On this day — July 19 in African history

Eric Miller / World Economic Forum, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Kgalema Motlanthe, who later served as the third president of South Africa, was born.

Nkosi.makgotso, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

South African singer and actress Zolani Mahola was born in Bhisho, Eastern Cape.

Tunisia imposed a blockade on the French naval base at Bizerte, escalating the Bizerte crisis; French forces would seize the town days later.

UK Department for International Development — CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Guinean President Alpha Condé survived an assassination attempt and coup bid at his residence in Conakry.

Gunmen attacked a military checkpoint in Egypt's New Valley Governorate, killing at least 21 soldiers, prompting Egypt to declare a state of emergency on its border with Sudan.

jbach (Flickr) — CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Toumani Diabaté, the Malian musician celebrated as a master of the kora, died in Bamako.