Ceiling of Debre Birhan Selassie church, Gondar, Ethiopia. Photo: Rod Waddington, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence · Source
Real events, births and milestones from Africa and the diaspora.
Nigerian military ruler Sani Abacha died suddenly in office, ending a repressive five-year rule marked by human rights abuses and international sanctions.
Sources: Africa Confidential ; Congressional Research Service (via EveryCRSReport)
Read the full article: Sani Abacha: Nigeria's Strongman and His Sudden Death in 1998
DeathOmar Bongo, who had ruled Gabon for nearly 42 years, one of the longest presidential tenures in modern history, died.
Sources: The Guardian ; U.S. Government Publishing Office (Public Papers of the Presidents)
DeathLena Baker, an African-American woman later exonerated posthumously after being wrongfully executed in Georgia, was born.
Sources: Congressional Record (U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Sanford Bishop) ; New Georgia Encyclopedia
Civil RightsMolade Okoya-Thomas, a prominent Nigerian businessman and philanthropist, was born.
Sources: The Guardian Nigeria ; BusinessDay
BirthTwin bombings struck a train station near Algiers, Algeria, killing at least 13 people.
Sources: Irish Examiner ; Al Jazeera
Corrected in September 2026 · see what changed
Politics