Congo finally begins mpox vaccinations in a drive to slow outbreaks

GOMA, Congo (AP) — Congolese authorities Saturday began vaccinations against mpox, nearly two months after the disease outbreak that spread from Congo to several African countries and beyond was declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization. The 265,000 doses donated...

Congo finally begins mpox vaccinations, nearly two months after outbreaks in Africa were declared a global emergency

Solar power companies are growing fast in Africa, where 600 million still lack electricity

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) — 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...

Sex workers find themselves at the center of Congo's mpox outbreak

KAMITUGA, Congo (AP) — It's been four months since Sifa Kunguja recovered from mpox, but as a sex worker, she said, she's still struggling to regain clients, with fear and stigma driving away people who've heard she had the virus. “It’s risky work,” Kunguja, 40, said from...

Rebel group in Congo generates $300,000 monthly in seized mining area, UN official says

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — A rebel group in Congo generates around $300,000 a month in revenue through its control of a mining area in the east of the country, a U.N. official said. In April, the M23 — a rebel group with alleged links to Rwanda — seized the Rubaya mining area in...

Appreciation: Dikembe Mutombo, a Basketball Hall of Fame player, had impact far beyond the game

The finger wag. The enormous smile. The unmistakable voice. Dikembe Mutombo played defense at a level and with a flair that few others in basketball history ever possessed, all among the many reasons why he's immortalized in the Hall of Fame. On the court, he stopped people. ...

Aid group says Congo had 25,000 victims of sexual violence last year

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Doctors Without Borders treated more than 25,000 victims of sexual violence in the Congo last year, by far the highest level it has seen there and most of it in the east where armed groups vie for power, the aid group said Monday. The vast majority of victims...

Dikembe Mutombo, a Hall of Fame player and tireless advocate, dies at 58 from brain cancer

Dikembe Mutombo, a Basketball Hall of Famer who was one of the best defensive players in NBA history and a longtime global ambassador for the game, died Monday from brain cancer, the league announced. He was 58. His family revealed two years ago that he was undergoing treatment in...

Civil society groups nudge and cajole world leaders from the sidelines of United Nations week

NEW YORK (AP) — As the meeting of world leaders kicked off at the United Nations on Sunday, across Manhattan on an elevated park that runs along old rail lines, throngs of people streamed through a “climate science fair” showcasing work on nature, food and the energy transition. ...

Protesters in Congo call for the release of political prisoners, including 3 top opposition figures

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Hundreds protested in front of Congo's top court Wednesday to demand the release of political prisoners, including the country’s three most prominent opposition figures imprisoned on charges the opposition says are politically motivated. Felix Tshisekedi,...