At the start of the year, Felix Tshisekedi takes up office as the new president of DRC. The result of the chaotic election is considered controversial. Tshisekedi promises major reforms and wants to fight the rebels in the country. After one year, hopes for change are dimmed: Tshisekedi is described as the "puppet" of former president Joseph Kabila, who ruled the country for 18 years.

In Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari wins the elections with over three million votes.In his second term, Buhari wants to focus on fighting poverty and insecurity. This is urgently needed, as the terrorist militia Boko Haram continues to rage in the north of the country. Conflicts between herders and farmers also lead to hundreds of deaths.

Two cyclones hit south-eastern Africa with full force. In March and April the cyclones devastate entire regions in Madagascar, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania and the Comoros. Over 1,400 people die and many are still missing. Hundreds of thousands lose their livelihoods and cholera breaks in affected areas.

The Sudanese protester Alaa Salah becomes the symbol of the revolution. Rising food costs and the desolate economic situation lead to nationwide protests. In April, President Omar Al-Bashir is deposed after having ruled the country for almost 30 years. A transitional government of military and civilians is now to trying to pave the way for elections in 2022. The revolution claimed dozens of lives.

The team from Madagascar provides the biggest surprise at the Africa Cup of Nations: they fight their way past Nigeria and DR Congo to the quarter finals. In the final (pictured) Algeria beats Senegal, winning the championship for the first time. Originally the tournament was supposed to take place in Cameroon, but due to political unrest it was moved to Egypt.

For over a year, the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has been fighting one of the biggest Ebola epidemics to date. The crisis has seen over 3,300 cases, 2,227 of which were fatal. The presence of armed groups, myths about the virus and attacks on health workers have made the outbreak difficult to handle. Over 250,000 people were successfully vaccinated against the virus.

Ethiopia's Prime Minister makes peace with the neighboring state of Eritrea after decades of war. For this he receives the Nobel Peace Prize. Abiy is seen as a reformer who aims hopes to stabilize the divided country with 80 different ethnic groups. He frees thousands of political prisoners. He also introduces economic reforms and fills half of his cabinet with women.

President Filipe Nyusi once again wins elections with a large majority. The opposition party challenges the results and accuses Nyusi and his party of "massive election fraud." The two parties waged a brutal civil war until 1992, which claimed almost one million lives. In August they signed a peace agreement - but tensions in the country continue.

In November, 98.5% of the inhabitants of the Sidama region voted for a new federal state and more autonomy. The Sidama, the fifth largest ethnic group in Ethiopia, hopes that this will enable them to have more control over land and resources, have a say in politics and preserve and strengthen their cultural identity. Ten other ethnic groups have expressed interest in a similar referendum.

The outcome of the election is still uncertain, but incumbent Jose Mario Vaz was not on the ballot. On 29 December there was a run-off vote between Domingos Simoes Pereira and Umaro Sissoco Embalo. A dispute between President Vaz and the parliament led to the collapse of state authorities and the economic crisis in the country. In 2020 the new president is expected to solve this.

Demonstrators in Beni, a city in eastern DR Congo, stormed a UN base at the end of November and set fire to the town hall. They say that the UN mission is doing nothing to protect them from rebel attacks. The extremist militia "Allied Democratic Forces" has killed and kidnapped dozens of people in the region so far.

The year begins and ends with strikes in Zimbabwe: fuel prices rise by 130 per cent percent at the start of 2019. Thousands take to the streets and food in the shops becomes scarce. Later 211 out of 1,550 doctors in the country are fired because they called for better wages and working conditions. They say their salaries – less than $200 (€178) a month – are barely enough to survive.

In the unstable eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo, treasures like gold and tin attract opportunistic militia. The violent groups exploit people, including children, to mine for "conflict minerals." With the revenue they buy weapons to conquer more territories and perpetuate the fighting.

MONUSCO, the UN's biggest and most expensive peace-keeping mission, is working to stabilize the provinces of North and South Kivu, which lie at the center of the country's violence. Security forces patrol mining villages like Nzibira, which sits at the edge of Zola Zola, a legal cassiterite mine.

Cassiterite is just one of the minerals used in mobile phones. Half of the world's production of those minerals comes from Central Africa. The DRC's export of tin, gold and other ore has been under particular scrutiny since 2010, when laws were introduced in the United States requiring listed US companies to ensure their supply chains were free from "conflict minerals".

A poster in Nzibira explains how sacks of minerals need to be properly sealed and labeled by the mine inspector so their legal origin can be proven to US firms. The system, however, has many gaps. Illicit mines can simply sell their yield on the black market or smuggle their goods into a legal mine to have them packed there.

Despite efforts by rights groups, human rights violations remain widespread in mining operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Children like Esperance Furahaare, who was kidnapped and raped by militia when she was 14 years old, are common victims of exploitation and violence.

Mines, which are difficult to police, can also harm the environment and surrounding communities. At illegal mines, waste water runoff often makes its way into local water sources, polluting the supply.

US lawmakers are currently trying to advance a bill that would eliminate the 2010 reforms. Legislators argue that the Dodd-Frank Act has stifled economic development in the US and has not effectively addressed exploitation in Central Africa. While US companies must ensure their supplies are not conflict minerals, all they are expected to do is ask their suppliers, not supply proof or origin.