All Protocol Observed Welcome to Issue 178 of The Continent. His aides insist that Paul Biya, the nonagenarian president of Cameroon, is not dead. But he's not been seen in public for weeks, and he was already starting to look a bit frail. Cameroonians are worried: not so much for the longtime president himself, who is not especially popular, but for the future of a fragile country that has no clear succession plan – and lots of hungry pretenders. Read it here: https://bit.ly/TC178

Cabo Verdeans first arrived in Argentina in the late 19th century to work in the whaling fleets. Later migrations followed in the 1920s and 30s, with another surge during Cabo Verde’s devastating 1946-48 famine.

Dock Sud, Buenos Aires

The City of Fury’s harbour district is a home away from home for Cabo Verde’s diaspora in Argentina

Big Pic Holy waters: Oromo Ethiopians in Addis Ababa this Saturday past splash themselves with water to mark Irreecha, the annual festival held to express gratitude for the blessings of Waaqa, the creator. Photo: Michele Spatari/AFP

The better question is why the hell do US journalists go to the political circus, asks Patrick Gathara.

The ‘Better Question’ is …

Why the hell do US journalists go to the political circus?

Galamsey is the popular Ghanaian term for what used to be small-scale artisanal gold mining. It is now often mechanised, illegal and perceived to be clandestinely bankrolling political bigwigs. #StopGalamseyNow

Akufo-Addo has dug himself into a political hole

Ghana’s president has failed to keep a promise to end illegal ‘galamsey’ gold-mining – and protesters are not letting him forget it.

Nearly 740 drone strikes have been conducted on African soil since the very first one that the US military conducted in Libya 13 years ago. Driven by fighting in Sudan, drone warfare on the continent has escalated dramatically in the past two years.

Combat drones are changing how war is waged in Africa

Nearly 740 drone strikes have been conducted on African soil since the very first one that the US military conducted in Libya 13 years ago.

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In February, somewhere in northwestern Ethiopia, more than 30 civilians were killed in a drone strike. But amid official denials and the fog of an underreported war, it was impossible to pinpoint the location of the massacre. After an exhaustive investigation, we can tell war crimes investigators exactly where to look.

Ethiopia: We knew a massacre had taken place. But we did not know where – until now

In February, somewhere in northwestern Ethiopia, more than 30 civilians were killed in a drone strike. But amid official denials it was impossible ...

All Protocol Observed. Welcome to Issue 177 of The Continent. In this week's issue: Geolocating a massacre in Ethiopia with @npub1q5eh...39hj. Digging for gold in Ghana. And a little bit of Africa in Buenos Aires. Read it here: https://bit.ly/TC177

Half a century ago, as its empire crumbled, Britain held tight to the Chagos archipelago, which straddles one of the world’s most important maritime trading routes. The fading imperial power leased one of the islands, Diego Garcia, to the United States for a military base. Its inhabitants were brutally evicted and dumped in Mauritius and the Seychelles, with little more than the bags they could carry.

Chagos Islanders confront their postcolonial future

Some Chagossians wonder if they are just trading one coloniser for another.