https://www.voazimbabwe.com/z/3153 The Voice of America is one of the world's most trusted sources for news and information from the United States and around the world. VOA is a multi media news organization using radio, television, and the internet to distribute content in 45 languages. https://www.voazimbabwe.com/Content/responsive/VOA/en-ZW/img/logo.png https://www.voazimbabwe.com/z/3153 en 2026 - VOA 60 Sat, 06 Jun 2026 08:34:46 +0200 Pangea CMS – VOA LONDON/DUBAI (REUTERS) — Gum arabic, a vital ingredient used in everything from Coca-Cola to M&M's sweets, is increasingly being trafficked from rebel-held areas of war-torn Sudan, traders and industry sources say, complicating Western companies' efforts to insulate their supply chains from the conflict. Sudan produces around 80% of the world's gum arabic, a natural substance harvested from acacia trees that's widely used to mix, stabilize and thicken ingredients in mass-market products... https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/how-a-key-ingredient-in-coca-cola-m-m-s-is-smuggled-from-war-torn-sudan/7997752.html https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/how-a-key-ingredient-in-coca-cola-m-m-s-is-smuggled-from-war-torn-sudan/7997752.html Wed, 05 Mar 2025 00:46:01 +0200 Africa Kampala — The Ugandan army confirmed Sunday it has sent troops to another town in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo to fight local armed groups, amid fears a raging conflict could spiral into a wider war. "Our troops have entered Mahagi town, and we are in control," Uganda's defense and military affairs spokesperson Felix Kulayigye told AFP Sunday. The deployment was requested by the Congolese army following alleged massacres of civilians carried out by a militia known as... https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/ugandan-army-deploys-to-town-in-northeast-dr-congo/7994487.html https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/ugandan-army-deploys-to-town-in-northeast-dr-congo/7994487.html Sun, 02 Mar 2025 23:49:34 +0200 Africa By Mqondisi Dube GABORONE, BOTSWANA — Southern Africa energy experts and political leaders pledged to improve access to energy at a summit in Botswana this week. The commitments come as most countries in the region still rely on coal, a major contributor to global warming. More than 500 participants from 16 Southern African Development Community, or SADC, member states, as well as other African countries, participated in the energy gathering. Moses Ntlamelle, a senior SADC programs... https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/southern-africa-pushes-for-better-energy-access/7992739.html https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/southern-africa-pushes-for-better-energy-access/7992739.html Fri, 28 Feb 2025 20:06:14 +0200 Africa BUKAVU, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO — At least 11 people were killed and scores injured Thursday when explosions in the eastern Congo city of Bukavu struck a rally held by leaders of the M23 rebel group, which took control of the city earlier this month. Rebel leaders blamed the bombing on the Democratic Republic of Congo's government and said attackers were among those killed in the blasts, with conflicting reports among rebels and local officials about the number of attackers and... https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/at-least-11-dead-in-drc-after-blasts-at-m23-rally-rebels-say/7990756.html https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/at-least-11-dead-in-drc-after-blasts-at-m23-rally-rebels-say/7990756.html Thu, 27 Feb 2025 23:45:51 +0200 Africa Mqondisi Dube GABORONE, BOTSWANA — Botswana authorities say at least nine people were confirmed dead Monday, as rare flooding hit the semi-arid country. More than 5,000 people have been affected by the floods as record rainfall fell over the last week. Addressing Parliament on Monday, Moeti Mohwasa, the minister for state president, said the nine people who died had all drowned. Of the deceased, six were minors. "While the risk level has generally reduced ... I regret to inform this... https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/deadly-floods-in-botswana-kill-9-nearly-2-000-people-evacuated/7987978.html https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/deadly-floods-in-botswana-kill-9-nearly-2-000-people-evacuated/7987978.html Tue, 25 Feb 2025 23:58:42 +0200 Africa Crowds of Congolese police officers who switched to the M23 rebel group sang and clapped in occupied Bukavu city on Saturday, preparing for retraining under the authority of the rebels who are intent on showing they plan to stick around and govern. The M23 rebels advanced a week ago into eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's second-largest city, which was rocked by looting and unrest as Congolese forces withdrew without a fight. The M23's capture of swaths of eastern Congo and... https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/hundreds-of-congolese-police-join-rebels-in-occupied-city/7986531.html https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/hundreds-of-congolese-police-join-rebels-in-occupied-city/7986531.html Mon, 24 Feb 2025 23:39:21 +0200 Africa By Kate Bartlett Johannesburg —  South Africa will host a meeting of foreign ministers from the G20 group of major economies later this week, but the chief diplomat for the world’s largest economy, the U.S., is skipping it. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on X earlier this month that he would not attend the meeting, taking place Thursday and Friday in Johannesburg, because he objected to the meeting’s agenda, which he described as anti-American. He said South Africa was... https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/rubio-snubs-south-africa-s-g20-meeting-amid-diplomatic-tensions/7979767.html https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/rubio-snubs-south-africa-s-g20-meeting-amid-diplomatic-tensions/7979767.html Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:20:17 +0200 Africa ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - African leaders chose Djibouti's Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf to chair the African Union commission on Saturday at a summit dominated by fears of the Congo war widening into a regional conflict, the country's finance minister said. In a post on the X platform Djibouti's economy and finance minister, Ilyas Dawaleh, said Youssouf had "won" the election. Youssouf has been foreign minister since 2005. He was previously Djibouti's ambassador to Egypt and has... https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/djibouti-s-foreign-minister-elected-to-top-african-union-post/7977381.html https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/djibouti-s-foreign-minister-elected-to-top-african-union-post/7977381.html Mon, 17 Feb 2025 02:16:10 +0200 Africa A New Jersey man whose wife was killed in a horrific hippopotamus attack last year during a safari in Africa is suing the U.S. company that arranged the trip, alleging it failed to ensure their safety and did not adequately screen and supervise the tour guides. Craig and Lisa Manders were on a guided walk in Zambia in June when a hippo charged out of the water, grabbed Lisa Manders by its mouth and crushed her head and body with its bite, according to the lawsuit filed against African... https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/us-man-sues-travel-company-after-hippo-kills-wife-on-zambia-trip/7977119.html https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/us-man-sues-travel-company-after-hippo-kills-wife-on-zambia-trip/7977119.html Sun, 16 Feb 2025 23:29:03 +0200 Africa voadigital@voanews.com (Associated Press) BUKAVU, DRC — Rebels have “occupied” a second major city in mineral-rich eastern Congo, the government said Sunday, as M23 rebels positioned themselves at the governor's office in Bukavu and pledged to clean up after the “old regime.” Associated Press journalists witnessed scores of residents cheering on the rebels after they entered Bukavu following a dayslong march from Goma, a city of 2 million people they seized last month. The rebels saw little resistance from government forces... https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/dr-congo-says-rebels-occupy-2nd-major-city-in-its-mineral-rich-east/7977105.html https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/dr-congo-says-rebels-occupy-2nd-major-city-in-its-mineral-rich-east/7977105.html Sun, 16 Feb 2025 23:00:56 +0200 Africa voadigital@voanews.com (Associated Press) PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — Some white South Africans showed support for President Donald Trump on Saturday and gathered at the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria to claim they are victims of racism by their own government. Hundreds of protesters held placards that read “Thank God for President Trump” and displayed other messages criticizing what they see as racist laws instituted by the South African government that discriminate against the white minority. Many were from the Afrikaner... https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/white-south-africans-gather-in-support-of-trump-and-his-claims-that-they-are-victims-of-racism/7976398.html https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/white-south-africans-gather-in-support-of-trump-and-his-claims-that-they-are-victims-of-racism/7976398.html Sat, 15 Feb 2025 21:16:52 +0200 Africa voadigital@voanews.com (Associated Press) GOMA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO —  Panic swept through eastern Congo’s second-largest city on Saturday as residents fled by the thousands, scrambling to escape the looming advance of Rwanda-backed rebels. Amid chaos and looting, Bukavu braced for what comes next. A day after M23 fighters entered the outskirts of Bukavu — a city of about 1.3 million people that lies 101 kilometers south of rebel-held Goma — some streets were flooded by residents attempting to leave and looters filling... https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/chaos-looting-break-out-as-rebels-push-toward-major-drc-city/7976394.html https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/chaos-looting-break-out-as-rebels-push-toward-major-drc-city/7976394.html Sat, 15 Feb 2025 21:05:46 +0200 Africa By Mohammed Yusuf Nairobi, Kenya — A new report says the emergence of cheap artificial intelligence tools is leading to a wave of biometric fraud in Africa. The report says fraudsters are using AI to create fake documents, voices, and images that facilitate identity theft and financial crimes. In July 2024, Japhet Ndubi, a Kenyan journalist, lost his phone and could not trace it. He replaced the SIM card, bought a new phone, and went on with his life. Four days later, while on a... https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/ai-driven-biometric-fraud-surges-in-africa-fueling-financial-crimes/7975680.html https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/ai-driven-biometric-fraud-surges-in-africa-fueling-financial-crimes/7975680.html Fri, 14 Feb 2025 23:47:16 +0200 Africa Cairo —  Libyan authorities have uncovered nearly 50 bodies from two mass graves in the country’s southeastern desert, officials said Sunday, in the latest tragedy involving people seeking to reach Europe through the chaos-stricken North African country. The first mass grave with 19 bodies was found Friday in a farm in the southeastern city of Kufra, the security directorate said in a statement, adding that authorities took them for autopsy. Authorities posted images on its Facebook... https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/migrant-bodies-found-in-2-mass-graves-in-southeastern-libya/7969848.html https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/migrant-bodies-found-in-2-mass-graves-in-southeastern-libya/7969848.html Mon, 10 Feb 2025 22:26:43 +0200 Africa WINDHOEK, NAMIBIA —Sam Nujoma, the fiery, white-bearded freedom fighter who led Namibia to independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990 and served as its first president for 15 years, and became known as the father of his nation, has died. He was 95. Nujoma's death was announced Sunday by current Namibian President Nangolo Mbumba, who said Nujoma died on Saturday night after being hospitalized in the capital, Windhoek. "The foundations of the Republic of Namibia have been shaken,"... https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/sam-nujoma-namibia-s-first-president-dies-at-95/7968596.html https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/sam-nujoma-namibia-s-first-president-dies-at-95/7968596.html Sun, 09 Feb 2025 19:15:43 +0200 Africa voadigital@voanews.com (Associated Press) By Vicky Stark CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA — The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is interested in developing the mining sector in Africa. On the first day of his second term, Trump signed an executive order focusing on minerals, mineral extraction, and mineral processing. "Mainly in the United States but if you read closely there are also multiple references in that executive order to international partnerships and you know, cooperating with partner nations," said Scott... https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/us-declares-interest-in-developing-african-mining-sector/7968100.html https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/us-declares-interest-in-developing-african-mining-sector/7968100.html Sun, 09 Feb 2025 00:42:19 +0200 Africa CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA — Groups representing some of South Africa's white minority responded Saturday to a plan by President Donald Trump to offer them refugee status and resettlement in the United States by saying: thanks, but no thanks. The plan was detailed in an executive order Trump signed Friday that stopped all aid and financial assistance to South Africa as punishment for what the Trump administration said were “rights violations” by the government against some of its white... https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/afrikaner-groups-in-south-africa-decline-trump-s-resettlement-plan/7968096.html https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/afrikaner-groups-in-south-africa-decline-trump-s-resettlement-plan/7968096.html Sun, 09 Feb 2025 00:21:32 +0200 Africa voadigital@voanews.com (Associated Press) By Mariama Diallo NAIROBI, KENYA —  African governments are gearing up for what is to come following the 90-day pause on most U.S.-funded foreign aid as they worry about the potential effects. In Kenya, for instance, Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa said Wednesday in Nairobi that as her country navigates complex challenges, ensuring continuation of essential health services, especially with programs related to HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, is essential. “For more than 40 years,... https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/african-nations-prepare-for-what-s-to-come-after-pause-on-us-aid/7967287.html https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/african-nations-prepare-for-what-s-to-come-after-pause-on-us-aid/7967287.html Sat, 08 Feb 2025 01:12:32 +0200 Africa By Margaret Besheer UNITED NATIONS — A senior U.N. official in the Democratic Republic of Congo said Wednesday that nearly 3,000 people have been killed in a fighting between M23 militants and the national army over control of a key eastern city. Vivian van de Perre, the deputy head of the United Nations mission in the DRC, told reporters in a video call from Goma that U.N. teams are “actively helping” the M23 to collect the dead from the city’s streets. She said that, so far, 2,000... https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/un-deaths-near-3-000-in-fighting-for-drc-s-goma/7966095.html https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/un-deaths-near-3-000-in-fighting-for-drc-s-goma/7966095.html Fri, 07 Feb 2025 02:05:25 +0200 Africa * Rand falls 2% on Trump comments before paring losses * Cost of insuring debt at highest level since August By Tannur Anders JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's rand, stocks and government bonds slumped on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would suspend aid to the country. Trump said, without citing evidence, that "South Africa is confiscating land" and "certain classes of people" were being treated "very badly" on Sunday, adding that he would cut off funding... https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/south-african-markets-slump-after-trump-suspends-us-aid/7961176.html https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/south-african-markets-slump-after-trump-suspends-us-aid/7961176.html Mon, 03 Feb 2025 18:47:27 +0200 Africa