Huge crowds of mourners in Kenya fled screaming after police fired gunshots and tear gas in a stadium where they had gathered to see the body of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Four people were reportedly killed in the chaos as security officers sought to disperse the surging crowds.
It is not yet clear whether the police used live ammunition or rubber bullets in the arena, which is located in the capital Nairobi.
Odinga’s body was flown back from India, where he died on Wednesday morning, with thousands of people waiting at the airport. The public viewing finally began in the evening, after the chaos in the stadium had subsided.
The throngs of people at the country’s main airport forced the authorities to briefly suspend flights.
The authorities said mourners had gained access to restricted areas, prompting a “precautionary closure” that lasted about two hours.
From the airport, thousands of people moved in a procession to escort the vehicle carrying the body to the stadium, about 10km (six miles) from the city centre.
Because of the unexpectedly large crowds, the public viewing ceremony for Odinga’s body was moved to Nairobi’s Moi International Sports Centre in the Kasarani neighbourhood, rather than inside the parliament building where it was initially scheduled to take place.
The convoy arrived to a packed stadium, with more people waiting outside.
Minutes afterwards, a large crowd breached a gate in the arena, prompting the police to fire tear gas. Masses of mourners rushed towards the exits in response.
A BBC reporter at the scene also saw men in civilian clothing beating protesters with batons.
At least three people were visibly injured and one had a serious head wound, the AFP news agency reported.
After the chaos settled, dignitaries and government officials – including Kenyan President William Ruto – were able to observe the coffin, befopre the public viewing began.
A stream of supporters had earlier gathered at Lee Funeral Home, where the body was first expected, and around parliament.
“I came here at six in the morning. We have been at the airport to welcome Baba [Odinga’s nickname],” one mourner had told the BBC near the airport.
“We are sad, we have been left as orphans. He is our father.”
Motorcycle rider William Otieno Adoyo said he was a “Baba die-hard”.
“We want to see Baba, how do we know it’s him in the casket? Let them show us and we’ll be contented,” he told the BBC.
Mourners have been carrying twigs and palm branches, a symbol of mourning and grief among the Luo ethnic group that Odinga belonged to.
The state funeral will be held at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi on Friday and on Saturday his body will be transported to Kisumu, a city in western Kenya on the shores of Lake Victoria – his political stronghold.
Members of the public will get a chance to view the body before he is buried on Sunday at his farm in Bondo, about 60km west of Kisumu.
According to the family, it was Odinga’s wish to be laid to rest within the shortest time possible, ideally within 72 hours.
The 80-year-old former prime minister collapsed during a morning walk in India on Wednesday morning and he was taken to Devamatha Hospital, about 50km (30 miles) east of the port city of Kochi.
A seven-day period of mourning has been declared. Odinga will also be accorded a state funeral with full military honours, President Ruto said.
He was towering figure in Kenyan politics and for many years was the country’s main opposition leader, losing five presidential campaigns, most recently three years ago.
Odinga repeatedly said he was cheated of victory, citing the manipulation of votes.
Additional reporting by Akisa Wandera and Basillioh Rukanga in Nairobi
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[Getty Images/BBC]
Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.
NAIROBI, Kenya—The Kenyan government is using special antiterrorism courts—established with U.S. money to combat al Qaeda—to threaten political dissidents with decades in prison.
Prosecutors have charged 75 Kenyans with terrorism in recent weeks, the majority for allegedly destroying government property during street demonstrations against President William Ruto.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — At a recent opening of the newest Rastafari place of worship just outside Kenya’s capital, some of the faithful gathered to sing rhythmic songs, read Scripture and exchange teachings on the appropriate way to live.
The rare event — opening a tabernacle made of wooden poles and roofed with iron sheets — illustrated the community’s expanding ranks in a country where until recently Rastafari was not considered a legitimate religion.
Things changed in 2019 with a court ruling in favor of a petitioner who cited discrimination when her school demanded that she cut her dreadlocks, often preferred by those who follow the Rastafari religion.
The student’s refusal to cut her locks had resulted in her expulsion from school, but the High Court ruled Rastafari was a legitimate religion that should be protected, a ruling later affirmed by the Supreme Court.
A history of the religion
Across the world, the faithful are known as Rastafarians, members of the movement launched in 1930 with the coronation in Ethiopia of Ras Tafari Mekonnen as Emperor Haile Selassie I. Rastafarians believe Selassie was the final incarnation of the biblical Jesus, and during his reign many Rastafarians made pilgrimage to the Horn of Africa nation. For Rastafarians, Ethiopia was a symbol of pride for its unbroken resistance to colonizers and Selassie was Jah, the deity.
Selassie was removed from power in a 1974 coup by a military junta. He died a year later. But the movement inspired by his rise to power in Ethiopia survives in countries ranging from the United States to Ghana.
A religious minority in Kenya
It is unclear how many people identify as Rastafari in Kenya, a country dominated by Christians and Muslims. At least 30 Rastafarians came to the tabernacle opening in Ruai, some 25 kilometers (15 miles) east of Nairobi, last month.
In Kenya, the movement is set up under three “mansions” or branches: Nyabinghi, Bobo Ashanti and The Twelve tribes of Israel. The “mansions” represent small groups of Rastafarians who meet to worship together. Unlike traditional places of worship that are housed in architect-designed permanent structures, a Rastafari tabernacle is built with wooden poles, roofed with iron sheets and decorated in the unmistakable Rastafari colors of red, yellow and green.
Rastafarians around the world have a reputation for their unique Afrocentric spirituality, and they are generally known to be peace advocates. They oppose oppression and gravitate to music and art. The Jamaican reggae singer Bob Marley was a famous Rastafari.
There are challenges, including those that stem from misunderstandings about the religion. Across East Africa, Rastafarians are often stereotyped as lazy and indulging in prohibited substances like marijuana. Known to Rastafarians as ganja, marijuana is an important item in religious ceremonies.
Rastafarians share their experience practicing the faith
The community has been growing in Kenya, attracting mostly young people.
Ng’ang’a Njuguna, a Rastafari elder in the Nyabinghi mansion of Kenya, describes Rastafari as not just a religion but a way of life.
“It is a spiritual way of life,” he said. “That is why we connect with nature, we connect with animals, we connect with every living being because Rastafari is all about the spiritual world.”
Fedrick Wangai, 26, is one of the newest members. He converted six years ago in what he described as his emancipation from Western religion.
“I grew up in a Christian setup and I ended up questioning the faith because it was made by the white man who was the colonial master of my forefathers,” he said. “Growing up for me in that religion was very difficult for me because I believe it brought division to the Black people.”
Christine Wanjiru, a 58-year-old who became a Rastafarian in 1994, making her one of the oldest members of her community, recalled that being one once was difficult as it often attracted discrimination and stigma.
“Back then, there was a lot of stigma and discrimination against Rastafari,” she said. “Most people never saw Rastafari as a good thing or a spiritual thing, from family members to the government, the police, all round. But we endured and we are here today.”
She added, however, that since then “more brethren have received this light and have come to Rastafari.”
Ng’ang’a Njuguna, an elder in the Nyabinghi mansion, says the movement has been growing largely because of interest from young Kenyans.
“They have that fire, they like how Rasta people carry themselves, how Rasta people live,” he said. “Our diet, art and skills.”
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Associated Press writer Rodney Muhumuza in Kampala, Uganda, contributed to this report.
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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Some are well-worn warnings as familiar as the changing of seasons. Others are slow burns that end with a bang. Still others are just plain eerie.
Stories of spiritual entities, paranormal activity and creepy cryptids are passed through generations the world over, becoming local legends that only sometimes reach across borders and cultures.
So if the sordid tales you grew up with no longer make you shiver, it’s time to reanimate your roster with global tales of ghosts, hauntings, and petrifying processions.
With Halloween nigh, and the season in many parts of the world ripe for campfires and spooky stories, people gravitate toward fear even in a complex and sometimes scary world. Here are some favorites — lore and fiction, with maybe some truth sprinkled throughout — that The Associated Press gathered from its journalists around the planet:
A visitor dressed in a ghost costume at Goosebump market as a part of Halloween festival in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
China: The corpse walkers
A visitor dressed in a ghost costume at Goosebump market as a part of Halloween festival in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
A street sign for Balete Drive is seen in Quezon City, Philippines, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Dogs walk in a dimly lit portion of supposedly haunted Balete Drive in Quezon City, Philippines, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Roberto Perez, a 53-year-old who works part-time near Balete Drive, is seen here in Quezon City, Philippines, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
An effigy is seen near a railway track where two commuter trains collided in 1987, killing 139 people, in Bintaro, Indonesia, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
A young girl walks next to a railway track near the scene of a 1987 train collision that killed 139 people in Bintaro, Indonesia, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
Motorists ride near a railway track where two commuter trains collided in 1987, killing 139 people, in Bintaro, Indonesia, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
A woman walks in an important Brazilian historical construction from the 18th century named Arco do Teles, in Rio de Janeiro, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. (Bruna Prado/AP Photo)
If you were out on the road in China in the old days — if you believe the stories, that is — you might have encountered a strange procession.
First, a man carrying a white paper lantern and scattering fake paper money ahead of them, chanting, “Yo ho, yo ho.” Then, a towering, hooded black figure wearing a ghastly mask and marching in an awkward, wooden gait. Bringing up the rear, another man guiding the giant by touch, perhaps with a black cat.
They were corpse walkers — and the giant was the corpse.
Bad things happen when someone gets buried far from home: Without descendants to feed their spirit and keep their grave clean, they’ll have a hard time settling in. They could even come back as a hungry ghost. So when a traveler died, the family would hire people who knew the strange art of walking a stiff body home.
When interviewer Liao Yiwu asked about memories of corpse walkers in the 2000s, some said they’d use a black cat to imbue the body with static electricity to make it walk. Others said there was a third man hiding under the cloak and giving the corpse a piggyback ride.
People kept their distance, he wrote, but the corpse walkers were always welcome at inns because they paid three times the normal rate and were said to bring good luck.
— By David Cohen in Bangkok
France: The legend of St. Denis
One of France’s oldest spooky legends is also one of its most gruesome, because it involves a walking headless corpse.
Said to have been Paris’ first bishop, Denis — later St. Denis — went on to lend his name to what is now the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, famous for its magnificent basilica, its soccer stadium and the Olympic village that housed athletes during the Paris Games.
The third-century Roman rulers of what was then Gaul were apparently less than thrilled that Denis and companions Rustique and Éleuthère were making converts. Even after tossing them in prison, Denis continued to celebrate Mass. In some accounts, Denis suffered all manner of unspeakable tortures to make him renounce his faith — not just run-of-the-mill flagellation, but also mauling by famished wild beasts and being locked in a scorching oven.
Eventually, the three were sentenced to death and beheaded.
Legend has it that Denis’ corpse, lifted by two angels, picked up his severed head and walked from the Mount of Martyrs — the supposed execution site now called Montmartre — for about 6 kilometers (nearly 4 miles) before collapsing in the village of Catulliacum, now the town of Saint-Denis.
In Montmartre today, Suzanne Buisson Square has a statue of St. Denis holding his head, which he is said to have washed in the waters of a fountain there before staggering away with it.
— By John Leicester in Paris
Mongolia: The death worm
Slithering beneath the vast dunes of the Gobi Desert, legend has it, is the monstrous Mongolian Death Worm. It kills prey by squirting lethal venom and can even electrocute from a distance. So goes the folklore that has since inspired depictions of deadly giant worms in movies and fiction. In Mongolia, the creature is known as olgoi khorkhoi, which roughly translates as “intestine worm.”
The critter became known abroad after American paleontologist and explorer Roy Chapman Andrews wrote about it in his 1926 book, “On the Trail of Ancient Man: A Narrative of the Field Work of the Central Asiatic Expeditions.” During a meeting with the Mongolian premier, Andrews was asked to capture a specimen of the giant worm.
“None of those present ever had seen the creature, but they all firmly believed in its existence and described it minutely,” he wrote. “It is shaped like a sausage about two feet long, has no head nor legs and is so poisonous that merely to touch it means instant death.”
Some believe the lore began with a more common animal — a snake called the Tartar sand boa. Others, undeterred, believe the giant worms exists. Subsequent expeditions have yet to yield any proof.
— By Emily Wang Fujiyama in Beijing
Brazil: Bárbara of the Pleasures
It’s the turn of the 19th century, and colonial Rio de Janeiro is bustling. There are merchants, vendors, enslaved people, sailors — and a Portuguese immigrant, about 20 years old, named Bárbara. Legend says she stabbed her sleeping husband to run off with a lover, who then began exploiting her. Bárbara killed him, too, and was on her own.
As the story goes, she turned to sex work inside the Teles Arch. The dank, dark passage led off the plaza where the Portuguese emperor sat, and members of the royal court became faithful clients of the beautiful courtesan known as Bárbara of the Pleasures.
But age and disease caught up to her. One chronicler, Hermeto Lima, wrote in 1921 of a hole in Bárbara’s nose, her bulging eyes, scratched eyelids and skeletal hands.
To rejuvenate, Bárbara started washing with animal blood. When that failed, it’s said, she used blood from infants abandoned in the Wheel of the Exposed — the revolving compartment for foundlings outside a Catholic institution. Between 1738 and 1848, 20,966 babies were left in the wheel, according to text of an imperial ministry report provided by Esther Arantes, a retired professor in the infancy department of the State University of Rio de Janeiro.
Paulo Knauss, 58, director of the Museum of the Brazilian Historical and Geographical Institute, shows how to use the “wheel of the exposed” or “wheel of the foundlings,” a 1738 mechanism used to deposit newborns for charitable institutions, at the Museum of the Brazilian Historical and Geographical Institute in Rio de Janeiro, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)
A “wheel of the exposed” or “wheel of the foundlings,” a 1738 mechanism used to deposit newborns for charitable institutions, is seen at the Museum of the Brazilian Historical and Geographical Institute in Rio de Janeiro, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)
Arantes’ archival research yielded no evidence of Bárbara, but Rio’s rumor mill claimed otherwise:
Whenever someone brought a baby to the wheel, “the miserable woman, like a toad, came out from her hiding place, and ran to steal the child,” Lima wrote, adding Bárbara would make sure to drip its blood upon her leprous ulcers.
Bárbara disappeared, but her story lingers. Word is that she still prowls Teles Arch by night, surviving on the blood of babes.
The “madam” in question often walked around hostels with her red heels, especially at night, the sound of “koi koi” trailing behind her. You dare not come out if anyone raised an alarm that they heard the sound. Sometimes horrified students ran out and hostels were shut until morning, or even for days.
The backstory? No one knows for sure, but one popular theory was that she was fired as a teacher and died days later — vengeful, jobless and sad.
— By Dyepkazah Shibayan in Abuja, Nigeria
Britain: The Talbot Hotel
A sobbing woman. Ghostly, dressed in white — or, sometimes, black. And a storied oak staircase with royal connections.
The spooky stories revolve around a staircase that still stands at The Talbot Hotel in Oundle — a United Kingdom market town about 85 miles (135 kilometers) north of London that’s been around since the 1500s.
Mary, Queen of Scots — rival to England’s Queen Elizabeth I — is said to have descended the very same flight of steps on the way to her execution in 1587. But at the time, the multilevel structure was part of nearby Fotheringhay Castle, the site of Mary’s beheading.
Nearly four decades later, the Talbot was rebuilt using stones and other material salvaged from the abandoned Fotheringhay — including the castle’s storied staircase.
Guests and staff have reported seeing a ghostly woman on the stairs, and some have said they heard sobbing in the wee hours — all thought to be the doomed queen. The Associated Press has visited several times and can confirm quality coffee and cakes, but not the presence of ghosts.
— By Laurie Kellman in London
Indonesia: Ghosts of the Bintaro train tragedy
The Bintaro train tragedy of October 1987 is well known in Indonesia. The head-on collision between two commuter trains in the southern area of Jakarta is considered one of the deadliest train accidents in the country’s history.
The collision killed 139 passengers, giving rise to many mystical stories around the railway.
In the 37 years since the crash, many local residents and railway workers have reported seeing apparitions of people dressed in old, bloodstained clothing, wandering near the tracks where the tragedy took place. As the local urban legend goes, these ghostly figures are believed to be the spirits of those who perished in the accident and remain unable to move on to the afterlife. Some people also say there was a figure wandering around and looking for his body parts.
In 2013, another train accident happened at the same track, only 200 meters (yards) from the 1987 accident. The commuter train hit a petrol truck in the crossing gate, killing seven people, including the train engineer.
— By Edna Tarigan in Jakarta, Indonesia
Japan: Yotsuya Kaidan
One of Japan’s most famous kaidan, or ghost stories, is named after the area in Tokyo where the tragic story takes place. Called Yotsuya Kaidan, it’s an unforgettable tale of that archetypal powerless woman whose only recourse for revenge against the man who betrays her love is to become a ghost.
Oiwa, a beautiful woman and wife of the handsome but heartless samurai Iemon, is weak after giving birth to their baby. Iemon is having an affair, and the other woman, seeking to make sure Iemon dumps Oiwa, tricks her into taking poison, thinking it’s medicine, so her face becomes disfigured.
Written in the 19th century and staged as various Kabuki plays and made into dozens of movies, a particularly scary scene is that moment when Oiwa discovers her horrible transformation, a telling moment that speaks volumes about human vanity and frailty. When she combs her hair before a mirror, it falls out in clumps. She sees her twisted, discolored face and cries out: “Is this my face? Is this my face?”
After Oiwa dies, she haunts Iemon, appearing everywhere — perhaps merely his delusion. Iemon is eventually driven to madness.
— By Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo
Kenya: The legend of Ngong Hills
In Kenya, a Maasai folktale about an ogre who used to raid villages for food is told to children. It goes like this:
The ogre lived deep in the forest and would raid neighboring villages to kill cattle — the Maasai community’s symbol of wealth — despite many warriors keeping guard.
The ogre fell in love with a beautiful Maasai woman named Sanayian and he transformed into a Maasai warrior to win her heart. He then revealed his real identity to Sanayian — who then told the warriors. The warriors, using Sanayian as a bait, speared the ogre while he was meeting with his love.
Even after he transformed back into an ogre, he could not survive. He fell and died. His five fingers, it is said, formed the five peaks that are the present-day Ngong Hills, in the outskirts of the capital, Nairobi, and a popular hiking destination.
— By Evelyne Musambi in Nairobi, Kenya
The Philippines: The ghost on Balete Drive
Ask anyone in Manila about Balete Drive and many will associate it with the mysterious “white lady” who appears at night.
The street, named after trees that used to line its sidewalks in suburban Quezon city, has been the subject of scary stories that have been told and retold since the 1950s. There are claims that a beautiful woman with long hair dressed in white would sometimes suddenly appear at night — then just disappear without a trace.
It is said that the sightings were reported by taxi drivers working on late-night shifts. Some claim she would appear asking for a ride and then suddenly disappear from the passenger seat as the vehicle moves. Others say her image would appear at the rearview mirror of drivers driving alone and vanish just as quickly.
“I haven’t seen her,” says 53-year-old Roberto Perez, who works part-time near Balete Drive, “but when I pass there between midnight to about 1:30, I get goosebumps, so I just quickly turn to another street.”
The tale’s origins are unknown. There are varying accounts why the ghost appears along Balete Drive, but the most common story is that decades ago, a girl died due to a car accident along the street. Horror movies in the Philippines have been produced based on this urban legend.
— By Celine Rosario in Bangkok and Aaron Favila in Manila, Philippines
Hungary: The marble bride
Through the branches of stately trees on a leafy avenue in Hungary’s capital, passersby can spot an unusual figure keeping solemn watch from above: the statue of a woman with a mournful expression peering from a stone balcony.
The sculpture, known as the “marble bride,” is unlike any of the other frescoes on surrounding buildings in Budapest, and the mystery of its presence has produced legends going back nearly a century.
In one, a young couple shared an apartment in the building when the husband was called to fight in World War I. The wife waited patiently on the balcony each day for his return, and when a letter arrived with news of his death on the front, the woman died of a broken heart.
But the letter had been mistaken. When the husband returned home and found his wife had died, he had a sculpture carved in her honor and placed where she had spent so many days faithfully waiting.
Another legend says that the husband never returned from the war and, unable to accept his death, the woman stayed waiting on the balcony and eventually turned to stone, and still waits today for a reunion that will never come.
— By Justin Spike in Budapest, Hungary
Thailand: Lady Nak of Phra Khanong
Bangkok is home to one of Thailand’s most famous pieces of folklore: the tragic love of Mae Nak, or the Lady Nak of Phra Khanong.
The young and pregnant Nak was waiting for her husband, Mak, to come back from war to their home on the banks of Phra Khanong canal. Nak and her baby died during childbirth, but Mak still came home to see them waiting. With his unwavering love, Mak rejected warnings that Nak was a ghost until he saw her stretching her arm from the upper-floor porch to the ground to pick up a lime. He fled, and Nak started terrorizing the town in grief and fury.
In one variation of the story’s ending, Nak was stopped either by a shaman who captured her in a clay jar, or a powerful Buddhist monk who performed a rite to rest her spirit in peace.
The story has been reinterpreted into dozens of movies, with the critically acclaimed 1999 version becoming the first Thai movie to gross over 100 million baht — about $2.7 million at the time. The shrine dedicated to Nak at Wat Mahabut, the temple where her body is believed to be buried, is famous for worshippers seeing their prayers about love and children being answered.
In some African cultures, the combination of rain and sunshine means that a leopard and a lioness have given birth to a cub.
I was hoping that this was the case as we traversed Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve in a four-wheel drive jeep in the midst of a sunny downpour.
In the seven years that I’ve been a travel journalist in Africa, the game drive experience has always been one of my favorites. Wildlife is Africa’s treasure, and tourists revel in watching the animals — particularly the cats — in their natural habitats.
Travel journalist Harriet Akinyi watches a herd of elephants in a game drive at Mugie Conservancy, Kenya.
Source: Harriet Akinyi
There are 10 countries in Africa that have a strong wildlife focus: Kenya (my motherland), Tanzania, South Africa, Uganda, Mozambique, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Namibia and Rwanda.
For more than 25 years, professional safari guide Geoff Mayes has taken tourists to the best parks in Africa. He believes that many choose Kenya — and in particular, Maasai Mara — for their first trip to Africa because it’s safe and fairly accessible.
Known as one of the eight wonders of the world because of the wildebeest migration, Masaai Mara is one of Africa’s most renowned parks, said travel journalist Harriet Akinyi.
Wldavies | E+ | Getty Images
“It’s easier to catch flights to Kenya, making it high on peoples’ bucket list,” he said. “Also a game drive experience in Kenya will be able to meet the travelers’ expectations in terms of catching ‘the Big Five.’”
Less than an hour flight from the capital city of Nairobi is Nairobi National Park, where there’s a good chance of seeing lions and rhinos, he said.
And “if you come to the Maasai Mara, you’ll see the elephants and leopards and lions,” he explained as we drove through it.
In total, Kenya has 25 national parks and 16 national game reserves with countless private conservancies, which are smaller, private-owned wildlife reserves.
Amboseli National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is known for its massive elephant population and spectacular views of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Harriet Akinyi having a bush breakfast with a view of the rhinos after a game drive in Solio Conservancy in Kenya.
Source: Harriet Akinyi
Tsavo National Park, Kenya’s biggest park, is one of the world’s largest game sanctuaries. It was highlighted by President Barack Obama in the five-part Netflix docuseries “Our Great National Parks.”
Kenya is not the only country where I’ve gone on game drives.
South Africa is another and is home to some of the oldest and most iconic national parks in Africa. It’s a year-round safari destination, but the best game-viewing conditions are in the cooler winter months from May to September.
A game drive at Kruger National Park, South Africa.
Luis Davilla | Photodisc | Getty Images
There are 20 national parks, including the world–famous Kruger National Park — which has Africa’s “Big Five” game animals: lions, leopards, elephants, rhino and buffaloes.
There’s also Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, near the border of Botswana, and Pilanesberg National Park. The latter is about 150 kilometers (93 miles) from Johannesburg. It’s smaller than Kruger, but rich in wildlife — and, fascinatingly, it’s inside the crater of an ancient volcano believed to be some 1.2 billion years old.
Another highlight, Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park,has the “Big Five” as well as a thriving population of African wild dogs.
I’ve also been to Addo — the biggest park in the Eastern Cape and third-largest in South Africa — which is famous for its elephants. According to Ncediso Headman Nogaya, a game guard at Addo, October to April is the best time to visit.
“We are more likely to receive rains from May to September and while the season is great because it gives food to the wildlife … it might be a slippery drive and muddy,” he noted.
Uganda is known for its diverse wildlife and stunning landscapes in its 10 national parks and 12 game reserves. Of the national parks, seven are located on savannahs and three in forests. In those three, one can track mountain gorillas in Mgahinga National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Around 1,000 mountain gorillas exist today, more than half which live in Uganda, according to the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
Jason Edwards | Photodisc | Getty Images
My favorite memories at Queen Elizabeth National Park are of tracking chimpanzees in Kyambura Gorge, watching tree-climbing lions and a herd of elephants walking majestically on the plains, and observing buffaloes, warthogs, hippos and Nile crocodiles while cruising the Kazinga Channel.
Another park to consider is the Kidepo Valley National Park, with its sweeping plains and valleys overshadowed by the brooding Mount Morungole. The mountain is sacred to the Ik tribe, one of the smallest tribes in Uganda. The park ranks among the best birding safari destinations in the country too.
I loved my game drive experience at Lake Mburo National Park, even though it’s one of the smallest national parks in the country.
It’s the only park where travelers can enjoy boat cruises, walking safaris and horseback riding, tour operator Dennis Kahungu told CNBC Travel.
A group of big horn Ankole Cattle in Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda.
Christopher Kidd | Photodisc | Getty Images
Plus “it’s the only national park in Uganda with the impalas,” he said. “It’s also where you will find the big horned Ankole cows.”
Located in eastern Rwanda, Akagera National Park is a protected wetland and the last remaining refuge for savannah-adapted species in Rwanda. Park visitors can take boat safaris along Lake Ilhema, the second largest lake in Rwanda, for wildlife and birdwatching.
Weaver birds and nests over Lake Ihema, Rwanda.
Inti St. Clair | Photodisc | Getty Images
Travelers in search of mountain gorillas usually go to Volcanoes National Park in the northern part of the country. It’s also home to golden monkeys, and well regarded for hiking and mountain climbing.
Recently inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, Nyungwe National Park is another part to explore and is situated in southwest Rwanda and is known for its chimpanzees and colobus monkeys. It’s also popular for canopy walks on a suspended bridge some 70 meters (230 feet) above the forest floor.
While the parks can be visited all year round, it’s best to avoid April, as that’s when Rwanda typically receives heavy rains.
Botswana is a fast-emerging ecotourism destination — visitors are drawn to the vast elephant herds of Chobe National Park and the canoe-based wildlife safaris in the Okavango Delta.
A herd of elephants at Chobe National Park, Botswana.
Williececogo | Moment | Getty Images
One can also see the “Big Five” at Moremi Nature Reserve, Nxai Pan National Park, Makgadikgadi Pans National Park as well as Central Kalahari Game Reserve.
Apart from the renowned Hwange National Park, I have also visited Matobo National Park, which has a wide diversity of fauna and plenty of white rhinos. The area around Matobo Hills is home to the remains of early settlements and the graves of historical figures like Cecil Rhodes.
The rock formation in Matobo National Park in Zimbabwe, Africa, which is home to the grave of Cecil Rhodes.
Westend61 | Getty Images
The best time to visit the parks is during the dry season, from June to October. That’s when the bush is thinner — making wildlife easier to spot.
Mayes said the best time for safaris in Kenya and Tanzania is, of course, during the migration season. But he recommends visiting Zimbabwe and Zambia from July to October.
In other parts of the continent, months like February, June and September can be very rewarding too.
“The wildlife is fantastic and there are fewer vehicles around,” he said. “And you can often benefit from a low season price structure which of course is always nice.”
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Top military commanders from Ethiopia and its embattled Tigray region have agreed to allow unhindered humanitarian access to the region and form a joint disarmament committee following last week’s truce.
Both parties have agreed to protect civilians and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the region of more than 5 million people, according to a copy of the agreement seen by The Associated Press.
The agreement states that disarmament will be “done concurrently with the withdrawal of foreign and non-(Ethiopian military) forces” from Tigray.
The lead negotiator for Ethiopia, Redwan Hussein, told the AP that Saturday’s signing event created a conductive environment for ongoing peace efforts, noting that the next meeting of military leaders will “most likely” be held in Tigray in mid-December before a final meeting in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, in January.
In a separate statement late Saturday, Ethiopia’s federal authorities said that “efforts are being made to deliver humanitarian assistance to most of the Tigray region which is under (Ethiopian military) command.”
That statement noted that representatives of Ethiopian and Tigrayan militaries meeting in Kenya discussed “detailed plans for disarmament” of Tigray forces, including an agreement on the entry of Ethiopian forces into the Tigrayan capital of Mekele.
The African Union-led talks in Nairobi followed the cessation of hostilities agreement signed by Ethiopia and Tigray leaders in South Africa last week.
Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is helping to facilitate the talks, said Saturday that “humanitarian aid should have resumed like yesterday.” Former Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta, who is also involved in the talks, thanked the commanders for their commitment to peace.
The Tigray conflict began in November 2020, less than a year after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for making peace with Eritrea, which borders the Tigray region and whose fighters have been fighting alongside Ethiopian federal troops in Tigray.
Eritrea is not explicitly mentioned in the peace papers, and a diplomat who attended the talks in Nairobi said the issue of Eritrea was a sticking point this week.
The brutal fighting in Tigray, which spilled into Amhara and Afar regions as Tigrayan forces tried to break the military blockade of their region, reignited in August after months of lull that allowed thousands of trucks carrying humanitarian aid into Tigray.
The war in Africa’s second-most populous country, which marked two years on Nov. 4, has seen abuses documented on both sides, with millions of people displaced and many near famine.
Phone and internet connections to Tigray are still down, and foreign journalists and human rights researchers remain barred, complicating efforts to verify reports of ongoing violence in the region.
