Life had not quite worked out the way Fuad Ibrahim had planned.

A rare tropical disease called Guinea worm is closer to being eradicated, according to former President Jimmy Carter and other experts.

Despite being a high school dropout, Benoit Assou-Ekotto has created a foundation encouraging kids to stay in school.

Until recently, Mali was better known for its music, mosques and manuscripts than for conflict. Now, in the midst of a battle seen by many as a war on terror, but by Malians as a cultural conflict, musicians, artists and writers are being turned into soldiers.

The terrorists who attacked the In Amenas gas complex in eastern Algeria appear to have been of several nationalities, and may have trained in jihadist camps across the border in southern Libya, according to sources familiar with the situation there.

French and Malian forces squaring off with Islamist militants seized a key city from them on Friday, a high-ranking French source told CNN.

UNESCO has issued calls for the protection of the ancient city of Timbuktu, urging armed forces to safeguard the nation's historic and religious landmarks.

A total of 650 hostages have been freed by Algerian Special Forces from Islamist militants who seized a gas complex deep in the desert, according to the state media.

While the French offensive to flush out Islamists in northern Mali dominated media coverage this week, news from other African nations certainly hasn't stopped.