Watch: Vinícius Jr's surprise message to boy who received prosthetic legs after Sudan drone strike

Watch: Vinícius Jr's surprise message to boy who received prosthetic legs after Sudan drone strike

Real Madrid footballer Vinícius Júnior has sent a surprise video message to 13-year-old Zaher praising his courage and inviting him to spend the day together at a Real Madrid game.

Zaher lost both his legs after a drone strike in Khartoum, Sudan, where the battle between Sudan's army and the RSF continues to devastate the country.

When the BBC first met him in 2025 he said that he dreamt of being able to walk and play football again. His story resonated with viewers and money was raised for treatment in Cairo, including prosthetic legs.

After surgery followed by months of physiotherapy and psychological support in Cairo, Zehar returned to Sudan feeling "uplifted" by Vini Jr's message he says.

Explore More

## Doctors tell the BBC about the targeting of Sudanese hospitals by paramilitary fighters

## Son of Zambian bishop detained in post-election raid fears for his father's safety

## 'Enough is enough': Women protest after string of murders near Johannesburg

## Nigeria’s ‘sarcasm queen’ answers ‘silly’ questions about Africa

## Watch: Algerians look on as deadly wildfires rage through night

## Watch: Huge blaze after attack on petrol tank in Libya

## Watch: What we know about newly discovered monkey species

## Cape Verde fans 'proud' despite 3-2 defeat to Argentina

## Watch: Cape Verdeans celebrate making history at the World Cup

## The designer behind DR Congo's World Cup suit: 'I wanted to change people's views on Africa'

## DR Congo medics mark rare Ebola recovery with song and dance

## Why does Ebola keep on occurring in DR Congo?

## 'Total lack of respect': Macron interrupts speaker to ask for silence

## Joy as record-breaking runner Sawe returns home

## The human cost of the war in Sudan, three years on

## At the scene: Muslims killed 'over rejection of extremist ideology' in Nigeria

## 'The water took everything': Mozambique hit by worst floods in decades

## Morocco celebrates Afcon win: 'Today is about couscous not jollof'

## BBC reports from Uganda polling station hit by technical problems

## Ros Atkins on… The alleged links between the UAE and Sudan's civil war

## Footage shows derailed carriages after fatal train crash in Egypt At least seven people died when two trains collided, causing several carriages to derail and fall down an embankment. Africa

## Why are Ethiopia's rebels joining forces? Seven rebel groups from across Ethiopia have announced a new alliance against Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government. Africa

## Watch: Football fans celebrate in Ghana after draw with England Ghana correspondent Thomas Naadi reports from Black Star Square in Accra. Africa

## Mother of Cape Verde's goalkeeper: 'I'm going to see my son play in the World Cup' Ana Candia Evora, the mother of Cape Verde's goalkeeper Vozinha, is finally heading to the US to see her son play. Africa

## Watch: Passengers told virus-hit ship 'not infectious' after first death YouTuber Ruhi Çenet was on board the ship, and filmed the announcement made on 12 April. Africa

## What is hantavirus? Cruise ship outbreak explained Three people have died from a suspected outbreak of the illness that is usually carried by rodents. Africa

## 'I jumped around the house': Sabastian Sawe's parents celebrate marathon record Emily and Simion Sawe share their pride at the runner's historic sub-two-hour marathon win. Africa

## DR Congo qualify for World Cup: 'Amidst pain and war, this victory makes us proud’ DR Congo are back at the World Cup for the first time since 1974, with fans in Kinshasa celebrating the team's 1-0 play-off win over Jamaica. Africa

## Watch: Reunion resident gets close to lava from erupting volcano Lava from the Piton de la Fournaise volcano reached the Indian ocean for the first time in 19 years. Africa

## One house, two faiths, one fasting season Ramadan and Lent haven't overlapped since 1993 and couples like Olanrewaju and Kaosara in Nigeria are observing them together. Africa

## Inside Ethiopia's 'smart' police station Ethiopia unveils its first unmanned, 'smart' police station where citizens can report crimes on automated touch screens. Africa

## Senegalese fans celebrate dramatic Afcon win Senegalese fans celebrate their team's victory at the Africa Cup of Nations. Africa

## Museveni in commanding lead ahead of election announcement President Yoweri Museveni is in a commanding lead ahead of his main challenger, pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine. Africa

## South African national park closed due to floods Ongoing floods in the north-eastern provinces of South Africa has led to the closure of the world-famous Kruger National Park. Africa

## Sailors saved from going over edge of huge dam According to reports, the boat had suffered motor failure before drifting to the edge of the dam. Africa

## I'm not retiring, I'm evolving - Kipchoge The Kenyan marathoner has all the running accolades he needs but is now focusing on new goals. Africa

## People in Benin felt 'total fear' at attempted coup Residents of the main city express shock after soldiers tried to overthrow the president. Africa

## South African women arming themselves against gender violence A growing number of women in South Africa are learning to use guns to protect themselves against gender-based violence. Africa

## The Kenyan start-up aiming to electrify African transport From fleets of e-bikes to individual riders, eWaka aims to sell across Africa's delivery market. Africa

BBC in other languages

The BBC is in multiple languages

Read the BBC In your own language

BBC News Mundo (Spanish)

BBC News မြန်မာ (Burmese)

BBC News 中文 (Chinese)

BBC News 코리아 (Korean)

BBC News Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)

BBC News Azərbaycanca (Azeri)

BBC News Magyarul (Hungarian)

BBC News Кыргыз Кызматы (Kyrgyz)

BBC News Polska (Polish)

BBC News România (Romanian)

BBC News Русская служба (Russian)

BBC News na srpskom (Serbian)

BBC News Україна (Ukrainian)

BBC News O'zbek (Uzbek)

BBC News عربي (Arabic)

BBC News فارسی (Persian)

BBC News Türkçe (Turkish)

BBC News বাংলা (Bengali)

BBC News ગુજરાતી (Gujarati)

BBC News हिन्दी (Hindi)

BBC News मराठी (Marathi)

BBC News नेपाली (Nepali)

BBC News සිංහල (Sinhala)

BBC News پښتو (Pashto)

BBC News ਪੰਜਾਬੀ (Punjabi)

BBC News Afaan Oromoo

BBC News አማርኛ (Amharic)

BBC News Afrique (French)

BBC News Gaelic NAIDHEACHDAN

BBC News Japanese 日本語

BBC News தமிழ் (Tamil)

BBC News తెలుగు (Telugu)

BBC News ትግርኛ (Tigrinya)

BBC News اردو (Urdu)

BBC News World Service