The United Nations Security Council has sanctioned four commanders of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces for atrocities in Darfur described as having “the hallmarks of genocide.”

New data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED) project showed that various jihadist groups, such as Al-Qaida and JNIM have recently expanded their activity in the border region between Nigeria, Niger and Benin, turning the zone into a flashpoint of violence.

Africanews takes a look at the most striking images linked to current events.

The four-week Paris appeal trial of an accused Franco-Rwandan génocidaire started hearing closing arguments on Wednesday.

An AI powered robot monk called Buddharoid debuts in a Kyoto temple, answering personal questions and raising new questions about faith and technology.

Brazil’s Minas Gerais reels after torrential rains cause deadly floods and landslides, killing at least 46, displacing thousands and destroying businesses.

Jordan welcomed Prince Harry and Meghan, on Wednesday as they met patients evacuated from Gaza during a humanitarian visit focused on health and recovery.

Glimmers of life appear after Haiti retakes control of a key area from powerful gangs.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz continued his first official visit to China with a tour of Beijing’s Forbidden City, as Berlin pushes for a more balanced trade relationship amid growing economic tensions.

Ethiopia’s President Taye Atske Selassie welcomed his counterpart Isaac Herzog on Wednesday to the Presidential Palace in Addis Ababa.

Ethiopian peacekeepers in South Sudan have been awarded the United Nations medal in recognition of their service in the war-torn country.

South Africa’s debt burden is stabilising for the first time in nearly two decades, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced Wednesday, as Africa’s most developed economy shows cautious signs of recovery and pledges increased spending on security.

Eleven South African men allegedly tricked into fighting for Russian forces in Ukraine returned home Wednesday, as political fallout intensifies over recruitment claims linked to former president Jacob Zuma’s party.

Iran pushed back Wednesday against U.S. President Donald Trump’s pressure tactics ahead of critical nuclear talks in Geneva, with Tehran’s parliament speaker warning that negotiations may yield an agreement through “honorable diplomacy”.

Pope Leo XIV will embark on his first major overseas trip of 2026 from April 13-23, visiting Algeria, Angola, Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon—including a historic first-ever papal visit to Muslim-majority Algeria, the Vatican announced Wednesday.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Secretary General Mambwe Zimba of Zambia was arrested on Tuesday, allegedly over a fake image posted on Facebook, depicting the country’s president lying in a casket.

DR Congo government forces launched a major attack on the M23 rebel group in the east, using drones to strike a key mining site near Rubaya, North Kivu.

Ethiopia on Tuesday revoked the licence of independent online outlet Addis Standard saying it harmed national interests, in the latest curb on press freedom. Africa’s second most populous nation s ranks 145th out of 180 in the press freedom index compiled by Reporters without Borders.

Zimbabwe has pulled out of talks with the United States over a new health aid deal meant to replace a program dismantled under President Donald Trump. The agreement would have provided $367 million over five years, supporting 1.2 million Zimbabweans receiving HIV treatment.

Zimbabwe has imposed an immediate freeze on exports of all raw minerals and lithium concentrate, the mines ministry announced Wednesday, tightening state control over resources critical to global clean-energy and defense industries.

Renewed student protests erupt at Tehran universities as a new semester begins, reviving slogans from recent unrest and highlighting growing tensions.

In the rugged hills of Somaliland, officials say vast treasure lies beneath the earth. The breakaway territory in northern Somalia claims it holds abundant critical minerals and potentially billions of barrels of oil, resources that could transform its economic future.

Ghana’s Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa on a rare visit to Ukraine on Wednesday urged President Volodymyr Zelensky to release two Ghanaian prisoners of war who were captured fighting for Russia.

Guinea’s military has confirmed the detention of 16 Sierra Leonean soldiers after accusing them of crossing the border and raising their flag on Guinean soil, while Freetown maintains its troops were on its own territory constructing a border post.

The violence that followed the killing of a cartel leader in Mexico is fueling fears that the bloodshed could hurt tourism ahead of the FIFA World Cup later this year.

For 163 years, the streetcars of Alexandria have rumbled along the Mediterranean coast, weaving through the city’s neighborhoods and memories. Now, they are set to be replaced by a partially elevated light rail line, a modern project designed to move passengers faster and carry more of them.

US President Donald Trump has wrapped up his State of the Union address, promising “our future will be bigger, better, brighter, bolder, and more glorious than ever before.” Trump’s 108-minute speech broke his own record for longest presidential address to Congress.

Conflict, drought and international funding cuts have left 6.5 million people in Somalia in desperate need of food, according to a new report by UN-backed experts.

Turkey witnessed an unusual scene during an amateur playoff in Istanbul when a seagull was hit by a clearance kick.

Egypt on Tuesday urged the international community to better support Lebanon’s armed forces as the country moves forward with a plan to disarm the militant group Hezbollah and bring all weapons under state control.

Brazil is facing deadly floods in Minas Gerais after record rain hit Juiz de Fora and Uba.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog arrived in Addis Ababa on Wednesday as he started his official visit to Ethiopia.

As the United States assembles its greatest military firepower in decades in the Middle East, Iranians warily await talks this week in Geneva that may give their country’s theocracy its last chance to strike a deal with President Donald Trump.

Nigeria’s government has denied it paid ransom money to free dozens of schoolchildren kidnapped from a catholic school in November. The coments come in report to an AFP report released Tuesday.

Concern is growing over Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye’s health. Having been behind bars for more than a year now, he has been rejected bail a string of times. Human rights groups argue he is facing political persecution.

The President of Madagascar, Michael Randrianirina, is visiting his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, in Paris. According to the Elysée, their discussions will focus on humanitarian aid to the cyclone-battered island.

Eighteen Senegalese football supporters were handed sentences ranging from three months to a year for their pitch invasion during the AFCON final.

Ukraine marks four years since Russia’s invasion with a Kyiv memorial as Zelensky and EU leaders honour the dead and vow to keep resisting.

Senegal’s Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has pledged to increase the punishment for same-sex relations to up to ten years in prison. The move has been condemned by human rights groups.

The footballer has denied the allegations made by a young woman in a suburb of the French capital in February 2023.