Global Pulse

标签： Africa

非洲

  • Nigerian army frees widow of ex-general who died in captivity

    Nigerian army frees widow of ex-general who died in captivity

    Nigeria’s armed forces have announced the successful rescue of Amina Abubakar, the widow of a retired major general who died in kidnappers’ custody over the weekend, more than two weeks after the couple were abducted from the country’s northwestern Katsina State.

    The pair—Maj Gen Rabe Abubakar and his wife Amina—were first taken hostage by unidentified armed groups at the end of May. In a public statement released Monday, defense officials confirmed that Amina was shot by her captors during the rescue operation as the kidnappers retreated under advancing troop pressure. She is currently receiving ongoing medical care at a military hospital.

    The rescue was confirmed by the couple’s daughter, Bilkisu, via a WhatsApp post that expressed gratitude for the outcome. “We are deeply grateful to Allah for His mercy and protection,” she wrote. “Our mummy has been rescued from the hands of evil by the Nigerian Army. We pray that Allah grants her good health, complete recovery, peace of mind, and strength after everything she has been through.”

    Maj Gen Abubakar’s death, announced by Katsina State officials on Saturday, has been attributed to pre-existing chronic health complications including diabetes and high blood pressure. His remains were interred the same day his death was made public.

    Samaila Uba, director of defense information, explained that the rescue followed weeks of intensified search and clearing operations targeting criminal networks in the region. “During sustained offensive operations and pressure mounted on the criminal elements, troops made contact with the bandits… leading to the successful recovery of Mrs Abubakar,” Uba said. He added that military leadership is prioritizing Amina’s recovery and extending all necessary support to the family, and that operations will continue to hunt down the perpetrators of the abduction.

    No organized group has yet claimed responsibility for the kidnappings. Northwestern Nigeria has long grappled with persistent insecurity rooted in the activities of local criminal gangs known colloquially as “bandits,” who regularly carry out ransom-fueled kidnappings, cattle rustling, and violent attacks on isolated rural communities. The region also hosts a presence of militant jihadist groups, and the United States carried out an airstrike targeting an alleged militant camp in neighboring Sokoto State last Christmas.

    Just 10 days before Amina’s rescue, a video circulated online showing the retired general and his wife issuing a public appeal to the Katsina State government. The pair called for the government to release detained bandit members and return seized livestock in exchange for their own freedom.

    President Bola Tinubar voiced his reaction to Maj Gen Abubakar’s death over the weekend, saying he was “shocked” by the news. The president described the general’s killing as a stark reminder of the ongoing threat that armed criminal groups pose to national security and civilian life across Nigeria.

  • DR Congo medics mark rare Ebola recovery with song and dance

    DR Congo medics mark rare Ebola recovery with song and dance

    In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where healthcare teams have grappled for months with a persistent and deadly Ebola outbreak, a moment of joy has broken through the grim reality of crisis response. When a patient recently pulled through an infection that kills more than half of those it infects, local medical workers marked the rare win with spontaneous song and dance, a celebration that has underscored how survivor stories are reshaping morale on the front lines.

    For weeks, overstretched medical teams have worked around the clock to contain transmission chains, trace contacts, and deliver life-saving care in communities that have been devastated by repeated Ebola outbreaks. Limited resources, challenging terrain, and widespread community fear have made the response an uphill battle, leaving many workers grappling with burnout and emotional fatigue.

    But survivors are emerging as unexpected beacons of hope for these exhausted teams. Each person who walks out of treatment units alive offers tangible proof that care works, breaking through the sense of hopelessness that can settle over outbreak zones. Their recoveries not only boost the morale of frontline medics but also help build trust in local communities, encouraging more people to seek treatment early when survival odds are highest.

    This latest celebration of recovery highlights the human side of a public health crisis that is often only covered in statistics of new cases and deaths. For the medics who have witnessed so much loss, a single recovery is more than a medical win—it is a reminder of why they continue their work, even in the most difficult circumstances.

  • Fans in Cape Verde party into the night after historic World Cup debut

    Fans in Cape Verde party into the night after historic World Cup debut

    PRAIA, Cape Verde — Jubilant fans across Cape Verde partied and celebrated deep into the night, after the tiny African island nation pulled off one of the biggest surprises of the latest expanded World Cup by holding reigning European champion Spain to a scoreless draw in its first ever World Cup finals appearance.

    Home to just 500,000 residents, Cape Verde is the third-smallest country by population to ever qualify for football’s most prestigious international tournament. On Monday, in its landmark debut match, the underdog side held European giants Spain goalless, a result made possible by a standout performance from 40-year-old veteran goalkeeper Vozinha and a disciplined, resilient defensive effort that frustrated the heavily favored Spanish squad.

    In the capital city of Praia, thousands of supporters packed public watch parties and flooded major thoroughfares, turning the urban center into a massive street party. Fans sang traditional folk songs, danced, and embraced one another, still stunned by the result that most had deemed impossible before kickoff — even with the expanded 48-team tournament format that had drawn criticism for allowing lower-ranked nations to qualify at the perceived cost of competitive quality. Many fans wept openly as they celebrated, some climbing utility poles to get a better view of large screen broadcasts of the post-match reaction from across the globe.

    William Gomes, a lifelong Cape Verdean football fan based in Praia, called the result beyond his wildest expectations. “I didn’t expect us to be holding our own in such a highly contested and difficult match,” Gomes said. “Thanks to Vozinha’s performance, who is, for now, one of the best players on our team.”

    Vladimir Garcia, a local resident, spoke to the sense of national pride that the match has sparked across the small archipelago off West Africa. “Cape Verde is only a small country, but today it feels great and important. I don’t even have enough words to express what we’re feeling. We Cape Verdeans are truly blessed,” Garcia said.

    In anticipation of the historic fixture, the Cape Verdean government declared a half-day public holiday on Monday, giving citizens time off work and school to gather and cheer on their national team. In a social media post marking the milestone, Cape Verdean President José Maria Neves framed the World Cup debut as a landmark moment for the nation 50 years after it gained independence from Portugal.

    “If today, 50 years later, we are at the World Cup, we have already proven that we are a viable nation,” Neves wrote. “More than celebrating the past, we must reimagine the future and believe that it is possible to build, in all areas of our lives, over the next 50 years, a modern, prosperous country with opportunities for all,” he added.

    While the result ended as a draw rather than a full victory for Cape Verde, the underdog performance has sent shockwaves through the global football community. It has also pushed back against widespread criticism that expanding the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams would dilute the tournament’s quality, producing lopsided, uninteresting matches between top-ranked sides and uncompetitive debuting nations.

  • Tunisia sack Lamouchi just one game into World Cup

    Tunisia sack Lamouchi just one game into World Cup

    In a historic first for the FIFA World Cup, Tunisia have parted ways with head coach Sabri Lamouchi just days after a lopsided opening Group F defeat to Sweden at the 2026 tournament, marking the earliest dismissal of a manager in the competition’s history. The North African side suffered a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Sweden on Sunday at Estadio Monterrey in Guadalupe, Mexico, a result that triggered immediate speculation about Lamouchi’s future. While initial reports claimed the Frenchman had been relieved of his duties straight after the final whistle, multiple sources confirmed to BBC Sport Africa that Lamouchi still led a team training session on Monday. The Tunisian Football Association later made the separation official, announcing that the 54-year-old’s contract had been terminated by mutual agreement. Stepping into the role with immediate effect is veteran manager Herve Renard, who has previously held top jobs with the Morocco and Saudi Arabia national teams, and will remain at the helm through the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup. Lamouchi’s exit comes after just five months in charge of Tunisia, having been appointed in January following the exit of Sami Trabelsi, who stepped down after the team’s round of 16 defeat to Mali at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. Across his five matches in charge, Lamouchi only managed to secure one victory: a narrow 1-0 win over Haiti in his debut fixture at the post. In Tunisia’s two pre-tournament warm-up matches earlier this June, the side fell 1-0 to Austria before a demoralizing 5-0 defeat to world powerhouse Belgium that offered an early sign of the challenges the team would face in Mexico. Speaking shortly after the Sweden defeat, Lamouchi acknowledged the severity of the performance, calling the opening loss “painful” for the squad. “Starting the competition with this bad of a loss is indeed difficult,” he said. “We made too many mistakes, and this is not something that we can do. We are shooting ourselves in the foot, we are hurting ourselves.” While manager dismissals after poor tournament starts are not unprecedented in World Cup history, Lamouchi’s departure is the first to occur after just a single match. The previous instances of early sackings date back to the 1998 World Cup, when Tunisia let go of Henryk Kasperczak after two opening matches without a win, and South Korea dismissed Cha Bum-Kun following two straight opening defeats. More recently, Spain sacked Julen Lopetegui just two days before the 2018 tournament kicked off, after he agreed to take the Real Madrid head coaching role mid-competition. Now, with Renard newly installed at the helm, Tunisia turn their focus to their remaining Group F fixtures against Japan and the Netherlands as they fight to keep their 2026 World Cup campaign alive.

  • Solar cold storage helps African farmers cut losses and reach global markets

    Solar cold storage helps African farmers cut losses and reach global markets

    On a crisp early morning in Kenya, smallholder farmer Yvonne Anyonyi Mumiah walks between neat rows of aromatic rosemary, fragrant basil and other fresh produce bound for grocery store shelves across Europe. Not long ago, her livelihood hung on a knife edge: a single transport delay or unseasonable heatwave could turn an entire season’s hard work into spoiled, unsellable waste. Today, that uncertainty has been replaced by security, thanks to an accessible solar-powered cold storage service that keeps her harvest fresh until it is ready to ship.

    Mumiah’s new solution comes from SoKo Fresh, a Kenyan cold-chain enterprise that offers a flexible pay-per-use model, billing farmers only for the volume of produce they store. This innovative approach is part of a rapidly growing movement across Africa that leverages renewable energy to solve one of the continent’s most persistent agricultural crises: widespread post-harvest food loss.

    According to estimates from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, as much as 40% of all food grown across Africa goes to waste between the moment it is harvested and the moment it reaches consumers. The root cause of this crisis is not poor farming practice, but gaping holes in infrastructure: insufficient, inadequate storage, transportation and processing systems that leave perishable goods vulnerable to spoilage.

    Unlike traditional cold storage, off-grid solar-powered cold rooms, cooling hubs and warehouses do not require connection to Africa’s often unreliable and expensive main electricity grids. This model is already gaining traction across multiple sub-Saharan nations, including Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Rwanda and South Africa.

    For millions of smallholder farmers like Mumiah, purchasing a personal standalone solar cold storage unit – which costs roughly $30,000 upfront – is entirely out of reach. That makes shared pay-per-use models transformative. “You can do everything right on the farm, but if the produce is not stored properly, you lose both the product and income,” Mumiah explained. “We are no longer forced to sell immediately because we fear the produce will spoil. We can wait for collection and still maintain quality.” This flexibility alone has boosted both the quality of her harvest and her overall income.

    As climate change drives rising global temperatures and disrupts supply chains around the world, reliable cooling infrastructure has become more critical than ever. Across major agricultural nations like the United States, China, Japan and the Netherlands, sophisticated, extensive cold-chain networks keep fresh produce marketable for weeks after harvest. But for most of Africa, this essential infrastructure has long been a missing link in the agricultural value chain.

    Rising temperatures have only worsened the crisis: extreme heat speeds up spoilage for perishable goods from leafy greens and fruits to dairy and fresh fish. Meanwhile, inconsistent grid power makes traditional electric or diesel-powered refrigeration prohibitively expensive and impractical for most rural farming communities.

    “Cold storage remains one of the missing links in Africa’s agricultural value chains,” said Emmanuel Aziebor, regional director for Africa at CLASP, a non-profit organisation that supports the deployment of energy-efficient, productivity-driving technologies. “When farmers can store produce for longer, they gain access to better markets, reduce waste and increase incomes.”

    Early data from on-the-ground projects already confirms this impact. SoKo Fresh reports that it has cut average post-harvest spoilage for participating farmers from as high as 50% to less than 2%, while helping producers boost their per-kilogram earnings by up to 50%.

    The model is being adapted to fit local agricultural needs across the continent. In Nigeria, leading firm ColdHubs has installed solar-powered walk-in cold rooms in major agricultural hubs, allowing farmers and local traders to rent space by the day instead of taking on the cost of buying their own equipment. In Rwanda, solar refrigeration supports dairy cooperatives, streamlining milk collection and cutting waste for small-scale dairy farmers. In Ethiopia, cold-chain investments are expanding rapidly to support the country’s fast-growing horticultural export sector.

    Analysts note that these solar-powered innovations deliver two key public benefits at once: they strengthen African food security at a time of growing climate risk, and they cut greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional cold storage solutions. Most legacy cold storage systems in off-grid areas rely on diesel generators, but solar alternatives eliminate fuel costs, reduce operating expenses, and cut the carbon footprint of agricultural supply chains.

    Yet experts argue that the most transformative impact of these projects is economic, not just environmental. For decades, international development efforts across Africa have prioritized expanding household electricity access, but far less attention has been paid to how that power can be used to generate income for rural communities. “We have neglected the conversation around how people can turn electricity into opportunity,” Aziebor noted. “We keep extending electricity infrastructure, but unless people can use that power productively, the economic benefits never fully materialize.”

    Cold storage is just one of many solar-powered productivity tools transforming African agriculture. Solar-powered irrigation systems now enable year-round farming instead of relying on erratic seasonal rains, while solar milling and processing equipment allow rural communities to add value to their crops close to the farm, cutting transport costs and increasing earnings.

    Despite the clear success of pilot projects, widespread scaling across the continent faces one major barrier: access to affordable funding. “The challenge today is not demonstrating that these systems work,” said Carol Koech, vice president for Africa at the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet. “It is building enough bankable projects that can attract larger pools of investment and scale across countries.”

    While grants, low-interest loans and donor support can help cover the high upfront capital costs of building new cold storage hubs, industry leaders note that attracting large-scale commercial investment remains challenging. Most African agricultural markets are fragmented, and the sector is dominated by millions of small-scale producers, which many institutional investors see as a high-risk profile. “These investors see emerging technologies as high risk because we lack enough proven business models with reliable returns,” SoKo Fresh CEO Denis Karema said. “That makes funding for our type of projects expensive.”

    This reporting on climate and the environment from The Associated Press is supported by funding from multiple private foundations, and AP maintains full editorial control over all content. Details of AP’s standards for working with philanthropic partners, a full list of supporters, and an overview of funded coverage areas are available at AP.org.

  • South Africa marks 50 years since Soweto uprising, but challenges linger for its youth

    South Africa marks 50 years since Soweto uprising, but challenges linger for its youth

    JOHANNESBURG — June 16, 2026 marks 50 years since one of the most pivotal moments in South Africa’s fight against apartheid: the Soweto Uprising, a student-led protest that redefined the trajectory of the nation’s liberation movement against white minority rule. On that fateful day in 1976, hundreds of young demonstrators took to the streets of Soweto to oppose the discriminatory apartheid education system, only to be met with deadly force from state police; official records estimate more than 200 young people were killed in the violence, a massacre that shocked the world.

    Today, June 16 is nationally honored as Youth Day, a permanent tribute to the lives lost and the courage of the students who led the uprising. Historians widely recognize the 1976 protest as a critical turning point in the anti-apartheid struggle. What began as a local demonstration quickly sparked mass uprisings across every region of South Africa, galvanizing widespread public resistance to apartheid and forcing the international community to confront the brutal realities of state-enforced racial oppression against Black South Africans.

    Half a century later, as the nation gathers to honor the uprising’s legacy, lingering and new challenges facing South Africa’s youth remain a source of deep concern. For survivors, activists, and young people born after the end of apartheid in 1994, the promises of liberation have yet to be fully realized for the country’s younger generation. Systemic racial inequality, crippling youth unemployment, widespread intergenerational poverty, and growing social crises including drug and alcohol abuse continue to block opportunity for millions of young South Africans.

    Soweto, South Africa’s oldest and most iconic township, remains dotted with permanent memorials to the 1976 uprising that draw thousands of local and international visitors each year. The most famous of these is the Hector Pieterson Memorial, named for a 13-year-old protester killed on June 16. A Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph of Pieterson’s lifeless body being carried by a fellow student became the global symbol of the uprising, printed on front pages across the world to expose apartheid’s brutality. Murals of protesting youth line the township’s streets, alongside the larger June 16 Memorial Acre that preserves the history of the day.

    For survivors like Seth Mazibuko, who took part in the protest as a teen, these landmarks carry more than historical significance — they are painful, vivid reminders of the violence that shaped his life. Mazibuko, now an elder of the liberation movement, recalled the chaos of the day in a recent reflection: when police first fired tear gas to disperse the crowd of thousands of students, shifting winds blew the gas back toward officers, forcing them to release attack dogs on the demonstrators. “We used stones to chase the dogs back to them,” he remembered. Mazibuko was arrested shortly after the uprising, spending 18 months in pre-trial detention before being sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment on Robben Island, the same prison that held Nelson Mandela for nearly three decades, where he served his sentence alongside other anti-apartheid political prisoners.

    For South Africa’s “born free” generation — young people born after the formal end of apartheid — the legacy of the uprising is mixed. Many express gratitude for the freedom won by the protesters of 1976, but share deep frustration at the unaddressed crises that shape their daily lives. Nineteen-year-old Sima Poto, who visited the June 16 Memorial to mark the 50th anniversary, pointed to systemic poverty as the root of modern youth struggles. “I would say the issues of poverty and crime are the most pressing ones,” she said. “It is poverty that is leading many of them into crime.” Zola Mguli, 29, who works with the Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance on campaigns to reduce substance abuse, acknowledged the progress South Africa has made while calling on young people to continue the fight for equality. “I am grateful to belong to a generation that has grown up in freedom, even as significant challenges remain,” Mguli said. “Things are not going as well as our forefathers hoped, there is still racism, alcoholism and other things we are battling with. But if we, the youth, rise up, we can do better.”

    Leading South African historian Noor Nieftagodien, who has extensively studied the Soweto Uprising, echoed the urgency of retaining the movement’s original political meaning 50 years on. He described the 1976 student movement as both a traumatic and transformative moment that placed young people at the center of the anti-apartheid struggle, reshaping liberation politics permanently. “This was a generation that was young, gifted, and Black,” Nieftagodien said. “They wanted equal education. The idea of Black power resonated with this new generation of young people. Black consciousness was kind of electrifying; it inspired university students and then increasingly also students in high schools.”

    Nieftagodien raised a key critique of how the day is commemorated today: after apartheid ended, the national government declared June 16 a public holiday, but over time, the political meaning of the uprising has been watered down by apolitical celebratory events. “It has lost its meaning,” he argued. “What has happened is that we’ve had the day marked with concerts, etc. I’m all for concerts. But, in fact, in so doing, the kind of celebrations that have been organized have been disinvested from politics, from a critical understanding of what happened.”

  • Witnessing joy amid the death: BBC travels to epicentre of Ebola outbreak

    Witnessing joy amid the death: BBC travels to epicentre of Ebola outbreak

    Against a backdrop of widespread loss and death in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ituri province, moments of joy have broken through at local Ebola treatment facilities — moments that could turn the tide in the fight against the unfolding outbreak.

    On a Friday just after noon, a dozen frontline healthcare workers in green scrubs formed two lines along the marked exit path of Mongbwalu’s Ebola treatment center, singing hymns of gratitude as they escorted 49-year-old Daniel Kitambala out of the facility. Two consecutive negative diagnostic tests confirmed he had cleared the rare Bundibugyo Ebola strain after three weeks of care, bringing the subsistence farmer his long-awaited discharge.

    “That disease is terrible. I was feeling very ill when I came here. But God is great, I am well now,” Kitambala told the BBC, beaming with relief as he carried a bag of his sterilized personal items. Raising his hands three times in a victory salute, he urged community members to seek prompt care if they develop Ebola symptoms, echoing a message that has slowly started to shift local skepticism of treatment facilities.

    Ituri province was declared the epicenter of the new Ebola outbreak just over a month ago, but health officials now confirm the virus has likely spread undetected in the region for months. To date, more than 140 confirmed deaths have been recorded from the Bundibugyo strain, which kills roughly one in five people it infects. Five frontline health workers have already died from the virus, with several more still undergoing treatment, though updated infection prevention protocols and personal protective equipment have lowered risk for care teams since the outbreak was formally declared. A new on-site laboratory installed at Mongbwalu’s hospital two weeks ago also cut wait times for test results from more than a week to just 24 hours, speeding up care and contact tracing.

    For months, dangerous misinformation and local myths have undermined response efforts. The most widespread belief, dubbed the “coffin curse,” blames a series of early deaths on the burning of a broken coffin that carried a deceased person from the provincial capital Bunia for burial in Mongbwalu, rather than the virus itself. Long before the outbreak was confirmed, false rumors that treatment centers spread disease circulated through communities. In May, attackers set fire to an Ebola treatment tent at Mongbwalu hospital, and a treatment center in the second outbreak epicenter of Rwampara was burned two days later, mirroring attacks on care facilities during the 2018-2020 Ebola outbreak in neighboring North Kivu.

    But a string of recent recoveries has begun to turn public opinion. Deogratias Kasereka, a 55-year-old pastor, became the first patient to be discharged from the Mongbwalu center a week before Kitambala, and his safe return home has already driven more community members to seek care voluntarily.

    “We have seen a huge difference in the community since the first patient recovered and returned home. More people are coming here now seeking treatment,” said Dr. Richard Lukodu, medical director of Mongbwalu hospital. Lukodu added that he remains optimistic that these success stories will help rebuild trust in local healthcare, a critical shift after years of violence fueled by misinformation around Ebola response.

    Mongbwalu mayor Sesereki Mandro Israel confirmed that the situation is gradually improving, after early misdiagnosis slowed response — initial tests targeted more common Ebola strains, not Bundibugyo, delaying confirmation of the outbreak. Community leaders have since been mobilized to educate residents on Ebola symptoms and direct suspected cases to treatment centers.

    In Rwampara’s reopened treatment center, where strict safety protocols separate patients from visitors via glass barriers, 2-meter gaps, and isolated cubicles for severe cases, Mireille Gahindo is already looking ahead to her discharge. Both Gahindo and her 11-month-old child tested positive for Ebola after the infant developed a fever that failed to respond to initial local care, and both are now recovering. “I feel very happy. I’m looking forward to going back home,” she said, eager to reunite with her two other young children and her husband.

    For many local families, the pain of the outbreak has already been profound. Eli Asimwe Bawere, who came to the Rwampara center to visit his sister, brother, and stepmother, told the BBC he had already lost his mother and sister-in-law to the virus. “We have mourned a lot. We don’t want to mourn any more,” he said.

    Every patient recovery brings a small, vital wave of hope to a region grappling with widespread death, but health officials warn major gaps remain in the response. To fully stop transmission, every contact of a confirmed Ebola case must be traced and monitored — officials confirm many exposed people are still missing, meaning the fragile optimism of recent weeks could quickly fade if the virus continues to spread undetected.

  • ‘Greatest feeling ever’: Cape Verdeans tell BBC of joy at holding Spain to draw

    ‘Greatest feeling ever’: Cape Verdeans tell BBC of joy at holding Spain to draw

    Tucked off the western coast of Africa, the tiny island archipelago of Cape Verde — home to just under 500,000 residents — erupted in nationwide celebration this week after its underdog men’s national football team held European and world champion Spain to a scoreless draw in their first ever FIFA World Cup group stage match.

    The streets of the capital city Praia were flooded with jubilant fans from the final whistle onward, where the thunderous roar of vuvuzelas, rhythmic chants of national pride, and blaring car horns drowned out all other sounds. For locals, sharing a point against one of the most decorated teams in international football felt far more than a draw — to many, it was a victory that will be remembered for generations.

    “It was an emotional moment,” Isa Conceição, a local supporter who watched the match in a packed downtown fan zone, told the BBC. Like thousands of fellow fans, she wore the team’s iconic blue national jersey, a visible display of pride for the Blue Sharks’ unprecedented run to the global tournament. By the time the referee blew the final whistle, communities across the entire island nation had broken out into wild, spontaneous celebration. “Being a small country and being able to achieve such a good result against Spain, a football powerhouse, is the greatest feeling ever,” Conceição added.

    Men, women, and children packed public spaces across the country, dancing and singing along to the Cape Verdean Football Federation’s official 2026 World Cup anthem *Nos Óra Dja Txiga* — a phrase in Cape Verdean Creole that translates to “our time has come.” The line has taken on new meaning for the team’s fans, after the underdog side edged continental heavyweight Cameroon to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in the country’s history.

    Heading into Group H, Cape Verde entered the tournament ranked as the lowest seed, drawn alongside two former World Cup champions: Spain and Uruguay, plus Asian side Saudi Arabia. The shock result against Spain has already turned global public opinion in their favor, with even visiting international supporters praising the team’s tenacious performance.

    Pauline, a tourist visiting from France, told reporters that Cape Verde’s standout performance stemmed from one simple factor: “They played with their hearts. That’s all that matters.” A first-time Congolese visitor to the islands echoed that sentiment, noting “I thought Spain was going to win the match, but the energy, the speed of Cape Verde was just amazing.” Many other foreign tourists, drawn to Cape Verde’s famous idyllic beaches and tropical landscapes that draw roughly one million visitors every year, also said they were rooting for the tiny underdog side.

    Across residential neighborhoods in Praia and beyond, the country’s blue, red, and white national flag hung from windows, balconies, and even the edges of rooftops. Drivers cruising city streets added to the celebration, leaning on their horns and yelling in celebration, with most displaying small national flags from their side mirrors or car windows.

    The Blue Sharks’ tight, disciplined defensive performance against one of the world’s top offensive teams has already lifted domestic expectations, with many fans now holding out hope that the side can advance beyond the group stage. The team will face Uruguay next, followed by a final group fixture against Saudi Arabia, matches that will determine whether their historic World Cup run continues.

    Even if the side fails to advance past the group stage, however, Cape Verdeans across the country say they already consider the tournament a success. The team’s performance has already put the small island nation in the global spotlight, and residents say they will remain fiercely proud of the impact the squad has had in lifting Cape Verde’s international profile. This story was reported by BBC correspondent Michel Mvondo, reporting on location from Praia, Cape Verde.

  • The 40-year-old keeper who inspired Cape Verde’s historic debut

    The 40-year-old keeper who inspired Cape Verde’s historic debut

    When the final whistle echoed across Atlanta Stadium on matchday one of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the first person the broadcast cameras found was Cape Verde’s veteran goalkeeper Josimar Dias, universally known by his nickname Vozinha. Tears streamed down the 40-year-old’s cheeks, as the full weight of the historic moment he had just delivered for his tiny island nation finally set in: his side had held four-time World Cup winners Spain, one of the pre-tournament favorites, to a stunning 0-0 draw.

    The stands erupted into blue, red and white chaos as thousands of traveling Cape Verde supporters, who had cheered nonstop through 90 minutes of relentless Spanish pressure, flooded together to celebrate. Players embraced each other wildly on the pitch, their joy unconfined. Even neutral fans watching in the stadium and around the world were swept up in the underdog story, joining in the celebrations by full time.

    Against the reigning European champions, Vozinha turned in the performance of a lifetime to secure a heroic clean sheet and what is already the most iconic result in Cape Verde’s 50-year history as an independent footballing nation. Named player of the match for his seven crucial saves, Vozinha opened up about the emotion of the moment after the final whistle, explaining that his tears came from a deeply personal place.

    “I cried because I grew up with my grandparents,” he told reporters. “Unfortunately they were not here. They died a few years before. They were everything for me, everything for my life. And also because of my mum. She didn’t manage to be here because of the visa. Because of the money you have to pay for the visa, we didn’t manage on time. I would like her to be here.”

    Beyond the personal grief and longing, Vozinha emphasized that the result was a product of the one strength his small side has always relied on: collective unity. “Our best weapon is our unity,” he said. “Regardless of the player who arrives today, or the player who is 10 or 15 years old, the way we treat our family is our greatest strength. Everyone thought that we came here just to enjoy the World Cup, but no, we know that we have teams that we will always respect, because this is our first time, but we are here to compete, and we are here to fight for our country.”

    For Vozinha, this history-making moment was decades in the making. Born in Mindelo on the island of São Vicente, Cape Verde, an isolated archipelago 600 kilometers off the west coast of Africa, he faced barriers to football from the very start of his career. Opportunities for young talent on the islands are extremely limited, and even when he proved himself as one of the best young goalkeepers on his island, he was repeatedly passed over because selectors thought he was too short.

    It took until 2012, when he was 25 years old — considered extremely late for a player to turn professional — for Vozinha to kick off his pro career, moving to former colonial ruler Portugal to chase opportunities. He spent years bouncing between clubs across Slovakia, Angola, Moldova and Cyprus before settling at second-tier Portuguese side Chaves, never giving up on his dream of reaching the World Cup with his national side. At one point, he even considered walking away from international football, but his lifelong dream pushed him to keep going.

    Even his name carries a connection to World Cup history: his father originally wanted to name him Valdano, after Argentine 1986 World Cup winner Jorge Valdano, but Cape Verdean authorities rejected the name, so he was named Josimar instead, after Brazilian defender Josimar, who became a global star at that same 1986 tournament. Decades later, on a new World Cup stage, Vozinha has written his own chapter of football history.

    At 40 years and 12 days old, Vozinha entered the record books as the oldest player to debut in a nation’s first ever World Cup match, breaking the record set just days earlier by Curaçao’s Eloy Room. Only Egypt’s Essam El Hadary, who debuted at 43, has ever been older when making their first World Cup appearance. His seven saves against Spain also put him in rare company: he is only the second goalkeeper over 40 to make seven or more saves in a single World Cup match, after Northern Ireland’s Pat Jennings, who made 10 against Brazil on his 41st birthday in 1986.

    Every save Vozinha made was greeted by the Cape Verde crowd like a winning goal, and the moment quickly went viral around the world. Brazilian YouTube channel CazeTV, which holds World Cup broadcast rights in Brazil, encouraged their audience to follow Vozinha on Instagram — and in less than 24 hours, his follower count surged from 50,000 to more than five million. When reporters told him of his new global fame, he simply laughed and said, “That is crazy.”

    Football pundits around the world were quick to praise Vozinha and the entire Cape Verde side for their historic performance. Former Scotland winger Pat Nevin said the goalkeeper “lit up this game”, telling BBC 5 Live: “He has been absolutely brilliant. He’s done it at 40 years of age. Every single camera is on him, all his players are pointing to him. It is a beautiful moment. Cape Verde spent the vast majority of the game in their own 18-yard box — not all of it, and when they broke they were brave and they broke in numbers. To do that and to keep that level of concentration, you don’t do that if you’re a bunch of individuals, you only do that if you’re a team.”

    Former England defender Lee Dixon, commentating for ITV, echoed that praise, saying: “It’s absolutely fantastic. A brilliant performance. They deserve that point more than anything and Spain almost don’t deserve a point. They walk off disappointed but the night is Cape Verde’s. What a performance from every single one of them, the centre halves, the full-backs, that man there crying – I’m almost crying myself.”

    For Cape Verde, a nation of just 590,000 people that ranks as the third smallest country ever to qualify for a World Cup, no bigger in area than the English city of Sheffield, this result carries far more weight than a single point in the group stage. It is a testament to the power of perseverance, teamwork, and the underdog spirit that makes the World Cup the world’s most beloved sporting event. By the final whistle, neutrals across the globe had already fallen for Cape Verde’s story — and a 40-year-old goalkeeper who spent his whole life chasing a dream had turned that dream into history.

  • South African jazz icon Abdullah Ibrahim dies in Germany at age 91 after a brief illness

    South African jazz icon Abdullah Ibrahim dies in Germany at age 91 after a brief illness

    South Africa’s globally revered jazz icon Abdullah Ibrahim, who delivered a landmark performance at Nelson Mandela’s 1994 presidential inauguration, has passed away at the age of 91, his family confirmed in an official statement released Monday.

    The pianist and composer, who earlier in his career performed under the stage name Dollar Brand, died peacefully in Germany following a brief illness, with his close family members by his side, the statement said.

    Born in Cape Town, Ibrahim built a seven-decade-long career that catapulted him to international acclaim as a pioneering bandleader, composer and pianist. He crafted a one-of-a-kind sonic fusion that blended classic jazz structures with distinct traditional South African musical styles, turning his work into a global cultural bridge that resonated deeply with audiences across every continent. Beyond his artistic legacy, he was a vocal supporter of the anti-apartheid movement, using his platform to advance the cause of racial equality in his home country.

    One of the most high-profile moments of his career came in 1994, when he performed at the inauguration of Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first democratically elected president, cementing his status as a defining cultural figure of the post-apartheid era. His last public performance in South Africa took place this past March at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, where he once again drew widespread praise for the masterful musical skill that defined his decades-long career.

    In a tribute to her life partner, Dr. Marina Umari highlighted that Ibrahim carried South Africa and its people with him until the end of his life. “His love for his country never wavered, no matter where in the world he found himself,” she shared.

    South African President Cyril Ramaphosa joined the global chorus of tributes, honoring Ibrahim’s contributions to the anti-apartheid struggle and his enduring cultural impact. “Today our nation mourns the passing of an international icon and global citizen whose profound creations honored the South Africa that shaped his political commitment and musical brilliance,” Ramaphosa said.

    Ibrahim’s many career honors include an Honorary Doctorate in Music from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) and the Order of Ikhamanga — one of South Africa’s highest civilian awards — both of which he received in 2009 from then-President Jacob Zuma.

    Alan Winde, premier of the Western Cape province, Ibrahim’s home region, celebrated the musician for weaving South Africa’s complex history and extraordinary cultural richness into every note of his work. “South Africa has lost a legend,” Winde said. “Abdullah Ibrahim represented everything that makes South Africa and the Western Cape so remarkable. His music told the story of our unique cultural diversity and past.”

    Per his family’s arrangements, Ibrahim will be laid to rest in Bavaria, Germany, where he resided in his later years. His family noted that while his life has ended, his music and legacy will continue to inspire listeners around the world for generations to come.