Eye on Africa

In tonight's edition: A new Ebola outbreak has been declared in DR Congo, with at least 15 people killed. Also, we take a look at the youth's role in Malawi's upcoming elections. With half the country's population aged under 35, their vote could be a potential game-changer. Plus we follow the story of one Sudanese journalist who returned home after two years in exile to find the country's once-flourishing media landscape driven to a standstill.

In tonight's edition: Sudan has recovered 270 bodies from under the mud after a landslide buried a remote mountain village in the Darfur region. Also, in the Sahel, jihadist violence is spiralling. Al Qaeda’s JNIM now dominates Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, but the Islamic State group is also fighting back, fuelling a deadly new wave of attacks. And in the Somalian capital Mogadishu, a sweeping clean-up campaign is now gaining momentum as authorities and residents work to reclaim the city's former beauty and civic pride.

In tonight's edition: Sudan is reeling after a devastating landslide in the Marra Mountains killed over 1,000 people. Also, the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime releases a report highlighting the growing presence of Western Balkan drug traders in West Africa. And Madagascar marks the return of three skulls believed to be that of King Toera of the Sakalava people and two of his warriors.

The new school year has begun in DR Congo, with millions of pupils returning to class after the summer break. In the conflict-torn east, this is the first new school year since the M23 rebels seized large parts of North and South Kivu. Despite fears that classrooms might remain closed, pupils are attending school.

In tonight's edition: At least 32 more bodies are unearthed in Kenya, reportedly linked to a doomsday cult that left over 400 followers dead two years ago. Also, in a new report, Human Rights Watch accuses Mauritanian security forces of committing abuses against migrants, including torture and rape. And a new wave of comedians in Burundi take on the government and the tightly controlled media with punchlines.

In tonight's edition: Africa says it's time the world sees it at the right size. The African Union has backed a campaign to replace the centuries-old Mercator map, which shrinks the continent, with the more accurate Equal Earth projection. Also, Tanzania's election campaign officially begins. Plus, Nigeria bans the export of raw shea nuts for six months, aiming to become a global supplier of refined shea butter and skincare products. 

In tonight's edition: Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye visits his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, at the Elysée Palace. Also, Russia courts Niger with offers to build a nuclear power plant in a bid to displace France's decades-long dominance in the uranium sector. And the final battle has been decided for the African Nations Championship: two-time champions Morocco will take on first-time finalists Madagascar in Nairobi on Saturday. 

France has formally returned three colonial-era skulls to Madagascar, one of which is believed to belong to a Malagasy king who was beheaded by French troops during a massacre in 1897. His skull was then taken back to Paris as a trophy and placed in the archives of the Natural History Museum. It's the first restitution of human remains since France passed a law to facilitate their return two years ago.

In the Atlantic islands of Cape Verde, off the coast of West Africa, recovery efforts are ongoing after Tropical Storm Erin brought torrential downpours. At least nine people were killed and hundreds more were displaced when the rainfall turned streets into raging rivers, triggering landslides and destroying vital infrastructure. Hundreds of families have lost their homes and livelihoods and are now wondering how they will get by.

Two separate investigations by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have revealed devastating human rights abuses in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly in areas controlled by the M23 rebels. The reported atrocities include executions and gang rapes of civilians. While M23 has been accused of perpetrating many of these crimes, Congolese state forces have also been implicated. The United Nations has described the decades-long conflict in eastern DR Congo as “one of the most protracted, complex, and serious humanitarian crises on Earth.”