For those living in Goma, which has been captured by Rwanda-backed rebels, there is little water, little food and much uncertainty.

Rebels backed by Rwanda are seizing huge tracts of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The rebels, known as M23, say they are protecting ethnic Tutsis, the minority group massacred in a 1994 genocide. But experts say the real reason is Congo’s rare minerals, which power our phones and devices. Ruth Maclean, New York Times West Africa bureau chief, explains how the rebels and their patrons in Rwanda are profiting from the conflict.

When a scientist received a video of a spotted hyena in the southern part of his country, he thought someone was playing a trick on him.

On the fringes of an African game park, an ambitious project brings together tourists, local communities and white rhinos, emerging from the brink of extinction.

Kenya’s “Boda Girls” are turning a male-dominated industry upside down. Their favored customers are pregnant women needing rides to the hospital.

Patients and health care advocates said the abrupt decision to halt U.S. funding for a lifesaving H.I.V. program led to widespread confusion. The backtracking didn’t help.

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger accused the bloc of having double standards in punishing their military juntas. Negotiations failed to change their minds.

The Italian prime minister announced the investigation on social media, saying, “I cannot be blackmailed.”

A conflict that has raged for decades reached a flashpoint this week when rebels backed by Rwanda marched on a key Congolese city in a bid to occupy territory and exploit minerals.

The militia seized the pivotal city of Goma, threatening a new humanitarian crisis in a region that has suffered decades of fighting.

Many blame the United States, France and other allies for allowing neighboring Rwanda to fuel a conflict in the country’s east.

One doctor is showing nurses, teachers and parents how to spot eye problems, many of which can be easily treated. Surgery, and even just glasses, can be life-changing, and keep kids in school.

Martin Kimani, a former Kenyan diplomat, said his past work positions him to build on the Africa Center’s diverse programming that goes beyond art.

The M23 militia, funded and directed by Rwanda, said it took the city of Goma, terrifying its people, many of whom sought shelter there after fleeing the rebel advance.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s orders could force many groups working on global aid to stop their programs. And the White House has approved sending more 2,000-pound bombs to Israel.

The last two towns before Goma, a provincial capital in Congo’s east, have just fallen to M23 rebels. They last captured the city in 2012.

Libya deported more than 600 men from Niger last month as North African countries — financed by the European Union to tackle migration — have ramped up expulsions of sub-Saharan Africans.

Humans are known to invent private hand gestures. Chimps in the wild do, too, a new study suggests.

The singer, guitarist and composer released heralded music in the 1970s and early ’80s before retreating. The label Jazz Is Dead is boosting his rediscovery.

A new ecosystem of publishers, bookstores, literary magazines and festivals is promoting African writers and changing the stories told about the region.