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Africa's year in pictures 2018

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

image copyrightReuters
image captionThe New Year started with celebrations and these children see-sawing in a park in Nigeria's capital, Abuja.
image copyrightReuters
image captionA Kenyan slum was engulfed by fire later in January as residents used sewage water in a desperate attempt to douse the flames.
image copyrightAFP
image captionEx-football star George Weah was sworn in as Liberia's president in January, the country's first transition between democratically elected leaders since 1944.
image copyrightAFP
image captionThese pillow lips were for sale in a market in Ivory Coast's main city of Abidjan in the run-up to Valentine's Day.
image copyrightAFP
image captionSupporters of Zimbabwe's veteran opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai mourned his death at the age of 65 in February.
image copyrightAFP
image captionPeople dressed up as Black Panther characters in Kenya watched a screening of the Marvel blockbuster that grossed $1bn (£787m) in 26 days in March.
image copyrightReuters
image captionA sheep was honoured in March with a medal after winning a prize at a three-day auction in the Libyan city of Misrata.
image copyrightAFP
image captionThe next month, a group of young Somali women joked together in Kenya's vast Dadaab refugee camp.
image copyrightAFP
image captionAlso 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.
image copyrightAFP
image captionLater in the month, soldiers were on patrol in one of Cameroon's two English-speaking regions as the campaign for independence turned violent.
image copyrightAFP
image captionActresses 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.
image copyrightAFP
image captionA 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.
image copyrightReuters
image captionIn June, football took over with the World Cup in Russia. This fan from Cameroon entertained metro commuters in Moscow...
image copyrightAFP
image captionLater in the month, Kenyans watched Nigeria take on Argentina at the World Cup on a screen installed on a truck in Nairobi…
image copyrightAFP
image captionBut this Lagos fan's devastation after Argentina scored to win 2-1 summed up the feeling of many African fans...
image copyrightAFP
image captionAnd in Senegal thousands watched the Lions of Taranga on a giant screen during a failed attempt to beat Colombia.
image copyrightAFP
image captionIn July, cavalry horsemen participated in a Berber festival in Tan-Tan in western Morocco.
image copyrightReuters
image captionLater 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.
image copyrightAFP
image captionEthiopia'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.
image copyrightAFP
image captionSix people were killed in August after Zimbabwean soldiers intervened to curb opposition protests two days after elections.
image copyrightAFP
image captionIt was the first vote since long-time leader Robert Mugabe was forced to resign. His successor, Emmerson Mnangagwa, was declared the outright winner.
image copyrightAFP
image captionUgandan 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.
image copyrightAFP
image captionTowards 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.
image copyrightReuters
image captionAlso 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.
image copyrightAFP
image captionIn 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.
image copyrightEPA
image captionGhana bid farewell to Kofi Annan, the former UN boss who died aged 80, amid elaborate funeral ceremonies in the capital, Accra, in September.
image copyrightReuters
image captionThe next month, these women in Accra looked on as the motorcade for US First Lady Melania Trump went by...
image copyrightReuters
image captionMrs Trump also took in Kenya on her trip, where her decision to wear a pith helmet on safari drew some criticism.
image copyrightReuters
image captionIn November, lhan Omar, who fled civil war in Somalia as a child, became the first American-Somali to be elected to the US Congress.
image copyrightAFP
image captionLater in the month, these children had fun in a pile of cotton during the harvest in southern Mali.
image copyrightEPA
image captionA street performance by young ballerinas impressed onlookers in Kenya's Kibera slum also in November.
image copyrightAFP
image captionThis 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.
image copyrightReuters
image captionThis girl was photographed in December outside her one-room home in Senegal's capital, Dakar.
image copyrightGetty Images
image captionA South African diver dressed as Santa Claus fed fish at a marina in Durban ahead of Christmas.
image copyrightAFP
image captionAnd 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.

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