Africa

It was no mere flurry that hit the area. In some parts of the region surrounding Ain Sefra, as much as 16 inches of snow fell Sunday.

PHOTOS: The Sahara Desert, Painted White With Snow

3:43pm January 09, 2018

by Colin Dwyer

More than a foot of snow fell Sunday on the Sahara, shrouding the orange and red landscape in hues of white. The rare scene didn't last long. Luckily, some local photographers had their cameras ready.

Two nearly 20-foot fences, pictured in August 2017, separate Melilla, Spain, (right) from Morocco (left). Melilla, one of two Spanish enclaves located in Africa, has been regarded as a backdoor to Europe for African migrants.

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More Than 200 Migrants Reach Europe By Crossing Bridge Into Spanish Enclave

1:54pm January 08, 2018

by Camila Domonoske

Melilla is one of two Spanish cities located in Africa, surrounded by fences. Migrants frequently try to scale or swim around the fences to reach European Union soil. On Sunday, 209 succeeded.

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Migrants wait to be rescued from a rubber dinghy by members of the Spanish non-governmental organization Proactiva Open Arms during an operation on the Mediterranean Sea last September.

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More Than 3,100 Migrants Died Crossing Mediterranean In 2017

1:24pm January 06, 2018

by Samantha Raphelson

More than 3,000 migrants have died trying to reach European shores via the Mediterranean Sea for the fourth year in a row. The death toll comes amid a drop in the number of people making the journey.

In South Sudan, the staff of Doctors Without Borders has newly devised "runaway bags," filled with medical supplies so the health workers can provide care if people have to flee because of conflict.

A 'Runaway Bag' For Health Care When People Are Fleeing

3:33pm January 05, 2018

by Sasha Ingber

How do you take care of people who are on the run? Doctors Without Borders is testing a new strategy.

How China's Ivory Ban Could Affect Elephant Poaching In Africa

6:31pm January 04, 2018

As China's ban on ivory goes into effect, NPR's Ari Shapiro talks to professor George Wittemyer of Colorado State University about the impacts on the global ivory trade and what it might mean for elephant poaching in Africa.

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Critics Of Tanzania's President Say He's Moved Country Toward Authoritarianism

5:03pm January 04, 2018

by Eyder Peralta

John Magufuli is the reformer Tanzania needs — a no-nonsense guy who has reined in corruption and profligate spending. But Tanzania's president also has a dark side. He has silenced his opposition and eroded basic freedoms of speech and of the press.

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Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said the goal of the prisoner release and prison shutdown is to "foster national reconciliation."

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Ethiopia Says It Will Free All Of Its Political Prisoners

10:48pm January 03, 2018

It's a turnaround for a government that has cracked down on dissent — and had not even admitted that it held political prisoners. The prime minister said a notorious prison would be closed.

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A traditional pot of Yemeni coffee, mixed with cardamom and ginger, is served with a Yemeni sweet honey bread at a new Yemeni coffee shop in Dearborn, Mich. Owner Ibrahim Alhasbani sees himself as part entrepreneur, part cultural ambassador for his home c

Coffee Shop Entrepreneur Shows Customers Yemen Is About More Than War

1:41pm January 03, 2018

by Zahir Janmohamed

A café owner in Dearborn, Mich., sees himself as part entrepreneur, part cultural ambassador for his home country, which is more associated with war than being the world's first coffee exporter.

Congo's Catholic Cardinal: Crackdown On Protesters Is 'Barbarism'

5:38am January 03, 2018

by Ofeibea Quist-Arcton

The head of the Roman Catholic Church in Congo has accused security forces of opening fire on innocent protesters. The U.N. says several people died in Sunday's demonstrations against the president.

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South Sudan's Prospects For 2018

8:12am December 31, 2017

by Eyder Peralta

South Sudan is suffering one of the gravest humanitarian crises in the world. The government and rebel groups recently agreed to a ceasefire, but the fighting goes on.