Simon Allison

The Continent | Africa The Continent is an award-winning African newspaper, designed to be read and shared on WhatsApp.

I'm in this week's issue of @thecontinent.org with some reporting from Tarkwa, among others.

The Goldbod is making its mark but until we get rigorous traceability, there will be questions about the environmental price we pay for its economic gains. Full issue here: www.thecontinent.org

The cover of The Continent features a powerful, unsettling political cartoon. It shows a giant, damaged statue of a Nigerian military general. The statue is cracked, stained with blood, and full of bullet holes, symbolising the collapse of state security. The general’s head is missing, and someone has placed a bright purple-and-yellow traditional cap on top of the neck stump. The statue’s right arm is raised in a salute. Hanging from that arm is the body of a person who has been lynched. On the statue’s shoulder sits a small man — his posture slumped, arms around his knees, head bowed. The base of the statue carries an inscription: “ARMED FORCES OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA.” All around the monument is violent chaos. The ground is littered with broken stone pieces from the statue, bones, papers, and bodies. Blood splatters cover the ground and parts of the monument. To the left, a masked man swings a bloodied machete at people who are cowering on the ground. On the right, armed men point rifles at terrified civilians; one person is shown attempting to flee. Near the bottom-right corner, two well-dressed men — one in ceremonial military dress, the other in a suit — exchange a briefcase, suggesting corruption even amid widespread violence. The statue’s broken head lies beside them, cracked and discarded. The headline reads: “Nigeria’s security is in shambles.” The illustration is by Gado.

All Protocol Observed

Welcome to Issue 221 of The Continent

Nigeria’s security crisis deepens: 26 girls abducted in Kebbi State, more kidnappings elsewhere, and a top general killed — symptoms of a long-running, underfunded, corruption-riddled breakdown.

More inside: bit.ly/221_TC

This is the illustrated cover of The Continent (dated 15 November 2025, Issue 220). At the top, the headline reads: “Mali’s junta is running out of gas.” The scene is set in a dry, dusty desert landscape. In the centre-left is an abandoned petrol station. Its roof is sagging, the windows are cracked, and thick cobwebs cover the fuel pumps. Two vultures perch on the roof, panting with their tongues hanging out. Near the petrol station lies a set of bleached animal bones — a full ribcage and skull. On the right side of the image is a donkey struggling under an impossible burden. On its back is a mountain of luggage: pots, suitcases, buckets, sacks, and rolled-up bedding. Five people cling to the donkey as passengers — men, women and a child — all looking worried, tired, or anxious. The donkey itself is sweating heavily, its eyes wide with strain. At the top of the luggage pile is a battered “TAXI” sign.

All Protocol Observed

Welcome to Issue 220 of The Continent

With insurgencies on the rise, Mali’s military rulers can’t secure a stable supply of fuel. Amid a growing crackdown on media, tankers are under attack, pumps are dry, and Bamako is grinding to a halt.

bit.ly/220_TC

L'hommage de Gado à Daumier 💔🇹🇿

you can get this via signal fyi

'The Continent' 219, 8 novembre 2025 :
- Réaction populaire et violence policière en Tanzanie.
- Contamination minière en Zambie.
- L'inégalité veuve/veuf au Bénin.
- Prêts d'aide ou nœud coulant contre les Africains ?
#Afrique

Heartbreaking reports out of Tanzania

I can't remember who sent me the link for this but I'm so glad it was pointed in my direction. Every Saturday. You get it for free in your WhatsApp

Tanzania | Issue 219 of The Continent reports Election Day marked by protests, an internet blackout and deadly force. Once back online, 37 readers from across the country shared what they witnessed during one of Tanzania’s darkest weeks.

Huge story in TZ right now that isn't getting nearly enough attention. Thousand(s?) dead and hundreds arrested after a "stunning" 98% victory for the incumbent.

The cover of The Continent, dated 8 November 2025 (Issue 219), bears the headline “Tanzania’s darkest week” and features a striking political cartoon by Gado that echoes Honoré Daumier’s 1831 caricature Gargantua. At the top, the masthead appears in bold black letters on a beige background. Below it, the illustration dominates the page. It shows a woman seated on a throne-like chair, drawn to resemble Tanzania’s leader. Her mouth is open wide, and a long wooden ramp extends from her mouth, down which small, faceless figures carry large sacks labeled “Corruption,” “Incompetence,” “Fear,” and “Election Fraud.” They march upward to feed these vices into her mouth, while behind them, a long line of weary people stretches toward the horizon, waiting their turn. To the left stands a sign reading “Abductions”, beside a huge pile of skulls — a chilling symbol of death and repression. Below, masked soldiers with rifles shoot civilians on a blood-spattered ground, surrounded by the bodies of the fallen. The entire scene conveys chaos, violence, and fear. The image is a nod to Daumier’s Gargantua, which depicted France’s King Louis-Philippe as a grotesque giant devouring the people’s wealth while rewarding his cronies. Here, that 19th-century metaphor of gluttonous tyranny is adapted to Tanzania’s present moment — portraying a leader who consumes corruption, fear, and human lives themselves.

All Protocol Observed

Welcome to Issue 219 of The Continent

Protests, an internet blackout, and deadly force marked Tanzania’s Election Day. Once online again, 37 readers shared what they witnessed.

Read their stories: bit.ly/219_TC

Subscribe | The Continent Subscribing to quality African journalism is easy and free.

You too can experience this. It's an excellent publication and free to subscribe: www.thecontinent.org/subscribe

Screenshot of a WhatsApp covnersation with The Continent. It shows a message reading "Send newspaper" at sent at 8:32 and a reply "Here's your copy" at 8:32 with a link to a PDF newspaper.

The wonders of modern technology: I can wake up, type "Send newspaper" into my phone and instantly receive a copy of @thecontinent.org.

Cover of this weekend's The Continent newspaper "Genocide resumes in Darfur as Sudan tears apart"

Screenshot of article by Khalid Elwalid in Khartoum "Sudan's split in two is now complete." Satellite imagery depicting destruction and possible dead included

Genocide resumes, reads this weekend's cover of @thecontinent.org, as El Fasher falls to the Rapid Support Forces after a year long siege.

Gruesome images of their killing spree that is estimated to have killed thousands, make the rounds. What Sudanese activists warned would happen is playing out.

A tale of two front pages.

Darfur. When i say i feel like my last quarter century of activism has been for naught...
bsky.app/profile/thec...

Si voleu notícies de l'Àfrica, que normalment no ens n'arriba res, @thecontinent.org m'està agradant molt. Mireu la resta de publicacions per articles més llargs!

This is the cover of The Continent, dated 1 November 2025, Issue 218. It’s illustrated by Wynona Mutisi. The headline reads: “Genocide resumes in Darfur as Sudan tears apart.” The artwork shows a map of Sudan and parts of surrounding countries. Within the map’s borders, two distinct regions are coloured differently — the western side (Darfur) in warm orange-brown tones, and the eastern side in soft purplish-pink. Both regions are filled with drawn faces of people, suggesting large populations. The faces in the orange-brown area look somber and weary, evoking suffering and displacement. The faces in the pink area appear calmer, though still serious.

All Protocol Observed

Welcome to Issue 218 of The Continent

El Fasher has fallen — the last Darfuri city to resist the Rapid Support Forces. After a 500-day siege, the Sudanese army withdrew, leaving 250,000 civilians at the mercy of genocidal militias.

bit.ly/218_TC

Thank you @lesothojohn.bsky.social!

I don't know why everyone isn't subscribing to The Continent tbh

i never thought i would find myself looking forward to a newspaper of all things, but i am many months in with reading @thecontinent.org and yeah- you should definitely pick this up.

Today @thecontinent.org essay shows the line between civilian Vs rebel is not a philosophical endeavor like Western media portrays it .
This quote sums it up!

“That night I realised this was no longer a political war – it was a campaign to exterminate my people. I decided to join the resistance.”

The Cover of The Continent Issue 217, showing an illustration of a boat on the Red Sea, with people drowning in the water below. It is headlined: Exodus - Why We Leave Tigray.

Screenshot of p16 of The Continent Issue 217, showing an illustration of a Tigrayan fighter and the flag on the background. And in the foreground a young writer on laptop. With the headline - The Exodus Out of Tigray.

"Another war looms, one that could pit Tigrayans against each other. I fought once to defend my people; I will not fight again
in a war that will destroy what remains. That is why I left."

@thecontinent.org

This is the cover of The Continent (Issue 217) dated 25 October 2025. It is illustrated by Gado. At the top, under a bright orange and yellow sky, a small wooden boat floats empty on calm water. The sun hangs low, casting warm light on the surface. Below the surface, the scene turns dark blue and heavy. Beneath the water, there are people sinking or swimming desperately — arms outstretched, bubbles rising from their mouths. Some are fully submerged, others are half-visible. Their clothes, bags, and papers drift around them, mixed with scattered objects. The headline at the bottom reads: “Exodus: Why we leave Tigray.”

All Protocol Observed

Welcome to Issue 217 of The Continent

Three years after the guns fell silent, Tigray is breaking. Its youth are fleeing, its hope fading. One writer retraces his path from citizen to fighter to exile — and the ghosts that follow.

bit.ly/217_TC

The image is the cover of The Continent, dated 18 October 2025, issue 216. At the top, there’s a yellow strip with the words “African Journalism.” The main image is an illustration of a Raila Odinga from the chest up. He has a serious, calm expression, dark brown skin, short black hair, and a mustache. He’s wearing a dark blue pinstripe suit, a white shirt, and a blue patterned tie. The headline on the left reads: “Kenya’s man of mystery bows out.” The background is a gradient of deep blue, fading from darker at the top to lighter in the middle. In small text at the bottom right, it credits the illustrators: CAPU Toons/Debunk.

All Protocol Observed

Welcome to Issue 216 of The Continent

Raila Odinga was nicknamed Agwambo, the “mystery man”. Over and over, through crisis after crisis – and handshake after handshake – Odinga would live up to that moniker. Now Kenya must reckon with life without him.

👉 bit.ly/216_TC

The Continent 27 SEPTEMBER 2025 | ISSUE 215 15 INVESTIGATION The Djiboutian massacre Ethiopia won’t acknowledge Djibouti drones killed eight people on the other side of its border with Ethiopia. Djibouti claimed they were terrorists. Ethiopia said nothing. This investigation found that some of the dead were Ethiopians, revealing another episode in Addis’s tendency to let its neighbours kill its citizens with impunity. Crossing the line: Djibouti’s bombs landed inside Ethiopia, killing civilians – not armed fighters. zecharias zelalem On 30 January this year, a drone manned from Djibouti dropped a bomb on a funeral gathering in Siyaru, a remote, semi-arid village near the Ethiopia Djibouti border. As rescuers rushed in, a second bomb dropped. And then a third. At least eight people were killed, including three children. Several others were injured. Given the village’s remoteness, the incident might have gone unreported if graphic images of the dead hadn’t spread across Ethiopian social media. A statement from the Djibouti’s defence ministry said the drone struck rebel fighters from the Front for the

Restoration of Unity and Democracy (Frud), a Djiboutian political party with a military wing. It has been fighting for Afar interests in Djibouti since the 1990s. The Afar are a community split by the colonial border separating Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Eritrea. “Eight terrorists were neutralised on site,” said a Djibouti military statement. “Unfortunately, collateral damage among Djiboutian civilians in the area has been documented.” International media, including Voice of America, Agence France Presse, and Radio France Internationale reported this version of events. Now, new findings from an open In recovery: Mariam Mohammed Abdullah was injured in the drone strike. source investigation by The Continent reveal a different reality. The bombs landed inside Ethiopia, not in Djibouti, and civilians – not armed fighters – were killed. That distinction matters. It shows Ethiopia is once again tolerating a foreign military targeting its own citizens, as it did with Eritrea during the Tigray conflict. A transparent lie Even before the ink could dry on the Djiboutian military’s statement, The Addis Standard and human rights groups in Djibouti were emphatic that the strike had actually occurred inside Ethiopia’s Afar region. But Alexis Mohamed, an adviser to Djiboutian President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, rubbished these reports in now-deleted social media posts. The Continent got to work to figure out what really happened. Over the course of eight months, we collected eyewitness testimonies, interviewed human rights activists in Ethiopia and Djibouti, and examined images and footage from the strike. Our findings align with those of Djiboutian activists, who pinpointed Siyaru in Ethiopia’s Afar region as the site of the strike. The ammunition residue found on the night of the strike confirms the bomb was manufactured by Roketsan, a state run weapons manufacturer in Türkiye. Former US army explosives expert Trevor Ball identified t…

THREAD: this investigation took up over half my year, but it's here in @thecontinent.org:
A Djiboutian drone strike in January was depicted as a army operation targeting rebels. It was actually a massacre of civilians. The bloodshed & coverup implicating Ethiopia, Djibouti, France & Turkiye.
#OSINT

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