JESSICA DONATI

This photo released by Easy Solar shows a large solar panels installation on a rooftop of an office building in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Tuesday Aug. 13, 2024. (Muctarr Bah Mohamed/Easy Solar via AP)
Solar power companies are growing fast in Africa, where 600 million still lack electricity
Companies that bring solar power to some of the poorest homes in Central and West Africa are said to be among the fastest growing on a continent whose governments have long struggled to address some of the world’s worst infrastructure and the complications of climate change.
 
American Tyler Thompson Jr, center, sits in court in Kinshasa, Friday, June 7, 2024. Three Americans accused of a role in last month's attempted coup in Congo appeared in court in Kinshasa on Friday, among a total of 53 defendants who were lined up on plastic chairs before the judge on the first day of the hearing. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)
3 Americans implicated in a coup attempt in Congo go on trial before a military court
The military trial of 51 suspects, including three Americans, accused of being involved in a coup attempt in Congo last month has opened in the country’s capital of Kinshasa.
 
FILE - This undated photograph handed out by French military shows Russian mercenaries boarding a helicopter in northern Mali. Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov went on a tour of the Sub-Saharan region of the Sahel this week, as Moscow seeks to grow its influence in the restive, mineral-rich region of Africa. (French Army via AP, File)
What to know about Russia’s growing footprint in Africa
Russia’s foreign minister is visiting Africa’s sub-Saharan region of the Sahel this week as Moscow seeks to grow its influence in the restive, mineral-rich region.
 
FILE- Children play on a water pump in an internally displaced camp in Gaoa, Burkina Faso, April 22, 2021. More than half of the displaced by growing violence between Islamic extremists and security forces are children, and many are traumatized by their experiences. But mental health services in the West African country are limited, and children are often overlooked for treatment.(AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File)
In Burkina Faso, a growing number of children are traumatized by war
About 2 million people have been displaced in Burkina Faso by growing violence between Islamic extremists and security forces trying to counter them. More than half of the displaced are children, and many are traumatized by their experiences.
 
FILE - Rebecca Higbee the mother of Tyler Thompson, points to her son and his friend Marcel during his 21st birthday with his family on Thursday, May 30, 2024, in West Jordan, Utah. A U.S. embassy spokesperson in Congo said Monday, June 3, 2024 that Congolese authorities had not shared details or provided access to any Americans that were arrested following a coup attempt in the country last month, following calls last week from one family trying to confirm whether their son is still alive. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
U.S. says Congo hasn’t given it access to Americans detained over alleged roles in coup attempt
The U.S. Embassy in Congo says Congolese authorities have not shared details or provided access to the Americans who were arrested following a coup attempt last month. One family has issued pleas for help in confirming whether their son is alive.
 
FILE- Miners extract mud they hope contains gold at a gold mining site at which adults and youth work in the village of Mawero, on the outskirts of Busia town, in eastern Uganda on Oct. 18, 2021. Billons of dollars worth of gold is smuggled out of Africa each year, according to a report published Thursday, of which most ends up in the United Arab Emirates where it is refined and sold on to the rest of the world. Over $30 billion worth of gold, or more than 435 tonnes, was smuggled out of Africa in 2022, according to the report published by Swissaid, an aid and development group based in Switzerland. (AP Photo/Nicholas Bamulanzeki, File)
Tens of billions of dollars in gold flows illegally out of Africa each year, a new report says
A new report has found that billions of dollars in gold is smuggled out of Africa each year and most of it ends up in the United Arab Emirates, where it is refined and sold to customers around the world.
 
ADDING FAMILY NAME TO BYLINE Chadian President Mahamat Deby Itno participates in his inauguration ceremony in N'djamena, Chad, Thursday, May 23, 2024. Deby Itno was elected May 6, 2024, in a long delayed presidential election that is set to end three years of military rule. (AP Photo/Mouta Ali)
Chad swears in president after disputed election, ending years of military rule
Chad has sworn in Mahamat Deby Itno as the president on Thursday after holding elections earlier this month, completing a disputed transition to democratic rule after he seized power three years ago.
 
This undated photo provided by Miranda Thompson, shows her stepson Tyler Thompson, 21, of West Jordan, Utah, who has been identified as one of the Americans reportedly involved in a foiled coup plot in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. (Miranda Thompson via AP)
Family of American caught up in Congo failed coup says their son went to Africa on vacation
The family of an American caught up in a failed coup attempt in Congo says their son was in Africa on vacation with family friends and had not previously engaged in political activism.
 
Congolese security forces secure the streets of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, on Sunday May 19, 2024, after Congo's army said it has "foiled a coup" and arrested the perpetrators, including several foreigners, following a shootout between armed men in military uniform and guards of a close ally of Congo's president that left three people dead in the capital, Kinshasa. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)
Congo names third American in a foiled coup plot as mourners gather in Utah to remember plot leader
Congo’s army spokesman has released the name of the third American involved a foiled coup plot in Kinshasa. Brig. Gen. Sylvain Ekenge told The Associated Press the third American was Taylor Thomson, but his family identified him as Tyler Thompson.
 
FILE - Congolese security forces secure the streets after Congo's army said it has "foiled a coup" and arrested the perpetrators, following a shootout, in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, on Sunday May 19, 2024. Six people were killed during brazen attacks in Congo's capital Kinshasa on Sunday. Two guards of a close ally of Congo's president and four of the perpetrators of the attacks, including their leader, were killed, Congolese army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Sylvain Ekenge told The Associated Press on Monday, May 20, 2024 (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi, File)
Americans in alleged Congo coup plot formed an unlikely band
Authorities in Congo are accusing three Americans of involvement in a brazen weekend attack on Congo’s presidential palace.
 
In this grab taken from video people jump down emergency slides, running from a plane, in Dakar, Senegal, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. A Boeing 737 plane carrying 85 people caught fire and skidded off a runway at the airport in Dakar, Senegal’s capital, injuring 10 people. (Cheick Siriman Sissoko via AP)
Boeing plane carrying 85 people catches fire and skids off the runway in Senegal, injuring 10
Senegal’s transport minister says a Boeing 737 carrying 85 people caught fire and skidded off a runway at an airport near the capital and 10 people were injured.
 
FILE - Joseph Boakai, then Vice-President of Liberia, addresses the 64th session of the General Assembly at United Nations headquarters Friday, Sept. 25, 2009. Liberia’s President Joseph Boakai has signed a resolution to create a long-awaited war crimes court to deliver justice to the victims of the country’s two civil wars, characterized by the widespread and systematic use of mass killings, torture and sexual violence. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)
Liberia passes a law setting up a long-awaited war crimes court
Liberian President Joseph Boakai has signed an executive order to create a long-awaited war crimes court to deliver justice to the victims of Liberia’s two civil wars.
 
In this 2018 photograph released by Mouvement pour le Salut de l'Azawad, Islamic State group commander Abu Huzeifa, known by the alias Higgo, poses in uniform. Mali's army said in a statement late Monday, April 29, 2024, that Huzeifa was killed by Malian state forces. The United States had announced a reward of up to $5 million reward for anyone providing information about him. Huzeifa was believed to have helped carry out an attack in 2017 on U.S. and Nigerien forces in Tongo Tongo, Niger, which led to the deaths of four Americans and four Nigerien soldiers. (AP Photo)
Armed groups besieging towns in northeastern Mali driving residents, many children, to hunger
A humanitarian crisis is worsening in northeastern Mali where armed groups linked to Islamic State have besieged towns leaving residents including some 80,000 children vulnerable to disease and malnutrition.
 
FILE - A soldier applauds the presidential inauguration of Junta leader Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba during his swearing-in ceremony broadcast on national television on Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso suspended the BBC and Voice of America radio stations for their coverage of a report by Human Rights Watch on the mass killing of civilians carried out by the country's armed forces. According to the report published by Human Rights Watch on Thursday, April 25, 2024, the army killed some 223 civilians, including 56 children, in villages accused of cooperating with militants. (AP Photo/Sophie Garcia, File)
Burkina Faso suspends BBC and Voice of America after they covered a report on mass killings
Burkina Faso has suspended the BBC and Voice of America radio stations for their coverage of a report by Human Rights Watch on a mass killing of civilians carried out by the country’s armed forces.
 
FILE - A mural is seen, March 1, 2023, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Military forces in Burkina Faso killed 223 civilians, including babies and many children, in attacks on two villages accused of cooperating with militants, Human Rights Watch said in a report published Thursday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo, File)
Burkina Faso’s army massacred over 200 civilians in a village raid, Human Rights Watch says
Human Rights Watch says military forces in Burkina Faso killed 223 civilians, including babies and many children, in attacks on two villages accused of cooperating with militants.
 
In this photo released by The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, shows officials burning seized drugs in Niamey, Niger, Monday, June 26, 2023. Drug seizures soared in the West African Sahel region according to figures released Friday April 19, 2024 in a new U.N. report, indicating the conflict-ridden region is becoming an influential route for drug trafficking. In 2022, 1,466 kilograms, [3,232 pounds], of cocaine were seized in Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso and Niger compared to an average of 13 kilograms [28.7 pounds] between 2013 and 2020 , said the report from the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime. (UNODC via AP)
The US attempts a new military deal with Niger in a last ditch effort to stay
Two Western officials have told The Associated Press that the United States is trying to create a new military agreement with Niger that would allow it to remain in the country, weeks after the junta said its presence was no longer justified.
 
FILE - Supporters of Niger's ruling junta, gather for a protest called to fight for the country's freedom and push back against foreign interference, in Niamey, Niger, Aug. 3, 2023. A top Pentagon official says that the U.S. has not received a formal request from Niger's junta to depart the country, saying instead it has received mixed signals on whether the hundreds of U.S. troops based there are no longer welcome. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File)
Russian military trainers arrive in Niger as relations deteriorate with the US
Russian military trainers have arrived in Niger to reinforce the country’s air defenses as the western African nation pulls away from close cooperation with the U.S. in counterterrorism efforts, turning instead to Russia for help as it fights Islamic insurgents in the Sahel region.
 
FILE - Mali Prime Minister Abdoulaye Maiga at the COP28 U.N. Climate Summit, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. According to a notice posted on social media, Thursday, April 11, 2024, Mali’s ruling junta has banned the media from reporting on the activities of political parties and associations in the country. The ban followed a decision the previous day that banned all political party activities until further notice. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)
Mali’s junta bans the media from reporting on political activities in a deepening crackdown
Mali’s ruling junta has banned the media from reporting on activities of political parties and associations, a day after barring political parties and groups. That’s according to a copy of the notice distributed on social media on Thursday.
 
This handout photo provided by World Relief shows emergency food being distributed by World Food Programme (WFP) and World Relief in Kulbus, West Darfur, Sudan, end of March 2024. The United Nations said Friday, April 5, 2024, it has begun distributing food in Sudan’s war-ravaged Darfur province for the first time in months, following two successful cross-border operations, but the population still faces widespread starvation unless more help arrives. (World Relief via AP)
First UN food supplies arrive in Sudan’s Darfur after months but millions face acute hunger
The United Nations has begun distributing food in Sudan’s war-ravaged western Darfur region for the first time in months, following two successful cross-border delivery operations.
 
Bassirou Diomaye Faye is sworn in as Senegal's president in Dakar, Senegal, Tuesday, April 2, 2024. Senegal has sworn in Bassirou Diomaye Faye as its new president, completing the previously little-known opposition figure’s dramatic ascent from prison to the palace in recent weeks. Faye was released from prison less than two weeks before the March election following a political amnesty announced by the outgoing president. (AP Photo/Sylvain Cherkaoui)
Senegal swears in Africa’s youngest elected leader as president in a dramatic prison-to-palace rise
Senegal has inaugurated Africa’s youngest elected leader as president, as the 44-year-old and previously little-known Bassirou Diomaye Faye completed a dramatic ascent from prison to palace within weeks.
 
FILE - This undated photograph provided by the French military shows three Russian mercenaries, in northern Mali. Wagner is helping government forces in central and northern Mali carry out raids and drone strikes that have killed scores of civilians, including many children, rights groups said in reports published this week that span a period from December to March. (French Army via AP, File)
In Mali, Russian Wagner mercenaries are helping the army kill civilians, rights groups say
Rights groups say the Russian mercenary group known as Wagner is helping government forces in central and northern Mali carry out raids and drone strikes that have killed scores of civilians.
 
Bassirou Diomaye Faye holds a press conference after winning the presidential elections in Dakar, Senegal, Monday, March 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Senegal’s little-known opposition leader Bassirou Diomaye Faye is named the next president
Senegal’s little-known, 44-year-old opposition leader Bassirou Diomaye Faye is named the country’s next president after preliminary results showed that he won the first round outright.
 
Presidential candidate Amadou Ba and his wife leave a polling station after casting their votes during the presidential elections, in Dakar, Senegal, Sunday, March 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Senegal voted in a tightly contested presidential race after months of unrest
Senegalese have voted in a tightly contested presidential race following months of uncertainty and unrest that have tested the West African nation’s reputation as a stable democracy in a coup-prone region.
 
Sudanese refugees displaced by the conflict in Sudan gather to receive food staples from aid agencies at the Metche Camp in eastern Chad Tuesday, March 5, 2024. Overcrowded refugee camps in eastern Chad are set to run out of money soon, exacerbating a dire humanitarian crisis caused by the spillover from the war in Sudan, the United Nations said. (AP Photo/Jsarh Ngarndey Ulrish)
Refugee camps in Chad are overcrowded and running out of aid, and Sudanese refugees keep coming
Overcrowded refugee camps in eastern Chad are set to run out of money soon, exacerbating a dire humanitarian situation caused by the spillover from the conflict in Sudan.
 
Presidential candidate Anta Babacar Ngom greets supporters during her electoral campaign caravan in Dakar, Senegal, Monday, March 11, 2024. Senegal’s only female presidential candidate may stand no chance of winning but activists say her presence alone is helping to advance a decades long campaign to achieve equality in the West African nation. (AP Photo/Sylvain Cherkaoui)
Senegal votes Sunday in a presidential election that has fired up political tensions
Senegal votes Sunday in a tightly contested presidential election that has fired up political tensions and tested one of West Africa’s most stable democracies.
 
Presidential candidate Anta Babacar Ngom greets supporters during her electoral campaign caravan in Dakar, Senegal, Monday, March 11, 2024. Senegal’s only female presidential candidate may stand no chance of winning but activists say her presence alone is helping to advance a decades long campaign to achieve equality in the West African nation. (AP Photo/Sylvain Cherkaoui)
The first woman to run for president in years in Senegal is inspiring hope
Senegal’s only female presidential candidate may have little chance of winning in Sunday’s election, but activists say her presence is helping to advance a decadeslong campaign to achieve equality in the West African nation.
 
Jaha Dukureh, the founder of Safe Hands for Girls, pickets outside parliament in Serrekunda, Gambia, Monday, March 18, 2024. The West African nation of Gambia could become the first country in the world to reverse a ban on female genital cutting, a practice that experts say is dangerous and has no benefits. Lawmakers are voting Monday on legislation that seeks to repeal the 2015 ban. (Hadim Thomas-Safe Hands for Girls via AP)
Gambia lawmakers refer a repeal of the ban on female genital cutting to more committee discussions
Lawmakers in Gambia have referred a repeal of the 2015 ban on female genital cutting for further committee discussions. Gambian activists fear the repeal would overturn years of work to better protect girls and women.
 
FILE - In this image taken from video provided by ORTN, Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane, front center, makes a statement on July 26, 2023, in Niamey, Niger, as a delegation of military officers appeared on Niger State TV to read out a series of communiques announcing their coup d'etat. The U.S. is scrambling to assess the future of its counterterrorism operations in the Sahel region of Africa after the ruling junta in Niger announced it was ending military cooperation with Washington. (ORTN via AP, File)
US military operations across the Sahel are at risk after Niger ends cooperation
The U.S. is scrambling to assess the future of its counterterrorism operations in the Sahel region of Africa after the ruling junta in Niger announced it was ending military cooperation with Washington.
 
Senegal's opposition leader Ousmane Sonko adresses supporters in Dakar, Senegal, Thursday, March 14, 2024. Sonko was released from prison earlier in the day. (AP Photo/Sylvain Cherkaoui)
Top Senegal opposition leader vows to help win March 24 election, speaking out after prison release
Senegal’s top opposition leader is vowing to help his team win thes March 24 presidential election even though he is barred from the ballot.
 
Supporters celebrate the release of Senegal's top opposition leader Ousmane Sonko and his key ally Bassirou Diomaye Faye outside Sonko's home in Dakar, Senegal, Thursday, March 14, 2024. Sonko had been in prison since July 2023 and has fought a prolonged legal battle to run for president in the March 24 election.(AP Photo/Sylvain Cherkaoui)
Senegal’s top opposition leader freed from prison ahead of presidential election this month
Senegal’s top opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko, has been released released from jail ahead of the presidential election later this month. His lawyer Bamba Cisse said Sonko and his key ally, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, were both released.