Ruth Maclean

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Ruth Maclean |Francis Kokoroko

The nation had grand plans for a national cathedral designed by a celebrity architect. The $400 million project became a political battleground. The walls surrounding Ghana's national cathedral are aging plywood. Its spires are yellow construction cranes, which have not moved in years. It frequently reverberates with singing - the singing of a choir of frogs that moves in whenever the cathedral's half-finished foundations fill with rainwater.

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Ruth Maclean

Felix Tshisekedi of Congo had long said his country would not negotiate with the Rwanda-backed militia, making the joint agreement a rare bright spot in the conflict. The Democratic Republic of Congo and the Rwanda-backed militia M23 released a joint statement late on Wednesday announcing a commitment to end the conflict that has raged along the border of the two countries since January, killing thousands. The announcement came as a surprise to some observers.

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Elian Peltier |Ruth Maclean

The leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda have called for a cease-fire in eastern Congo in a bid to end the latest deadly chapter in a three-decade conflict. Presidents Félix Tshisekedi of Congo and Paul Kagame of Rwanda committed to an "immediate and unconditional cease-fire," according to a joint statement issued with Qatar, where the two leaders gathered for an unannounced meeting on Tuesday. They did not say how the cease-fire would be carried out or monitored.

2 months ago | nytimes.com | Ruth Maclean |Saikou Jammeh

The United States is cutting almost all its spending on aid. The biggest loser will be Africa. For years, sub-Saharan Africa has received more U.S. aid money than any other region - except for 2022 and 2023, when the United States came to Ukraine's aid after the Russian invasion.

2 months ago | nytimes.com | Ruth Maclean |Guerchom Ndebo

Its soldiers are underpaid and underarmed. Its ranks are riddled with factions pursing their own interests. And successive presidents are said to have kept it weak for fear of a coup. The Democratic Republic of Congo's army has appeared too weak and dysfunctional to stop a militia that has swept through the eastern part of the country in recent weeks. The militia, called M23, has seized two major cities, two strategic airports and large stretches of Congolese territory.