France, but they can still get to the World Cup. The biggest example is Axel Tuanzebe. He’s gone through the system with England and then he scores the goal to gets us to the World Cup. That is the fairytale ending, and probably the story I’ll use for the next player I try and get into the country.”

    Morocco’s 2022 semi-final run has also shifted the continental mindset, proving to a new generation of African players that a deep tournament run is achievable. “What Morocco did, that was the start for us as Africans to believe that we can [go far],” South Africa’s Ronwen Williams said. “It starts with that belief, and you need to go out and perform.”

    Senegal forward Iliman Ndiaye says that belief has already translated to a winning mindset across the continent. “I wouldn’t even bother packing my suitcase and travelling to the World Cup if it’s not to win it,” he told BBC World Service’s Newsday. “I don’t play these tournaments to just be a tourist. What Morocco did at the last World Cup should give all African teams inspiration.”

    Even with all this progress, African sides have faced heartbreaking near-misses in the past, and a title win will still require a measure of good fortune. Senegal were knocked out of the 2002 quarter-finals by a golden goal against Turkey, a rule that has since been scrapped. In 2010, Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan hit the crossbar with a last-minute extra-time penalty against Uruguay in the quarter-finals, and Ghana went on to lose the subsequent penalty shootout that would have sent them through to the semi-finals.

    For 2026, the expanded format adds an extra knockout round, meaning managing injuries and suspensions will be even more critical than before. Former Ghana midfielder Michael Essien says luck is the missing ingredient for a title run. “There’s been a lot of progress,” he told BBC Sport Africa. “The only thing that’s missing is luck. We just have to keep believing and hopefully one day it will happen.”

    Morocco (ranked 8th globally) and Senegal (ranked 14th) enter the 2026 tournament as Africa’s strongest contenders to break the title drought, though both face challenging group stage draws. Even if the continent falls short in 2026, Morocco will have home-field advantage in 2030, when it co-hosts the tournament alongside Spain and Portugal, with plans to host the final.

    Today, the gap between African sides and the European and South American powerhouses that have dominated World Cup history is undeniably narrower. For millions across the continent and the global African diaspora, the moment when an African nation lifts the World Cup – and creates pan-African sporting legends – is steadily edging closer.

  • Somali World Cup referee denied entry to US arrives home to hero’s welcome

    Somali World Cup referee denied entry to US arrives home to hero’s welcome

    MOGADISHU, Somalia — Hundreds of flag-waving Somali supporters and senior government officials packed Mogadishu’s international airport on Wednesday to greet top referee Omar Artan, who returned home after being barred entry to the United States and removed from the 2026 FIFA World Cup officiating roster. Artan, a trailblazer who was set to become the first Somali referee ever to officiate at a men’s World Cup, was turned away at Miami International Airport Saturday over undisclosed “vetting concerns,” per an official statement from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

  • Twelve killed in mass shooting in Johannesburg, police say

    Twelve killed in mass shooting in Johannesburg, police say

    A devastating mass shooting in an informal Cleveland settlement outside Johannesburg has claimed the lives of at least 12 people, leaving nine others wounded, according to official statements from South African law enforcement. Authorities have launched an urgent manhunt for more than 10 suspects believed to have carried out the coordinated late-night attack.

    South African Police detailed the sequence of events in an official briefing, noting that the suspects were transported to the area near a local Cleveland petrol station in a white Toyota Quantum van. Upon arrival, the assailants split up to enter the settlement through both access points, before moving through the residential community and opening fire on local residents at multiple separate sites. After the shooting, the attackers fled the scene in the same vehicle that brought them to the area.

    First responders received the initial report of an active shooting at approximately 23:10 local time on Tuesday, equal to 21:10 GMT. Local law enforcement officers were immediately dispatched, alongside emergency medical teams that provided on-site care for the injured before transporting them to nearby hospitals. Eight of the fatalities were men and three were women, all of whom died at the scene of the attack; a twelfth victim later succumbed to gunshot wounds after being admitted to a medical facility. All nine injured survivors are currently receiving treatment for their injuries at multiple healthcare facilities across the region.

    As of the latest update, investigators have not confirmed a clear motive for the mass shooting, and this line of inquiry remains a core part of the ongoing investigation. This incident marks the latest high-profile mass shooting in Johannesburg: just last year, a similar attack at a local tavern left nine people dead.

    South Africa has long struggled with persistently high violent crime rates, boasting one of the highest national murder rates in the world. On average, roughly 60 people are killed across the country every day. Mass shootings in informal, unplanned residential settlements are particularly common, with many past incidents linked to gang-related conflicts or personal disputes between groups. Gun control remains a divisive and pressing policy issue in the nation: current data from the South African Gunowners’ Association estimates that roughly 3 million firearms are held legally by civilians, with an equal number of unregistered, unlicensed weapons circulating illegally across the country.

  • Multiple attackers kill 12 people and wound 9 in a late-night shooting in South Africa

    Multiple attackers kill 12 people and wound 9 in a late-night shooting in South Africa

    JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – A devastating mass shooting in South Africa’s largest metropolis left 12 people dead and at least nine others injured after a team of armed gunmen launched a coordinated late-night attack on a low-income residential area, national police confirmed in a public briefing Wednesday.

    The violent assault unfolded after midnight Tuesday in an unplanned informal settlement located in Johannesburg’s Cleveland suburb, according to law enforcement officials. Investigators preliminary accounts put the number of suspected attackers at roughly 10, who escaped the scene immediately after opening fire on local residents. All suspects remain at large as of Wednesday afternoon.

    Police provided a detailed account of the attack: the shooters were transported to the residential area via a civilian minibus, then moved through the neighborhood carrying out targeted shooting at multiple sites before fleeing the area in the same vehicle. Of the 12 fatal victims, nine were men and three were women; 11 died instantly at the scene, while the 12th victim succumbed to their injuries after being transported to a local hospital.

    Senior provincial police commissioner Tommy Mthombeni condemned the attack in stark terms, describing the killings as “insane, heartless and barbaric.” While investigators have not yet ruled out any potential motives, Mthombeni noted that connections to organized criminal gangs active in illegal mining are among the leading lines of inquiry. The area has a documented history of illegal mining activity, and just weeks ago, local police carried out a successful operation that seized a cache of unregistered firearms, including high-capacity assault rifles, from the area.

    By Wednesday morning, forensic and emergency response teams had secured the crime scene, with ambulances removing the victims’ remains for autopsy. Local residents gathered in small groups on nearby streets, shaken by the unprecedented violence in their community. Informal settlements, which consist of makeshift shack housing for low-income South Africans unable to access formal affordable housing, are a common feature of major urban centers across the country, and often become hubs for illegal mining activity given their proximity to abandoned mine sites.

    This shooting marks the latest in a string of high-profile mass casualty attacks that have shaken South Africa in recent months. In December alone, two separate mass shootings left more than 20 people dead, one of which also involved a team of coordinated multiple shooters. Most mass attacks in the country are traced to organized criminal gangs, particularly in the Johannesburg region, which sits atop extensive historical gold reserves. Hundreds of commercial mines have been abandoned by corporate operators over the past decades, and criminal syndicates have moved in to harvest residual gold deposits from these disused sites. Gangs typically store stolen ore and equipment in hidden caches within informal settlements, and frequent violent turf wars break out between rival groups vying for control of profitable illegal mining territory.

    Local Cleveland suburb council member Neuren Pietersen told South Africa’s eNCA television network that while the area is long associated with illegal mining activity, it also faces overlapping social tensions, including ongoing land disputes between different community factions. As such, Pietersen noted, it remains too early to definitively blame the attack on criminal syndicates involved in illicit gold mining. “There are a lot of moving parts here so it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what is driving the issues,” Pietersen said from the crime scene Wednesday.

    Acting national police commissioner Puleng Dimpane said in an official statement Wednesday that specialist forensic investigators and tactical response units have been deployed to support the investigation. A top priority for the investigation, Dimpane confirmed, is tracing the white minibus used by the attackers to access and escape the settlement. No arrests have been announced as of the latest update.

    South Africa has long struggled with one of the world’s highest violent crime rates, according to official government statistics. In the most recent full financial year, the country recorded more than 23,000 homicides – an average of more than 60 killings per day across the nation. Widespread violence linked to organized illegal mining syndicates became a core national security concern that pushed the South African government to deploy the national army to high-risk areas in March, launching a year-long targeted operation to curb organized criminal violence linked to these gangs. The deployment was widely seen as an acknowledgment that local police forces had been overwhelmed by gang activity in parts of the country.

    This report was compiled from on-site contributions by Imray, reporting from Cape Town, South Africa.

  • Some burial societies in Africa now focus on helping the living, too

    Some burial societies in Africa now focus on helping the living, too

    In the crowded, tight-knit Kuwadzana township of Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital, 29-year-old Melisa Kasu faced an unthinkable crisis when her mother passed away suddenly, leaving her family completely unprepared. Across Zimbabwe, cultural norms demand elaborate, costly funeral send-offs that feature feasts, entertainment, and community gatherings to uphold a family’s honor. For low-income households, these expectations often push grieving families into crippling debt or push them to sell vital assets just to avoid public shame. But for Kasu, a local mutual aid group stepped in at the worst moment. Arriving with large cooking pots, sacks of cornmeal, and all the other essential supplies needed for the funeral, members of the Kuchemana Burial Society even helped light the cooking fires to prepare food for mourners.

    “That’s the time I decided to join them,” Kasu recalled, and she took over her late mother’s membership in 2023. What she discovered after joining is part of a quiet, transformative cultural shift reshaping community mutual aid groups across much of Africa: traditional burial societies, long focused exclusively on ensuring dignified end-of-life ceremonies, are expanding their missions to support members while they are still alive.

    Founded by a group of local women in 2021, the Kuchemana Burial Society – whose name translates to “mourning one another” in the local Shona language – was originally created to spare low-income families the public embarrassment of holding a funeral that exposes their financial hardship. Today, it retains its core funeral support: each member pays just $3 in monthly dues, and receives a $150 cash payout when a family member passes away, plus on-site help with food preparation and ceremony logistics. But at a recent gathering of the group held under the shade of a large avocado tree, death was barely mentioned on the meeting’s agenda. Instead, members – most of them women, clad in matching T-shirts and floral skirts – sang together, debated community initiatives, and pitched small business ideas ranging from small-scale poultry farming to homemade detergent production.

    Alongside its core funeral services, the society now runs a collective savings fund, where members pay an extra $10 per month to build a pool of capital. Both members and trusted community members can borrow from this fund at a 20% annual interest rate, and all profits from the interest are split between members at the end of each year. The group also operates a bulk grocery purchasing program, allowing members to access staple food goods at lower prices than they would pay at individual retailers. For Kasu, who was laid off from her job at a local hardware store in 2022, this expanded support has been life-changing. She accessed $100 from the savings cycle in December, then borrowed an additional $30 – no complicated bank applications, no strict eligibility checks, no hidden fees. With that capital, she purchased gas tanks and a sales scale, and now runs a small business selling cooking gas to neighbors in her community. “Business is good. I support myself,” Kasu said.

    Researchers note that this shift is not unique to Kuchemana, but reflects a broader trend across the continent. With more than two-thirds of Zimbabwe’s workforce employed in the informal sector, most workers lack access to formal bank loans, conventional financial services, and government social safety nets. Formal funeral insurance is the most widespread form of insurance held in Zimbabwe today – a legacy of the tradition’s roots dating back to the early 20th century, when colonial-era migrant workers formed the first burial societies to ensure they could receive a dignified burial if they died far from their home communities while working in neighboring South Africa. Today, official data shows that fewer than one in 10 Zimbabweans can access affordable health insurance, while low-cost funeral policies are widely promoted by insurance providers and even mobile phone companies. But community-run burial societies still fill a gap that formal insurance cannot, members and researchers agree.

    “Banks normally do not lend to the poor or the unemployed, and governments are not providing enough support,” explained Sharon Chilunjika, a social sciences lecturer at Zimbabwe’s Midlands State University. “People are using an institution they already trust, the burial society, and expanding it to cover more of their needs.” Chilunjika notes that unaffordable funerals are “one of the most underrated or underappreciated drivers of household poverty” across Africa, where families facing pressure to uphold cultural standards often turn to predatory loan sharks or sell critical farm or household assets to cover costs. Beyond financial support, community burial societies offer a sense of connection and belonging that formal corporate providers cannot match. “It is your neighbor, your church mate. They don’t ask you to fill a form. They come to your home and comfort you,” Chilunjika added.

    For the leaders of Kuchemana, the new mission is a natural evolution of the group’s original values. “We wanted dignity in death. Now we are striving for it in life,” said Nyadzisayi Mirisawu, the society’s secretary. “We don’t want members suffering while alive.”

  • US urges Europe to step up travel measures to prevent spread of Ebola from Africa

    US urges Europe to step up travel measures to prevent spread of Ebola from Africa

    As a fresh Ebola outbreak spreads across the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, the Trump administration has issued an urgent call for European nations to tighten entry restrictions for travelers arriving from the affected African regions, warning that inaction could trigger new U.S. travel rules that would impact transatlantic movement even during the upcoming men’s World Cup.

    In a private conversation Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio raised U.S. concerns directly to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, with the two leaders discussing coordinated transatlantic responses to the unfolding public health emergency, a State Department official statement confirmed.

    “Protecting the health of the American public and stopping the Ebola outbreak from reaching U.S. shores remains this department’s top priority,” the statement read.

    Speaking on condition of anonymity to disclose details of the closed-door call, a senior State Department official struck a sharper tone, noting that the U.S. has already moved aggressively to contain the outbreak’s spread and that the broader global community must now match that effort. The official emphasized that concrete action is required immediately, and failure to act will have measurable consequences for travel between Europe and the United States.

    The administration is pushing for two key actions from the EU: increased financial commitments to Ebola response efforts, and targeted, common-sense entry restrictions for travelers originating from the affected Central and East African region.

    The 2026 World Cup, set to kick off this Thursday in Mexico, will run for nearly six weeks, with the majority of matches hosted across the United States, drawing hundreds of thousands of international visitors including many traveling through European hubs.

    The U.S. has already implemented its own strict measures: a blanket entry ban for any traveler who has visited one of the Ebola-impacted countries in the prior 21 days, and mandatory quarantine protocols for U.S. citizens returning home from the affected regions.

    Public health data puts the risk of direct importation in context: while there are only a handful of direct daily flights between the affected African nations and the U.S., more than 300 direct flights connect Europe and the United States every day, creating a far higher potential route for infected travelers to reach North America if European entry checks are insufficient.

    Since the outbreak was first confirmed last month, the U.S. has committed over $200 million in emergency funding to contain the spread in the DRC and Uganda. Earlier the same day as Rubio’s call, the EU announced it would add an additional 16.5 million euros ($19 million) to its own Ebola response, on top of the 15 million euros ($17.3 million) it contributed to the effort just last month. The EU delegation to Washington has not yet issued a public comment on the call between Rubio and von der Leyen.

    The administration’s response to the outbreak has already drawn political criticism. During last week’s congressional hearings, Democratic lawmakers pushed back against Rubio over the Trump administration’s earlier dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, arguing that the restructuring may have weakened U.S. capacity to respond quickly to global health emergencies. Rubio countered that early detection programs previously run by USAID have been integrated into existing public health partnerships with African nations, and insisted the U.S. has mounted a swift, effective response to the outbreak.

  • Nigeria’s conflict-hit Borno state battles cholera outbreak that has killed 74

    Nigeria’s conflict-hit Borno state battles cholera outbreak that has killed 74

    MAIDUGURI, Nigeria – A rapidly spreading cholera outbreak that emerged in early May in northeastern Nigeria’s Borno State has already claimed 74 lives and sickened more than 7,000 people, international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF, by its French acronym) confirmed in a briefing Tuesday.

    The public health crisis has been recorded across 14 of the state’s 27 local government areas, hitting communities already grappling with health systems gutted by nearly 20 years of violent insurgency led by extremist group Boko Haram. Decades of conflict have left basic infrastructure in the region decimated, leaving populations uniquely vulnerable to preventable waterborne diseases like cholera.

    Cholera is a recurring endemic and seasonal health threat across Nigeria, a nation where systemic gaps in water access persist. Official 2020 Nigerian government data shows just 14% of the country’s 200+ million residents have access to reliably managed safe drinking water services. These gaps are far more severe in Borno State, both in the overcrowded state capital Maiduguri and in isolated rural communities. Many remote settlements sit far outside the effective reach of public health authorities, leaving them with virtually no functional sanitation or hygiene infrastructure.

    MSF reports that it has already treated 7,439 cholera patients at its treatment facilities in the region, averaging 185 new patient admissions every day since the outbreak began. Last Friday alone, the organization recorded 500 new patients – the highest single-day caseload recorded since the outbreak started.

    Jessie Kurnurkar, MSF project coordinator in Borno, told reporters multiple overlapping factors are fueling the outbreak’s rapid spread. “Open defecation is making it worse also, and there are fewer aid partners operating on the ground,” Kurnurkar explained. “By the time we receive word of cases in remote communities, local transmission has already occurred, and it becomes extremely difficult to contain the response – the spread has already gained too much traction.”

    The Associated Press spoke with patients receiving care at MSF’s Maiduguri treatment center, who shared harrowing accounts of the disease’s rapid onset. Aisha Ibrahim, one of the cholera patients currently admitted to the facility, said she had experienced nonstop watery diarrhea since first falling ill, and has now been in care for more than four days. “When they initially discharged me, the vomiting stopped, but as soon as I got home, I started stooling again, and it became so severe I had to be rushed back to the center,” Ibrahim said.