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Africa's week in pictures: 9-15 December 2022

A selection of the week's best photos from across the continent and beyond:

News imageReuters A woman wearing face paint smiles.Reuters
There's festive fun in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, on Saturday...
News imageReuters A woman takes a selfie among lights hung in the shape of Christmas trees. Her silhouette is seen against the various colours.Reuters
As the lights are turned on at a Christmas village.
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News imageReuters A man plays the cello in front of a large Christmas tree.Reuters
Fred Pessa and others members of the Nairobi Philharmonic Orchestra perform Christmas carols in the Kenyan capital on Sunday.
News imagePA Media Sheep wear jumpers resembling Father Christmas, a Christmas elf and a snowman.PA Media
While on Tuesday, Cameroon sheep are kept warm with festive jumpers in Scotland as temperatures drop below zero.
News imageEPA A woman walks down a catwalk wearing a black and metallic outfit, featuring a large pot on her head and an embellished image of a woman's face on her dress.EPA
On the same day in Japan, Miss Cape Verde wears this creation during the "national costume" contest at the Miss International Beauty Pageant...
News imageReuters A woman walks down a catwalk with a cut-out image of a gorilla, and an outfit including cowrie shells and red feathers.Reuters
Precious Obisoso of Nigeria says "the red feathers in my costume represents the blood of innocent youths that was shed during a peaceful protest against injustice", and the gorilla cut-out "represents a giant which symbolises the nature of Nigerians".
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News imageReuters A woman holds two small dogs, whose ears have been dyed pink.Reuters
Saturday sees the return of the annual Lagos Dog Carnival in Nigeria...
News imageGetty Images A man guides a puppy over an obstacle course.Getty Images
And a day later comes Uganda's Annual Dog Festival, held in the capital Kampala.
News imageReuters People dressed in symbolic colours pose for a photo.Reuters
There's time for a selfie during Jamhuri Day - or Independence Day - festivities in Kenya's Nyayo National Stadium.
News imageReuters A Maasai moran throws a club in a competition.Reuters
On Saturday, a competitor throws a rungu - a kind of club - at an event dubbed the Maasai Olympics...
News imageReuters Masai women wear customary beaded adornments.Reuters
The yearly event at the base of Mt Kilimanjaro was conceived as an alternative rite of passage to killing lions, as had long been customary.
News imageAFP Two men approach a house in a dinghy.AFP
Residents of Lenaisa, near Johannesburg, paddle to their homes on Friday as South Africa is hit by floods.
News imageReuters A whole in the hillside is seen where the landslide happened.Reuters
More than 120 people have died in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, after floods and landslides swept whole houses away.
News imageReuters A migratory flamingo is seen above the water.Reuters
A flamingo takes flight from Port Fouad Nature Reserve in Egypt on Monday.
News imageReuters Three lawyers hold their documents and face reporters outside a courthouse.Reuters
On Wednesday Kenyan lawyers Valerie Omari, Mercy Mutemi and Damaris Mutemi address the media after filing a lawsuit accusing Meta - the parent company of Facebook - of enabling hateful posts about the Ethiopian conflict.
News imageReuters People wave and shout in joy.Reuters
Members of South Africa's ruling ANC party rejoice on Tuesday, after MPs voted not to accept a report that could have led to impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa.
News imageAFP A crowd throw a man high into the air during celebrations.AFP
Ecstatic Moroccans celebrate their country's win over Portugal on Saturday, which makes them the first African team ever to reach a men's football World Cup semi-final.
News imageAFP France's forward Kylian Mbappe comforts Morocco's defender Achraf Hakimi at the end of the match.AFP
But hopes comes crashing down on Wednesday when France beat Morocco 2-0, denying them a place in the final against Argentina.
News imageAFP Two men on horseback race through the Sahel.AFP
On Sunday in Chad, riders compete in a horse race during the Festival of Nomadic Cultures of Mongo.
News imageGetty Images Two people walk along a beach at sunset. Their silhouettes are seen against the orange, setting sun.Getty Images
And on Tuesday a couple walk along the beach in Mauritius' capital city, Port Louis.

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