A child soldier’s escape from South Sudan’s brutal civil war

Between 1991 and 2002, the small West African nation of Sierra Leone was ravaged by a decade of war, which left between 50,000 and 200,000 people dead. The conflict was also marked by rapes, mutilations and the forced use of child soldiers in both the rebel and regular armies. Twenty years on, the country is still trying to recover from the civil war, one of Africa's most brutal. Sierra Leone remains deeply divided and plagued by corruption. And despite its many riches, it is one of the poorest countries in the world.

It has been a year since Ethoipian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed triggered a civil war by sending in troops to the northern region of Tigray after local TPLF forces seized military bases there. The country is still mired in conflict.

As the yearlong civil war in Ethiopia's Tigray region escalates, Kenya and South Sudan are on high alert.

2021 began with the promise of vaccines to the rescue. But as one variant begets another, rich nations talk of boosters and jabs for kids while much of the developing world still waits for first doses.

2021 began with the promise of vaccines to the rescue. But as one variant begets another, rich nations talk of boosters and jabs for kids while much of the developing world still waits for first doses.

The conflict in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region continues to escalate one year after breaking out. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called on civilians to take up arms against the Tigrayan forces and warned he would bury his enemies with blood.

Is there no stopping all-out civil war in Myanmar? On the first anniversary of the coup that ended power sharing between Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy and a military whose candidates had just been trounced in a general election, a silent strike took place to protest the brutal crackdown against calls to return to civilian rule. Can peaceful protest still work?

Six months later, they joyfully celebrated their independence. Ten years on, the South Sudanese are still struggling to establish peace, deal with human rights abuses committed since independence, write an inclusive constitution, and focus on developing their country.

In Sri Lanka, 13 years after the end of the civil war with the Tamil Tigers that lasted a quarter of a century, reconciliation appears elusive. Elected in 2019, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, seen by the Sinhalese majority as a hero and accused by the Tamil minority ​​of war crimes during the conflict, embodies this divide. FRANCE 24's Thomas Denis reports, with Navodita Kumari.

Feminism – that’s still a taboo topic in many parts of society in South Sudan. With their radio show, Gendertalk211, a group of South Sudanese women are trying to raise awareness and talk openly about the issues affecting women in their community.

A new film paints a portrait of the woman known in South Sudan as the "mother of the nation". The film follows Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior, who is the widow of revolutionary leader and national hero John Garang de Mabior, in her role as the country's vice president amid a fragile peace deal in the country. The portrait is remarkable for its intimate access as its director is also her daughter, Akuol de Mabior. She joined us for Perspective to tell us more about "No Simple Way Home".

Twenty years ago, one of the longest, most brutal and deadliest wars of the last century ended in Angola. In 27 years, this conflict left nearly 1 million people dead and displaced 4 million. It has also left the country in ruins: In 2002, 60 percent of Angolans did not have access to drinking water and 30 percent of children died before the age of five. Has the West African country recovered from these dark years? We find out in this report by Clément Bonnerot, Dombaxi Sebastiao, Evan Claver and Juliette Dubois.