Kenya Red Cross personnel during a simulation of the evacuation of remains of an Ebola victim in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on October 22, 2026. Kenyan authorities detected a ninth case of Ebola in the country, the health ministry said Tuesday. TONY KARUMBA/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
October 23, 2026 • Nigeria this week recorded its first case of Ebola in the current outbreak, which has spread from the epicenter in Congo to several other African countries.
A health care worker administers a dose of Ervebo vaccine against the Ebola virus in Beni, North Kivu province, eastern Congo, on Oct. 16. Sebastien Kitsa Musayi/AP hide caption
October 20, 2026 • Nigeria is the latest country to report an Ebola case as the outbreak spreads across the region. Kenya confirmed its first case earlier this month and has since recorded nine infections.
A mass funeral is held in Sharpeville, South Africa, on March 30, 1960, for 69 people killed by police during an anti-apartheid protest. More than six decades later, victims' families are renewing their fight for justice. AP hide caption
October 17, 2026 • More than three decades after the end of apartheid, families of victims of some of the worst crimes of South Africa's pastare still fighting for justice. As survivors and perpetrators grow older, a new wave of legal efforts is seeking truth, accountability and reparations before it's too late.
South African lawyer Navanethem "Navi" Pillay sits at the Nuremberg Forum in Germany following the announcement that she will be awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel Committee is honoring her for her efforts to promote peace and international law. Daniel Karmann/picture alliance via Getty Images hide caption
October 9, 2026 • South African human rights lawyer Navi Pillay wins the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for advancing human rights and international law.
At a market in Zambia, organic vegetables share table space with bags of homemade bokashi fertilizer that sell for about $2.50 each. Andy Higgins for NPR hide caption
October 7, 2026 • It's hard enough being a small-scale farmer. Then the Iran war drove up fertilizer prices. So farmers are using a traditional Asian recipe to make their own. They call it a "labor of love."
Police man a roadblock outside RAF Fairford in southwest England on Monday, a day after British counterterrorism police began investigating what they called a "major" incident near the U.S. Air Force base. Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
September 28, 2026 • What we know — and still don't — about the suspected terror plot near a U.K. air base. Trump rejects Iran's offer to pause fighting. And CNN prepares for new owners with ties to Trump.
Community members stand at scene of a mass shooting on Saturday night when suspects opened fire at a bar in Wedela township, southwest of Johannesburg, South Africa, Sunday. AP hide caption
September 27, 2026 • On Saturday night, there were separate mass shootings near South Africa's two largest cities.
Shepherds attend a part-time night school near Mokhotlong, Lesotho. For many, these classes are the only form of education they can access. Tommy Trenchard for NPR hide caption
September 27, 2026 • Many thousands of boys and men in Lesotho take up the vital profession of herding but have to give up their education. A small network of schools on a shoestring budget is teaching them the ABCs.
Souvenir magnets for the upcoming papal visit are displayed for sale in a shop in Metz, France. Pope Leo XIV is making the first papal state visit to France in nearly 20 years. Jean-Christophe Verhaegen/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
September 24, 2026 • Pope Leo XIV makes the first papal state visit to France in nearly 20 years. The pope will preside over Mass in the heart of Paris, meet with sex abuse survivors and deliver a speech on European unity in a city near the German border. In South Africa, citizens celebrate Heritage Day and attempt to set a new world’s record for barbeque.
A woman poses at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria where thousands of South Africans gathered on 24 September, 2026, to try and break the Guinness World Record for the biggest ever braai, or barbecue. Kate Bartlett/NPR hide caption
September 24, 2026 • South Africa is aiming to smash a savory world record — the world's largest BBQ — and more boerewors sausage than you can shake a stick at.
Cash transfers, aimed at lifting families out of poverty, are delivered by mobile phone. Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/via Getty Images hide caption
September 24, 2026 • In Liberia, joint financial planning boosted cash aid's benefits. It also had an unexpected consequence for some families.
Members of the Tigray People's Liberation Front in Mekelle, Ethiopia, on Wednesday, after Tigrayan forces seized control of airports in the region. AFP via Getty Images hide caption
September 24, 2026 • Fears are growing of a return to war in Ethiopia's Tigray region, just four years after a devastating conflict ended in a fragile peace deal.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres speaks at the opening of the 81st session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, Sept. 8. Guterres will attend his last high-level week as secretary-general. Zhang Fengguo/Xinhua via Getty Images hide caption
September 21, 2026 • United Nations head António Guterres returns to New York for his final U.N. General Assembly as diplomacy falters over wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and the global body faces deep divisions.
Members of a women's church group sing next to a melted candle as they pay their respects at the site where the body of a woman was discovered the previous week, in Kempton Park, South Africa, east of Johannesburg, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. Themba Hadebe/AP hide caption
September 18, 2026 • South Africa has some of the highest rates of violence against women in the world, and a spate of killings of nine women in the same area in recent weeks has led to renewed outrage.
An AI-powered chatbot in Kenya answers questions about pregnancy and new babies to cut the country's rate of maternal mortality. Donwilson Odhiambo/SOPA Images/LightRocket/via Getty Images hide caption
September 17, 2026 • Many questions come up during pregnancy. Is swelling normal? Are avocados safe to eat? For folks in Kenya who don't have a search engine at their fingertips, a chatbot is offering a lifeline.
Burundian nationals queue outside their embassy in Nairobi to obtain travel documents, amid uncertainty following Kenya's crackdown on undocumented small-scale traders. Simon Maina/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
September 8, 2026 • Kenya's president orders a crackdown on foreigners running small businesses, amid accusations of xenophobia.
Mile 2 transport station in Lagos, Nigeria is one of the main transit points for travelers heading to cities along the coast in West Africa. Manny Jefferson for NPR hide caption
September 7, 2026 • In this encore episode, we examine the booming population along coastal corridor from the cities Lagos to Abidjan. It has the potential to be a bustling West African economic engine, tied together by a long-promised superhighway that could slash travel time and supercharge trade. But the task of harnessing that potential has barely been met. We travel along a section of the road to understand why.
September 4, 2026 • The U.N. has backed a new map showing Africa in its true relative size, with the U.S. standing alone in opposition.
Nigerian country singer Ochiora Okogeri, popularly known as The Country Man, performs Dolly Parton songs during International Cowboy Day celebrations in Nairobi in July 2026. Luis Tato/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
August 30, 2026 • Dolly Parton's songs traveled far beyond Nashville. Across Africa, musicians embraced her stories of hardship, heartbreak and humble beginnings — and made them their own.
A guest poses for a portrait during DRC Fashion Week at Galerie La Fontaine in the Gombe district of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, on Aug. 15. Arsène Mpiana for NPR hide caption
August 26, 2026 • When the Democratic Republic of Congo is in the news, it’s usually related to poverty, or conflict— most recently it was the Ebola outbreak. But the country is a cradle of design creativity. Congolese artists have few places they can showcase their talents but in the last few years DRC Fashion Week has given them an outlet. We go to annual celebration of color, creativity and fashion.
A guest poses for a portrait during DRC Fashion Week at Galerie La Fontaine in the Gombe district of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, on Aug. 15. Arsène Mpiana for NPR hide caption
August 20, 2026 • In a country better known for conflict and poverty, Congolese celebrated their designer side with the sixth year of the Democratic Republic of Congo's Fashion Week.
FILE - Motorcyclist ride along a street in Niamey, Niger, Thursday, June 18, 2026. AP Photo/AP hide caption
August 14, 2026 • Kevin Rideout "is in good health in the care of US officials," SIM International said in a statement, adding he would soon be reunited with his family.
Lagos Island is home to one of the city's largest wholesale marketplaces. Manny Jefferson for NPR hide caption
August 12, 2026 • A 600-mile journey along the shores of Nigeria, Togo, Ghana and Ivory Coast reveals one of the world's most consequential transformations.
Marc Padeu, a painter from Cameroon, draws inspiration from Renaissance art brought into an African landscape. The above painting is title "Sous le poids de la coupe" — under the weight of the cup. Copyright The Artist/Courtesy Larkin Durey hide caption
August 9, 2026 • A new gallery show in London features the paintings of Marc Padeu, playing with themes from Renaissance art and bringing them to his homeland of Cameroon.
