All Protocol Observed | Welcome to Issue 230 of The Continent. Sudan's war is spilling over its borders - and Chad's president is suddenly very nervous indeed. Download your copy here: www.thecontinent.org/_files/ugd/2...

All Protocol Observed | Welcome to Issue 229 of The Continent 🟠 Top Story: A new Western empire gathering pace. Last time, they had guns. Now they’ve got AI. 📥 Download your copy here: www.thecontinent.org/_files/ugd/2...

‘Halal’ investment scams resurge in Egypt Halal scam: yes, it’s a paradox. But these schemes are not what they seem. Read more: open.substack.com/pub/continen...

1/2 A glimpse into Burundi’s silent decline Overshadowed by war in its neighbourhood, economic depression, and continuing authoritarianism, Bujumbura feels threadbare. Read more: open.substack.com/pub/continen...

1/2 ‘The Crocodile’ takes a big bite out of the Constitution Observers slam Emmerson Mnangagwa’s latest power grab as the president seeks to extend his term limit. Read more: open.substack.com/pub/continen...

1/2 Hundreds of Africans have likely died fighting for Russia. The family of one of them wants their son back. And answers. Read more: open.substack.com/pub/continen...

This season our goal is to reach 5,000 new readers — and you can help. Invite one or two friends to subscribe and bring this kind of reporting to more people. Read Issue 228 here: www.thecontinent.org/_files/ugd/2...

1/ Issue 228 of The Continent is out: Wagner’s info warriors, post-Prigozhin. Leaked docs reveal their influence in 22 African countries. We focus on South Africa, Mali, CAR, Niger & Angola.

🛑New Investigation Alert We received a trove of documents created by a Russian influence operation last October. The company from which they leaked was dissolved the very next month. This weekend we are launching a series delving into them.

All Protocol Observed Welcome to Issue 227 of The Continent In this week’s issue: what the Rubaya mine collapse tells us about the global economy and DRC’s governance void. WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram: +27 73 805 6068 Or email: [email protected] to get the paper.

The only thing better than great news is FREE great news. Get The Continent delivered for free every week! Here’s the deal: No long prose. No sign-up forms. Just write “Subscribe” and send it to us. We’ll handle the rest. #TheContinent #FreeNews #SubscribeNow #Africa

I’ve been reading @thecontinent.org, it’s sharp, independent African journalism that treats readers with respect. Thought you’d enjoy it. If I could, I would give them all my monies. You can subscribe here. www.thecontinent.org/subscribe

Land-rights activist and MP Tšepo Lipholo has sought police protection, after receiving what his party describes as persistent death threats sent via text messages. Lipholo is adamant that South Africa must return vast tracts of land to Lesotho.

This week marked the observance of both the International Day of Peaceful Coexistence and Africa Day of Peace and Reconciliation. But what do Africans think about their government’s attempts to prevent or resolve violent conflict? Dive into our latest @thecontinent.org piece. #VoicesAfrica

A recent survey found that the average Nigerian company experienced more than 300 power outages a year. The World Bank says Nigeria loses 5% to 7% of GDP a year to its lack of reliable power. At $25‑billion, this is one of the largest structural drags to its economy.

'The Continent' 226,31 janvier 2026: - Perfides USA pour le 1er fondeur de puces kenyan. - Réseau électrique fragile au Nigeria malgré privatisations. - Retirer des espèces à Goma, sous contrôle de l'AFC-M23 (+ récit-photo de 2025). - En dernière page, le Quadball (et une légende photo 😈). #Afrique

Jonglei State is seeing renewed fighting between government forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and an armed opposition aligned with former first vice-president Riek Machar. More than 180,000 people have already been displaced in the South Sudanese region.

Kenya's nascent semiconductor manufacturer initially thrived under Washington’s ‘friend-shoring’ strategy. Now it’s being elbowed aside by Trump’s ‘America First’ imperative.

All Protocol Observed Welcome to Issue 226 of The Continent The story of Kenya’s first semiconductor plant shows how quickly geopolitics can turn promise into collateral damage for the Global South. bit.ly/226_TC

Magi mixer: High priests celebrate Timket, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church’s celebration of Jesus’s baptism and the revelation of his divinity during Epiphany, on the shore of lake Dembel, in Batu on 18 January. Photo: Amanuel Sileshi/AP

Review: Could this be the definitive biography of Nkrumah and analysis of his impact on the world? Howard W. French’s brilliant and thoroughgoing treatment of the life of Francis Nwia Kofi Nkrumah very well might.

The night before Christmas was indeed a silent one in Eruku. As other parts of Nigeria enjoyed Christmas Eve service and Detty December concerts, the town lay under a heavy quiet, broken only by hushed conversation and the occasional moving vehicle.

Sudan’s military-led government has returned to Khartoum, after nearly three years of operating from the eastern city of Port Sudan. The officials and other residents are returning to a war-scarred city still littered with deadly ordnance.

Met The Continent (@thecontinent.org) breekt Lydia Namubiru (@namlyd.bsky.social) bewust met de conventies van internationale verslaggeving. Het blad werkt uitsluitend met journalisten met wortels in het continent zelf. Must-read @nrc.nl⤵️

Kenya plans to spend 100-million shillings ($775,000) paying influencers and bloggers to push its narrative in a bid to formalise long-reported, co-ordinated online campaigns to counter youth-led protests.

If you're interested in the African perspective on Africa, follow @thecontinent.org and subscribe to their issues (also possible via Signal). Clearly a recommendation.

Wenn Euch die afrikanische Perspektive auf Afrika interessiert, folgt @thecontinent.org und abonniert ihre Ausgaben (das geht auch über Signal). Ich kann das nur wärmstens empfehlen.

So sad. Timket celebrates the baptism of Christ in the Ethiopian Orthodox and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Churches. It’s one of the most important religious holidays, as significant as Easter and Christmas.

In the first @thecontinent.org of 2026, my review of @hofrench.bsky.social 's illuminating The Second Emancipation: Nkrumah, Pan-Africanism, and Global Blackness at High Tide. Download this issue of The Continent (pdf) here: www.thecontinent.org/_files/ugd/2...

Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Christians around the world celebrated Timket, or Epiphany, on 19 January. In the US, ICE knocked the wind out of the holiday in Minneapolis and St Paul in Minnesota, where many people who immigrated from the Horn of Africa live.

One of the best independent journalism models is @thecontinent.org, probably the one African publication that I can read calmly in the balcony in Lisbon as it is delivered straight to my WhatsApp (for free!)- feels like getting a weekly newspaper delivered on my doorstep, thousand of miles away

Good review by by Jacqueline Nyathi @hararereview.com of The Second Emancipation: Nkrumah, Pan-Africanism, and Global Blackness at High Tide by Howard W. French in the @thecontinent.org

New Year, new season of The Continent being published weekends, highly recommended!

Read @thecontinent.org : not only is this native African weekly newspaper (yes, actual traditional slow paced newspaper, not web pages) always on point with its selection of news and its analysis - but they are humorous too ! www.thecontinent.org

The images – and emotions – from the most dramatic final in African football history.

Companies that own mining licences in Malawi are legally required to seek approval from the mining ministry for any change of ownership, a law common across Africa so governments can protect national assets. This approval wasn’t sought in the share transactions relating to Mawei Mining Company Ltd.

wake up babe, new edition of The Continent dropped 🤌🏾

A tale of two Timkets. In @thecontinent.org this week.

All Protocol Observed Welcome to Issue 225 of The Continent Superpowers don’t only control African minerals with loans, bribes and threats. Sometimes it’s through financial sleight of hand, as is the case of a Malawian mining licence granted in 2017. bit.ly/225_TC

What happens when journalists investigate their own communities or colleagues? At #AIJC25, @thecontinent.org's @simonallison.bsky.social and Christine Mungai discussed the emotional and ethical challenges of reporting stories that are deeply personal.

The year in music, as selected by DJ Darlyne Komukama, a curator of the Nyege Nyege Festival.

@thecontinent.org on the killing of protesters in #Tanzania "There used to be a real brake on behaviour like this – leaders knew that certain lines, if crossed, would trigger aid cuts or diplomatic isolation. Now, ..., that restraint has vanished. What we saw ... is ... the product of that vacuum."

Ooh year-end movie roundup from @thecontinent.org

It’s the end of the year, so @thecontinent.org’s Africans of the year edition for 2025 is here! 🎉 So many great Africans.

That also means.... I got to pick my top 5 African reads of the year 👏🏾 Books from Goretti Kyomuhendo, @willthisbeaproblem.bsky.social, @wordsweaver.bsky.social, @hofrench.bsky.social, and Oyinkan Braithwaite are on the list!

The year in movies, as chosen by Wilfred Okiche, The Continent’s film critic.

The year in news: Matters escalated and escalated, and we tried our hardest to breathe through the smoke of everything burning around us.

All Protocol Observed Welcome to Issue 224 of The Continent We celebrate people whose purpose and passion shine through a tumultuous 2025, embodying Khalil Gibran’s words that “work is love made visible.” Meet our Africans of the Year: bit.ly/224_TC