Natasha Booty
@natashabooty.bsky.social
Writer and editor at BBC News
The US is accusing South Africa's defence ministry of refusing to obey orders given by its own government to send home Iranian warships that have been conducting naval exercises in the African country's waters:
US accuses South Africa military of 'cosying up to Iran'
The defence minister orders an inquiry into reports the military flouted orders to expel Iran from naval drills.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 16, 2026 at 11:44 AM
The US is accusing South Africa's defence ministry of refusing to obey orders given by its own government to send home Iranian warships that have been conducting naval exercises in the African country's waters:
A red level 10 warning has been given by the South African Weather Service, forecasting yet more rain in affected areas and warning communities to stay alert. So far at least 19 people have died in severe flooding in Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces:
South Africa floods: Kruger National Park shuts to tourists
At least 19 people are now believed to have died in recent weeks in northern South Africa during floods.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 16, 2026 at 9:30 AM
A red level 10 warning has been given by the South African Weather Service, forecasting yet more rain in affected areas and warning communities to stay alert. So far at least 19 people have died in severe flooding in Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces:
Votes being counted in Uganda election as opposition alleges rigging:
Uganda awaits results of presidential election between Yoweri Museveni and Bobi Wine
The election is a rematch between Bobi Wine and Yoweri Museveni, who has been president for 40 years.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 15, 2026 at 11:57 PM
Votes being counted in Uganda election as opposition alleges rigging:
At least 13 people have been killed - eight of them children - after a drone strike on a house in the Sudanese city of el-Obeid, say doctors:
Sudan civil war: Children among 13 killed after drone hits home in el-Obeid city, medics say
At least 13 people, including eight children, have been killed in the strike in el-Obeid city, medics say.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 6, 2026 at 4:05 PM
At least 13 people have been killed - eight of them children - after a drone strike on a house in the Sudanese city of el-Obeid, say doctors:
A beloved Kenyan elephant called Craig has died at the ripe old age of 54, having "no doubt fathered many calves". The peace-loving pachyderm who promoted Tusker lager was an icon of successful conservation, say officials:
Craig the beer-ambassador elephant dies aged 54
The peace-loving pachyderm and lager promoter was an icon of successful conservation, say officials.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 3, 2026 at 12:01 PM
A beloved Kenyan elephant called Craig has died at the ripe old age of 54, having "no doubt fathered many calves". The peace-loving pachyderm who promoted Tusker lager was an icon of successful conservation, say officials:
Armed men have kidnapped at least 13 people from a church in Kogi state in Nigeria - the second such attack there in as many weeks:
Nigeria's kidnapping crisis: 'Bandits' kidnap worshippers during church service in Kogi state
At least 13 people are missing after armed men stormed a church, an official tells the BBC.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 15, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Armed men have kidnapped at least 13 people from a church in Kogi state in Nigeria - the second such attack there in as many weeks:
Flash floods have killed at least 37 people in the Safi region on Morocco’s coast:
Morocco floods: Dozens killed in port city of Safi after heavy rains
At least 70 homes have been inundated in Safi's old city centre, officials say.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 15, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Flash floods have killed at least 37 people in the Safi region on Morocco’s coast:
TikTok stars arrested after going braless, carrying a man-bag and wearing an open-chested shirt to an awards ceremony in Ethiopia:
Ethiopia TikTok: Six influencers arrested for 'indecent' dress at awards ceremony
Adonay Berhane, Wongelawit Gebre Endrias and four others are accused by police of undermining public morality.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 12, 2025 at 9:52 AM
TikTok stars arrested after going braless, carrying a man-bag and wearing an open-chested shirt to an awards ceremony in Ethiopia:
Enjoyed subbing this - here's @paulmelly.bsky.social on how coup-plotters misjudged the national mood and Benin's neighbours learnt from past errors:
Benin coup attempt: Why the rebel soldiers failed where others in the region succeeded
Plotters misjudged the national mood and Benin's neighbours learnt from past errors, says analyst Paul Melly.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 9, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Enjoyed subbing this - here's @paulmelly.bsky.social on how coup-plotters misjudged the national mood and Benin's neighbours learnt from past errors:
Back reporting live for the BBC - this time on events in Washington, where the leaders of DRC and Rwanda are set to ratify a Trump-backed peace deal: www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c9...
December 4, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Back reporting live for the BBC - this time on events in Washington, where the leaders of DRC and Rwanda are set to ratify a Trump-backed peace deal: www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c9...
Left-wing Cameroonian opposition figure Anicet Ekane has died in detention, five weeks after he was arrested. The 74-year-old's family was given little explanation - "his wife was just presented the corpse", Ekane's lawyer told the BBC:
Anicet Ekane: Cameroon opposition firebrand dies in detention aged 74
Anicet Ekane's lawyer says the family was given little explanation -
www.bbc.co.uk
December 1, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Left-wing Cameroonian opposition figure Anicet Ekane has died in detention, five weeks after he was arrested. The 74-year-old's family was given little explanation - "his wife was just presented the corpse", Ekane's lawyer told the BBC:
Nigeria says Boko Haram and Islamic State in West Africa Province (Iswap) are behind the recent wave of abductions in north-western and central regions, but this is disputed by analysts who tell the BBC they were committed by criminal gangs known locally as "bandits":
Nigeria blames jihadist groups for wave of kidnappings but others accuse criminal gangs
Analysts instead blame criminal gangs for the kidnapping of more than 250 schoolchildren last week.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 29, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Nigeria says Boko Haram and Islamic State in West Africa Province (Iswap) are behind the recent wave of abductions in north-western and central regions, but this is disputed by analysts who tell the BBC they were committed by criminal gangs known locally as "bandits":
A Zambian MP has lambasted the government as "hypocrites" for their treatment of Tasila Lungu while she grieves her father - the late President Edgar Lungu:
Zambia's Tasila Lungu: Daughter of unburied ex-president loses MP seat
Zambia's government is accused of 'hypocrisy' as fallout from ex-president's death deepens.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 28, 2025 at 4:46 PM
A Zambian MP has lambasted the government as "hypocrites" for their treatment of Tasila Lungu while she grieves her father - the late President Edgar Lungu:
Some accuse Guinea-Bissau's ex-president of masterminding a coup against himself, saying it was a ruse to block election results from coming out in case he lost:
Guinea-Bissau army general named president a day after apparent coup
Gen Horta N’Tam is sworn in during a ceremony at the army headquarters.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 28, 2025 at 7:50 AM
Some accuse Guinea-Bissau's ex-president of masterminding a coup against himself, saying it was a ruse to block election results from coming out in case he lost:
Nigerian actor, content creator and influencer Odira Nwobu has died in South Africa aged 43, his lawyer and the Actors' Guild of Nigeria have told the BBC. There's been an outpouring of grief from shocked fans and colleagues alike:
Nollywood actor Odira Nwobu dies in South Africa aged 43
News of his death has shocked many at home in Nigeria, prompting an outpouring of grief.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 25, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Nigerian actor, content creator and influencer Odira Nwobu has died in South Africa aged 43, his lawyer and the Actors' Guild of Nigeria have told the BBC. There's been an outpouring of grief from shocked fans and colleagues alike:
Nicki Minaj has publicly backed Donald Trump's heavily disputed argument that Christians face widespread persecution in Nigeria. But experts monitoring political violence in Nigeria say most victims of jihadist violence are in fact Muslim - not Christian:
Nicki Minaj backs Donald Trump's contested claim Christians being persecuted in Nigeria
The US-based Trinidadian rapper addressed the UN in New York alongside Trump administration officials, making claims that lack evidence.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 19, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Nicki Minaj has publicly backed Donald Trump's heavily disputed argument that Christians face widespread persecution in Nigeria. But experts monitoring political violence in Nigeria say most victims of jihadist violence are in fact Muslim - not Christian:
Two schoolgirls kidnapped in Nigeria have escaped their captors after running through bush and farmland to safety, but rescuers are still searching for the other 23+ abductees who remain missing:
GGCSS Maga: Two schoolgirls escape Nigeria kidnap ordeal, official says
Fight
www.bbc.co.uk
November 18, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Two schoolgirls kidnapped in Nigeria have escaped their captors after running through bush and farmland to safety, but rescuers are still searching for the other 23+ abductees who remain missing:
The Congolese government and M23 rebels have signed a framework for peace today in Qatar. Will it hold?
DR Congo and M23 rebels sign framework for peace in Qatar
Building on previous deals it cover humanitarian access, the return of displaced people and more.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 5:41 PM
The Congolese government and M23 rebels have signed a framework for peace today in Qatar. Will it hold?
A major data breach in Somalia's electronic visa system may have exposed personal information belonging to tens of thousands of applicants, including US citizens, the American embassy in Somalia has warned:
Somalia e-visa breach: US warns thousands of people's data exposed
Tens of thousands of people's personal data has been leaked online, according to the US embassy.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 1:39 PM
A major data breach in Somalia's electronic visa system may have exposed personal information belonging to tens of thousands of applicants, including US citizens, the American embassy in Somalia has warned:
"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do," quotes Tanzania's president from the Bible, as she launches an inquiry into post-election violence. But it seems protesters will be probed rather than officials accused of serious rights abuses:
Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan promises probe into post-election unrest
The opposition says that hundreds of people were killed during the unrest but there is no official death toll.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 14, 2025 at 5:40 PM
"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do," quotes Tanzania's president from the Bible, as she launches an inquiry into post-election violence. But it seems protesters will be probed rather than officials accused of serious rights abuses:
The UN human rights council has given unanimous backing to a fresh, independent investigation into mass killings in the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, it was announced today:
Sudan conflict: Mass killings investigation gets green light from UN
www.bbc.co.uk
November 14, 2025 at 4:48 PM
The UN human rights council has given unanimous backing to a fresh, independent investigation into mass killings in the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, it was announced today:
Marco Rubio's comments are some of the most outspoken so far by the Trump administration about the war in Sudan and the actions of the RSF, but it's not clear how much impact they will have. A recent US-backed proposal for a humanitarian ceasefire was violated soon after:
Sudan conflict: Marco Rubio calls for international action to cut weapons supplies to RSF
www.bbc.co.uk
November 14, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Marco Rubio's comments are some of the most outspoken so far by the Trump administration about the war in Sudan and the actions of the RSF, but it's not clear how much impact they will have. A recent US-backed proposal for a humanitarian ceasefire was violated soon after:
Our latest piece on what's happening in Sudan. Thank you to
Sana Dionysiou for working on this impactful image to accompany it:
Sana Dionysiou for working on this impactful image to accompany it:
Sudan war: el-Fasher hospital worker describes 'state of terror' before fleeing alleged massacre
www.bbc.co.uk
November 11, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Our latest piece on what's happening in Sudan. Thank you to
Sana Dionysiou for working on this impactful image to accompany it:
Sana Dionysiou for working on this impactful image to accompany it:
A few of my favourite photos of the week:
Africa's week in pictures: 31 October-7 November 2025
A selection of the week's best photos from across the African continent and beyond.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 7, 2025 at 10:35 PM
A few of my favourite photos of the week:
Enjoyed subbing this piece, and commissioning this striking illustration from talented colleague Zoe Bartholomew:
African women tricked into making Russian drones: 'My skin was peeling'
A BBC investigation finds evidence that young African women are being tricked into building Russian drones.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 7, 2025 at 10:32 PM
Enjoyed subbing this piece, and commissioning this striking illustration from talented colleague Zoe Bartholomew: