Africa

Journalist Paul Salopek, shown here with his supplies in Ethiopia, is setting out on a seven-year walk that will take him to the tip of South America.

World News

What Do You Pack For A Seven-Year Trip?

3:04pm January 10, 2013

by NPR Staff

Journalist Paul Salopek is setting out from Ethiopia on a 21,000-mile walking tour that will follow the migration path of the earliest humans. But the story, he says, is about where the world is headed, not where it's been.

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World News

Congo's Tutsi Minority Enveloped In Complex Conflict

9:59am January 05, 2013

by Gregory Warner

One of the hard things to tell about the ongoing conflict in Eastern Congo is whether it is an ethnic war or a mercantile battle for resources. The Tutsis, an ethnic minority in Congo, have been at the center of the conflict for the past 20 years. Some support the M23 rebel group because they say it offers them protection, but others say the M23's only interest is controlling mineral wealth.

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A Malian troop member checks bushes after a military raid in the Wagoudou forest.

World News

Northern Mali: A Violent Islamist Stronghold

2:16pm January 03, 2013

Adam Nossiter, the West Africa bureau chief for The New York Times, is one of the few reporters covering the situation in northern Mali, where Islamist extremists allied with al-Qaida have taken control after a coup destabilized the country in April.

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On Nov. 20, an M23 rebel walks on the streets of Goma. The rebels initially claimed control of the town, but retreated 10 days later under international pressure. However, many people think M23 never really left — rather, they just changed into civilian

World News

Congo Fighting Leaves A Fragile City On Edge

8:16pm December 31, 2012

by Gregory Warner

In recent years, the Congolese city of Goma has been a bit of a haven for those fleeing war in surrounding areas. But now, the army and rebels are both in the city, raising fears that fighting could break out at any time.

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U.S. Military Builds Up Its Presence In Africa

7:22am December 26, 2012

by Tom Bowman

The U.S. military plans to send an Army brigade to Africa next year. Some 4,000 soldiers would deploy — in small units and at different times — to help train and advise African troops. It's part of an Obama administration plan to address the growing challenge posed by terrorism in Africa.

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Kenyan Susan Oguya created an app to help farmers in her homeland. Shown here in the office of her company, M-Farm, she also belongs to the group Akirachix, which seeks to bring more Kenyan women into the tech world.

World News

Kenyan Women Create Their Own 'Geek Culture'

5:18pm December 24, 2012

by Gregory Warner

Say the words "high-tech startup" and chances are you picture a world that's mostly white, male and set in Silicon Valley. Now, a group in Nairobi, Kenya, is working to get more female entrepreneurs into the male-dominated world of tech.

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Somali-Canadian rapper K'Naan released his first album in 2005.

Music & Culture

K'Naan On Cheapening His Music For The Money

2:30pm December 13, 2012

by NPR Staff

Somali-born rap musician K'naan is known for telling gritty stories about his childhood in war-torn Mogadishu through hip-hop music. On Country, God, Or the Girl, the edginess of past songs has been replaced with a polished pop sound.

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World News

Options For Intervention In Mali's Growing Crisis

2:13pm December 13, 2012

A military coup brought down Mali's prime minister in March, allowing radical Islamists from Mali and surrounding areas to take hold of an area the size of Texas. As al-Qaida-linked militants take over the northern part of the country, many wonder what the U.S. and other can do to intervene.

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World News

The U.S. Role In Egypt's Battle For Democracy

2:08pm December 10, 2012

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi authorized the military to secure the country ahead of a controversial referendum on a draft constitution — a move that some compared to martial law. The opposition is split over what to do — vote down the constitution or boycott the vote altogether.

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Ghana's President John Dramani Mahama arrives at a polling station to cast his vote.

World News

Voters Decide How To Share Ghana's Boom

9:39pm December 08, 2012

by Ofeibea Quist-Arcton

As its economy prospers, the country has gained an enviable reputation in its often-turbulent West African neighborhood. It's admired for being a relative oasis of stability and peace in the region — despite tensions in the build-up to the vote.

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