Eye on Africa

Forty-two South African freedom fighters have been honoured in their homeland after their bodies were repatriated from Zimbabwe and Zambia. The activists died there in exile decades ago during the struggle against Apartheid. Their return is part of a government programme to bring closure to their families, who have long wished to bury their loved ones on home soil.

Laduma Ngxokolo is the creator behind one of South Africa's most influential fashion labels, MaXhosa. His designs have been showcased at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and he's a regular highlight of fashion weeks. Currently in town for the Paris edition, he joined Georja Calvin-Smith in the Eye on Africa studio to talk about weaving Xhosa tradition with the avant garde and how African designers are shaking up the fashion world.

The civil war in Sudan is amongst the world's worst, yet it attracts fatally little diplomatic action. As international leaders meet in New York for the UN General Assembly, the body's secretary general raised the alarm about the escalation in the conflict, and a ministerial meeting tried to ramp up more support. But humanitarian leaders want to see more being tangibly done at the diplomatic level.

After 17 months of a devastating conflict in Sudan, US President Joe Biden calls on the world to stop arming the warring generals. Also, the government in DR Congo frees over 1,500 prisoners detained in the notorious Makala prison, weeks after an deadly attempted jailbreak from the facility. Plus, residents in Brazzaville hold their noses as rubbish piles up in the streets, due to a strike by waste collectors that has lasted more than a week.

Police in Tanzania release three opposition leaders on bail, hours after they were arrested for planning anti-government protests in Dar es Salaam. Also, a court in Zimbabwe denies bail to over 60 opposition figures and activists. And dozens of couples say "I do" during Morocco's Moussem of Imilchil festival. The event is one of the most highly anticipated in the country's cultural calendar.

In tonight's edition, Rwanda kicks off a vaccination campaign against Mpox with one thousand doses donated by Nigeria. Also, Guinea's most wanted fugitive has been extradited from neighbouring Liberia, along with his son. And, Nigeria is hoping to ban plastic water sachets, one of the largest sources of single-use plastic waste in the country.

In South Africa, the government considers how to absorb the impact of around 400 million euros worth of electricity bills still unpaid by some districts. Also, NGOs say that French energy giant TotalEnergies' controversial oil project in northern Uganda, is having devastating effects on biodiversity. And after decades at the forefront of research that has saved or improved countless lives, a South African power couple is awarded a top science prize. 

A series of death sentences in a coup trial in DRC is causing a stir both inside the country and abroad. Also, Zimbabwe has followed Namibia in announcing plans to slaughter hundreds of wild elephants and other animals in a bid to tackle the fallout from severe regional drought. And Health experts warn that the intense flooding West Africa's seen this year has ratcheted up the risk of snake bites in the region.

JNIM insurgents claim responsibility for a dawn raid in Bamako that targeted a military training school and airport. It is still unclear if there were any casualties. Meanwhile, DR Congo has inaugurated its first-ever data centre. The banks of servers will store government and commercial data. Finally, in a bid to spotlight the beauty and value of traditional and diverse African aesthetics, a "decolonising beauty" campaign has been launched by the pan-African company Zikora Productions. We speak to its founder, Chika Oduah.

A new musical has opened to audiences in Benin. "The Throne of Béhanzin" tells the story of a king's journey to power, battle for his country and eventual exile to Martinique by colonial ruler France. Meanwhile, a year has passed since Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso formed their own defense pact. The AES confederation has since moved to launch new biometric passports and its own media platform. Finally, an oil refinery in Nigeria that could be a game changer for the country has finally started supplying fuel to local, petrol-starved markets.