On this day — June 12 in African history

Real events, births and milestones from Africa and the diaspora.

We are adding a source to every entry in this archive. 2 of 7 on this page carry one so far. The rest were written before per-entry citations were recorded, so if you intend to rely on one, check it independently until its source appears here. See our sourcing methodology.

Nigeria held a presidential election won by Moshood Abiola, results the military government of Ib… Seiperi — CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons 1993

Nigeria held a presidential election won by Moshood Abiola, results the military government of Ibrahim Babangida later annulled, triggering a prolonged political crisis.

Politics
1821

The Funj sultanate of Sennar surrendered to Ottoman Egyptian forces under Isma'il Pasha, ending a 300-year-old Sudanese kingdom.

History
1938

Jean-Marie Doré, who later served as Guinea's prime minister during its 2009-2010 political transition, was born.

Birth
2014

Dan Jacobson, the South African-born novelist and critic who spent most of his working life in Britain, died in London at 85. He was born in Johannesburg on 7 March 1929.

Source: Britannica

Death
2023

A boat carrying about 250 people back to Patigi in Kwara State from a wedding in neighbouring Niger State struck a submerged tree between three and four in the morning and broke in two. At least 106 people drowned and 144 were pulled out alive. Most of those aboard had been stranded by heavy rain and crowded onto the boat rather than ride back by motorcycle.

Sources: Africanews ; CNN

Disaster