Why Maids Keep Dying in Saudi Arabia (Gift Article)

East African leaders and Saudi royals are among those profiting off a lucrative, deadly trade in domestic workers.

From Barefoot Student to Power Broker: William Ruto Is Declared Kenya’s President (Published 2022)

Mr. Ruto grew up poor, tending his family’s livestock in a remote village. As a presidential candidate, he appealed to the “hustler nation” of disenfranchised strivers, saying he was once like them.

Kenya’s Supreme Court Rejects President’s Plan to Amend Constitution (Published 2022)

Civil society groups had criticized the proposal as an attempt to expand presidential power and strengthen the elite’s grip on national politics.

Big Oil Is in Trouble. Its Plan: Flood Africa With Plastic. (Published 2020)

Faced with plunging profits and a climate crisis that threatens fossil fuels, the industry is demanding a trade deal that weakens Kenya’s rules on plastics and on imports of American trash.

Arrest of Journalist in India Adds to Press Freedom Concerns (Published 2022)

Mohammed Zubair, the co-founder of the fact-checking website Alt News and a critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was held after a complaint from an anonymous Twitter user.

Hawa Abdi, Doctor Who Aided Thousands in Somalia, Dies at 73 (Published 2020)

Dr. Abdi turned her family’s land into a hospital and camp that treated and supported legions of people displaced during a civil war.

Gita Ramjee, a Leading AIDS Researcher, Dies at 63 (Published 2020)

Working in South Africa, she led studies and drug trials, hoping to overcome not only H.I.V. but also cultural barriers to stopping its spread. She died of the coronavirus.

Kenya’s Supreme Court Upholds Presidential Election Results (Published 2022)

In a sweeping rejection of claims that the Aug. 9 vote had been rigged, the court confirmed Vice President William Ruto as the country’s fifth president.

Updates on International’s Middle East Team | The New York Times Company

At Rwanda’s Favorite Bars, Forget the Beer: Milk Is What’s on Tap (Published 2021)

Milk is a favorite drink in Rwanda, and milk bars serve it up in abundance, fresh or fermented, hot or cold. “When you drink milk, you always have your head straight and your ideas right.”

Tanzanian Cartoonist Has a Stick for Every Powerful Eye (Published 2020)

Godfrey Mwampembwa, popularly known as Gado, has been holding politicians accountable for nearly 30 years. Now, his concern has shifted to the coronavirus.

In Sudan Border Town, Desperate Ethiopians Find ‘Second Mother Country’ (Published 2021)

Tens of thousands of Christian refugees, fleeing the violence in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, have been given a warm welcome by the residents of a sleepy Sudanese town: “We are brothers.”

The West’s Patience With Uganda’s Strongman Wanes After a Bloody Election (Published 2021)

The United States is considering action against the government of President Yoweri Museveni, a longtime ally who has crushed dissent at home. The European Union has also expressed concern.

Africans Say Ukrainian Authorities Hindered Them From Fleeing (Published 2022)

Africans and other foreigners in Ukraine say border guards made them endure long waits and even beat them, while letting Ukrainians through quickly. Ukraine denied discriminating.

Fleeing Ethiopians Tell of Ethnic Massacres in Tigray War (Published 2020)

Tens of thousands have sought safety in Sudan, where they gave accounts to Times journalists of a devastating and complex conflict that threatens Ethiopia’s stability.

A 17-year-old Afghan soccer player died falling from a U.S. evacuation plane. (Published 2021)

Frantic to flee the Taliban, Zaki Anwari joined a desperate crush at the Kabul airport. “He had no hope and wanted a better life,” a sports official said.

Turning Nairobi’s Public Libraries Into ‘Palaces for the People’ (Published 2023)

A Kenyan nonprofit is restoring iconic public libraries, leaving behind a segregated past and turning them into inclusive spaces.

How the Hero of ‘Hotel Rwanda’ Fell Into a Vengeful Strongman’s Trap (Published 2020)

Paul Rusesabagina went from the world’s most famous Rwandan to a prisoner of his political nemesis, President Paul Kagame, whose government accuses the coolheaded hotelier of murder, arson and...

Crackdown Sweeps Ethiopia’s Capital as War Draws Near (Published 2021)

Government forces were going to door to door in the Ethiopian capital, rounding up ethnic Tigrayans, members of the same ethnic group as the rebels closing in.

‘We are really terrified’: African students are stranded by the war in Ukraine. (Published 2022)

Mass Detentions of Civilians Fan ‘Climate of Fear’ in Ethiopia (Published 2021)

An ethnically motivated detention campaign largely targeting Ethiopians of Tigrayan descent threatens to further unravel Africa’s second-most populous country a year into a civil war.

Mogadishu Bombing Took the Lives of the ‘Best and the Brightest’ (Published 2020)

Despite a growing sense of stability and optimism after decades of chaos and violence, Somalia has been unable to curb the threat posed by the terrorist group Al Shabab.

Kenya’s Health Workers, Unprotected and Falling Ill, Walk Off Job (Published 2020)

Hundreds of health workers have tested positive and some have died, while health facilities are overwhelmed and government officials are accused of stealing funds for medical supplies.

‘A Wild Card’: Son of Uganda’s President Jostles to Succeed His Father (Published 2023)

Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba has been positioning himself as Uganda’s next leader. But his provocative tweets have unnerved Ugandans and put his father in a bind.

Erased From a Davos Photo, a Ugandan Climate Activist Is Back in the Picture (Published 2021)

When Vanessa Nakate, 24, was cropped out of a wire photo featuring her and four white activists, it drew attention that she now uses to expand her work in Uganda and beyond.

Jailed, Exiled and Silenced: Smothering East Africa’s Political Opposition (Published 2020)

In several countries, entrenched leaders are taking advantage of coronavirus restrictions and a world distracted by the pandemic to clamp down hard on prominent political opponents.

U.S. Begins Overland Evacuation of American Civilians From Sudan (Published 2023)

A bus convoy carrying about 300 people was the first U.S.-organized evacuation effort of Americans other than diplomats since fighting broke out nearly two weeks ago in the northeast African nation.

Ahmed Ismail Hussein, Venerable Somali Musician, Dies at 91 (Published 2020)

Famously known as the “King of Oud,” Mr. Hussein was considered one of the giants of modern Somali music. He had the novel coronavirus.

An African Literary Festival for the Age of Coronavirus (Published 2020)

Book events worldwide are on hold, but Afrolit Sans Frontieres uses social media to host frank discussions around writing, creativity, sex and violence.

Somalia’s Army Told Her to Sew a Skirt. Now She’s One of Its Top Officers. (Published 2020)

Lt. Col. Iman Elman, who was born in Somalia but raised in Canada in a family of peace activists, sees herself as continuing that tradition from a different platform.

A Bird? A Plane? No, It’s a Google Balloon Beaming the Internet (Published 2020)

A commercial deal in Kenya marks the first application of balloon-powered internet in Africa, the region with the lowest percentage of internet users globally.

‘We Buried Him and Kept Walking’: Children Die as Somalis Flee Hunger (Published 2022)

The worst drought in four decades and a sharp rise in food prices caused by the war in Ukraine have left almost half of Somalia’s people facing acute food shortages.

The Other Way Covid Will Kill: Hunger (Published 2020)

Worldwide, the population facing life-threatening levels of food insecurity is expected to double, to more than a quarter of a billion people.

In Africa, Kamala Harris Looks to Deepen Relations Amid China’s Influence (Published 2023)

In a weeklong trip to Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia, the vice president will face a balancing act as she tries to foster a collaborative U.S. relationship.

Inside Sudan’s War, ‘There’s Another War for Art’ (Published 2023)

Dozens of Sudanese artists and curators have fled their studios and galleries in the capital, jeopardizing thousands of artworks and imperiling an art scene central to the 2019 revolution.

Fighting Erupts in Northern Ethiopia, Shattering Cease-Fire (Published 2022)

Clashes on the border of the Tigray region raised concern about another wave of violence in a ruinous civil war and fueled fears about the fate of millions already on the verge of famine.

Who Killed African Icon Thomas Sankara? Trial Opens, 34 Years After His Death. (Published 2021)

The president of the West African nation of Burkina Faso, an anticolonial leader celebrated across the continent, was assassinated in 1987. Now 14 men, including the president who took his place, are...

Dennis Tyler, Mayor of Muncie, Ind., Indicted on Theft of Government Funds (Published 2019)

Mr. Tyler, whose administration has been under investigation for corruption allegations for years, was taken into custody at his home on Monday.

Africa’s Covid Crisis Deepens, but Vaccines Are Still Far Off (Published 2021)

Rich nations have bought up most doses long into the future, and there is little hope of a rescue in sight.

‘No One Can Silence Me’: Paul Rusesabagina on His Captivity in Rwanda (Published 2023)

In his first interview since his release from prison, the hotelier-turned-dissident spoke about how he was duped by a Rwandan government informant, and his plans to disregard an agreement to stay...

Fires on Slopes of Kilimanjaro Threaten a Diverse Ecosystem (Published 2020)

Strong winds and dry weather have hampered efforts to extinguish the spreading blaze on Africa’s highest peak.

An Oil Rush Threatens Natural Splendors Across East Africa (Published 2023)

A multibillion-dollar oil drilling and pipeline project is displacing thousands of people in Uganda and Tanzania, and ravaging pristine habitats. Environmentalists are fighting to stop it, but the...

‘Democracy Is Life’: The Grass-Roots Movement Taking On Sudan’s Generals (Published 2022)

Hundreds of loosely connected “resistance committees” are organizing nonviolent protests, tracking the injured and dead and demanding a government led by civilians.

The Fight to Lead Kenya: ‘Hustler Nation’ vs. Allied Scions (Published 2022)

Kenyans vote for a new president on Tuesday, ending a heated race that shows why, in a troubled region, the East African nation matters more than ever.

In West Africa and Beyond, Mali’s Famed Manuscripts Are Put to Use (Published 2022)

Tens of thousands of manuscripts were smuggled out of Timbuktu under jihadists’ noses, containing a wealth of knowledge about science, governance and peace-making. Now the public is getting a look.

A Kenyan Painter Casts a Critical Eye on China’s Role in Africa (Published 2020)

Michael Soi’s “China Loves Africa” collection examines the symbiotic and often corrupt relationship between Beijing and African elites.

In Kenya, a Cherished Fig Tree Gets a Reprieve (Published 2020)

The 100-year-old tree, slated for removal to make room for a new expressway, will be preserved following a backlash from environmentalists concerned about shrinking green spaces in Nairobi.

Smugglers Throw Migrants Overboard; at Least 20 Are Feared Drowned (Published 2021)

Several times in recent years, migrants trying to cross between Djibouti and Yemen have been thrown into the sea.

Sudan’s grass-roots resistance committees mobilize to help civilians. (Published 2023)

Young Somalis Step In Where Government Fails (Published 2020)

In a country that has endured three decades of chaos — from extremist attacks and environmental crises — the responders, medics, road-builders and educators are often not government workers, but...

John Magufuli, Tanzania Leader Who Played Down Covid, Dies at 61 (Published 2021)

“Vaccines don’t work,” he told a maskless crowd. First elected in 2015, he pushed his East African nation deeper into authoritarianism.

As students, they never had Somali teachers. Now they’re Minnesota’s first Somali public school...

On July 1, Abdirizak Abdi and Akram Osman started new roles in St. Paul and Bloomington. It’s a milestone in representational leadership for Minnesota’s increasingly diverse student population and an...

‘Instead of Coronavirus, the Hunger Will Kill Us.’ A Global Food Crisis Looms. (Published 2020)

The world has never faced a hunger emergency like this, experts say. It could double the number of people facing acute hunger to 265 million by the end of this year.

Kenya’s New Digital IDs May Exclude Millions of Minorities (Published 2020)

Millions face hurdles in obtaining documents to get a biometric ID card that will be required to function in the country. Without one, “you are totally a living dead,” a human rights advocate said.

Coronavirus Is Battering Africa’s Growing Middle Class (Published 2020)

From Kenya to Nigeria, South Africa to Rwanda, the pandemic is decimating the livelihoods of the once-stable workers who were helping to drive Africa’s economic expansion.