The signing of a peace initiative between DRC and Rwanda in the United States follows negotiations by both parties in Doha a few days prior. Angola’s President, João Lourenҫo, and Kenya’s retired president, Uhuru Kenyatta, have also been at the forefront in facilitating peace talks through the Luanda/Nairobi Process.

Renowned Congolese Professor V. Y. Mudimbe passed away on April 21, 2025. Through his influential works, including The Invention of Africa and The Idea of Africa, Mudimbe has been a pillar for generations of Africanists, challenging colonial representations of African societies in philosophy, international relations, and African Studies. Most recently, he was the Newman Ivey White Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Literature at Duke University.

• A group of priests in Ethiopia is working to preserve the Ge’ez, an ancient religious language that dates back to the 5th century AD. Ge’ez is written using materials from the natural environment, such as black ink from the soil, bamboo ink pens, and wax from acacia trees to develop various texts.
• As South Africa prepares to host the G20 and U20 Summits later this year, various advocacy groups are working to ensure local communities are not overlooked in national plans to revitalize the city of Johannesburg.
• Construction work on a high-speed railway line in Morocco has begun. The project aims to reduce travel time across various cities, like Kenitra and Marrakech, as well as improve connections to major hubs—for example, from Rabat to Mohammed V International Airport—while also boosting economic growth.

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Image: V. Y. Mudimbe on 20 June 2013 at the Botanical Garden of the University of Coimbra, in Coimbra, Portugal. Photo credit: Alice CES, CC BY-SA 3.0