Ahmad Massoud, the son of Afghan commander Ahmad Shah Massoud who was assassinated by al Qaeda two days before the 9/11 attacks, granted an interview to FRANCE 24 in Paris. Massoud expressed concern at the prospect of US troops leaving the country in May, warning that a rushed exit would lead to "civil war" in Afghanistan. He also condemned last year's deal reached between the US and the Taliban, calling it a mistake.

A slum in Sierra Leone's capital Freetown was destroyed in a fire, the city authorities said, adding that the toll was unclear but thousands may have been affected.

Germany is set to pledge additional help to the victims of the Syrian Civil War at a donor conference being held in Brussels. The amount is expected to be comparable to a €1.6-billion sum given last year.

The government has set aside money to help families identify the remains of their relatives killed during the civil war and subsequent dictatorship.

During the civil war that ended over 30 years ago Abla Barotta survived shelling and clashes, but she now fears a "slow death" from Lebanon's worst economic crisis in decades. The 58-year-old mother of three is a survivor among the more than 50 percent of Lebanese today living in poverty.

Looking for a holiday escape? Why not head off to Sierra Leone – a paradisiacal destination that has long been forgotten by tourists. The country experienced horrors during its civil war in the 1990s, but it has been at peace for a long time and is doing everything possible to attract visitors. Our France 2 colleagues report, with FRANCE 24's Olivia Bizot.

The soldiers had signed an open letter saying France was in "peril" from "Islamism and the hordes from the suburbs."

In Sierra Leone, a team of researchers and agronomists have found traces of a wild coffee known as Coffea stenophylla. Farmed until the beginning of the 20th century, it used to be served to European high society. But due to its scarcity, it was gradually replaced by arabica and robusta strains. Forgotten by farmers, Coffea stenophylla was thought to have completely disappeared by 1954. The new find has generated much excitement in Sierra Leone because of its potential to revolutionise the global coffee sector. Our team reports.

Sierra Leone's president said he would sign the abolition of capital punishment, fulfilling a personal campaign pledge. Some 99 people in the country are currently sitting on death row.

Taliban forces are trying to retake the last standing province in Afghanistan as General Mark Milley said there's a "good" chance of a civil war.

A civil war has been raging in Cameroon since 2016. Separatists in Anglophone regions want their own state, called Ambazonia.

Sierra Leone's President, Julius Maada Bio, announces the abolition of the death penalty during a ceremony in Freetown after lawmakers approved the bill to abolish the capital punishment in July. Sierra Leone, which is still recovering after decades of civil war, had frequently come under fire from rights groups for keeping capital punishment on the books. Ninety-four people were living under a death sentence at the end of 2020, according to deputy minister of justice Umaru Napoleon Koroma.