British forces depart Cape Colony, South Africa, eight years after defeating the previous colonial occupiers, Bavaria. The Netherlands have conceded the colony to Britain to become a permanent British possession. The British army transfers the policing of the Cape to colonial authorities.

France attacks and defeats Moroccan forces in the Battle of Isly. France demands that Morocco ends support of Algerian rebels who are preventing France from conquering and colonising Algeria. After attacking Tangier on 8 August, France has kept up the pressure with a naval bombardment of the city of Mogador, and will continue until the Sultan of Morocco agrees to its terms.

U.S. President Abraham Lincoln hosts a “Deputation of Free Negroes” conference; the first time African-Americans are invited to the White House to discuss policy. Lincoln wants enslaved Africans and their descendants in the U.S. to immigrate to Panama to work as coal miners for the U.S. Navy. The African-American leaders in attendance diplomatically disguise their horror at Lincoln’s scheme. A Senator in Lincoln’s own political party says, “The idea of removing the whole colored population from this country is one of the most absurd ideas that ever entered into the head of man or woman.” Lincoln will drop the plan on 24 September 1862.

Electricity comes to Southern Africa. The French Mining Company in South Africa begins illuminating operations at the Kimberley Mine, using a 300 candlepower "Lontin" arc lamp. The Daily Independent newspaper reports that the electric light is "magnificently brilliant, somewhat resembling the light of the sun."

Germany begins its extermination of the Herero People, under a policy of genocide that seeks their elimination from the colony of German South West Africa (Namibia). Herero men, women and children will be shot, hung, starved and deprived of water. Their heads will be removed from their corpses and shipped to Germany for use in medical experiments. The Herero population will drop from 80,000 to 15,000 in 1908.

Ngindo men in German East Africa (Tanzania) avenge the killing of their spiritual leader Kinjikitile Ngwale, whose magical maji potion gave the Maji Maji Rebellion its name. The rebellion opposes the forced labour policies (pic: chained women workers) of Carl Peters, the founder of German East Africa and its cruel Imperial High Commissioner. Peters forces African girls to be his mistresses. When he learned that one of his mistresses was the girlfriend of his man-servant, he had both killed and their home villages burned. Today, the Ngindo rebels come across four missionaries and Roman Catholic Bishop Spiss of Dar es Salaam on a safari, and spear them to death. The incident will be used by German authorities to launch scorched-earth and forced famine actions to end the last of Africans’ self-sufficiency.

The Battle of Tug Argan in British Somalia finds British forces outgunned and outnumbered by an invading Italian army, and in danger of defeat without reinforcements and air support.

Human Rights Watch reports Sudan is guilty of crimes against humanity for its militia’s acts in Darfur. Darfur rebel groups are also accused of abuses.

The South African science fiction movie District 9, directed by Neill Blomkamp, is released to international critical acclaim and high ticket sales.

Massive mudslides after three days of torrential rains leave sections of Freetown, Sierra Leone, buried or ruined, with 1,141 people killed and 3,000 left homeless.

Disaster has been averted in Libya. In Italy, one of the three support towers collapses on the sister bridge to Libya’s Wadi el Kuf Bridge, Africa’s second-highest bridge. The Italian bridge failure kills 43. The twin bridges have the same Italian engineer. However, Libya’s bridge (pic), in Bayda, is constantly inspected, and ten months ago was closed to heavy vehicle traffic as an precautionary measure.