Global Pulse

标签： Africa

非洲

  • Zimbabwe exports first batch of blueberries to China as new market opens

    Zimbabwe exports first batch of blueberries to China as new market opens

    A landmark milestone for Zimbabwe’s horticultural sector has put the southern African nation on a new path of agricultural trade expansion, as it dispatched its first ever commercial consignment of blueberries to the Chinese market in 2026. This breakthrough comes after Beijing and Harare finalized a bilateral phytosanitary protocol in September 2025, formally clearing the way for Zimbabwean blueberry producers to access one of the globe’s largest and fastest-growing consumer markets.

    Beyond market access, Zimbabwean producers are set to gain an additional competitive edge from China’s zero-tariff policy, which applies to qualifying export products from Zimbabwe. This policy eliminates import duties for the fruit, making Zimbabwean blueberries more affordable and attractive to Chinese buyers when stacked against competing international suppliers. Currently ranked as Africa’s third-largest blueberry producer, trailing only Morocco and South Africa, Zimbabwe is projecting its total 2026 blueberry exports to hit 12,000 metric tons, a notable increase from the 9,500 tons exported in 2025.

    In response to this new trade opening, Zimbabwe’s Horticultural Development Council (HDC) has called on local blueberry growers to ramp up production output to match the expected demand from China’s 1.4-billion-consumer market. “China has opened the door,” HDC Chief Executive Officer Linda Nielsen noted at a recent investment gathering in Harare. “As Zimbabwe, we must now make sure we have enough product to walk through it.”

    Nielsen emphasized that China’s broader zero-tariff initiative, which extends to eligible goods from 53 African countries that maintain diplomatic relations with Beijing, creates a transformative, long-term opportunity for Zimbabwe’s entire agricultural export sector. She added that for local producers, the barrier to growth is not lack of market access, but the challenge of scaling production to meet existing and new demand.

    To date, industry data from the HDC shows that Zimbabwe has already expanded its blueberry cultivation area from 650 hectares in 2025 to 850 hectares in 2026, a shift that reflects rising investor confidence in the high-value, nutrient-dense fruit. Alistair Campbell, a representative of the Zimbabwe Berry Growers Association, noted that the country is quickly solidifying its position as one of Africa’s top blueberry producers. The fast-expanding blueberry sector already makes a substantial contribution to Zimbabwe’s national economy, while generating much-needed jobs for rural communities across the country. Today, blueberries stand as one of Zimbabwe’s emerging high-value horticultural crops, with commercial production concentrated in the Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West, and Mashonaland Central provinces.

  • Ghanaians’ ICC petition over migrant attacks ‘opportunistic’, says South Africa

    Ghanaians’ ICC petition over migrant attacks ‘opportunistic’, says South Africa

    A wave of violent anti-undocumented migrant protests across South Africa has sparked cross-African diplomatic friction and an unprecedented legal challenge filed at the International Criminal Court (ICC) by two Ghanaian activists, plunging the continent into a heated debate over migration governance and state accountability.

    The unrest, led by anti-migrant groups that set a 30 June deadline for all undocumented foreign nationals to exit the country, has driven widespread displacement. Protesters have taken extreme steps including door-to-door checks of residents’ migration status to enforce their demands, creating a climate of fear that has pushed tens of thousands of migrants to flee. Demonstrators frame their actions as a response to South Africa’s deep socioeconomic crises, blaming undocumented migrants for soaring unemployment, escalating crime, and the crumbling of public services that millions of South Africans rely on daily.

    Disputes over the scale of the displacement highlight growing rifts. South African government data indicates more than 53,000 foreign nationals have been either deported or have left voluntarily in recent weeks. But an independent tally compiled by Agence France-Presse, based on official figures from migrants’ home countries, puts the total number of people who have exited South Africa over the past two months above 160,000, underscoring the far broader reach of the unrest than official counts acknowledge.

    Last week, two Ghanaians — Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, a former Ghanaian government spokesperson for governance and security, and Emmanuel Kotin, a counter-terrorism and security analyst — formally submitted a petition to the ICC based in The Hague. The filing argues that the ongoing pattern of targeted violence against migrants meets the legal definition of crimes against humanity, and accuses the South African government of systemic failure to prevent attacks or hold perpetrators accountable. “For years, African brothers and sisters have been killed, beaten and driven from their homes in South Africa,” the pair said in a joint statement. “While we commend individuals in South Africa who have condemned these acts, the pattern, scale and recurrence of the violence raise serious questions about the failure of state authorities to prevent, investigate, and punish these crimes.” As of this report, the ICC has not released any public statement on whether it will move forward with reviewing the petition.

    South Africa has forcefully pushed back against the filing, dismissing it as an opportunistic action that fails to meet the ICC’s legal threshold for intervention. The country’s foreign ministry has emphasized that its domestic judicial system is fully capable of investigating and prosecuting any crimes connected to the unrest. South African officials have repeatedly rejected accusations of state inaction, noting that President Cyril Ramaphosa has publicly acknowledged widespread public frustration over unregulated migration but has clearly condemned all violent attacks on foreign nationals, warning citizens against taking the law into their own hands. In an official response, the South African government stated it “categorically rejects xenophobia, racism, homophobia, and intolerance and discrimination in all their manifestations”, adding that upholding respect for the dignity of every person within its borders is both a constitutional obligation and a moral duty.

    Tensions between South Africa and Ghana have escalated rapidly in recent weeks. Ghana became one of the first African nations to organize repatriation flights for its citizens caught up in the violence after the latest wave of protests erupted, and has confirmed one Ghanaian citizen was killed in anti-migrant attacks — a claim South African authorities have outright denied. In the weeks since, multiple other African countries including Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria and Uganda have also arranged organized transportation to help their citizens exit South Africa safely.

    Over the weekend, leaders from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) issued a formal condemnation of the attacks, specifically calling out the “despicable treatment of West African citizens” and calling on South African authorities to take immediate, decisive action to end the violence and protect all foreign nationals residing in the country. The United Nations has also joined the international conversation, warning that political and popular leaders are unfairly scapegoating migrants to distract from South Africa’s deep-rooted socioeconomic challenges.

    As Africa’s largest economy, South Africa has long drawn migrants from across the continent seeking better economic opportunity, with many crossing the border without formal authorization. Official statistics put the number of documented foreign residents at more than three million, a figure that does not include the undocumented population, whose exact size remains unconfirmed. To address the underlying issues, South Africa has called for continent-wide discussions through the African Union (AU) focused on tackling the root causes of irregular migration across Africa, framing the crisis as a shared continental challenge rather than an isolated South African problem.

  • What experts are saying as Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda kills more that 1,000 people

    What experts are saying as Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda kills more that 1,000 people

    DAKAR, SENEGAL – The fastest-expanding Ebola outbreak ever recorded has claimed more than 1,000 lives in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as global and local health workers rush to curb a viral strain with no licensed medical countermeasures available. New data released Wednesday by Congo’s National Public Health Institute confirms 2,536 laboratory-confirmed infections and 1,033 fatalities to date, with at least 738 patients currently held in isolation or receiving hospital care. What makes this outbreak, declared in mid-May, unique among modern Ebola events is the pathogen driving it: the Bundibugyo strain, for which no approved vaccines or targeted treatments currently exist. The crisis is heavily concentrated in the hard-to-reach Ituri province, which accounts for nearly 90 percent of all documented cases, but infections have spread to five additional Congolese provinces – including the major eastern city of Kisangani – and have spilled across the border into neighboring Uganda. Though Congolese health authorities note the explosive growth in new cases has begun to moderate, they warn the outbreak has not yet reached its peak. The latest institute report confirms sustained community transmission remains ongoing, with recent swings in case counts largely attributed to lags in reporting and ongoing data consolidation. A persistent gap in contact tracing also undermines containment efforts: only 77 percent of known close contacts of confirmed cases are under active surveillance nationwide, far below the 95 percent threshold public health experts say is required to stop transmission chains. Last month, researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) used predictive modeling to warn that in the worst-case scenario, the current outbreak could match the deadliest Ebola event in recorded history: the 2014–2016 West African epidemic that killed more than 11,000 people. Notably, that 2014 outbreak took eight months to reach the 1,000-death mark – a threshold the current Congolese outbreak crossed far faster. The World Health Organization (WHO) adds that a large share of new cases are linked to unknown transmission chains, leaving the full scope and trajectory of the outbreak uncertain for responders. Despite the severity of the crisis inside Central Africa, global health authorities agree the overall risk of widespread international spread remains low. The WHO classifies the risk as “very high” within Congo and “high” for neighboring countries such as Uganda, due to frequent cross-border population movement and ongoing local transmission, but rates the global risk as low. Unlike respiratory viruses such as influenza or COVID-19, Ebola only spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person who is already showing symptoms, making sustained global spread far less likely. “You cannot get Ebola from being near someone,” the CDC emphasized in its latest situation update. The agency also noted that since infected people do not become contagious before they develop symptoms, identifying cases and tracking contacts is simpler than for diseases that can spread asymptomatically. To date, the outbreak has produced only a handful of cases outside Congo’s borders. Uganda has recorded 20 confirmed infections linked to cross-border travel from Congo, including two deaths, all concentrated in the capital Kampala. The country has not reported a new case since June 21, and the last confirmed patient has been discharged from care, triggering the 42-day waiting period that precedes an official declaration that the Ugandan outbreak is over. In June, one imported case was detected in France involving a doctor traveling from Congo; the patient has since made a full recovery and been released from hospital. In response to the outbreak, the U.S. has imposed entry restrictions on most recent travelers from Congo, requiring U.S. citizens to complete a 21-day monitoring period outside the country before returning, and routing permitted travelers from Uganda and South Sudan through designated airports for mandatory Ebola screening. A U.S. plan to construct a dedicated Ebola quarantine facility in Kenya for U.S. citizens evacuated from Congo has faced significant pushback, including legal challenges and large protests, some of which have turned violent. Multiple barriers continue to slow the global response effort. According to health authorities and aid groups, low public trust and community resistance are among the biggest obstacles. Misinformation about Ebola treatment centers, fear of isolation protocols, and resistance to culturally sensitive safe burial practices have led many residents to avoid testing and delay seeking care until they are severely ill. Ongoing armed conflict in the region has also complicated response work: fighting between government forces and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group, plus attacks by the Islamic State-linked Allied Democratic Forces, have displaced hundreds of thousands of people and made it difficult for responders to access affected communities and conduct surveillance. In addition to the lack of approved medical tools for the Bundibugyo strain, limited testing capacity has slowed detection – even as capacity has expanded since the outbreak began, the virus continues to outpace containment efforts. “There’s never been an Ebola outbreak that started with so many cases because it was so late to be identified,” explained Trish Newport, emergency program manager for Doctors Without Borders (Medicines Sans Frontieres), who has been deployed to the outbreak zone. Earlier this month, researchers launched the first clinical trial for experimental treatments targeting the Bundibugyo strain, enrolling patients at a dedicated Ebola treatment center in Ituri province. The WHO notes it could take several months and up to 1,000 trial participants to determine whether either of the two test treatments is safe and effective. Associated Press writers Mike Stobbe in New York and Prosper Heri Ngorora in Bunia, Congo contributed reporting to this article.

  • Africa prepares for historic Olympic moment at Dakar 2026

    Africa prepares for historic Olympic moment at Dakar 2026

    With just 100 days remaining until the opening ceremony, the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games is on track to make history as the first Olympic-sanctioned event ever held on African soil. For decades, the continent has produced some of the world’s most iconic champions in athletics, football, boxing and a host of other global sports, but it has never hosted a competition bearing the Olympic rings — a milestone the International Olympic Committee says will resonate far beyond the two weeks of competition.

    Dakar was first selected as the host city for the Youth Games back in October 2018. Initially scheduled to take place in 2022, the event was postponed to 2026 at the request of local organizers, pushed back to accommodate more robust, sustainable planning in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. When competition kicks off on 31 October, events will be spread across three locations: the Senegalese capital Dakar, the newly developed city of Diamniadio, and the coastal resort town of Saly.

    Local organizing committee leaders say preparations are proceeding firmly on schedule, and the entire nation is embracing the responsibility of acting as host for the entire continent. “We know we are going to be ambassadors for Africa during this period,” explained Thierno Cisse, deputy chief operating officer of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), in an interview with the BBC. “It’s really important for us as a country to proudly represent the whole continent and show that Africa meets global high standards.”

    The significance of hosting the Youth Games in Africa extends beyond symbolism: per United Nations data, Africa is the world’s youngest continent, with 70% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa under the age of 30. “The symbolism of having Africa hosting the global sports community is very strong,” said IOC official Christophe Dubi. “This is a very important first step.”

    Beyond the celebration of sport, many local residents hope the landmark event will shine a much-needed spotlight on the critical challenges facing young Senegalese people. Recent data from Senegal’s national statistics and demographics agency puts youth unemployment for 15 to 34-year-olds at more than 27%, driven largely by a lack of stable formal opportunities in the domestic economy. In recent years, high joblessness has also fueled a crisis of irregular migration, with hundreds of young Senegalese risking their lives each year to seek better prospects in Europe. Local resident Issa Diao told the BBC he expects the Games to generate immediate employment opportunities for local young people: “We are in a country where the rate of joblessness is very high, so when we have this kind of event here, it will help people to get jobs.”

    To raise global awareness of the event, organizers have tapped a roster of high-profile African and global figures as official Games ambassadors, including Senegal men’s national football team captain Kalidou Koulibaly, TikTok superstar Khaby Lame, and acclaimed French-Senegalese actor Omar Sy. The IOC has also selected 31 veteran athlete role models to provide mentorship and support to the young athletes competing in Dakar. As part of its pre-Games outreach, the IOC launched a skills development program last year that has already trained more than 400 young Africans across critical event management roles, including operations, logistics, digital technology, athlete accreditation, and venue coordination. Per Cisse, the volunteer recruitment strategy was intentionally opened up to the entire continent: “We have more than 30 countries represented from all around the world, but mainly from Africa as youth volunteers.”

    One of the most distinctive innovations of Dakar 2026 will be the debut of a dedicated youth refugee team at the Youth Olympic Games, building on the full refugee athlete delegation first introduced at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro senior Olympics. Working in partnership with the Olympic Refuge Foundation and international sports federations, the IOC has held identification trials and development programs across East Africa to identify young refugee athletes. All athletes selected for the delegation will receive ongoing support for education and mental wellbeing beyond the Games. Dubi noted that the team sends a powerful message of inclusion: “Even for people who have lived through extremely difficult circumstances, there is still hope. There is a place where you are welcomed.”

    While the Youth Games are smaller in scale than the flagship summer and winter Olympic Games, Dakar 2026 will still welcome roughly 2,700 athletes competing across 25 official sports. Additionally, 10 non-competitive engagement sports will be held to encourage participation among local Senegalese youth, helping expand access to new recreational activities. In a break from the common practice of building new, single-use venues for major events, Dakar 2026 organizers have prioritized the rehabilitation and reuse of existing urban spaces. Dubi highlighted that two prominent underused parcels in central Dakar were saved from being redeveloped into private housing and instead restored for public sports use: “This is about thinking beyond the Games.”

    That focus on long-term legacy does not erase questions around the cost of hosting the large-scale event. Public reports indicate Senegal invested roughly $270 million to construct the new Abdoulaye Wade Stadium in Diamniadio, which will host the Games’ opening ceremony, and the Senegalese sports ministry has estimated total Games organizing costs at around $60 million. The BBC’s requests to confirm these figures with the LOC and IOC went unanswered. Both organizations emphasized that the success of Dakar 2026 will not be measured by the 14 days of competition alone, but by the lasting infrastructure, opportunities and talent the event leaves behind. “The Games are opening a whole range of new sports that are not famous here,” Cisse said. “Maybe we’ll be able to say in 20 years from now that some champions were discovered.”

    The event also arrives at a moment of shifting representation within the IOC: last year, Zimbabwean swimming legend Kirsty Coventry made history as the first African, and first woman, to be elected president of the IOC. Before taking on the IOC’s top role, Coventry served as chair of the Dakar 2026 coordination commission, creating a personal and institutional tie to the landmark event. “We are very proud that an African woman is representing the continent on the biggest stage,” Cisse said. “I know she has a special bond with the Games and holds it in very high esteem.”

    For the IOC, Dakar 2026 is far more than a sporting competition: leaders frame it as a cultural and social movement to celebrate African youth, talent, and the continent’s growing influence on the global stage. “It’s going to have an effect that is wider than Senegal and Dakar,” Dubi said. “It’s not only about sport. People will be amazed by what they will see. It’s the energy.” As the 100-day countdown ticks on, people across the continent are hoping the Games will cement Africa’s place in the global Olympic movement, while opening new lasting opportunities for young people, sports administrators and athletes across the region.

  • DR Congo sees early signs of Ebola stabilization

    DR Congo sees early signs of Ebola stabilization

    KINSHASA, July 23 — Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have announced encouraging early indicators that the ongoing Ebola outbreak across eastern parts of the country may be entering a phase of stabilization, though officials warn it is still too early to confirm the epidemic has hit its peak.

    Adelard Lufongola, operations manager for the DRC’s national Ebola response coordination, shared the update during a press briefing Wednesday in Bunia, the capital of eastern DRC’s Ituri province, which stands as the epicenter of the current outbreak. According to Lufongola, the rate of new confirmed Ebola cases in affected provinces has reached a statistical plateau, with a small but noticeable downward trend recorded in recent weeks.

    However, Lufongola emphasized that from an epidemiological perspective, drawing a definitive conclusion that the outbreak has passed its peak would be premature. The trajectory of viral outbreaks can shift rapidly, and sustained monitoring will be critical to confirm whether the current slowdown will hold.

    On a positive note, the country’s Ebola response capacity has continued to expand significantly since the outbreak was first declared in mid-May. As of the latest update, affected regions now host 23 dedicated Ebola treatment centers, 19 fully operational testing laboratories, and a total of nearly 800 patient beds to care for those infected. This expanded infrastructure has allowed response teams to isolate more cases quickly and deliver care to a greater share of the confirmed patient pool.

    Despite this progress in scaling up response capacity, Lufongola outlined three persistent major barriers to bringing the outbreak fully under control: widespread community resistance to public health measures, ongoing insecurity in conflict-affected eastern regions that hinders access for response teams, and the continued geographic spread of the virus across multiple provinces.

    To reverse the course of the outbreak, Lufongola stressed that three core priorities remain non-negotiable: rapid early detection of new cases, building and sustaining public trust in local health facilities, and broad community adherence to evidence-based preventive measures. These steps are the foundation of breaking ongoing chains of human-to-human transmission, he added.

    Official government data updated to July 20 puts the total number of confirmed Ebola cases at 2,473 since the outbreak began. Of those cases, 999 have resulted in death, while 482 patients have successfully recovered and been discharged. Currently, 737 confirmed patients remain either in isolation facilities or receiving inpatient hospital care.

    The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of ebolavirus, which was first declared by DRC authorities on May 15. To date, it has spread to impact five provinces across the eastern half of the country.

  • Even camels can’t cope: Africa’s ships of the desert hit by rising temperatures

    Even camels can’t cope: Africa’s ships of the desert hit by rising temperatures

    For generations, dromedary camels have been the unchallenged masters of Africa’s harshest arid landscapes, earning their nickname as the “ships of the desert” for their extraordinary ability to withstand scorching temperatures and severe drought. It is this legendary resilience that led 80% of the world’s one-humped camel population to settle in North Africa and the Horn of Africa, and that pushed countless livestock herders to switch from cattle and sheep to camels as climate conditions worsened across the region. But new research and on-the-ground accounts from herders and veterinarians make clear that even these iconic hardy animals are no match for the record-breaking extreme heat sweeping the continent – a rapidly growing threat that is pushing camels, and the communities that depend on them, into crisis.

  • Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger launch bid for 2032 Afcon

    Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger launch bid for 2032 Afcon

    Three Sahel nations led by military-led transitional governments — Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger — have launched a historic joint bid to host the 2032 edition of the Confederation of African Football (Caf)’s flagship continental tournament, the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon). The announcement comes as Caf formally opened the application window for the 2028, 2032 and 2036 editions of the competition, opening the door for new and returning hosts to pitch their vision for the future of African football.

    Per a statement from the Malian Football Federation (Femafoot), the three neighboring countries have centered their joint candidacy around three core pillars: cross-border solidarity, regional integration, and the long-term sustainable development of football across the African continent. The federation confirmed that it will collaborate closely with national and regional authorities to develop a “robust, credible bid” that aims to introduce a fresh, forward-thinking approach to organizing continental football’s most prestigious event.

    Geographically and politically, the three candidates share deep ties beyond their shared Sahel border region. Last year, the trio formally exited the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), the region’s long-standing economic and political bloc, to form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). This new alliance was designed to deepen cross-border cooperation across a range of critical sectors, including security, infrastructure development, trade, and broader economic growth. More recently, the alliance has expanded its cooperation beyond governance and security: on Tuesday, Burkina Faso’s transitional parliament approved the creation of joint regional media outlets, Daande Liptako Radio and Tafouk TV, which will serve as official platforms for the AES to share its messaging and strengthen information and communication coordination across the bloc.

    Despite this coordinated push for regional integration, the three nations face significant headwinds ahead of the bid evaluation process. The entire Sahel region continues to grapple with widespread security instability, fueled by persistent insurgent attacks from armed jihadist groups operating across porous national borders. Politically, the three military-led governments have shifted away from long-standing security partnerships with Western nations and have strengthened diplomatic and military ties with Russia in recent years, creating an added layer of geopolitical complexity for Caf to navigate.

    In an interview with BBC Sport Africa, Caf President Patrice Motsepe addressed key questions around the bid, including whether the continental governing body would require formal security guarantees before advancing the proposal for evaluation. Motsepe made clear that the three Sahel nations would receive equal treatment during the bidding process, noting they “will have as good a chance as everybody else” of securing hosting rights. “They are not going to be disadvantaged or prejudiced by the fact that they are military juntas, but you raise a very important point,” he added.

    Motsepe acknowledged that safety and security for players, fans, and officials are non-negotiable requirements that will be thoroughly vetted as part of the evaluation process, though no final decision on the 2032 host has been reached. He also noted that Caf must “deal with reality” when evaluating bids, stressing that “of course, democracy and freedom of speech and regular elections, that’s non-negotiable. And that’s critical.” Despite the outstanding political and security questions, Motsepe confirmed he plans to travel to the three countries in the coming months to hold discussions focused specifically on their football hosting proposal.

    Final hosting rights for all three upcoming Afcon editions will be determined by Caf’s executive committee, a process Motsepe emphasized aligns with the organization’s commitment to transparent, ethical governance aligned with global best practices. “There are so many presidents who think I have the power to decide that the Afcon is going to go to a certain country. I don’t want that power because part of my duty is to create a culture where Caf functions in a manner that reflects ethics and governance and transparency, but also global best practises,” he explained.

    Motsepe outlined the strict standards all bidding nations must meet, regardless of their political status: “The standards are very high. We have to be convinced that there will be free movement of our fans and spectators in and out. We have to be convinced – and this applies to every country – that our fans and our guests will be safe, will be protected by the police and [there will be] good infrastructure.”

    The joint bid discussion took place during a meeting between the three national football federation presidents and Motsepe in New York on Saturday, held on the sidelines of the 2026 FIFA World Cup final. Colonel-Major Djibrilla Hima Hamidou, a FIFA Council member and honorary president of Niger’s football federation, also participated in the talks.

    Notably, Burkina Faso previously hosted Afcon as a sole host in 1998, and Mali followed with its own solo hosting of the tournament in 2002. By comparison, Niger has only qualified for the Afcon finals twice in its history, in 2012 and 2013, and has never hosted the continental event. If the joint bid is successful, it will mark the second time three nations co-host the tournament: the 2027 Afcon (originally scheduled for 2026) will be hosted jointly by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, marking the first tri-nation co-hosting in the competition’s history.

    Looking ahead to the future of Afcon, the tournament will shift to a four-year cycle starting after the 2028 edition, moving away from the current two-year schedule that has been in place for decades. Motsepe also confirmed that Caf has received “exciting bids” for all three upcoming tournament cycles, and is currently evaluating a proposal to expand the final tournament field from 24 teams to 28 teams to give more African nations a chance to compete on football’s biggest continental stage.

  • Mysterious white foam draws crowds on Nigerian highway

    Mysterious white foam draws crowds on Nigerian highway

    A strange, white foamy substance along one of Nigeria’s busiest intercity highways has triggered an urgent official investigation after drawing crowds of curious onlookers and stoking widespread public safety fears.

    The unidentified material appeared on the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway, a critical transport artery that connects northern Nigeria’s largest commercial hub to the country’s federal capital. Nigeria’s top environmental regulator, the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (Nesrea), has issued an immediate warning asking the public to stay far away from the foamy deposit, which has spread across a section of the highway and its surrounding areas.

    Since the substance emerged several days ago, hundreds of passing motorists have pulled over to capture photos and videos of the unusual sight, with thousands of the images shared widely across local social media platforms. Wild public speculation has grown around the origin and nature of the foam: some have guessed it is the result of an unchecked chemical leak from an industrial facility, while others have treated the bizarre scene as a novelty attraction, drawing close to pose for photos.

    Isah Aminu, a driver who regularly travels the route, shared his experience with the BBC. He told reporters that the first rumor circulating among drivers was that the foam was “clouds that had fallen from the sky.” “That was the first information many of us got — that it’s clouds from the sky,” Aminu explained. “But like many, I also stopped to see it and it looked like snow.” Aminu added that he chose not to touch the unknown substance, but he noticed dozens of other visitors approaching it closely to interact with the foam. He called on regulators to release clear information quickly to end the widespread public confusion.

    Nesrea has confirmed that a specialized response team from its Kaduna State Field Office, headed by state coordinator Hena Dangari Emmanuel, has already completed an on-site assessment of the affected area. Investigators collected multiple samples: of the foamy material itself, as well as soil from the roadside and water from a nearby stream. All samples are now undergoing rigorous laboratory testing to pinpoint the exact chemical composition of the substance and measure any potential long-term risks to human health and local ecosystems.

    Pending the results of the testing, the agency has repeated its warning for local residents and passing travelers to avoid any contact with the foam, the nearby stream water, and surrounding roadside soil. The precaution is designed to prevent accidental exposure to potentially toxic or hazardous materials that could be present in the spill.

    “We have to know what it is first before we can tell people how to handle it or what the dangers are,” a Nesrea spokesperson told reporters. The agency’s preliminary investigation has already traced the origin of the foam to a spill from a cargo lorry that was involved in a traffic accident along the highway, though officials have not yet been able to confirm what the truck was carrying when the crash occurred. The full results of the laboratory analysis are expected to be released publicly once testing is completed.

  • Ipswich sign Diop from Fulham

    Ipswich sign Diop from Fulham

    Championship winners Ipswich Town have bolstered their 2024-25 Premier League squad with a key defensive addition, confirming the signing of Morocco international center-back Issa Diop from London-based club Fulham for an undisclosed transfer fee. The 29-year-old, who brings more than five years of top-flight English football experience to the newly promoted side, has put pen to paper on a four-year contract that will keep him at Portman Road until the summer of 2030. Diop was part of Morocco’s historic 2022 World Cup run that saw the North African side become the first African nation to reach the tournament quarter-finals, making five appearances throughout their campaign, and has earned nine senior caps for his country to date, scoring one international goal. Diop’s career in English football began back in 2018, when he moved from French Ligue 1 side Toulouse to Premier League outfit West Ham United. He spent four seasons with the Hammers, making more than 100 appearances for the east London club, before completing a £15 million transfer to Fulham in 2022. Across two seasons at Craven Cottage, Diop turned out 96 times in all competitions for the Cottagers, but saw his first-team opportunities limited during the 2023-24 campaign, starting just eight Premier League matches. Speaking after completing his move to Suffolk, Diop expressed his enthusiasm for the next chapter of his professional journey. “I’m excited to take the next step in my career at Ipswich Town,” he said. “I know how big the club is and have enjoyed all of the conversations I have had before making the move. I know this is the right place for me. It has been a busy summer for me, representing Morocco at the World Cup, but I am proud to be joining Ipswich Town and am looking forward to meeting the staff, my team-mates and the supporters very soon.” This transfer marks Ipswich’s sixth senior incoming signing of the 2024 summer window, as manager Kieran McKenna continues to reshaping his squad ahead of their return to the top flight after a multi-year absence. The club has already been active in the market earlier this month, breaking their transfer record to sign Brazilian striker Emersonn from Toulouse for an approximate £26 million fee. Earlier this week, they secured a £20 million deal for Ghanaian winger Abdul Fatawu from Leicester City. The club has also made permanent signings of defender Cedric Kipre and forward Chuba Akpom, who both impressed during loan spells at Portman Road in the 2023-24 Championship-winning campaign, while goalkeeper Kayne van Oevelen joined from Dutch Eredivisie side FC Volendam earlier in the window. Diop’s 173 previous Premier League appearances with Fulham and West Ham add much-needed top-flight experience to Ipswich’s defensive unit, as the club prepares to compete against some of the best teams in English football in the upcoming season.

  • Cocaine worth $370m seized in Liberia’s biggest-ever drugs bust

    Cocaine worth $370m seized in Liberia’s biggest-ever drugs bust

    Law enforcement agencies in Liberia have carried out the largest drug seizure in the nation’s history, confiscating a massive shipment of high-grade cocaine estimated to be worth more than $370 million near the capital, Monrovia. The operation targeted a suspected illicit storage facility in Duazon, a small town located roughly 20 kilometers east of Monrovia, and resulted in the arrest of multiple suspects, investigators confirmed this week.

    Visual evidence released by the Liberia National Police via social media shows dozens of sealed suitcases and cardboard boxes stowed inside a freight truck, all of which held the contraband confirmed as cocaine through forensic testing, according to Police Chief Gregory Coleman. In an interview with the BBC, Coleman explained that Tuesday’s seizure marked the culmination of 18 months of coordinated surveillance targeting transnational drug trafficking networks that have reestablished a foothold in Liberia since 2018.

    Among those taken into custody are two foreign nationals and several Liberian citizens. One foreign suspect was found carrying two passports – one Spanish and one Colombian – while the second holds a Serbian citizenship, Coleman confirmed. As of the latest update, no formal criminal charges have been filed against any of the detainees, and investigators are still working to trace the origin of the shipment and identify its final destination. Coleman noted that the two foreign suspects were arrested shortly after entering Liberia, as law enforcement was already actively tracing the supply chain of the network.

    Liberian Vice-President Jeremiah Koung has publicly commended security forces for their successful operation, emphasizing in a statement that any individual found guilty of involvement in the trafficking ring will face full legal accountability, regardless of their position or status. This historic bust comes just one month after a smaller but still significant cocaine seizure at Roberts International Airport, where security officers intercepted six mislabeled cargo boxes falsely declared as holding food seasoning and textiles. Inside, investigators found nearly 200 compressed blocks of cocaine bound for international export.

    That airport seizure sparked widespread political controversy, with public critics accusing authorities of delaying investigations to allow key suspects to flee the country. In response, President Joseph Boakai ordered a joint probe involving both national police and the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA). To date, several suspects have been formally charged, and international arrest warrants have been issued for other network members who remain at large.

    The bust underscores the growing challenge of transnational drug trafficking across West Africa, a region long identified by international law enforcement groups as a major transit hub for cocaine moving from South American production centers to consumer markets in Europe. Criminal organizations exploit the region’s porous border controls and uneven law enforcement capacity to move large shipments, and data from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime shows that at least 30 percent of all cocaine bound for Europe now transits through West Africa. Beyond transshipment, the group also reports that local consumption of cocaine, including the cheaper crack cocaine variant, has risen steadily across the region in recent years.

    Total cocaine seizures across West Africa have climbed consistently since 2019, hitting roughly 30 tonnes in 2025 alone, according to the Global Initiative. The United Nations has repeatedly warned that the expanding influence of drug cartels in the region, who are running increasingly sophisticated smuggling operations, poses a major threat to regional stability and security.

    Liberia has already seen multiple high-profile drug seizures in recent years, including a 520-kilogram cocaine shipment intercepted at Monrovia’s seaport in 2022. Since taking office in 2024, President Boakai has made cracking down on drug trafficking a core policy priority, reshuffling the leadership of the LDEA multiple times amid growing public and international pressure to address the issue.