Mozambican photographer Mário Macilau is the winner of this year’s James Barnor prize. You can view his photos here. The prize is named after the celebrated Ghanaian photographer James Barnor, who has been working since the 1950s. He established the award to celebrate and support African photographers in 2022. 

The government of Sierra Leone has confirmed that Sunday’s unrest was the result of a failed coup, led by bodyguards of ex-President Ernest Bai Koroma. The attackers killed twenty people and freed over 2000 inmates from the central prison and Freetown police stations. Tensions have been high since disputed elections in June.

• All episodes of the Republic’s June 12th podcast are now available. The documentary podcast tells the story of Nigeria’s 1993 elections, which were meant to transition to democracy before being unexpectedly annulled by General Ibrahim Babangida.
• Ethiopian-born American artist Julie Mehretu has broken the record for the highest sale price by an African born artist... again!
• Niger’s military government has scrapped a controversial deal with the European Union to criminalize the movement of migrants northward to Algeria and Libya. The government has also waived all convictions under the act.

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Image: Ghanaian photographer James Barnor visiting the African Studies Centre, Leiden University. 21 March 2016. Photo credit: Steyn Hoogakker.