Browse the year
September
30 days, 30 stories. Pick a date — or jump straight to one:
- 1 1969 The Coup That Remade Libya
On September 1, 1969, a 27-year-old officer named Muammar Gaddafi led a group of young officers in a nearly bloodless coup against Libya's King Idris, who…
- 2 1898 The Battle That Broke the Mahdist State
On September 2, 1898, at Omdurman, near Khartoum, General Kitchener's Anglo-Egyptian army of 25,000 met the Khalifa's 50,000 Mahdist warriors. The Mahdists charged with spears and…
- 3 1987 The Coup That Seized Burundi
On September 3, 1987, Major Pierre Buyoya seized power in Burundi while President Jean-Baptiste Bagaza attended a Francophone summit in Quebec. The takeover was bloodless. Buyoya…
- 4 1939 South Africa's 80-to-67 Vote for War
On September 4, 1939, one day after Britain declared war on Germany, South Africa's Parliament voted on whether to join the war or stay neutral. Prime…
- 5 1960 The Dismissal That Ignited the Congo Crisis
On September 5, 1960, weeks after the Congo's independence, President Joseph Kasa-Vubu announced over the radio that he was dismissing Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba. Lumumba refused,…
- 6 1968 Swaziland's Independence Day
On September 6, 1968, the Kingdom of Swaziland ceased to be a British protected state and became a fully independent nation. King Sobhuza II, who had…
- 7 2021 Africa and the Caribbean Reunite
On September 7, 2021, African and Caribbean leaders met for the first-ever Africa–CARICOM Summit, held virtually and hosted by Kenya. Chaired by President Uhuru Kenyatta, the…
- 8 1925 The Amphibious Landing That Ended the Rif War
On September 8, 1925, Spanish and French forces carried out a massive amphibious landing at Alhucemas Bay in northern Morocco during the Rif War. Around 13,000…
- 9 1999 The Declaration That Built the African Union
On September 9, 1999, African heads of state meeting in Sirte, Libya, issued the Sirte Declaration, calling for the establishment of the African Union. Hosted by…
- 10 1974 Portugal Recognizes Guinea-Bissau's Freedom
On September 10, 1974, Portugal formally recognized the independence of Guinea-Bissau, ending more than a decade of guerrilla war. The PAIGC had unilaterally declared independence on…
- 11 2007 The Year Ethiopia Celebrated 2000
On September 11, 2007, Ethiopia rang in the year 2000 — seven years after the rest of the world — because it follows its own ancient…
- 12 1977 The Death of Steve Biko
On September 12, 1977, anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko died in a Pretoria prison hospital at age 30, after weeks in police custody. Biko, founder of the…
- 13 1882 The Battle of Tel el-Kebir
On September 13, 1882, British forces under Sir Garnet Wolseley crushed the Egyptian army of Ahmed Urabi at Tel el-Kebir, about 110 kilometers northeast of Cairo.…
- 14 1960 Mobutu's First Coup
On September 14, 1960, army chief Colonel Joseph-Désiré Mobutu announced over the radio that he was launching a "peaceful revolution" to break the Congo's political deadlock.…
- 15 2008 Zimbabwe's Power-Sharing Deal
On September 15, 2008, Zimbabwe's rival leaders signed the Global Political Agreement, a power-sharing deal meant to end the country's political crisis. President Robert Mugabe, opposition…
- 16 1795 Britain Seizes the Cape
On September 16, 1795, British forces under General Sir James Henry Craig took possession of Cape Town, ending 143 years of Dutch East India Company rule…
- 17 1978 The Camp David Accords
On September 17, 1978, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin signed the Camp David Accords after twelve days of secret negotiations. United…
- 18 1961 The Night the UN Lost Its Leader
On September 18, 1961, United Nations Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld died when his plane crashed near Ndola, in what was then Northern Rhodesia, now Zambia. He was…
- 19 2002 The Morning Côte d'Ivoire's War Began
On September 19, 2002, rebel soldiers launched coordinated attacks in Abidjan, Bouaké, and Korhogo, plunging Côte d'Ivoire into civil war. The government held Abidjan, but rebels…
- 20 1979 The Fall of Emperor Bokassa
On the night of September 20, 1979, French forces intervened in the Central African Empire and toppled Emperor Jean-Bédel Bokassa while he was visiting Libya. French…
- 21 1979 The Day Angola's Longest President Began
On September 21, 1979, José Eduardo dos Santos was sworn in as president of Angola, eleven days after the death of the country's first president, Agostinho…
- 22 1960 Mali's Independence Day
On September 22, 1960, Modibo Keïta proclaimed the independence of the Republic of Mali, with Bamako as its capital. The declaration came weeks after the breakup…
- 23 1983 Africa's First Heavyweight Champion
On September 23, 1983, South African boxer Gerrie Coetzee knocked out Michael Dokes in the tenth round in Ohio to win the WBA world heavyweight title.…
- 24 1979 Ghana's Third Republic Begins
On September 24, 1979, Ghana's Third Republic was inaugurated as Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings handed power to elected President Hilla Limann. Rawlings's Armed Forces Revolutionary Council…
- 25 1964 The Shots That Freed Mozambique
On September 25, 1964, FRELIMO guerrillas attacked the Portuguese post at Chai in Cabo Delgado province, opening Mozambique's armed struggle for independence. The attack marked the…
- 26 2002 The Le Joola Tragedy
On September 26, 2002, the Senegalese ferry MV Le Joola capsized off the coast of The Gambia while sailing from Ziguinchor to Dakar. The state-owned vessel…
- 27 1822 The Day Hieroglyphs Spoke Again
On September 27, 1822, French scholar Jean-François Champollion announced to the Académie des Inscriptions in Paris that he had deciphered Egyptian hieroglyphs. The key was the…
- 28 1958 Guinea's Bold No to France
On September 28, 1958, Guinea became the only French African territory to vote "No" in Charles de Gaulle's referendum on the French constitution. The choice was…
- 29 1992 Angola's Election That Ended in War
On September 29–30, 1992, Angola held its first-ever multiparty elections, for both president and parliament, under United Nations supervision. The vote was the centerpiece of the…
- 30 1966 Botswana's Independence Day
On September 30, 1966, the Bechuanaland Protectorate became the independent Republic of Botswana, with Seretse Khama as its first president. At midnight in the new capital,…