2023: Africa's Notable Moments in Photos

A man carrying his bicycle crosses through a flooded Muuoni River, where 8 people are said to have drowned overnight while crossing the river at Mukaa area, Makueni county, Kenya's Eastern region, Friday November 24, 2023. Flood-related death toll increased as heavy rains continued to pound across East Africa. 

Women walk through flood water after heavy rainfall, in Mogadishu Somalia, Monday, November 20, 2023. 

Fashionistas wait for the start of Johannesburg Fashion Week 2023 in Johannesburg, South Africa, Wednesday, November 8, 2023. 

South Africa's Siya Kolisi holds the Webb Ellis trophy as fans welcome South Africa' Springbok team during their arrival at O.R Tambo's international airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, Tuesday October 31, 2023, after the Rugby World Cup.

A miner walks at the entrance of a goldmine shaft in Springs, South Africa, Tuesday, October 24, 2023. A group of miners from an unregistered, rival union held around 500 of their colleagues underground for the second day at the mine over a union dispute. Some 15 miners were injured in scuffles, the head of the mine said on Tuesday. 

Models on the runway at the Kibera Fashion Week event in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. The event is to showcase the talent of creatives from Kibera and sharing their insights with audiences in Kenya and across the globe. 

Shukri Mohamed Ibrahim, who fled amid a drought with her family, stands in makeshift camp for displaced people, on the outskirts of Mogadishu, Somalia on Thursday, September 28, 2023. The worst drought in more than 50 years scorched the once-fertile pastures her family relied on, leaving them barren. 

A man sits by the graves of the flash flood victims in Derna, Libya, Friday, September 15, 2023. The death toll in Libya's coastal city of Derna has soared to over ten thousand as search efforts continue following a massive flood fed by the breaching of two dams in heavy rains, the Libyan Red Crescent said. 

A boy holds a national flag as supporters of Niger's National Council of Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) gather to protest ouside the Niger and French airbase to demand the departure of the French army from Niger, in Niamey on September 16, 2023. 

A volunteer helps salvage furniture from homes which were damaged by the earthquake, in the town of Imi N'tala, outside Marrakech, Morocco, Wednesday, September 13, 2023. 

People and dogs dig through the rubble of a home that was damaged by an earthquake, in the village of Tafeghaghte, near Marrakech, Morocco, Monday, September 11, 2023.

People sing as the ride on a new Lagos blue line train service in Lagos, Nigeria, Monday, September 4, 2023. Lagos state government on Monday, began its 13km (9 miles) metro blue line services to the public. 

Curtains and sheets used by people trying to flee one of South Africa's deadliest inner-city fires dangle from windows, in Johannesburg, South Africa, Friday, September 1, 2023. Emergency services teams have left the scene of one of South Africa's deadliest inner-city fires as pathologists faced the grisly task Friday of identifying dozens of charred bodies and some separate body parts that had been transported to several mortuaries across the city of Johannesburg. 

Medics stand by the covered bodies of victims of a deadly blaze in downtown Johannesburg, Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023.

Arrested members of the Wazalendo sect are sat and lined up in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Wednesday, August 30, 2023. More than 40 people died and dozens were injured in clashes in the Congolese city of Goma between protesters from the Wazalendo religious sect and the armed forces, national authorities said.

Locals wait to cast their votes during the Zimbabwe general elections in Kwekwe, outside Harare, Zimbabwe August 23, 2023. 

Voters wait in a queue to cast their votes at a polling station in Harare, Wednesday, August 23 2023. Polls opened in Zimbabwe on Wednesday as President Emmerson Mnangagwa seeks a second and final term in a country with a history of violent and disputed votes.

The 42-year-old mother of four who was raped in the Bulengo displacement camp where she had fled war in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo poses for a photograph August 23, 2023. Hundreds of thousands of women and girls have been displaced over the past year in eastern Congo amid fighting by more than 130 armed groups. 

Supporters of Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum gather in his support in Niamey, Niger, Wednesday July 26 2023. Governing bodies in Africa condemned a coup against Niger's president, whose official Twitter account reported that elements of the presidential guard engaged in an "anti-Republican demonstration" and tried to obtain the support of other security forces. 

A riot policeman reloads a teargas grenade launcher during clashes with protesters in the Kibera area of Nairobi, Kenya July 19, 2023. 

Police arrest a protester during clashes in the Mathare area of Nairobi, Kenya Wednesday, July 19, 2023. Kenyans were back protesting on the streets of the capital Wednesday against newly imposed taxes and the increased cost of living. 

Somali refugee children cover as a dust storm moves across the Dadaab refugee camp in northern Kenya, Thursday, July 13, 2023. One of the world's largest refugee camps offers a stark example of the global food security crisis with thousands of people fleeing Somalia in recent months to escape drought and extremism but finding little to eat when they arrive at the Dadaab camp in neighboring Kenya. 

People huddle around a fire for warmth in the Angelo Informal Settlement in Boksburg, South Africa, on Thursday July 6, 2023. Police said a gas leak left multiple people dead including children.

A woman shows a selection of sex toys she uses, in Harare, Zimbabwe, Saturday, June, 24, 2023. Zimbabwean woman Sitabile Dewa is challenging a sex toys ban in the country which she describes in court papers filed in March as "archaic" and "repressive" laws used to arrest women for having sex toys. Her court challenge - a bold act in a society where females are usually shamed for being openly sexual - highlights the struggles endured by Zimbabwean women battling to attain sexual freedom.

A member of the security forces uses his mobile phone torch to inspect a bedroom inside the Lhubiriha Secondary School following an attack on the school on Saturday, in Mpondwe, Uganda Sunday, June 18, 2023, near the border with Congo. Ugandan authorities have recovered the bodies of 41 people including 38 students who were burned, shot or hacked to death after suspected rebels attacked the school, according to the local mayor. 

Maasai morans (warriors) perform traditional jumping as Kenya's Maasai community held an inaugural Maasai Cultural Festival, on the outskirts of Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya's Rift Valley on Saturday, June 10, 2023. 

Women cross a street filled with smoke during clashes between demonstrators and police in Dakar, Senegal, Saturday, June 3, 2023. 

A man and woman walks over puddled water along a street from an overflowing reservoir in Hamanskraal, Pretoria, South Africa, Friday, May 26, 2023. 

Survivors walk amidst debris next to destroyed buildings in the aftermath of floods in the village of Nyamukubi, South Kivu province, in the Democratic Republic of Congo Monday, May 8, 2023. The death toll from floods in eastern Congo climbed to several hundred people as of Sunday, according to a local official. 

Students attend a class at the Seipone Secondary School in the rural village of Ga-Mashashane, near Polokwane, South Africa, Thursday May 4, 2023. Human rights groups have been pressuring the government for a decade to get rid of pit toilets in schools, with the issue given added urgency by several tragic cases of young children falling into the pits and drowning. 

Protesters run towards riot police officers during a mass rally called by the opposition leader Raila Odinga over the high cost of living in Kibera Slums, Nairobi, Monday, March 27, 2023.

An elderly freed prisoner celebrates after he was released from Harare Central Prison in Harare, Friday, May, 19, 2023. Zimbabwe has begun releasing more than 4,000 prisoners under a presidential amnesty that authorities say will help ease congestion in some overcrowded jails.

A woman holds a candle during the Orthodox Easter religious procession, in Addis Ababa, Sunday, April 16, 2023.

Soldiers from the South Sudan People's Defense Forces (SSPDF) prepare to board a flight to transport them to eastern Congo, where they are due to operate as part of the East Africa Community Regional Force (EACRF), at the airport in Juba, South Sudan Monday, April 3, 2023.

Ghanaian soldiers conduct combat drills during Flintlock 2023 at Sogakope beach resort, Ghana, Tuesday, March 14, 2023. As extremist violence in West Africa's Sahel region spreads south toward coastal states, the United States military has launched its annual military training exercise which will help armies contain the jihadi threat. 

Women sing and dance during the International Women's Day celebration at the Mobolaji Johnson Stadium in Lagos, Nigeria, Wednesday, March 8, 2023. 

A customer buying a small bag of melon seeds discusses how he will send a bank transfer to the street seller, right, due to the crisis in the supply of banknotes, at the bi-weekly Karmo street market in Abuja, Nigeria Tuesday, February 28, 2023. 

People cross a pedestrian bridge as street vendors sell their goods, in Anambra, Nigeria, Friday, Feb. 24, 2023. Nigerian voters headed to the polls Feburary 25, 2023 to select a new president following the second and final term of incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari.  

Burkinabe actress Maimouna Ndiaye poses for a photo after an interview in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Tuesday, February 21, 2023. "We only have FESPACO left to prevent us from thinking about what's going on," said Ndiaye, who has four submissions in this year's competition.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses members of the defence force during the Armed Forces Day in Richards Bay, South Africa, Tuesday, February 21, 2023. The parade took place as a naval exercise was underway off the east coast of the country with Russian and Chinese navies. 

People run from tear gas thrown by riot police after the opposition leader's Ousmane Sonko left the tribunal in Dakar, Senegal, Thursday, February 16, 2023. Police in Senegal smashed out the windows of the Sonko's car and forced him from the vehicle after he appeared in court

Ngwiza Khumbulani Moyo, a vintage collector holds an old radio set outside his home in Bulawayo, Wednesday, February 15, 2023. According to a survey by Afrobarometer, radio is "overwhelmingly" the most common source of news in Africa. 

A priest holds a sacrament bowl showing a photograph of Pope Francis at a Holy Mass at the John Garang Mausoleum in Juba, South Sudan Sunday, February 5, 2023. 

A taxi carrying a casket navigates through heavy traffic following the departure of Pope Francis from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Friday February 3, 2023. Francis was in the DRC and South Sudan for a six-day trip, hoping to bring comfort and encouragement to two countries that have been riven by poverty, conflicts and what he calls a "colonialist mentality" that has exploited Africa for centuries. 

A model does makeup backstage before the ARISE Fashion Week event in Lagos, Nigeria Friday, February 3, 2023.

Worshippers gather at Ndolo airport for a Holy Mass with Pope Francis in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Wednesday, February 1, 2023. Francis is in Congo and South Sudan for a six-day trip. 

Morning service concludes in the annex of the Cathedral Notre Dame du Congo in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sunday January 29, 2023.

A 40-year-old poses for a photo after an interview in Saint Louis, Senegal, Saturday, January 21, 2023. She said she had to resort to prostitution last year after her husband left the city and cut contact. 

Silhouetted against the setting sun, youths play soccer next to a pirogue docked on the beach in Saint Louis, Senegal, Thursday, January 19, 2023.

Participants in the Black Star Polo competition, held at the University of Ghana in Accra, Saturday, January 14, 2023, shower before their game. The Awutu Winton Water Polo Club has seven teams representing three regions of Ghana.