DW AfricaLink DW.COM | Deutsche Welle

Somaliland's campaign for recognition started more than three decades ago. Now, the self-governing region of Somalia expects to finalize a controversial deal that will make Ethiopia the first country to do so. The move comes despite strong objection from Mogadishu. Somaliland is just one of the numerous regions of Africa where people are striving for independence.

About a dozen members of Nigeria's notorious Black Axe crime network are in police custody in Germany. They were caught in nationwide raids after a two-year investigation. Who are the Black Axes and how wide is the web of African organized crime in Europe? Can it make life harder for Africans in Europe where negative public sentiment over migrants is already swirling?

As Chad tries to transition back to civilian rule, Western nations fret about the trajectory of their last ally in the Sahel. After a relatively peaceful vote, will the the election deliver a winner who can cope with jihadist threats, a wave of refugees from war torn Sudan, and balance local and Western support?

Europeans stole thousands of priceless cultural objects from Africa under colonialism. Now, the United Kingdom has loaned Ghana some items looted during the Ashanti war. But is it enough? We also look at the state of restitution in Africa, and how other forms of amends have been made across the continent.

For many, overfishing is an out-of-sight-out-of-mind problem. But industrial fishing off Africa's coastlines by foreign vessels, often under illegal circumstances, is pushing coastal communities to their limits. It doesn't just mean no fish at the markets - the identities of entire communities are on the line.

Over the past few months, climate change has been increasingly wreaking havoc across Africa in the form of natural disasters. How African states can gain food security, conserve the environment, and prepare for natural disasters without foreign aid.