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Africa's year in pictures 2018

News imageReuters Children playing on the seesaw at the Millennium park in Abuja, Nigeria - Monday 1 January 2018Reuters
The New Year started with celebrations and these children see-sawing in a park in Nigeria's capital, Abuja.

A selection of the best photos from across and about Africa this year:

News imageReuters A resident of Kenyan slum attempts to extinguish a fire that broke out in the at the Kijiji slums in the Lang'ata area of the capital, Nairobi - 28 January 2018Reuters
A Kenyan slum was engulfed by fire later in January as residents used sewage water in a desperate attempt to douse the flames.
News imageAFP George Weah (L) and his wife Clar Weah attend his presidential swearing-in ceremony in Monrovia, Liberia - 22 January 2018AFP
Ex-football star George Weah was sworn in as Liberia's president in January, the country's first transition between democratically elected leaders since 1944.
News imageAFP A boy poses with a pillow shaped like lips on sale for Valentine's Day in Yopougon, a suburb of Abidjan, in Ivory Coast - 13 February 2018AFP
These pillow lips were for sale in a market in Ivory Coast's main city of Abidjan in the run-up to Valentine's Day.
News imageAFP Supporters of the Zimbabwe opposition party Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) sing and play funeral drums outside the party's headquarters, in Harare following the death of veteran opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai - 15 February 2018AFP
Supporters of Zimbabwe's veteran opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai mourned his death at the age of 65 in February.
News imageAFP Cosplayers watch the film Black Panther in 3D during a screening in Nairobi, Kenya - 14 February 2018AFP
People dressed up as Black Panther characters in Kenya watched a screening of the Marvel blockbuster that grossed $1bn (£787m) in 26 days in March.
News imageReuters A sheep wearing a medal after winning a prize in a contest in Misrata, Libya - March 2018Reuters
A sheep was honoured in March with a medal after winning a prize at a three-day auction in the Libyan city of Misrata.
News imageAFP Young Somali refugee women look at a smartphone as they stand together at Dadaab refugee complex, in the north-east of Kenya, on April 16, 2018.AFP
The next month, a group of young Somali women joked together in Kenya's vast Dadaab refugee camp.
News imageAFP South African school children pause next to a portrait of the late South African anti-apartheid campaigner Winnie Madikizela-Mandela at her house in Soweto - 3 April 2018AFP
Also in April, South African schoolgirls were pictured at the Soweto home of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, a day after the anti-apartheid activist died aged 81.
News imageAFP Soldiers of the 21st Motorized Infantry Brigade patrol in the streets of Buea, South-West Region of Cameroon - 26 April 2018AFP
Later in the month, soldiers were on patrol in one of Cameroon's two English-speaking regions as the campaign for independence turned violent.
News imageAFP Kenyan actress Sheila Munyiva (L) and Kenyan actress Samantha Mugatsia pose on May 9, 2018 during a photocall for the film "Rafiki" during the 71st edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern FranceAFP
Actresses Sheila Munyiva (L) and Samantha Mugatsia were at the Cannes Film Festival in May for Rafiki, the Kenyan film that was banned at home because of its lesbian storyline.
News imageAFP A man smokes marijuana out of a bottle-neck pipe, joining about 1500 people as they protest in front of the parliament in Cape Town, South Africa - 5 May 2018AFP
A South African man smoked cannabis at a protest in May to demand its legalisation - which was granted in September for use by adults in private places.
News imageReuters Soccer Football - World Cup - Moscow, Russia - June 20, 2018 Zomo, Russia"s fan from Cameroon is pictured in the metroReuters
In June, football took over with the World Cup in Russia. This fan from Cameroon entertained metro commuters in Moscow...
News imageAFP Kenyans on bikes watch a football match on a giant screen in Nairobi - Tuesday 26 June 2018AFP
Later in the month, Kenyans watched Nigeria take on Argentina at the World Cup on a screen installed on a truck in Nairobi…
News imageAFP A crying Nigerian fan in Lagos, Nigeria - Tuesday 26 June 2018AFP
But this Lagos fan's devastation after Argentina scored to win 2-1 summed up the feeling of many African fans...
News imageAFP Senegalese supporters watch the Senegal v Colombia match on a giant screen at a fanzone in Dakar, Senegal - Thursday 28 June 2018AFP
And in Senegal thousands watched the Lions of Taranga on a giant screen during a failed attempt to beat Colombia.
News imageAFP Horsemen ride in a choreographed cavalry charge during a Berber festival in Tan-Tan, Morocco - 8 July 2018AFP
In July, cavalry horsemen participated in a Berber festival in Tan-Tan in western Morocco.
News imageReuters Adisalem Abu, reacts as he embraces his twin daughters, after meeting them for the first time in eighteen years, at Asmara International Airport after arriving aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight in Asmara, Eritrea July 18, 2018.Reuters
Later that month, an Ethiopian journalist met his daughters in Eritrea for the first time in 16 years. He flew in the first commercial flight between the two nations in 20 years.
News imageAFP A woman takes part in celebrations for the return of the formerly banned anti-government group the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) at Mesquel Square in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - 15 September 2018AFP
Ethiopia's new prime minister has been behind some dizzying reforms this year, including the unbanning of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF). This woman was among thousands to welcome back its exiled leadership to Addis Ababa.
News imageAFP A soldier fires shots towards demonstrators as protests erupted over alleged fraud in the country's election, Harare, Zimbabwe - 1 August 2018AFP
Six people were killed in August after Zimbabwean soldiers intervened to curb opposition protests two days after elections.
News imageAFP People display the portrait of Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa during Independence Day celebrations at the National Sports Stadium on April 18, 2018 in Harare. Zimbabwe on April 18 marked its first independence day without Robert Mugabe in power, with new leader Emmerson Mnangagwa vowing to hold 'credible' elections and turn around the southern African country's moribund economy.AFP
It was the first vote since long-time leader Robert Mugabe was forced to resign. His successor, Emmerson Mnangagwa, was declared the outright winner.
News imageAFP Bobi Wine surrounded by prison guards, one holding his hand, in court in Gulu, northern Uganda - Thursday 23 August 2018AFP
Ugandan opposition MP and musician Bobi Wine appeared in court on treason charges in August. He alleged he was badly beaten by soldiers during his time in custody.
News imageAFP A girl and her father at Eid prayers in Ibafo, Ogun state, Nigeria - Tuesday 21 August 2018AFP
Towards the end of August, the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha was celebrated. This Nigerian girl kneeled next to her father during prayers in Ogun state.
News imageReuters A displaced girl plays in the Sudd Swamp near the town of Nyal, South Sudan - Sunday 19 August 2018Reuters
Also in August, a South Sudanese girl played in a swamp near Nyal, where her family now live having fled their home in the five-year civil war.
News imageAFP Newly released child soldiers wait in a line for their registration during the release ceremony in Yambio, South Sudan - 7 February 2018AFP
In September, rival leaders in South Sudan signed what they said was a "final final" peace deal. This photo shows child soldiers being disarmed earlier in the year.
News imageEPA A boy dances as drummers in traditional dress perform at the Accra International Conference centre where the body of the late Kofi Annan has been laid in state in Accra, Ghana, 11 September 2018EPA
Ghana bid farewell to Kofi Annan, the former UN boss who died aged 80, amid elaborate funeral ceremonies in the capital, Accra, in September.
News imageReuters Women carrying drinks on their heads watch as the motorcade that carries the media covering U.S. first lady Melania Trump passes in Accra, Ghana, October 2, 2018Reuters
The next month, these women in Accra looked on as the motorcade for US First Lady Melania Trump went by...
News imageReuters US First Lady Melania Trump takes a safari in Nairobi, Kenya, wearing a pith helmet - 5 October 2018Reuters
Mrs Trump also took in Kenya on her trip, where her decision to wear a pith helmet on safari drew some criticism.
News imageReuters US Democratic congressional candidate Ilhan Omar is greeted by her husband's mother after appearing at her midterm election night party in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US - 6 November 2018Reuters
In November, lhan Omar, who fled civil war in Somalia as a child, became the first American-Somali to be elected to the US Congress.
News imageAFP Children have fun in a pile of cotton during the harvest in southern Mali - 25 November 2018AFP
Later in the month, these children had fun in a pile of cotton during the harvest in southern Mali.
News imageEPA Young ballerinas from different schools perform a dance during a ballet street performance to showcase their skills in Kibera slum, Nairobi, Kenya - Friday 30 November 2018EPA
A street performance by young ballerinas impressed onlookers in Kenya's Kibera slum also in November.
News imageAFP People sitting at a cafe in downtown Cairo, Egypt, with a mural depicting Liverpool FC's Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah painted in the background - 4 April 2018AFP
This is one of the most photographed cafe's in Egypt's capital, Cairo, thanks to its massive mural of Mohamed Salah, who won BBC African Footballer of the Year in December.
News imageReuters A girl stands outside her one-room home in Medina neighbourhood, Dakar, Senegal - 11 December 2018Reuters
This girl was photographed in December outside her one-room home in Senegal's capital, Dakar.
News imageGetty Images A South African diver feeds fishes dressed as Santa Claus at the uShaka Marine World in Durban - December 2018Getty Images
A South African diver dressed as Santa Claus fed fish at a marina in Durban ahead of Christmas.
News imageAFP A supporter of Democratic Republic of Congo opposition leader Martin Fayulu reacts after police fire teargas in Kinshasa, DR Congo - 19 December 2018AFP
And the year ended with elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where protesters have been unhappy with delays and campaign restrictions.

Images from AFP, EPA, Getty Images and Reuters.