Over 150 hectares of sugarcane fields have been destroyed in Cameroon due to violent clashes between workers at the Société Sucrière du Cameroun (SOSUCAM) and police. The unrest, which erupted earlier this week, stems from protests over harsh working conditions, low wages, and demands for better labour practices.

Workers have denounced what they describe as slavery-like conditions, pointing to the physical toll of cutting sugarcane in difficult conditions for little pay. One anonymous worker shared that while the job is gruelling, they endure it because they have no choice. “It’s like slavery with pay,” they said, highlighting the poor wages and heavy workloads. The worker also pointed out that dense sugarcane fields make the work even harder, and much of the land no longer yields productive crops due to its proximity to urban areas.

The situation escalated after workers staged a strike, citing delays in salary payments. The protests turned violent, resulting in one death and several injuries, including police officers. According to the mayor of Nkoteng, where the violence occurred, around 20 people have been arrested, and SOSUCAM’s operations have been at a standstill for nearly ten days. The city is now heavily militarized, with many activities slowed down as tensions remain high.

Kanga Esaïe Hubert, the mayor of Nkoteng, confirmed the deadly altercation and described the damage caused during the unrest, including vehicle vandalism. He added that the workers had a list of demands, some of which have been met, while others are still pending.

The images of the violence sparked outrage across the political spectrum in Cameroon. In response to the ongoing unrest, SOSUCAM, a subsidiary of the French group Somdiaa, announced on Friday that it would increase workers’ salaries and monthly bonuses. This move aims to address some of the grievances, but many workers remain sceptical until their broader demands are fully met.

FIFA has announced the immediate suspension of the Congolese Football Federation (FECOFOOT), following escalating tensions between the Ministry of Sports and the football body. The dispute, which has been ongoing for several months, culminated in police intervention and the closure of the country’s sports facilities.

As a result of the suspension, Congolese clubs and national teams are now barred from participating in international competitions. Additionally, they have been cut off from crucial funding and development programs from both FIFA and the African Football Confederation (CAF).

One of the most painful consequences of the suspension, according to FECOFOOT’s Communication Officer, Rufin Loemba, is the impact on youth players. “The most painful part is that we have young players who were supposed to compete in the UNIFAC tournament in Cameroon starting on the 16th,” Loemba said. “This tournament is a qualifier for the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, and these are U17 players, the cadets. Now, the suspension has been imposed, and it hurts deeply. Football is the most popular sport in Congo, and you can imagine how this affects nearly 5,000 or even 10,000 people who rely on it for their livelihoods.”

Loemba stressed that the solution is clear: restoring the previous executive committee would immediately restore the legitimacy of the federation and its commissions.

FIFA’s decision comes after accusations that FECOFOOT violated its regulations, particularly in relation to political interference. The football body has been accused of dissolving the elected executive committee and establishing an ad hoc commission deemed illegitimate by FIFA.

Sylvain Samba, an executive board member of the Diable Noir Club, expressed his frustration over the dissolution of the committee. “To dismantle the COMEX, the collective of club presidents should have signed the petition. But the signatories were not the actual club presidents. Instead, there were forgers and impostors who likely faked signatures,” Samba said. “If Mayolas mismanaged the situation, he should answer to the right authorities—FIFA or CAF. Mayolas was duly elected.”

FIFA has set clear conditions for lifting the suspension: FECOFOOT must return its offices and facilities to the executive committee, undo any changes to the signatories of the federation’s bank accounts, and ensure the federation’s autonomy without external interference.

As tensions continue to rise, the future of Congolese football remains uncertain, with both the country’s footballing community and the international body calling for swift resolution to restore normalcy and legitimacy to the federation.

A federal judge has delivered a major blow to President Donald Trump and his ally, billionaire Elon Musk, halting plans to pull thousands of staffers from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Judge Carl Nichols issued a temporary order to stop the administration from placing workers on leave and forcing them to return to the U.S. within 30 days, citing potential risks and undue hardships for employees and their families abroad.

The decision comes amid ongoing efforts by the Trump administration to drastically reduce USAID’s operations, including suspending funding for critical overseas programmes. USAID workers, including contractors in regions like the Middle East, had reported being cut off from vital communication systems, such as emergency “panic button” apps, in the wake of the furloughs.

A New Hampshire man fought for the chance at a pig kidney transplant, spending months getting into good enough shape to be part of a small pilot study of a highly experimental treatment.

His effort paid off: Tim Andrews, 66, is only the second person known to be living with a pig kidney. Andrews is free from dialysis, Massachusetts General Hospital announced Friday, and recovering so well from the Jan. 25 transplant that he left the hospital a week later.

“When I woke up in the recovery room, I was a new man,” Andrews told The Associated Press.

Andrews’ surgery comes at a turning point in the quest to tell if animal-to-human transplants could help ease the shortage of donated human organs. The first four pig organ transplants – two hearts and two kidneys – were short-lived. But the fifth xenotransplant recipient, an Alabama woman not nearly as sick as prior patients, boosted the field — thriving for now 2½ months after a pig kidney transplant at NYU Langone Health in November.

Doctors are moving from one-off experiments to more formal studies. As they monitor Andrews’ recovery, doctors at Mass General Brigham have Food and Drug Administration permission to perform two additional transplants in their pilot study, using gene-edited pig kidneys supplied by biotech eGenesis.

And United Therapeutics, another developer of gene-edited pig organs, just won FDA approval for the world’s first clinical trial of xenotransplantation. Initially, six patients will receive pig kidneys – and if they fare well over six months, up to 50 additional patients will receive transplants.

“This is uncharted territory,” said Mass General’s Dr. Tatsuo Kawai, who led both Andrews’ surgery and the world’s first pig kidney transplant last year. But with lessons from animal research and the prior human attempts, he said, “I’m very optimistic. And hopefully we can get to survival, kidney survival, for over two years.”

Scientists are genetically altering pigs so their organs are more humanlike to address the transplant shortage. More than 100,000 people are on the U.S. transplant list, most who need a kidney, and thousands die waiting.

Andrews’ kidneys abruptly failed about two years ago, and the Concord, New Hampshire, grandfather struggled with fatigue and complications from dialysis. He’s on the transplant list but doctors warned it was a long shot. It can take seven years or more for people with Andrews’ blood type to find a matching kidney. Meanwhile, people slowly get sicker on dialysis — five-year survival is about 50% —- and Andrews already had had a heart attack.

“I have seen my mortality and I was ready to fight,” Andrews said. So he asked Mass General if he could get a pig kidney instead. “I told them. ‘Anything, I’ll do anything. You give me a list of things you want me to do and I’ll do it.’”

Mass General transplant nephrologist Dr. Leonardo Riella said Andrews was weak and struggling with diabetes, including a slow-healing diabetic foot ulcer that hindered walking. He’d have to get more fit to be a candidate.

Andrews started physical therapy and returned six months later about 30 pounds lighter and “running down the hallway almost,” Riella recalled. “He was just, you know, a different person,” so they started checking if he’d qualify for the pilot study.

One big question was cardiac fitness: Mass General’s first pig kidney recipient had underlying heart disease that killed him. But Riella said intense exams showed Andrews’ “heart was in the best shape possible.”

Still, Andrews was a little nervous and sought advice from the only other person who knew what a pig kidney transplant was like – the NYU patient, Towana Looney.

“We just prayed together and talked about how it would be,” Andrews said of their phone calls before and after his transplant. He said Looney advised “to just stay strong and that’s what I’m doing.”

Doctors said Andrews’ pig kidney turned pink and quickly began producing urine in the operating room, and since then has cleared waste normally with no signs of rejection. Andrews spent the week after his discharge in a nearby Boston hotel for daily checkups but is expected to return home to New Hampshire within days.

NYU transplant surgeon Dr. Robert Montgomery said patients like those in Mass General’s pilot study could be “the sweet spot” for early xenotransplants – not yet too sick from years of dialysis but unlikely to survive long enough for a human transplant.

“Those are the patients where it really makes sense for them to try something else,” said Montgomery. His hospital is one of two that will be part of United Therapeutics’ clinical trial later this year, which will include similar patients.

It’s too early to know how Andrews will fare but if the pig kidney were to fail, Riella said he’d still qualify for a human transplant and, now deemed inactive on the transplant list, wouldn’t lose his “waiting time” that helps determine priority.

Andrews now wants to return to his old dialysis clinic and “tell these people there’s hope, because no hope is not a good thing,” he said.

Two years have passed since a devastating earthquake struck southern Turkey, yet the grief remains raw for survivors. The magnitude 7.8 quake on February 6, 2023, followed by another powerful tremor, destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of buildings across 11 provinces, claiming over 53,000 lives in Turkey and 6,000 in northern Syria.

On Thursday, special prayers were recited in mosques, and survivors visited cemeteries, leaving carnations on graves and offering condolences. A minute of silence was observed at 04:17 a.m., the exact time the earthquake hit, with shouts of “can anyone hear me?” recalling past cries from beneath rubble President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently announced that 45% of replacement housing had been completed by the end of 2024, with a goal of delivering a further 452,983 homes, shops, and workspaces by the end of 2025. Jessie Thomson of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies noted that nearly half a million people still live in temporary container cities.

Marcelo, the Real Madrid great famous for his big hair and being one of the most decorated players in soccer history, announced his retirement on Thursday at the age of 36.

“My journey as a player ends here, but I still have so much to give to football. Thank you for everything,” the Brazilian said in a video on X.

A defender who excelled in attack, Marcelo had one of the most trophy-filled careers in soccer history thanks to his time at Madrid from 2007-22 and his return to boyhood Brazilian club Fluminense across 2023-24. He also played for Brazil at the World Cup in 2014 and ’18, and won Olympic medals in 2008 (bronze) and 2012 (silver).

At Madrid, he won the Champions League five times, the Spanish league six times and 25 titles in total.

“Marcelo is part of the history of Real Madrid and is one of the great legends of our club and of world football,” Madrid said.

Marcelo made the jump to Europe in 2006 when the Spanish powerhouse was in a slump. He went on to help Madrid forge one of the most successful periods in its history by flourishing in joining the attack in the spaces created by Cristiano Ronaldo on the left flank.

Ronaldo paid tribute to his old teammate, calling him a “brother.”

“My brother, what an incredible career!” Ronaldo wrote on X. “We went through a lot together. There were years of achievements, victories and unforgettable moments. More than a teammate, (you) a companion for my life. Thanks for everything, friend. I wish you all the best in this new stage of life.”

Marcelo made 546 appearances in 16 seasons before leaving the all-whites in 2022 after lifting his fifth European Cup. At that time, he had the most titles in club history. He has since been overtaken by Luka Modric and Nacho Fernández with 26 each.

After a brief spell with Olympiakos in Greece, Marcelo moved back to Fluminense — where he started his career — and won the Copa Libertadores.

In a significant move following the violent protests that rocked Senegal between 2021 and 2024, the government has announced a financial aid package for the families of those killed. Each family will receive 10 million CFA francs, described as an urgent first step by authorities. This assistance aims to support grieving families, many of whom are left with widows and orphans in dire circumstances. However, human rights organizations are calling for a full judicial process and the repeal of a controversial amnesty law, which currently shields those responsible for the deaths from prosecution. Sixty families are waiting for justice, having filed homicide complaints that are yet to be heard in court.

West Africa’s regional bloc known as ECOWAS is facing significant challenges after three junta-led countries formally quit the group, forming their own alliance and weakening the bloc’s standing and political authority.

The withdrawal of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso from the bloc — now left with 12 member countries  was the culmination of a yearlong period of talks and diplomatic efforts aimed at trying to get them to reverse their decision, announced in January 2024.

The departures were the first of its kind in the bloc’s 50-year history’s and analysts warn that a weaker ECOWAS could further undermine the increasingly fragile region.

What is ECOWAS and what does it do?

Widely seen as West Africa’s leading political and regional authority, the 15-nation bloc was formed in 1975 to “promote economic integration” among its member states. The bloc has also often collaborated with members to solve domestic challenges, from politics to economics and security.

The bloc guarantees its members visa-free travel and access to a more than $700 billion market for a population of around 400 million people.

However, in parts of West Africa, analysts say ECOWAS suffers from a legitimacy crisis, with citizens seeing it as representing only the interests of leaders and not theirs.

Why did the 3 junta-led countries leave?

Relations between ECOWAS and the coup-hit Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso began to deteriorate after the bloc imposed stringent sanctions on Niger to pressure its military to reverse the coup it had staged.

The bloc has long used sanctions as a key tool in trying to reverse coups but those imposed on Niger were the harshest yet. Neighbors shut borders with the country, cut off more than 70% of Niger’s electricity supply, suspended financial transactions and froze Niger’s assets held by the bloc.

The three countries called the sanctions “inhumane” and accused ECOWAS of “moving away from the ideals of its founding fathers and pan-Africanism.”

What changed after the three nations left?

After leaving ECOWAS, Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso created their own alliance known as the Alliance of Sahel States, or AES, named after the vast southern fringe of the Sahara Desert region.

The three severed military ties with longstanding Western partners, including the United States and France, and turned to Russia for military support.

ECOWAS has attempted to ease tensions with the AES, reversing last February the sanctions that the bloc had imposed and trying to revamp talks, which the AES rebuffed.

What happens now?

Although ECOWAS has said it would leave the doors open for the three nations to continue to enjoy benefits as other bloc members do, the three junta-led countries are launching their own travel documents for their citizens.

The bloc has also said that trade would continue as usual. Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso are still members of the West African Economic and Monetary Union — meaning trade and free movement of goods should continue among its eight-nation members. The monetary union includes the three junta-led countries as well as Senegal, Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau, Togo and Benin.

Officially, a six-month extension for talks between ECOWAS and the three countries expires in July, said Babacar Ndiaye, a political analyst at the West Africa-focused Wathi think tank. But there is little expectation that the AES countries would “reconsider their withdrawal,” Ndiaye said.

There are concerns a weakened ECOWAS would be unable to handle security crises spreading from the conflict-battered Sahel to coastal West African nations.

ECOWAS is also unlikely to be in a position to try and reverse the military takeovers in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. There will also likely be fewer investments in the three countries, which are among the region’s poorest, said Charlie Robertson, chief economist at Renaissance Capital.

At least 17 children were killed in a fire that broke out in an Islamic school in northwestern Nigeria, the country’s emergency response agency said, as authorities launched an investigation into the cause on Thursday.

The National Emergency Management Agency said in a statement that about 100 children were at the school when the fire broke out on Wednesday in the Kaura Namoda district of Zamfara state. Seventeen children were seriously injured and were being treated at different hospitals.

It was not immediately clear what caused the fire. Preliminary findings, however, suggest that the fire was caused by a stockpile of sticks used for oral hygiene, locally known as “kara,” which were gathered in the vicinity of the school, the agency said.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu commiserated with families of victims and urged schools to prioritize children’s safety.

Deadly school fires are not commonplace in Nigeria but past incidents have been blamed on government’s failure to enforce recommendations under Nigeria’s Safe School Initiative, which was formulated in 2014 to protect schools and students.

Tinubu ordered regulatory authorities to ensure compliance with the directive.

Last month, an improvised explosive device detonated at a school on the outskirts of Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, killing two people and injuring two others.

Inflation in Egypt drop to 23.0% in January, aided by a favourable base effect, as indicated by a poll published on Thursday.

The median estimate from 17 analysts suggested that annual urban consumer inflation would decrease from 24.1% in December to 23.0%.

The survey was conducted between February 3 and 6.

After increasing in August, September, and October, inflation fell in November and December and remains far below the peak of 38% recorded in September 2023.

Inflation fell in November and December after rising in August, September, and October.

It remains significantly lower than the record high of 38% reached in September 2023.

The surge in prices has been partly driven by a rapid increase in the money supply, with M2 money supply growing by a record 31.07% in 2024, according to central bank data.

The government statistics agency CAPMAS is set to release the inflation figures on Monday morning.

Six analysts forecast that core inflation will decline in January to 21.8%, down from 23.2% in December.