Africa – Prologue Journal

Jet-Skis in Rwanda. Bodies Ashore in Congo.

New York Times The Rwandan shore of Lake Kivu offers leisure and relaxation. Across the border in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the same lake was recently the site of devastation and misery after a rebel offensive. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/19/world/africa/rwanda-congo-m23-lake-kivu-conflict.html

RSF Announces Plans for Breakaway Government in Sudan

New York Times Amid reports of new atrocities by their troops in Sudan, leaders of the Rapid Support Forces were cheered at an elaborate political event in Kenya. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/18/world/africa/sudan-rsf-government.html

South African Imam and Gay Rights Advocate is Shot Dead

New York Times Muhsin Hendricks was credited by some as being the world’s first openly gay imam and helped Muslims reconcile their faith with their sexual orientation. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/17/world/africa/south-african-imam-gay-rights-dead.html

M23 Rebels in Congo Say They Have Entered Bukavu

New York Times Last month, M23 rebels backed by Rwanda took the city of Goma in a bloody battle. This weekend, the group entered the gold-trading center of Bukavu in eastern Congo after government soldiers fled. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/16/world/africa/rebels-congo-bukavu.html

M23 Rebels in Congo Say They Have Entered Bukavu

Sexual Violence Against Children Soars in Congo, U.N. Group Says

New York Times UNICEF accused “armed men” of raping scores of children in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has been ravaged by conflict recently. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/world/africa/sexual-violence-children-congo.html

Some Afrikaners Cheer as Trump Amplifies Claims of Persecution

New York Times An executive order from President Trump on Friday put the weight of U.S. influence behind a hotly disputed claim in South Africa that Afrikaners were the “victims of unjust racial discrimination.” https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/08/world/africa/afrikaners-trump-south-africa.html

Sam Nujoma of Namibia Dead at 95

New York Times As the self-exiled leader of the South-West Africa People’s Organization, he directed a guerrilla army in a 24-year war for independence from South African rule. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/08/obituaries/sam-nujoma-dead.html

Trump and Musk Bring Vast Aid Machinery to a Halt in Africa

New York Times The collapse of U.S.A.I.D. at the hands of President Trump and Elon Musk is already leaving gaping holes in vital health care and other services that millions of Africans rely on for their survival. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/08/world/africa/usaid-africa-trump-musk.html

Trump Orders Halt to Aid to South Africa, Claiming Mistreatment of White Landowners

New York Times The president ordered that all foreign assistance to South Africa be halted and said his administration would prioritize the resettling of white, “Afrikaner refugees” into the United States. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/07/us/politics/trump-south-africa-aid-white-landowners.html