On this day: June 14 in African history

Thirty-four thousand French soldiers landed west of Algiers, beginning the French conquest and colonization of Algeria.

Sources: Bibliothèque nationale de France ; L'Histoire ; Library of Congress (Algeria: A Country Study)

Radio Okapi, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Papa Wemba, the Congolese singer celebrated as the "King of Rumba Rock" and a major figure in Congolese soukous music, was born.

Sources: Encyclopedia.com (Gale, Contemporary Musicians) ; BBC News ; The New York Times

FelipeRev, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Malawians voted in a referendum to end three decades of one-party rule under Hastings Banda, choosing multiparty democracy.

Sources: US Department of State ; Nyasa Times

Corrected in September 2026 · see what changed

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

Sources: Journal of Zaria Historical Research (AJOL) ; On This Day

Corrected in September 2026 · see what changed

British forces captured Fort Capuzzo in Libya from Italian troops on 14 June 1940, an early Allied success in the North African campaign of World War II.

Sources: The Gazette (London Gazette, Wavell's despatch, issue 37609) ; The Desert Rats Association (7th Armoured Division)

Corrected in September 2026 · see what changed