‘They ordered me to undress’: From Nigeria to Italy, surviving rape | Refugees

‘They ordered me to undress’: From Nigeria to Italy, surviving rape | Refugees

Twenty-five-year-old Naomi Iwelu is now settled, living in a room in the centre of Catania, Sicily. Here she recounts the robberies, betrayals and rape she experienced on her journey from Benin, Nigeria. It was her mother’s death, four years after her father’s, that prompted Naomi to quit school and leave…

US opioid crisis: Hope for new approach as naloxone machines spread in 2023 | Drugs News

US opioid crisis: Hope for new approach as naloxone machines spread in 2023 | Drugs News

Washington, DC – It was a hot summer day in July when Shekita McBroom received a phone call from a local hair salon. The stylist on the other end of the line urgently needed a resupply — not of hair dye or shampoo, but of the overdose-reversal drug naloxone. Commonly…

‘You either quit or abide’: A Liberian rapper refugee surviving on music | Refugees

‘You either quit or abide’: A Liberian rapper refugee surviving on music | Refugees

Theophylline Mulbah has had a long journey to Tunisia, but he’s found hope — and music — along the way. Theophylline Mulbah is in no rush. “I have things to do here,” he says from a rain-soaked alleyway in central Tunis. “I am seriously pursuing my musical career. I am…

Arkadag FC all-conquering in a bizarre football season in Turkmenistan | Football

Arkadag FC all-conquering in a bizarre football season in Turkmenistan | Football

There is a new power in Central Asian football and, a year ago, it did not even exist. Turkmenistan’s Arkadag FC kicked their first-ever ball in a competitive game just in April with a 2-1 win over Merw in the country’s top division. They then strolled to the league title…

Economic downturn punctures joy of festive season in Nigeria | Business and Economy

Economic downturn punctures joy of festive season in Nigeria | Business and Economy

Lagos, Nigeria – Chinenye Ikechukwu’s Decembers are usually dotted with concerts, parties, and restaurant and beach outings with friends. But this year, the 27-year-old resident of Yaba in Lagos has stayed mostly at home due to the economic downturn plaguing Africa’s largest economy. The rising cost of living and soaring…

‘No way to leave’: Sudan paramilitary traps civilians in breadbasket state | Conflict News

‘No way to leave’: Sudan paramilitary traps civilians in breadbasket state | Conflict News

When Sudan’s second largest city, Wad Madani, fell to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on December 18, Afnan Hind and her family fled to a nearby town to stay with relatives. But the paramilitary group came there too and prevented residents from leaving. Hind and her family were trapped by…

‘Collective punishment’: Ethiopia drone strikes target civilians in Amhara | Armed Groups

‘Collective punishment’: Ethiopia drone strikes target civilians in Amhara | Armed Groups

Weeks after a deadly drone attack on November 30 killed five civilians in the town of Wegel Tena in Ethiopia’s Amhara region about 570km (350 miles) north of the capital, Addis Ababa, a witness is still reeling from the trauma. “It’s extremely difficult to even describe the scene of the…

In Zimbabwe, a small publisher that helped launch big voices shuts down | Arts and Culture

In Zimbabwe, a small publisher that helped launch big voices shuts down | Arts and Culture

Harare, Zimbabwe – In 2006, a small but supportive publisher helped Zimbabwean author Valerie Tagwira make the transition from doctor to published author, picking up her first novel, The Uncertainty of Hope. Then based in the United Kingdom, Tagwira had sent out her manuscript to UK and Australian publishers and…

‘Piles of body parts’: Gaza’s Maghazi residents find families ‘in pieces’ | Israel-Palestine conflict

‘Piles of body parts’: Gaza’s Maghazi residents find families ‘in pieces’ | Israel-Palestine conflict

Deir el-Balah, Gaza Strip – It has been four days since Gaza’s smallest refugee camp was pounded in yet another series of Israeli air strikes, but Palestinians there are still digging up the bodies of their loved ones from under the rubble. The onslaught in central Gaza’s Maghazi late on…