Uganda has nominated former Foreign Minister Olara Otunnu to become the next UN secretary-general, making him the seventh candidate seeking to replace Antonio Guterres.

The East African country announced Otunnu’s candidacy in an official Foreign Ministry statement on Sunday, describing him as a statesman and international civil servant with more than four decades of diplomatic experience.

The ministry cited Otunnu’s experience in diplomacy, government, academia, and peacebuilding, saying it makes him “exceptionally well suited to lead the United Nations at this critical juncture in global affairs.”

“He successfully placed the protection of war-affected children on the agenda of the Security Council and designed the landmark compliance and monitoring regime adopted under Security Council Resolution 1612 in 2005, which remains in operation to-date,” the ministry stated.

The other five candidates are from Latin America and the Caribbean, the only regional group that has never produced a UN secretary-general. They are former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi of Argentina, former Costa Rican Vice President Rebeca Grynspan, former Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa, and former Guyanese Foreign Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett.

Guterres’ second five-year term expires on December 31, and his successor will inherit an organization under pressure over its response to global conflicts and growing calls for structural reform, including the African Union’s demand for at least two permanent Security Council seats.

In his vision statement, Uganda’s Otunnu pledged to pursue institutional reform, strengthen conflict-resolution efforts, and promote international oversight of artificial intelligence. He described his candidacy as an opportunity to “reinvent and renew” the UN and give it “a new lease on life.”

Misuzulu kaZwelithini, king of the Zulu people, South Africa’s largest ethnic group, has reinstated Inkosi Malusi Zondi and Prince Africa of Onkweni as royal chancellor and vice chancellor, respectively, reversing their dismissal announced by former Traditional Prime Minister Rev. Thulasizwe Buthelezi.

The reinstatement, which was announced on Friday, signaled the undoing of all decisions that were announced by Buthelezi and former royal spokesperson Prince Thulani Zulu. King’s spokesperson, Mpikayise Buthelezi, stated that despite the announcement both inkosi Zondi and Prince Africa will not immediately resume duties as their appointment awaits the king’s final approval.

In May, Buthelezi shocked the Zulu nation when he issued a statement announcing the closure of the King’s Private Office and the dismissal of the King’s Private Secretary Arnold Ndamase, inkosi Zondi and Prince Africa.

The announcement drew outrage and uncertainty as it was publicly disputed by both inkosi Zondi and Prince Africa who said that the King was the one who appointed them, but had not informed them of their removal. The moves raised questions about whether the King had sanctioned those decisions. However, two weeks later, the King announced that Ndamase was never removed from the office. The King then announced the removal of Buthelezi and Prince Thulani.

In welcoming the announcement, Prince Africa said there was never any instruction from the King to remove them from the office in the first place. He said it was the decision of the individuals who thought they were above the King and the Zulu crown, and the latest announcement was not necessarily their reinstatement, rather a correction of a wrong announcement made by the former Traditional Prime Minister and former spokesperson.

“Inkosi Zondi and I always maintained that since we were directly appointed by His Majesty, it would be the King himself that would inform us about any changes to our positions, not the Traditional Prime Minister.“

First published by IOL

The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) has reached 3,200, the country’s government reported on Sunday.

The latest official data shows that 1,405 people have died, putting the overall case fatality rate at 43.9%. At the same time, 571 patients have recovered, while 773 people remain in isolation or are hospitalized.

The outbreak has now spread across 48 health zones in five provinces.

Ituri remains the epicenter of the outbreak, accounting for 28 affected health zones. North Kivu has reported cases in 11 health zones. South Kivu currently has only one affected zone, where officials say no new confirmed infections have been detected for 60 days and surveillance continues. Cases have also been recorded in five health zones in Haut-Uele and three in Tshopo.

Outside DR Congo, Uganda has recorded 20 confirmed Ebola infections, including two deaths and 18 recoveries, according to official figures. France has reported one imported case linked to the outbreak, with the patient having since recovered.

On Thursday, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that insecurity could hamper efforts to contain the outbreak, limiting access to affected communities. He urged the international community to continue supporting DR Congo, saying: “The people of DRC cannot face this outbreak alone. They need sustained support from the international community. And above all, they need peace.”

DR Congo is battling its 17th recorded Ebola outbreak, which was declared on May 15. It involves the Bundibugyo strain of the virus for which there are currently no approved vaccines or targeted treatments available.

French intelligence services are preparing a third attack on Niger’s main airport after two assaults on the facility this year, the West African nation’s transitional leader, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, has said.

Tchiani made the allegation in an interview on state-owned RTN on Saturday to mark the third anniversary of the transitional authorities taking power following the ouster of French-aligned President Mohamed Bazoum. France condemned the July 2023 coup, refused to recognize the new authorities, and demanded Bazoum’s reinstatement.

“The June 18 attack was not the last because we are already tracking [them], since the objective has not been achieved. French intelligence is currently working to attempt a third attack,” Tchiani said.

Gunmen launched an assault on Diori Hamani International Airport in Niger’s capital Niamey on June 18, killing 13 people, including 11 security personnel and two civilians, according to the Sahel state’s Defense Ministry. At least 22 assailants were neutralized and about 20 suspects arrested. Al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) claimed responsibility for the attack.

On Saturday, the Nigerien leader accused French intelligence of assembling, training, and equipping militants from JNIM who were behind last month’s offensive. He said the operation was intended to simultaneously target the airport, the presidential palace, and an officer-training center in Tondibia, on the outskirts of Niamey.

Niger and its neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso have battled jihadist violence for more than a decade. The three former French colonies formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) in 2023 to jointly combat the insurgency after severing defense ties with Paris over alleged French aggression and its failure to contain the militants.

In June 2026, Algeria began construction of its section of the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline (TSGP) – a project first conceptualized in the 1970s and now being revived due to Europe’s energy crisis. The new 4,128-kilometer long energy route is expected to stretch from Nigeria through Niger and Algeria, where construction of a 1,210-kilometer section has begun.

The project is managed by the Algerian state-owned oil and gas company Sonatrach. At the groundbreaking ceremony, company representatives announced that the pipeline will connect to the existing gas network near Aoulef in the southwest of the country and will extend to the Mediterranean export terminals.

Against the background of the current disruptions in energy supplies, the TSGP project is extremely ambitious. For the EU, which since 2022 has been seeking reliable and geographically diversified gas sources, the route is very attractive. If completed, the pipeline will supply Europe with up to 30 billion cubic meters of gas annually.

For Algeria, this is an attempt to cement its status not only as a major gas supplier but also as a transit hub between West Africa and the Mediterranean. For Nigeria and Niger, it is an opportunity to access the European market via an overland route. The project is also important for Morocco, as it provides another incentive to accelerate its own gas project, which is intended to connect Nigeria to the Atlantic and Europe, bypassing Algeria.

Algeria as a source of gas for Europe

Algeria is a key natural gas supplier to Europe. In 2025, it exported around 40 billion cubic meters of gas to the EU, accounting for around 14% of Europe’s total gas imports. Algeria has a well-developed infrastructure that allows gas to be transported directly to Europe via pipelines, bypassing vulnerable sea routes.

Algeria stands out from many other suppliers precisely because of its geographic location and developed infrastructure. Located close to Southern Europe, it has experience in long-term contracts and is already integrated into the EU gas supply system.

While Algeria is increasing exports to Europe, it is also facing growing domestic demand. In 2025, domestic gas consumption exceeded 53 billion cubic meters and continues to grow rapidly due to population growth and industrial development. New projects are important for Algeria because they allow it to expand production, infrastructure, and boost Algeria’s role as a transit country, ensuring development.

A project long in the making

The TSGP is a proposed 4,000 kilometer-long pipeline that will stretch from the Nigerian gas fields through Niger to Algeria, and connect to the existing export system leading to the Mediterranean Sea. According to some estimates, it is designed to transport up to 30 billion cubic meters of gas annually. The total cost of the project at the time of launch in 2009 was around $13 billion.

The project was first discussed in the 1980s, but was put on the back burner due to security and financing issues as well as regional instability, particularly in Niger and northern Nigeria. It has been revived due to several factors: growing European demand for alternatives to Russian and Middle Eastern gas supplies, Algeria’s desire to secure its transit role, and rising tensions surrounding maritime routes, including the Strait of Hormuz.

In July 2009, Algeria, Niger, and Nigeria first signed an intergovernmental agreement to build the TSGP. Initially, the pipeline was scheduled to become operational by 2015, but the deadline was repeatedly pushed back due to financing issues. In 2022, the project was resumed, and a memorandum of understanding was signed in Algiers. However, in 2023, it was frozen again following the military coup in Niamey and the subsequent severance of diplomatic relations between Algeria and Niger.

Complex relations between Algeria and Niger

In July 2023, the military seized power in Niger. Algeria categorically rejected an external military intervention, particularly the options proposed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), warning that it would be a direct threat to its own security. Algeria even offered to become a mediator between the country’s military and civilian leaders, but the initiative was rejected.

The rupture in relations was also fueled by the migration crisis that erupted in April 2024. At the time, Niger’s Military Council summoned the Algerian ambassador to protest the mass, violent expulsion of sub-Saharan migrants across the shared desert border.

Relations reached the breaking point in April 2025, when Algerian forces shot down a drone flying from Mali. Since Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso had by then formed the Alliance of Sahel States, Niger and its allies recalled their ambassadors from Algeria in solidarity.

Nevertheless, recognizing its historical role in the Sahel, Algeria intensified diplomatic efforts in Niger and Burkina Faso in early 2026. Niger reinstated its ambassador to Algeria, and in February, Nigerien President Abdourahamane Tchiani visited his Algerian counterpart, officially restoring relations.

During a meeting in Niamey in March, the two countries signed over 20 strategic cooperation agreements in various fields and agreed to resume major cross-border initiatives, including the TSGP project. In early July, Algeria’s relations with Mali also improved. The countries opened their airspace to each other’s flights and reinstated ambassadors.

Who is building the pipeline?

The TSGP is being developed jointly by the Algerian state-owned oil company Sonatrach, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and the Nigerien Petroleum Products Company (SONIDEP). The project is set to be implemented in stages, and will not commence simultaneously in all three countries.

The Nigerian section of the pipeline will be 1,185 km long; the Nigerien section, 720 km; and the Algerian section, 2,424 km. In Algeria, construction of a 1,210 km section began in June 2026, while the remaining section is comprised of existing pipelines transporting gas from the southern fields to the pumping stations and cities in the north. Construction of the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline in Nigeria is currently in the pre-construction and planning phases. As for Niger, Niamey has officially confirmed that construction of the pipeline will begin in early 2027 in partnership with Sonatrach.

The ambitious TSGP project, if fully implemented, will connect two major gas powers. Algeria is Africa’s leading natural gas producer, yielding over 100 billion cubic meters annually. Nigeria holds the continent’s largest undeveloped reserves – around 6 trillion cubic meters, which is equivalent to a quarter of Qatar’s reserves (the country with the third-largest gas reserves in the world). Combined, these two countries account for more than half of Africa’s natural gas production and reserves.

Why this pipeline isn’t just about gas

The TGSP project is not only important economically but also geopolitically. Europe continues to seek suppliers that are closer, more predictable, and less dependent on maritime risks than traditional importers. The TGSP also strengthens the EU’s diplomatic ties with its African partners.

The Algerian pipeline model is particularly advantageous because it builds on existing land and Mediterranean infrastructure and is not solely dependent on LNG tanker shipments. By connecting to the Hassi R’Mel gas hub in Algeria, TSGP connects to well-functioning export routes such as the Trans-Mediterranean Pipeline.

The project is no less important for Africa. For Nigeria in particular, it represents a gateway to a much larger export market, while for Niger, it represents an opportunity to secure transit revenues and invest in infrastructure.

Niger remains the weakest link, as the security of the route through the Sahel, where numerous terrorist groups operate, is a major risk for an expensive, long-term project. The same can be said for northern Nigeria, where the situation remains extremely unstable due to the threat of terrorism, armed banditry, and inter-ethnic clashes.

Rivalry between Algeria and Morocco

The TSGP project is not the only initiative to create a gas corridor from Africa to Europe that has gained momentum in recent months. In April 2026, Amina Benkhadra, the head of Morocco’s hydrocarbons and mining agency (ONHYM), announced that an intergovernmental agreement on the $25 billion Nigeria-Morocco gas supply route project should be signed this year, with the feasibility study and preliminary design stages already completed.

The project, also known as the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline, envisions the construction of a 6,900-kilometer route with a maximum capacity of up to 30 billion cubic meters per year. It is planned to stretch along the Atlantic coast of West Africa, linking 13 countries and connecting to Morocco’s existing gas infrastructure.

The two projects, both originating in Nigeria but essentially driven by Algeria and Morocco, are in close competition with each other. They are not simply competing for investments, but offer Europe different geoenergy opportunities: The TGSP offers a trans-Saharan route and an existing export hub in Algeria, while the Nigeria-Morocco pipeline will stretch along Africa’s Atlantic coast and foster broader regional integration. Both projects promise up to 30 billion cubic meters per year, but each has its own timeframe, risks, and political partners.

The rivalry between Algeria and Morocco in the gas sector is part of broader regional competition that extends beyond energy. Relations between the two Maghreb region countries are currently in a state of deep crisis. In 2021, Algiers officially severed diplomatic relations with Rabat due to territorial disputes and disagreements. The shared border between the two countries has been closed since 1994, and the border conflict dates back to the 1963 Sand War that erupted after liberation from colonialism.

Both countries are currently engaged in a fierce struggle for leadership in the Maghreb region and beyond, including in the European energy market. For Algeria, the TSGP will strengthen the country’s image as the main gas bridge between Africa and Europe. For Morocco, the project with Nigeria offers the opportunity to become the transit axis of the West African gas corridor and to strengthen its position in relations with the EU.

However, both projects are capital-intensive and politically sensitive. Investors and potential buyers aren’t just concerned with production and demand, but also gas route security, long-term contracts, transit guarantees, and political stability in the participating countries. This is why both projects remained on paper for decades, and their current revival doesn’t necessarily mean that an immediate breakthrough will be achieved.

Recent months have shown that both gas initiatives have transformed from abstract ideas into concrete infrastructure projects. Europe still needs gas, and the instability of international maritime gas routes due to the wars in the Middle East and the closure of the Suez Canal and the Strait of Hormuz has increased the value of pipeline gas and short-distance supplies.

The speed of implementation shouldn’t be overestimated. Even in a favorable scenario, pipelines take years to build and their full operation depends on tariff negotiations, commercial terms, and political stability. In the near future, Algeria’s importance will rest primarily on its role as a gas supplier rather than the initiator of a future mega-project.

Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Patrice Motsepe has backed tougher action against illegal immigration in South Africa, saying concerns about unemployment and businesses hiring foreign workers willing to accept lower wages are legitimate. Motsepe made the remarks during the CAF press conference in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

“(The) concern about our people not getting jobs is a legitimate concern. And we’ve got a duty to do that. And of course there’s also an equally legitimate concern when some of our businesses don’t employ South Africans but employ people from outside the continent because they are prepared to accept low wages. It’s wrong,” he said.

Motsepe noted that South Africa needed to address illegal migration while promoting cooperation among African countries. “We have to say we support the cooperation, the working together of Africans of the continent. We will not tolerate, we cannot support illegality. We cannot support illegal migration,” he added.

The CAF head's comments come amid growing protests over illegal immigration, with some groups calling for undocumented foreign nationals to leave South Africa. Hundreds of migrants continue to arrive at the Musina Repatriation Centre in Limpopo as authorities continue deportations and voluntary repatriations. 

Earlier this month, Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the government was concerned about what it described as a campaign aimed at isolating South Africa from the continent following tensions over anti-illegal immigration protests. Magwenya said the government had observed efforts to portray South Africa as a country hostile to foreign nationals, despite official statements condemning vigilantism and reaffirming the state’s responsibility to enforce immigration laws.

Magwenya noted the government was particularly concerned about the spread of misinformation by a diplomatic representative. He later confirmed that he was referring to Ghana’s High Commissioner.

“Recent evidence shows that this false campaign, concerning as it is, is faltering. South Africa is not isolated,” Magwenya said, adding that South Africa remained committed to engagement with African countries and the international community.

First published by IOL

A South African court has temporarily halted public impeachment hearings against President Cyril Ramaphosa over a long-running scandal involving $580,000 stolen from his private game farm.

The Western Cape High Court ruled on Friday that Parliament’s Section 89 impeachment committee could not proceed with public hearings until it decides Ramaphosa’s separate application to overturn the report underpinning the inquiry.

The 2-1 majority ruling does not prevent the committee from continuing preparatory work. Its chairman, Makashule Gana, said members would study the judgment to determine “which aspect of the work we can proceed with.”

Ramaphosa’s office welcomed the decision, saying the president “reaffirms his respect of judicial independence and separation of powers” and would continue to cooperate with accountability processes.

The case stems from the Phala Phala scandal, a 2020 burglary at Ramaphosa’s private game farm in Limpopo, where Ramaphosa claims that around $580,000 in foreign currency hidden in a couch was stolen. However, former spy boss Arthur Fraser alleged that the sum was in fact $4 million. Ramaphosa has denied any wrongdoing, saying the money came from a legitimate sale of buffaloes.

However, the Constitutional Court overturned that decision in May, ruling that Parliament acted irrationally, and ordered the report to be referred to an impeachment committee for review. Ramaphosa subsequently asked the High Court to set the report aside, arguing that it relied on hearsay and failed to distinguish prima facie from sufficient evidence. That challenge is expected to be heard in September.

If the committee ultimately finds grounds for impeachment, Ramaphosa’s removal would require support from at least two-thirds (267) of the 400-member National Assembly. His ANC lost its majority in 2024 but still holds 159 seats, enough to block impeachment if its lawmakers remain united. The party now governs through a ten-party Government of National Unity that includes the Democratic Alliance, the second-largest party, and several smaller parties.

The UK has canceled a major army exercise in Kenya after the two countries failed to resolve a dispute over Nairobi’s powers to prosecute British soldiers accused of committing crimes in the East African nation.

The planned Exercise Haraka Storm, involving the 1st Battalion and The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, was reportedly scheduled to begin in September in central Kenya’s Laikipia County. It will instead be held outside Kenya, the British Ministry of Defence said on Thursday, according to The Guardian. Kenya’s Standard newspaper reported that the training would be moved to neighboring Tanzania.

“It is with regret that the necessary licences required to allow training to take place in Laikipia later this year have not been forthcoming,” a Ministry of Defence spokesperson said.

Kenyan lawmakers have, however, withheld approval for a renewed bilateral defense agreement amid demands for greater jurisdiction over serious offenses committed by British troops. Funding for BATUK is also reportedly under negotiation.

The unit has faced widespread allegations of misconduct, including murder, rape, and environmental pollution. A two-year Kenyan parliamentary investigation report released last December accused British soldiers of murder, sexual assault, torture, and forcibly evicting residents near Nanyuki. It also documented claims involving civilian deaths and injuries from unexploded ordnance, pollution, toxic-waste disposal, and damage to wildlife habitats.

Last year, Britain agreed to pay £2.9 million ($3.9 million) to more than 7,700 Kenyans and an environmental group over a 2021 wildfire accidentally started by British troops. The blaze destroyed more than 12,000 acres of the Lolldaiga Hills and reportedly caused one death.

The Ministry of Defence said it remained committed to its defense partnership with Kenya and would continue talks aimed at resuming training.

The two governments are “actively engaging to address these outstanding issues,” The Guardian quoted Koech as saying.

The South African authorities are investigating 15 religious leaders, including pastors and prophets, over allegations that they obtained visas, residence permits, and other immigration benefits through fraudulent or unlawful means.

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said the Special Investigating Unit had completed ten investigations, referring eight cases to the National Prosecuting Authority for possible prosecution. Five investigations remain ongoing, while two were closed after being resolved.

Two cases had been closed after all investigative steps were completed and the matters were satisfactorily resolved, while five investigations remained ongoing, he said.

This comes after African Transformation Movement (ATM) Member of Parliament Thandiswa Marawu asked the minister about the SIU’s findings that certain foreign religious leaders and pastors had allegedly received assistance from officials within the department to obtain visas, permanent residence permits and other immigration benefits through fraudulent means.

“The Special Investigating Unit (SIU), acting in terms of Proclamation No. 154 of 2024, has identified a total of fifteen (15) individuals for investigation in relation to allegations of irregular, fraudulent and/or unlawful acquisition of immigration benefits,” Schreiber said.

He noted that the SIU had recorded the individuals under the category of religious leaders, including pastors and prophets, but had not separated them into different categories for reporting purposes.

“The SIU has not distinguished between ‘foreign religious leaders’ and pastors/prophets for purposes of its investigation.

‘‘The SIU has advised that the terms ‘pastor’ and ‘prophet’ were used interchangeably in the investigated matters and are not reported as separate categories,” Schreiber said.

However, the minister said the department could not disclose the identities of those investigated or details of the specific benefits they received because some matters remained under investigation and others had been referred to the NPA.

“The specific particulars relating to each individual form part of ongoing investigations and, in certain instances, matters that have been referred to the NPA,” Schreiber said.

“The disclosure of person-specific details at this stage may prejudice ongoing investigations and potential criminal proceedings.

‘‘The Department will therefore provide such additional information to Parliament once the relevant investigative and prosecutorial processes permit disclosure,” he added.

First published by IOL

Liberian authorities have seized nearly four metric tons of cocaine valued at more than $317 million in the West African nation’s largest-ever drug bust, the Justice Ministry has announced.

The 3,971kg haul was discovered on Tuesday during a court-authorized search of a property in Duazon, a community in Margibi County outside the capital, Monrovia, along the highway to Roberts International Airport.

Two foreign nationals, one Serbian and the other holding Colombian and Spanish citizenship, were detained and are assisting investigators, Liberian Justice Minister and Attorney General Oswald Tweh told reporters on Wednesday. Their names have been withheld to protect the investigation, Tweh said.

“Any individual regardless of nationality, position, or status against whom credible and visible evidence is established will be held accountable,” he stated.

Officers also recovered diving suits, a firearm, GPS tracking devices, a drone and Starlink satellite internet equipment. The items are undergoing forensic examination.

The latest operation follows the seizure of 237.6kg of cocaine, valued at $19 million, at Roberts International Airport last month. The shipment had allegedly been disguised as food seasoning, and five suspects have since been charged. In October 2022, the authorities seized 520kg of cocaine worth an estimated $100 million at a cold-storage facility near Monrovia’s seaport. The drugs had arrived in a container shipped from Brazil.

West Africa is a major transit corridor for cocaine trafficked from South America. At least 30% of the cocaine destined for European markets passes through the region, according to a recent report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.

In neighboring Nigeria, 11 Indian sailors were convicted last month over 31.5kg of cocaine seized from their vessel. The anti-narcotics authority seized one ton of cocaine worth $235 million last November. It dismantled a methamphetamine laboratory containing drugs and chemicals valued at $363 million in May, the country’s largest-ever drug seizure by value.

Morocco has demanded a thorough investigation after one of its nationals died while being restrained by police in the northern Italian city of Bologna.

Abderrahim Fakir, 42, died on Sunday after officers were called to the city’s Pilastro neighborhood over reports that a man was behaving aggressively and damaging a vehicle. Police reportedly used pepper spray before holding him face down while attempting to handcuff him.

Morocco is following the case with “deep concern” and has asked the Italian authorities to establish responsibility and fully apply the required legal procedures, the North African nation’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

“Moroccan authorities will continue to closely follow this issue as part of their ongoing commitment to protecting the interests of Moroccan expatriates,” the ministry said in a statement.

A video circulating in Italian media shows Fakir calling for help and shouting “that’s enough” as two officers restrain him on the ground and a civilian holds his legs. He appears to struggle for breath before becoming motionless.

Bologna prosecutors have opened a preliminary inquiry on the two police officers and four emergency workers present during the incident, local media reported.

The incident triggered demonstrations in Bologna on Monday. Some protesters threw bottles, chairs, and firecrackers at police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons. A police union said 56 officers were injured.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has backed a full investigation into Fakir’s death, saying any responsibility must be established “with the utmost rigor.” She also condemned the violence during the subsequent demonstration, stating that “nothing can justify violence against law enforcement.”

Italian law enforcement has long faced allegations of racial profiling. Following a 2024 mission to the country, UN experts said they heard testimony that race was used as a basis for identity checks and searches, creating “harmful and spurious associations of Blackness with criminality and delinquency.” A Council of Europe report that same year raised similar concerns, particularly regarding Roma people and people of African descent. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni rejected the findings, saying the police force “deserves respect” and insisting that officers protect citizens “without distinctions.”

When Gamal Abdel Nasser led the Free Officers Movement to power in 1952, Africa’s political landscape was mostly vacant – with independent nations limited to Egypt, Ethiopia, Liberia, Libya, and apartheid-ruled South Africa. Yet, by his death in September 1970, more than 40 African countries had achieved sovereignty. This monumental shift was no coincidence.

Under Nasser, Cairo transformed into the hub of global anti-colonialism – a diplomatic base and logistics center for liberation struggles from Algeria’s National Liberation Front (FLN) to movements in the Congo, Angola, and Southern Africa. By exporting the ideals of the July 23 Revolution, Egypt helped engineer Africa’s decolonization wave, anchoring a Pan-African momentum that forged the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and championed a multipolar world order through the Non-Aligned Movement.

While the Arab world was bound by a shared language and history, the African sphere offered the most fertile ground for a systemic challenge to European empires. Nasser argued that a colonized Africa left Egypt’s southern flank dangerously vulnerable. Conversely, a liberated continent would secure Cairo’s vital interests – including the crucial waters of the Nile – and solidify Egypt’s role as the vanguard of the developing world. Meanwhile, the Islamic sphere provided the cultural and civilizational network necessary to mobilize transcontinental solidarity against foreign hegemony, ensuring that Egypt never stood isolated against imperial powers.

To turn this geopolitical vision into reality, Nasser transformed Cairo from a regional capital of cinema and arts into the operational center of African decolonization. Crucially, arts and literature flourished alongside these movements. The city evolved into a dual Pan-Arab and Pan-African sanctuary for liberation fronts that European empires were actively trying to crush.

From Nelson Mandela seeking military backing for the African National Congress (ANC), to Jomo Kenyatta’s representatives from Kenya, and Amilcar Cabral’s PAIGC (African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde) vanguard, the architects of African revolution found resources and safety in Egypt’s capital. However, subverting entrenched empires also required the imperial monopoly on information to be broken. Cairo utilized its reputation as the “Arab Hollywood,” leveraging the continent’s latest pop music and poetry to draw millions of listeners to Sawt al-Arab and Radio Cairo. Broadcasting across the continent in dozens of indigenous languages (including Swahili, Hausa, Amharic, and Somali), Egypt bypassed colonial censors to deliver a message of self-determination directly to the African masses.

The escalation did not go unanswered by the colonial powers as they witnessed their influence quickly waning. France, the UK, and Israel were determined to crush Nasser once and for all. Their opportunity came when he announced the nationalization of the Suez Canal – a critical waterway linking the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. The tripartite alliance launched a full-scale military invasion of Egypt in late 1956. However, their aggression backfired. By holding the line militarily and leveraging diplomatic pressure through the UN with back-channel support from both Washington and Moscow, Nasser transformed a crisis into a political triumph for the Global South, when the invading forces had to withdraw.

The humiliation of London and Paris signaled the collapse of traditional European imperial power, proving to liberation movements that Western empires were no longer invincible.

This solidarity culminated in a structural overhaul of the global architecture, with Nasser cementing his legacy as a co-founder of continental unity. Egypt was a primary driver behind the historic May 1963 OAU Addis Ababa summit. As the leading voice of the Casablanca Group, Nasser placed his signature on the founding charter of the OAU alongside fellow continental leaders like Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah, Ethiopia’s Emperor Haile Selassie, Tanzania’s Julius Nyerere, and Guinea’s Sekou Toure. They did so out of a shared conviction that isolated independent states would remain vulnerable unless they came together, particularly at a time when the African continent was facing new challenges, including wars.

And the struggle is not over yet, as seen today in the Sahel countries which, decades after formal independence, have managed to kick out the remnants of French colonialism. As the modern international order fractures, today’s African leaders echo the exact vocabulary forged during the anti-colonial wave, asserting independent policies in a multipolar world. Whether navigating new financial frameworks, resisting external security dictates, or demanding structural reforms at the UN, the continent’s push for absolute sovereignty stems directly from the precedents set when Cairo broke the imperial monopoly on power.

South Africa’s economy could be three times its current size with better policies and management, former statistician-general Pali Lehohla said on Tuesday, blaming corruption for constraining growth and worsening unemployment and poverty.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Electoral Commission’s (IEC) Thought Leadership Seminar in Centurion, Lehohla said the country’s 7 trillion rand ($426 billion) economy should be worth 21 trillion rand ($1.3 trillion), given its resources and economic potential.

“This R7tn economy should be a R21tn economy. Our economic policies have been stupid. That is what has brought us here. There is so much wealth in this country, yet we have constrained it,” he stated.

His concerns come on the heels of the National Treasury’s announcement of a $1.5 billion loan from the World Bank, intended to support reforms aimed at alleviating infrastructure bottlenecks, enhancing economic growth, and creating jobs. This reliance on foreign loans stands in stark contrast to the early days after the end of apartheid when the country lifted itself using its own resources.

He called on the South African government to re-imagine its economic policies, which continue to cripple South Africa’s developmental potential, stating: “They can’t see the bigger picture. They can’t see abundance because they are looking at stealing... Now you are borrowing from the IMF as if it is going out of fashion”.

“Democracy must say if we are giving you R350, how are you going to get your freedom? All this money labeled ‘distress’ has nothing to do with development or democracy. A wise government would invest in agricultural initiatives. That is IEC’s mandate. Otherwise, they would come and burn this building,” he stated.

With the IEC gearing up for the voter registration weekend on August 1 and 2, Judge Dhaya Pillay closed the seminar, reflecting on how heightened inequality may be pushing citizens toward a tipping point, where if the benefits of participation don’t outweigh the costs, citizens turn inward to safeguard themselves instead.

First published by IOL

At least 144 migrants are dead or missing following separate maritime incidents off the coast of Mauritania, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has reported, saying it is “extremely saddened” by the events.

Three rescue and disembarkation operations conducted between July 14 and 18 brought 387 people safely ashore in the northwestern city of Nouadhibou, UNHCR spokesman Matthew Saltmarsh told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday. The survivors came from several countries, but the agency did not disclose their nationalities.

“This is a stark reminder that, despite sustained efforts by coastal authorities and humanitarian partners to save lives, the Atlantic route from West Africa towards the Canary Islands remains one of the world’s deadliest mixed movement corridors,” Saltmarsh said.

The heaviest toll reported involved a boat that departed from the coastal village of Bafuloto in Gambia, bound for Spain. Only 38 people survived after spending nearly 25 days stranded in the Atlantic, while 144 passengers were reported dead or missing.

Mauritania has become a major transit and departure point for people attempting to reach Spain’s Canary Islands in search of a better life in Europe. The route involves long distances, unpredictable weather and overcrowded vessels that are often unfit for sea travel, according to the UN.

Mauritanian authorities have recorded 17 disembarkations in Nouadhibou and the capital, Nouakchott, so far this year, rescuing 2,147 people, according to the agency. In August 2025, at least 49 people died and nearly 100 went missing when another migrant boat capsized off the country’s coast.

A Ghanaian court has sentenced businessman and senior opposition politician Bernard Antwi Boasiako, widely known as Chairman Wontumi, to 20 years in prison for violating national mining laws.

The Accra High Court on Monday convicted the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Ashanti regional chairman and his company, Akonta Mining Limited, of assigning mineral rights without ministerial approval and facilitating unlicensed gold mining at Samreboi in western Ghana.

The court found that Boasiako permitted two individuals, Henry Okum and Michael Gyedu Ayisi, to mine gold on the company’s concession without approval from the minister of lands and natural resources. He was also fined 120,000 Ghanaian cedis (about $11,000), while Akonta Mining was fined 180,000 cedis.

Boasiako pleaded not guilty to all charges and insisted during the trial that one of the miners had been authorized only to rehabilitate degraded land by planting coconut trees. However, Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay rejected his defense, finding that Boasiako had knowingly permitted gold mining and was the company’s “true de facto holder of the mineral right.”

The opposition NPP has denounced the judgment as “political imprisonment” and said it would appeal both the conviction and sentence.

“There is no justification for the judgment since the judge obviously ignored clear evidence exonerating Wontumi,” NPP General Secretary Justin Frimpong Kodua told reporters. He described Boasiako as a “political prisoner” and accused the government of pursuing selective prosecutions to create “the appearance of success” in combating illegal mining.

The environmental damage has triggered repeated demonstrations. More than 50 demonstrators, including Ghanaian lawyer and activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor, were arrested during anti-galamsey protests in Accra in September 2024, when the NPP led the country. Barker-Vormawor spent about three weeks in custody before being granted bail. The charges were withdrawn after the National Democratic Congress party returned to power in January 2025.

Barker-Vormawor welcomed Boasiako’s conviction, describing the day as “important for the path to justice.” 

Boasiako’s sentencing is the first involving a senior political figure since Ghana launched a nationwide crackdown on illegal mining nearly a decade ago. Chinese national Aisha Huang, nicknamed Ghana’s “Galamsey Queen,” was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for illegal mining in 2023.

A South African rights commission has launched an investigation after 43 young men died during customary initiation rites this winter. During the season, these coming-of age rituals, including circumcision, are performed to mark the transition to adulthood.

Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva, chairperson of the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities, said the fatalities must not be treated as an accepted part of the practice.

Speaking at a media briefing alongside Deputy Chairperson Prince George Mahlangu, she said the commission would establish a committee in August to examine deaths and alleged abuses at initiation schools. Authorities have also recorded 75 hospitalizations, 180 rescues, 12 abductions and 40 arrests this season.

In response to the escalating concern, Mkhwanazi-Xaluva, who appeared alongside Deputy Chairperson Prince George Mahlangu, outlined the establishment of a Section Seven Committee, which is set to begin operations next month. According to Mahlangu, this committee will scrutinise the past decade, during which over 600 deaths have been reported in various provinces, highlighting a regression in certain areas regarding the safety of initiates.

Mkhwanazi-Xaluva indicated that the introduction of the Customary Initiation Act 2 of 2021, signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa, is crucial in this context, as it imposes serious penalties on those failing to ensure the safety of initiates, including potential imprisonment. She underlined the Act’s importance, stating: “There will be no holy cows in this process because one death is one too many. We cannot continue to witness these fatalities as if they are an accepted norm.”

Recently, the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (CONTRALESA) called for a police investigation into allegations that some initiation school principals instructed staff to deny doctors access to initiates. Furthermore, according to the latest figures, Mpumalanga leads with 18 deaths, followed by the Eastern Cape with 14, North West with four, while Gauteng and Free State have reported two deaths each.

“We will be working with all the stakeholders, but our process will be robust as we want to ensure that we fully verify some of the reported incidents, including the fact that in some cases, medical practitioners were chased away.”

As the Section Seven Committee gears up for its work, Mahlangu reiterated the need for accountability, asserting that the upcoming initiation season must incorporate lessons learned from recent tragedies. “If we do not implement this Act fully, we would be failing our people,” he noted.

Edward Mafadza, CEO of the CRL Rights Commission, reaffirmed that insights from the recent Initiation Indaba will be instrumental in ensuring proper regulations for initiation schools and stakeholders.

“Since that initiation indaba, we have distributed resolutions to our stakeholders,” he assured. The committee aims to evaluate the compliance and effectiveness of these resolutions, ensuring that progress is made in the fight against unsafe initiation practices.

First published by IOL

A controversial US-backed Ebola quarantine facility in Kenya is operating despite a court order suspending activities at the site, activists in the East African nation have said, accusing the authorities of defying the ruling.

The US-based Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse confirmed that seven of its employees who had worked in DR Congo were undergoing a 21-day quarantine in “large military tents” in Kenya. The group said none had shown symptoms but did not disclose their location.

Local media, however, reported that military tents at Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki, about 200 km north of Nairobi, were intended to house the proposed US quarantine center.

The US has said the center would protect public health by quarantining Americans who had been exposed to Ebola abroad. Kenyan President William Ruto has defended the project as part of a broader network of 24 preparedness centers.

Last month, the Kenyan High Court found Health Minister Aden Duale in contempt for violating an earlier order halting work at the site. Duale later said he had ordered a complete suspension of all construction and other site activities.

The Law Society of Kenya also told AP on Monday that a “deliberate” violation of the court ruling would amount to “impunity and lawlessness.”

West African leaders have signed an intergovernmental agreement supporting a proposed multibillion-dollar pipeline that would carry Nigerian gas along the Atlantic coast to Morocco, advancing plans for a new energy corridor linking the region to European markets.

The agreement governing the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline was signed on Sunday during a summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Sierra Leone, according to an official statement. It establishes a common legal framework for participating countries but does not constitute a final investment decision.

A joint statement issued by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and Morocco’s Office National of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM) said the nearly 6,900 km pipeline is estimated to cost about $25 billion.

It is designed to carry up to 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually through 13 West African countries to Morocco, with “interconnections serving landlocked Sahel nations” and potential access to European markets through the existing Maghreb-Europe network, NNPC and ONHYM stated.

Nigeria is one of Africa’s leading energy producers and was the world’s sixth-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas in 2024, according to the US Energy Information Administration. Morocco, by contrast, imports most of its fossil fuel and hopes the pipeline will strengthen its position as an energy transit hub between West Africa and Europe.

The project has faced questions over financing and security risks. In 2018, a coalition of 40 environmental and civil society groups, including ATTAC Morocco, Nigeria’s Health of Mother Earth Foundation and 350 Africa, opposed the project, arguing that it would increase fossil-fuel extraction and greenhouse gas emissions.

The Atlantic route also competes with the proposed 4,100-kilometer Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline, which would transport Nigerian gas to Europe through Niger and Algeria. Algeria, Africa’s largest natural gas producer, has sought to revive the decades-old project with Abuja and Niamey. In February, Algeria and Niger agreed to restart work on the pipeline after years of delays.

South Africa will spend 156 billion rand (about $9.5 billion) on water and sanitation infrastructure over the next three years as the government seeks to address persistent shortages and deteriorating services, President Cyril Ramaphosa has said.

The announcement comes amid growing frustration from households and businesses affected by persistent water shortages, deteriorating infrastructure, and poor municipal service delivery across several parts of the country.

“Over the next three years, the government has allocated R156 billion to water and sanitation infrastructure as part of its broader public infrastructure investment program," Ramaphosa said in his weekly newsletter on Monday.

A key component of the plan is the newly launched National Water Access Acceleration Programme, which will focus on delivering water through decentralized supply schemes such as boreholes, groundwater development projects and rainwater harvesting systems.

The program was officially launched in Hammanskraal, Gauteng, a community that has endured years of water supply challenges and where a cholera outbreak claimed lives in 2023.

“We must acknowledge that in too many municipalities, government has not succeeded with the maintenance of infrastructure, to manage water services properly and to respond with sufficient urgency,” he said.

He noted that some communities continue to face severe water shortages, deteriorating water quality and collapsing infrastructure, despite constitutional guarantees of access to water.

The government established the National Water Crisis Committee earlier this year to coordinate investment, institutional reforms and efforts to improve municipal services and tackle corruption.

Ramaphosa also announced that legislative reforms are underway, including the Water Services Amendment Bill, which is expected to strengthen enforcement measures and introduce greater accountability for municipal officials.

“Public hearings will soon begin on the Water Services Amendment Bill, which will strengthen enforcement and enable municipal managers who fail to manage water infrastructure to be held personally liable,” he said.

Ramaphosa described water security as one of the government's most urgent priorities, saying communities that continue to endure water shortages are justified in demanding action.

“Households and businesses experiencing shortages and outages have had enough, and underserved communities across the country still waiting for taps to be installed 32 years into democracy are justifiably tired of waiting,” he said.

Drawing parallels with efforts to reduce load shedding, Ramaphosa said coordinated action, emergency interventions and long-term structural reforms would be required to resolve the water crisis.

First published by IOL

Sao Tomean President Carlos Vila Nova has won a second term despite running as an independent after breaking with the ruling party that backed his 2021 victory, preliminary results show.

The National Election Commission (CEN) announced on Monday that Vila Nova secured 55.94% of the vote in Sunday’s election, avoiding a runoff, while his main rival Nito D’Abreu received 41.42%. The other two candidates, Eugenio Tiny and Miques Joao Bonfim, obtained 1.07% and 1.58%, respectively.

The incumbent ran as an independent after splitting with the ruling Independent Democratic Action (ADI) party, which backed lawmaker D’Abreu. Vila Nova represented the ADI when he won the presidency in 2021.

Vila Nova’s break with the party followed his dismissal of Prime Minister Patrice Trovoada in January 2025, citing his prolonged absences and the government’s failure to address the country’s economic and financial problems. Trovoada denounced the move as unconstitutional, a position later upheld by the Constitutional Court, although its ruling was not retroactive. The president’s first choice to replace him resigned after three days, deepening a political crisis that has overshadowed the vote.

CEN said 142,191 people were registered to vote, including 20,521 abroad, but reported low turnout. Voting was canceled in the southern communities of Ilheu das Rolas and Praia de Messias Alves after residents erected barricades and prevented ballot boxes from reaching polling stations.

The European Union deployed 30 observers, while the African Union sent a 29-member mission led by former Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi. Teams from the Economic Community of Central African States, the Community of Portuguese Language Countries and the G7+ also provided monitors. CEN and observer missions said the voting was generally peaceful, with no major incidents.

Canada will temporarily bar foreign nationals who have recently visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) from entering the country as the death toll from an Ebola outbreak continues to rise.

The measure takes effect at 11:59 PM on Monday and applies to foreigners who have been in DR Congo during the previous 21 days, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) announced on Sunday. Airlines have been ordered to prevent affected passengers from boarding flights to Canada.

Canadian citizens and permanent residents returning from DR Congo, Uganda or South Sudan will remain eligible for entry but must undergo health assessments and quarantine for 21 days. Canada initially suspended immigration documents for residents of the three countries in May after outbreaks of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola were declared in DR Congo and Uganda.

PHAC said the new measures will remain in place until August 29, despite noting that the health risk posed by the disease to Canadians is considered low and that no travel-related cases have been reported in the country.

However, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that such restrictions risk fueling stigma against people from affected regions and African communities, stressing that Ebola transmission “is not determined by nationality or ethnicity.”

“Stigma discourages people from seeking care and can make outbreaks harder to control,” the WHO said in a statement last month.

No licensed vaccine or specific treatment exists for the Bundibugyo strain. Last week, Oxford University launched a Phase I human trial to assess the safety and immune response of its ChAdOx1 BDBV vaccine as a possible means of preventing the disease.

The US has barred American citizens departing DR Congo from returning directly, requiring them to spend 21 days in another country as part of measures it says are aimed at containing the outbreak.

When the UN established Nelson Mandela International Day in 2009, the anti-apartheid icon had already been a free man for nearly two decades. The tribute asks people worldwide to dedicate 67 minutes to public service on July 18, his birthday – one minute for every year Mandela spent fighting for human rights.

He had already served his singular, historic term as South Africa’s first black president and had spent years traversing a rapidly transforming global landscape to reconnect with a world he was forced to miss during his 27 years of incarceration. Crucially, his early diplomatic travels prioritized visits to the very nations that had anchored the anti-apartheid struggle – defying Western pressure by openly embracing allies like Libya as early as 1990 and Cuba in 1991.

By pushing back against Western critics who questioned these alliances, Mandela established a precedent for African sovereignty and non-alignment at the absolute height of the post-Cold War unipolar order.

Years later, during a historic 1997 visit to Tripoli that openly defied Western-imposed sanctions, Mandela re-emphasized this stance, telling foreign detractors that those who objected to his relationship with Gaddafi could go “jump in the pool.”

This doctrine of unapologetic sovereignty established a lasting blueprint for African diplomacy that resonates today. By asserting that South Africa’s national interest would not be dictated by Western capitals or geopolitical pressure, Mandela drew a clear line between global integration and diplomatic submission. Decades later, as the Global South increasingly asserts its independence amid renewed great-power competition, Mandela’s historic defiance remains the touchstone for African leaders insisting on their right to navigate a complicated world without being forced to into what they did not like.

Today, this battle for autonomy plays out across multiple fronts where Western influence attempts to condition critical support on strategic compliance. When South African President Cyril Ramaphosa stood firm against US rhetoric over land reform and baseless “white genocide” narratives pushed by the Trump administration, he was operating directly within Mandela’s tradition of rejecting foreign dictates.

This insistence on strategic autonomy has reshaped Africa’s institutional landscape, driving a transition from defensive non-alignment toward proactive global architecture. The evolution from the Organization of African Unity (OAU) to the African Union (AU) reflected Mandela’s core premise: that continental peace-building and conflict resolution must be anchored in African-led frameworks rather than external tutelage.

Today, this institutional legacy finds its most potent expression in the alignment of the Global South, most notably through the expansion of BRICS. By forging alternative trade networks, development finance mechanisms, and diplomatic platforms, African states are translating Mandela’s early defense of sovereign friendships into a structured pursuit of a multipolar world order along with major supporters like Russia.

This modern expression of Mandela’s diplomatic style is illustrated by Africa’s stance on recent global crises, where continental leaders have refused to fall under the geopolitical sway of Washington, Brussels, Paris, or London.

Similarly, when the UN General Assembly voted on resolutions condemning Russia over the conflict in Ukraine, nearly half of all African member states abstained or declined to vote, refusing to co-sponsor Western-backed sanctions against Moscow.

In both cases, African diplomacy demonstrated that it is no longer bound by former colonial ties or Western consensus, choosing instead an independent path rooted in active non-alignment and sovereign judgment. Furthermore, in direct alignment with Mandela’s legacy of proactive diplomacy, a joint mission of seven African nations led by South Africa stepped into the global arena in June 2023 to mediate the Ukraine conflict – traveling to both Kiev and St. Petersburg to present a diplomatic roadmap, proving that African states now insist on shaping international peace processes rather than inheriting them.

Reclaiming Nelson Mandela’s legacy requires stripping away his sanitized portrait favored by Western commentators, which reduces him to an apolitical saint of quiet reconciliation, and honoring the hard-nosed strategist who prioritised national dignity above superpower approval. Today, as Africa navigates an increasingly fractured global landscape, the true measure of Mandela’s impact is not found in solemn speeches on July 18 or symbolic corporate charity drives. It lives in the resolute insistence of African states charting their own diplomatic destinies. The case of Sahel countries, expelling former colonial power France is a clear example of that.

From the strategic expansion of BRICS to the AU’s insistence on a permanent seat at the UN Security Council, African diplomacy is actively dismantling the outdated assumption that the continent must passively align with distant geopolitical blocs.

By rejecting proxy politics and demanding an equitable seat at the global decision-making table, Africa is actively realizing Mandela’s vision. In an age of shifting powers, the continent’s insistence on charting its own course stands as the most enduring monument to his life’s work.

Ukraine has deployed military personnel to several African countries in an attempt to open a “second front” against Russia, Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Borisenko has said. In an interview with TASS published on Friday, the Russian diplomat named Mali, Libya, and Sudan as countries where Ukrainian personnel have allegedly supported armed groups or carried out attacks against Russian interests.

He said Ukrainian instructors, including “those trained in the use of unmanned aerial vehicles,” are embedded with Islamist militants in Mali, which has battled a jihadist insurgency for over a decade.

Ukraine has been at the center of a diplomatic dispute in the Sahel since an ambush in July 2024 by Tuareg rebels killed dozens of Malian soldiers and Russian military contractors. Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman Andrey Yusov said at the time that the rebels received information that enabled the attack, although Kiev later denied supporting terrorism.

Recent attacks have targeted strategic military sites across Mali and neighboring Niger, including the airport in Niamey, which also houses an airbase and the headquarters of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) joint force. Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso established the force to combat the regional insurgency with Russian support under defense and counterterrorism agreements.

In Sudan, Borisenko said Ukrainian personnel fought alongside the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) during its capture of El Fasher late last year, when dozens of civilians were killed. A Sudanese Foreign Ministry official told RT in June 2025 that Kiev provided drones to the RSF, which has been locked in a brutal civil war with the Sudanese army since April 2023.

The worsening Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) has disrupted travel and delayed negotiations linked to a US-backed critical minerals partnership, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing four people familiar with the matter.

The partnership is part of Washington’s broader efforts to diversify critical mineral supplies and reduce reliance on China.

The outbreak has delayed travel and negotiations linked to a US-backed minerals partnership. Although existing mining operations have not been directly affected, visits by suppliers, consultants, and investors have been postponed, creating logistical difficulties and slowing discussions on expanding cooperation, according to the report.

A meeting in Washington scheduled for June to assess the interest of US companies in Congolese mining projects was postponed, while a planned review in July was canceled because key participants could not travel from the US. Some discussions have since moved to Paris and Brussels, while negotiations have continued in London.

DR Congo is the world’s largest producer of cobalt and the second-largest supplier of copper. It also holds significant reserves of lithium, tantalum, and germanium, minerals essential for electric vehicles, electronics, energy infrastructure, and defense industries.

Washington launched negotiations with Kinshasa last year as part of a broader effort to diversify US critical mineral supply chains. In exchange for greater American investment and security support, the US has sought expanded access to Congolese mineral resources.

The talks came as fighting between the M23 armed group and government forces intensified in the country’s mineral-rich east. Following talks with Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi in April 2025, US Africa adviser Massad Boulos said the partnership could attract multi-billion-dollar investments.

The initiative forms part of Washington’s broader strategy to challenge China’s dominance in critical mineral supply chains. Chinese companies have spent years investing billions of dollars in Congolese mining and are major players in the country’s cobalt and copper sectors.

The World Health Organization said on Thursday that DR Congo has recorded 2,073 cases and 796 deaths since an outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus was declared on May 15.

On Thursday, the US Embassy in Kinshasa announced new health measures barring US nationals leaving DR Congo from flying directly to the US until they have spent 21 days in another country, underscoring the growing impact of the outbreak on travel and engagement with the central African nation.

Former acting Zambian President Guy Scott, the first white head of state in sub-Saharan Africa since the end of apartheid, has died aged 82, the government announced.

Scott died on Wednesday after an illness at his farm in Lusaka, the southern African nation’s capital, according to a statement signed by Cabinet Secretary Patrick Kangwa.

Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has accorded Scott a state funeral “in recognition of distinguished professional and political contribution to the nation,” Kangwa said, adding that burial arrangements will be announced later.

In a separate statement, Hichilema described Scott as a “true Zambian patriot” who devoted many years to public service. He said the former leader guided Zambia through a difficult transition “with a steady hand and a commitment to constitutional order” after the death of President Michael Sata.

Scott’s appointment made him the first white head of state in Africa since South Africa’s F.W. de Klerk, the last leader under apartheid, left office after the country’s first multiracial elections brought Nelson Mandela to power in 1994.

His brief presidency was marked by a power struggle within the ruling Patriotic Front. Scott dismissed Lungu as the party’s secretary-general in November 2014 but reversed the decision a day later after the move triggered protests and clashes in Lusaka.

A Cambridge-educated economist, Scott entered parliament in 1991 and later served as agriculture minister, earning praise for helping manage a severe regional drought and food shortage. He subsequently broke with the Patriotic Front and supported the United Party for National Development, led by current President Hakainde Hichilema.

At least 11 people, including children, have been killed and 19 others injured in a fire at an orphanage in the Algerian capital, the North African nation’s authorities said on Thursday.

The blaze broke out before dawn in a dormitory at a state-run child care facility in Mohammadia, an eastern district of Algiers. Ten of the injured suffered burns of varying severity, two experienced breathing difficulties, and seven were treated for “psychological shock,” the Algerian Civil Protection authority wrote on Facebook.

The organization said five others with special needs were evacuated to safety, while firefighters were still working to extinguish the fire.

Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb visited victims receiving treatment at the Zeralda hospital for severe burns and Mustapha Pacha University Hospital in Algiers.

Speaking on behalf of Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Ghrieb offered condolences to the victims’ families and said the state stood in full solidarity with those affected, according to an official statement.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

Algeria has previously experienced fatal fires at institutions housing vulnerable people. In September 2019, eight babies were killed when a blaze swept through the maternity ward of a hospital in the eastern city of El Oued. Emergency services rescued 11 other babies, more than 100 women, and 28 hospital workers.

The orphanage blaze comes as Algeria battles a wave of wildfires across several provinces. On Thursday, the Civil Protection service said its crews had responded to 115 forest, scrubland, agricultural, and palm-grove fires over the previous 24 hours. It said 89 had been fully extinguished, 14 were under guard after being suppressed, and 14 remained active, with firefighting aircraft, regional detachments, and mobile units deployed to several affected areas. No casualties were reported in the update.

South African police have offered a reward of 50,000 rand (about $3,000) for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for killing a Ghanaian national in Cape Town.

Bashira Issaka, 35, was shot dead inside the premises of his container business on June 29 after being told to pay a protection fee, according to the South African Police Service (SAPS).

Police said investigators are pursuing all possible leads to identify and apprehend those responsible for the killing.

”The investigating officer is exploring all avenues in a bid to bring the perpetrators to book and reaches out to the community for assistance,” Mpendukana said.

Western Cape police are now appealing to members of the public who may have information about the murder to come forward, assuring potential informants that their identities will be protected.

The case is being investigated by Sergeant Donovan Peterson of the Provincial Serious and Violent Crimes unit.

First published by IOL

The EU has banned the purchase, import, and transfer of Sudanese gold in a move aimed at cutting off financial sources for the African country’s ongoing civil war, the bloc said on Monday.

The measure also prohibits the sale, supply, transfer, and export of mining chemicals, including mercury and cyanide, to Sudan.

“Gold has become a key source of revenue sustaining the conflict in Sudan,” the EU said in a statement, adding that the restriction “aims to reduce the resources available to those responsible for perpetuating the violence.”

Sudan is Africa’s fifth-largest gold producer, with 74.6 tons of output, according to the World Gold Council. Both the army and the paramilitary have sought control over gold-producing areas and trade networks amid the conflict.

A 2024 UN Panel of Experts report said more than 50% of Sudan’s gold production was smuggled out of the country, with illicit trade networks helping sustain the war economy.

Sudan’s war began after a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti.

The warring parties now operate competing administrations. The army-aligned transitional government operated from Port Sudan during much of the war and began restoring state institutions in Khartoum after retaking the capital in March 2025. In February 2025, a Sudanese political coalition announced the formation of a parallel government led by RSF chief Dagalo.

Last Sunday, a Sudanese court sentenced Dagalo and 15 other RSF figures to death in absentia over alleged war crimes and the killing of West Darfur Governor Khamis Abbakar.

Russia will continue to support Sahel countries in their fight against terrorism by helping to strengthen their armed forces, training security personnel, and providing humanitarian assistance, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday.

Lavrov made the remarks during talks with Chadian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Sabre Fadoul. The two sides discussed regional security, including the situation in the Sahara-Sahel region and cooperation with the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), comprising Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.

“We intend to provide assistance to countries in the region on a bilateral basis, including by enhancing the combat readiness of national armed forces and training military and law enforcement personnel,” he said.

The foreign minister said Russia and its African partners are concerned about the growing threat from groups affiliated with Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) and Boko Haram spreading across the region. He also accused unnamed former colonial powers of attempting to undermine Russia’s ties with Sahel states, alleging that militants from Ukraine are being used alongside terrorist groups in destabilizing activities.

The Sahel has been embroiled in militant violence for over a decade, with factions linked to IS, Al-Qaeda, and Boko Haram carrying out attacks across Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and neighboring countries.

Chad has also remained a key frontline state in the fight against militant groups, with Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) militants repeatedly targeting its forces around the Lake Chad region. In 2021, longtime Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno was killed while visiting troops battling rebels in the country’s north. More recently, Boko Haram attacks have killed dozens of Chadian soldiers, including at least 23 troops in an assault on a military post in the Lake Chad area in May.

Fadoul thanked Russia for its support in the fight against terrorism in the Sahel, saying Chad appreciates its efforts, particularly toward the AES countries.

Fadoul said Chad intends to pursue and deepen its “historic and enduring” cooperation with Russia, describing bilateral ties as based on “trust, mutual respect and reciprocal interests.” The two sides are also set to sign an agreement exempting holders of diplomatic and service passports from visa requirements.

The US has barred its citizens in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) from boarding commercial flights home until they have spent at least 21 days in another country, citing the worsening Ebola outbreak.

The restrictions, announced by the Trump administration on Monday, will place US nationals currently in DR Congo or who recently left the country on a “do-not-board” list using federal transportation powers, Reuters reported, citing a White House official.

About two dozen Americans had been preparing to fly to the US on Tuesday, according to the official, who said the State Department would assist those affected during the waiting period.

The measure comes amid a fast-spreading outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in DR Congo, where 1,926 confirmed cases and 702 deaths have been reported by health authorities as of July 11.

On Friday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said an American working for a humanitarian organization in DR Congo had tested positive for Ebola. Another US citizen infected while working in the Central African nation was admitted to Frankfurt University Hospital in Germany, his employer, the evangelical Christian organization Samaritan’s Purse, said on Monday. Peter Stafford, a surgeon and leader with the Christian missionary group Serge who contracted the virus earlier in the outbreak, was also evacuated to Germany for treatment.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that although the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo continues to outpace the response, the risk of wider international spread remains low.

On Monday, the CDC announced that it had extended for another 30 days an earlier suspension on the entry of certain non-US citizens who had been in DR Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan during the previous 21 days.

Last month, a Kenyan court halted Washington’s plan to build a 50-bed facility near Laikipia Air Base to quarantine US citizens exposed to Ebola, following legal challenges and deadly protests.

At least eight people have been killed and five others injured after gunmen opened fire on residents following a funeral in Nigeria’s Benue State, police and local officials have said.

The violence occurred early on Sunday in Akpachi and Otukpo-Nobi in Otukpo Local Government Area.

Benue State police spokeswoman Udeme Edet said on Monday that the attackers raided the Otukpo-Nobi community at about 6 AM local time on Sunday, where they also set houses and a motorcycle ablaze before fleeing.

“The command received a distress call reporting that armed assailants invaded the community shortly after the successful conclusion of the wake and burial rites of the late Mr. Adaje Okoh,” Edet said in a statement.

Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia blamed suspected armed herdsmen for the attacks, saying they invaded Akpachi between 3 AM and 4 AM while residents were asleep.

He described the attack as an “act of mindless bloodshed” and a direct attempt to sabotage the state’s progress. He ordered security agencies to intensify patrols, pursue the assailants, and deploy additional personnel, adding that the authorities would not allow the communities to become “killing fields.”

Benue has suffered years of violence linked to disputes between farming and pastoral communities over land and water. About 150 people were killed in an attack on the Yelewata community last year.

The motive remains unclear, but local government chairman Maxwell Ogiri linked the violence to the killing of the head of a herders’ association two weeks earlier, Reuters reported.

Africa’s most populous nation has grappled with a worsening security crisis for more than a decade, with jihadists affiliated with Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province frequently attacking villages, military bases, churches, and schools and carrying out mass kidnappings.

The strategic northern town of Anefis, Mali has been reclaimed by the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) and Russia’s Africa Corps after more than a week of fighting with armed groups, the West African nation’s military has said.

In a statement on Saturday, FAMa said its force and partners had taken “total control” of the town and were consolidating their positions through clearing operations targeting the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), the Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), and affiliated groups.

The military said a major logistics convoy from Gao entered Anefis on the night of July 9 after air and ground operations secured the route despite ambushes and kamikaze-drone attacks. It said 15 airstrikes had destroyed 12 combat vehicles and killed nearly 100 fighters across Anefis, Tabrichat, and Koulebala within 24 hours.

A subsequent statement said five more fighters had been “neutralized” and a combat vehicle destroyed during operations on July 10 and 11.

Earlier on Saturday, FLA spokesman Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane said the group’s fighters were in control of most positions in Anefis and had imposed a five-day blockade on Malian and Russian forces. The statement acknowledged that the group had lost fighters and vehicles but did not provide figures.

Mali has battled a jihadist insurgency since 2012, a crisis that has spilled into neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger. The three military-led states have severed defense ties with France, expelled French troops, and repeatedly accused Paris of sponsoring terrorism in the Sahel. They have since turned to Russia for security support.

The latest clashes began on July 4, when FLA fighters launched coordinated attacks on positions in Anefis, Aguelhoc, Gao, Sevare, and Kenioroba. FAMa said Malian and Africa Corps forces repelled the assaults and killed at least 26 militants.

In a separate statement on Sunday, the military said several fighters and armed vehicles had been detected near Aguelhoc and targeted with precision airstrikes.

South African police have arrested a British citizen wanted in the UK over the alleged murders of his wife and two young daughters, saying he was found with an illegal firearm in Johannesburg.

The 45-year-old suspect, Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma, who is of Zimbabwean origin, was due to make his first appearance at the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday, according to South African Police Service (SAPS) national spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe. She said Tshuma would appear before the court on two separate matters: extradition proceedings to the UK and a charge of possessing an illegal firearm in South Africa.

Mathe confirmed that South Africa had received a provisional extradition request from Interpol Manchester through Interpol Pretoria, outlining the allegations against Tshuma relating to the deaths of his wife and two daughters. ”We will be awaiting a full extradition request within 40 days that will include the UK case docket, as well as supporting evidence,” Mathe said, adding that the second matter before the court relates to the illegal firearm allegedly found in Tshuma’s possession.

Mathe stressed SAPS had worked closely with UK authorities through Interpol throughout the investigation. ”We are all Interpol member countries. We share intelligence, we share information, and we assist each other with cross-border and international investigations,” she said.

Asked whether Tshuma had been harboured or assisted while in South Africa, Mathe said investigators had found no evidence to suggest that he had been protected. ”Absolutely not. He was not harboured. We worked closely with different stakeholders, including his family, to apprehend him,” she said.

The three victims were found at the family’s home in Great Denham, near Bedford, after police forced entry on Monday following concerns that they had not been seen for several days.

Acting National Commissioner Lt Gen Puleng Dimpane praised the officers involved in the operation, describing the arrest as an example of effective cooperation between specialised SAPS units and international law enforcement partners.

According to Sky News, Tshuma left the UK on Saturday, two days before the bodies were discovered, flying from London Heathrow Airport to Zimbabwe on a British passport. Police later released CCTV images of him at the airport as part of efforts to trace his whereabouts. ITV News reported that Tshuma owns and operates a property business, Nexus Trove Holdings, from his home in Great Denham. The company’s latest filings show it held assets of just over £1 million (about R24 million) at the end of 2024.

First published by IOL

Nigerian security forces have rescued dozens of schoolchildren and teachers abducted nearly two months ago, when gunmen attacked three schools in the southwestern state of Oyo, the West African nation’s authorities have confirmed.

The military, police, and intelligence agencies completed the operation on Friday, during which eight suspected militants were arrested and an unspecified number were killed, according to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu.

“This successful military operation has ended the siege and standoff of over 50 days and has brought relief to the entire nation and the affected families in particular,” Tinubu said in a statement.

In a separate statement, the Nigerian Army said 44 students and teachers had been freed following an intelligence-led operation in the Old Oyo National Park and other parts of the country.

The military said multiple arrests disrupted the kidnappers’ leadership, informant network, hideouts, and supply routes, forcing the group to release the hostages unconditionally. It added that security personnel suffered casualties during the operation, but did not provide details.

The gunmen reportedly entered the communities wearing military-style uniforms and took the captives into the Old Oyo National Park, a vast forest reserve extending toward neighboring Kwara State. The federal government later deployed a special rescue team and approved the recruitment of 1,000 forest guards in Oyo.

On Friday, President Tinubu vowed to “get justice for these children and their teachers and for the family of Mr. Oyedokun, who the terrorists gruesomely murdered.”

In Borno State alone, at least 76 students were abducted by armed groups in Askira-Uba Local Government Area between mid-May and June. Last month, suspected ISWAP militants kidnapped at least 36 students and a staff member from Government Day Secondary School in Lassa. On May 15, armed assailants also seized more than 40 students from the Primary and Junior Government Day Secondary School in the Mussa-Biri community, according to officials.

Algeria and Mali have announced the restoration of diplomatic relations after a yearlong rift that erupted when Algiers shot down a Malian military drone near their shared border.

Malian government spokesperson Issa Ousmane Coulibaly said on Friday that the West African nation would allow its ambassador to return to Algiers as part of measures aimed at the “renewal of relations of cooperation and friendship” with Algeria.

Bamako has also decided to reopen its national airspace to all civilian and military aircraft originating from or destined for Algeria, Coulibaly said in a statement.

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune confirmed on Saturday that the country’s ambassador would return to Mali.

Tebboune said the decision reflected his “steadfast and resolute commitment to restoring Algerian-Malian relations to their natural historical trajectory, based on mutual respect,” according to a statement published by state news agency APS.

Relations between the two African nations deteriorated in April 2025 after Algeria said it had shot down a Malian surveillance drone for allegedly violating its airspace. Bamako rejected the accusation and said the aircraft was destroyed over Mali.

The diplomatic fallout extended to Mali’s Alliance of Sahel States (AES) partners, Niger and Burkina Faso, which also recalled their ambassadors from Algeria during the dispute.

Algeria, Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, all former French colonies, have troubled relations with France due to alleged interference. The AES countries have accused Paris of failing to respect their sovereignty and supporting the militants behind a longstanding jihadist insurgency in the Sahel.

Algeria’s ties with Paris have also been strained by historical grievances, France’s position on Western Sahara and migration disputes.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s latest Africa tour is significant – but not because it is a one-of-a-kind event. Quite the opposite – such trips have become routine for Russian diplomacy, which is precisely what makes them meaningful. While the West continues to talk about Russia’s “isolation,” Lavrov’s regular visits to Africa demonstrate the opposite: Moscow has not been left out of international politics and is intensifying engagement with partners in Africa – including African nations, regional associations, and continental structures.

On July 7, Lavrov began his new Africa tour in Ethiopia. The Russian government aircraft landed in Addis Ababa the day before. Lavrov held talks with Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos, was received by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and also met with the chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf. Lavrov’s previous visit to Ethiopia took place in 2022, which means the current trip falls within the established framework of regular political dialogue.

For Ethiopia, one of the key states in the Horn of Africa, regional security and conflict resolution remain important issues. For Russia, Addis Ababa is also important since it’s home to the AU headquarters.

In June, Bankole Adeoye, the AU commissioner for political affairs, peace, and security, visited Moscow; at that time, Lavrov spoke about preparations for the Russia-Africa Summit, expanding Russia’s diplomatic presence on the African continent, and his readiness to facilitate the establishment of an AU representative office in Russia.

Following the consultations between Lavrov and Youssouf, the parties adopted a joint statement on the further development of political dialogue and ties in areas such as security, the economy, food, healthcare, energy, and infrastructure. Crisis zones – such as the Sahel, the African Great Lakes region, the Horn of Africa, Sudan, South Sudan, and Libya – were mentioned separately.

On July 8, the Russian delegation arrived in Niger, where the second ministerial meeting in the Russia-Sahel Alliance format is scheduled in Niamey. The alliance includes Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. The first meeting in this format was held in Moscow in April 2025, and afterwards it was announced that the consultations would become regular.

This direction is particularly important for Moscow: In past years, cooperation with the Sahel countries has been primarily associated with security and military-political interaction, but it is gradually expanding to include diplomatic, economic, and infrastructural aspects.

The main significance of the current tour is that it is not a one-time event. Rather, it is a continuation of Lavrov’s series of Africa trips that started in 2022. In the summer of 2022, Lavrov visited Egypt, the Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and Ethiopia. In January 2023, he visited South Africa, Eswatini, Angola, and Eritrea; in February – Mali, Mauritania, and Sudan; in May and June – Kenya, Burundi, Mozambique, and again South Africa; in August 2023, Lavrov made yet another trip to South Africa. In 2024, he embarked on a new tour of West and Central Africa, including Guinea, the Republic of the Congo, Burkina Faso, and Chad. In December 2025, the Second Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum was held in Cairo.

Lavrov’s trip to Ethiopia, Niger, Mozambique, and Burundi demonstrates that Russia’s Africa policy has entered ‘working mode’. It’s not just about summits or loud public statements. Here, we may witness regular diplomacy at work, with its familiar routes, partners, institutional formats, and preparations for the next major event – in this case, the Russia-Africa Summit set to be held in Moscow in October. In fact, the political significance of such trips lies precisely in their routine nature.

Hugo Broos has confirmed his departure as head coach of South Africa’s national football team after leading Bafana Bafana to their first FIFA World Cup knockout-stage appearance, but said he could remain involved in another role.

The 74-year-old leaves his post as the longest-serving manager in Bafana history after taking the reins in June 2021, a highly successful five-year tenure that culminated in South Africa famously reaching the FIFA World Cup knockout stages for the first time.

Broos had repeatedly stated that the 2026 showpiece in North America would mark the definitive end of his dugout career, but his comments following Bafana’s heroic tournament run had left some lingering uncertainty over whether he could extend his stay.

“Will I continue as a coach after all? No, it is irreversible!” Broos declared.

”If they need me for something else, perhaps in scouting, that is something else. But football is no longer going to be a part of my life 24 hours a day.”

Broos revealed that he has already held initial discussions with South African Football Association (SAFA) president Danny Jordaan, who is eager for the Belgian to remain closely involved with the national team setup in a high-level advisory capacity.

”I have already had a conversation with the chairman of the South African federation. He would like to keep me, but in a different role, as an advisor or something like that,” Broos said.

“I will return at the end of July to say a final farewell; I am curious to see what he will propose to me.”

Whilst elite coaching may now be behind him, Broos joked that his wife has already made it clear retirement should not mean spending all of his newfound spare time around the house.

”Suppose I have to be in South Africa for a few weeks every two months: why not? Better that than being a nuisance at home because I have nothing to do.”

First published by IOL

A suspected Ebola patient has been placed in the same facility in Equatorial Guinea where migrants deported from the US are being held, a human rights coalition said on Thursday, warning of potential health risks at the detention center.

The coalition, which includes the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA), the Pan African Lawyers Union, EG Justice, Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta and the Global Strategic Litigation Council, said detainees reported that medical personnel wearing protective equipment brought the suspected patient to the hotel complex in Malabo.

The group said those being held at the facility were not provided with masks, disinfectants or other protective supplies for several days after the patient’s arrival.

The reports come amid an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where at least 600 people have died.

“When the government agreed to accept people deported as part of the Trump Administration mass deportation policy, they triggered a duty to safeguard their rights,” Beatrice Njeri, regional litigator for Africa at the Global Strategic Litigation Council said.

The deportations are part of a removal policy pursued by the administration of President Donald Trump that allows migrants, some of whom the US Homeland Security has labeled “barbaric criminals,” to be sent to countries where they have no ties.

The arrangement has faced legal challenges and criticism from rights groups, including in Ghana, Uganda and Eswatini.

On Thursday, the coalition of human rights lawyers and advocacy groups said its clients in Equatorial Guinea are being held in “arbitrary detention,” adding that the “denial of adequate medical care and possible exposure to highly contagious disease constitute grave violations of international human rights law.”

Moscow is ready to assist Mozambique in combating the terrorist threat, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday.

Speaking after talks with Mozambican President Daniel Chapo in Maputo, Lavrov stated that combating terrorism would be one of the “priority areas” of the strategic partnership between the two countries.

“Russia stands ready to respond positively to requests from our Mozambican friends regarding assistance that we can provide in eliminating the terrorist threat that persists in the north of the country,” Lavrov said.

Lavrov and Chapo also discussed ways to expand trade and economic and investment cooperation. Both sides agreed to prepare proposals for joint projects ahead of the next meeting of the Russia-Mozambique Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation, scheduled for this autumn.

Later on Thursday, Lavrov held talks with Mozambique’s foreign minister, Maria Lucas.

Lucas welcomed Russia’s commitment, thanking Moscow for its assistance following devastating floods in January. The assistance, sent on the instructions of President Putin, included 29 tons of food supplies, tents, blankets, and other essential items transported aboard an Emergencies Ministry Il-76 aircraft.

She also thanked Russia for providing scholarships to Mozambican students, including those studying police specialties, and welcomed Moscow’s readiness to increase the number of scholarships. 

Lucas said the sides had identified priority areas for future cooperation ahead of the September meeting of the joint commission, including energy, agriculture, digitalization, innovation, transport, and logistics. She also expressed appreciation for Russia’s support during the African state’s tenure as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

RT has become the first international partner of the unified television channel of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), following the signing of a cooperation agreement with Tafouk TV.

RT French Director Natalia Lebedeva and Tafouk TV General Manager Salif Sanogo signed a memorandum of understanding on Thursday on the sidelines of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s visit to Niger.

“The signing took place in the presence of Lavrov and his counterparts from Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso,” according to a statement by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

Under the agreement, the two broadcasters will exchange content and expertise and jointly cover major developments in Russia and the three AES member states, the statement said.

The creation of a joint television channel comes as AES members move to reshape their media landscape. Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have suspended several foreign outlets in recent years, including RFI, France 24, the BBC, and VOA, accusing them of biased reporting, spreading false information, and undermining national security.

Russian media organizations have expanded their reach in Africa in recent years, with RT and Sputnik in particular developing partnerships with local broadcasters, despite being banned in several Western countries over accusations that they spread ‘misinformation’.

African media figures, including Gregoire Ndjaka, the head of the African Union of Broadcasting, have argued that greater cooperation with Russian outlets can help expand the range of voices covering the continent. Last month, Emeka Mba, the CEO of Nigeria’s Afia TV, told RT that stronger Russia-Africa media partnerships would allow audiences to access stories from different perspectives and move beyond narratives that have been filtered through external sources.

South Africa has processed between 47,000 and 50,000 migrants for deportation and voluntary repatriation at a temporary center near the Zimbabwe border, the provincial Department of Home Affairs has said.

Hundreds of foreign nationals continue to arrive at the Musina facility in Limpopo as the authorities carry out removals and assisted returns through the Beitbridge Port of Entry, officials said. The increase follows the closure of the Durban Repatriation Centre and comes amid growing calls by anti-migrant organizations for undocumented immigrants to leave South Africa.

Some foreign nationals have been deported or have voluntarily returned to countries including Mozambique and Malawi as tensions over illegal immigration continue to rise.

”You know that we started with massive numbers, but the figures have now scaled down. Yesterday, we managed to process 1,675 people and, by the end of business, everyone who was at the facility had been moved,” he told the public broadcaster.

”But you must understand that this remains a moving target. As we process people, others continue to come forward and, wherever they are in the nine provinces, they are brought here.”

Matsaung said that on Thursday morning there were between 1,500 and 2,000 migrants at the facility awaiting processing. He said the number of migrants processed by the department continued to increase.

”We are pleased with the journey we have traveled, from where we started to where we are today. Since we started in KwaZulu-Natal and continued at this repatriation center, we are now moving between 47,000 and 50,000 people processed,” Matsaung said.

”From there, fingerprints are taken. The biometric checks identify people already in the system, but we are also taking fingerprints as part of our digitisation process,” Matsaung said.

He added the digitized biometric records would help authorities identify individuals who return to South Africa after being deported. ”As and when some of these people who have been declared undesirable return, the system will be able to pick them up through their fingerprints.

”Biometrics is the way to go, and that is how we are enhancing technology to make our work easier and to ensure that we can identify people with ease through the biometric system,” he concluded.

First published by IOL

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has ordered an investigation into how an alleged fictitious government agency was established within the presidency with about $950,000 allocated in the 2026 budget.

The probe will examine the activities of the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), which Tinubu’s office said was never established by the Nigerian government and had no legal basis or presidential approval.

In a statement on Tuesday, the presidency said that the PFIPC was reportedly operated by Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who presented himself as its director-general using forged documents. The agency obtained office space in Abuja, opened bank accounts, and held meetings with government officials and foreign representatives before the case emerged.

Tinubu has directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the case and submit a comprehensive report within 30 days.

Adeyemi has gone into hiding and police have launched a manhunt for him on suspicion of forgery, impersonation, and related offenses. He was previously arrested in October 2025 after security agencies began investigating suspected forged appointment documents linked to the purported PFIPC.

Adeyemi has denied the allegations, saying that the PFIPC was a legitimate agency established in 2024 to attract foreign investment and promote Nigeria as a destination for investors. He told local outlet Premium Times last Thursday that he was duly appointed to lead the council and had an appointment letter, but declined to provide further details, citing the ongoing court case. Speaking from an undisclosed location, he said he was not safe and was taking precautions.

“You know the government we have. They are just playing a defense mechanism to shut me up. My organization was set up in 2024,” he said, according to Premium Times.

On July 8, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov landed in Niamey for the second round of ministerial consultations between Moscow and the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). This meeting, bringing together Russia, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, fits into a tectonic shift already underway on the continent. Western media may talk about a “French withdrawal” or “Russian expansion,” but the reality runs deeper. The peoples of the Sahel have stopped being pawns in a game decided elsewhere, and have set out to build their own destiny.

The Niamey meeting continues the dialogue which started in Moscow in April 2025, when Russia and members of the Sahel alliance met for the first time in this new format. Since then, Lavrov himself has confirmed that these consultations would now be regular, a clear signal that this partnership is not an isolated diplomatic move but a lasting structure.

This trip to Ethiopia was no accident. It also aimed to bring the AES closer to the African Union, at a time when relations between the pan-African institution and the three transitional governments in Bamako, Niamey, and Ouagadougou remain difficult. In doing so, Russia appears as a facilitator of African sovereignty in every dimension – diplomacy, energy, and security.

A partnership, not a tutelage

What fundamentally sets the Russian approach apart from that of the former colonial powers is the nature of the relationship on offer. For decades, Western powers drained the continent’s resources, leaving behind dependency and instability, while maintaining military bases and networks of influence that locked in place any real bid for independence.

Russia, by contrast, is putting forward concrete projects negotiated as equals: energy cooperation with Ethiopia (including a roadmap for building a nuclear power plant, signed back in March), strengthening the operational capacity of Sahelian armies, and structuring the alliance’s joint forces.

This last initiative reflects a clear intention: to let the countries of the region run their own security, without indefinitely depending on foreign bases or lopsided agreements inherited from the colonial era. On the ground, this cooperation has translated, over the past year, into intensified joint operations between the Nigerien and Malian armed forces and their allies against the armed groups destabilizing the region, a reality that Western foreign ministries prefer to ignore when they describe the Sahel as a hotbed of instability with no actors capable of responding to it themselves.

If Western capitals are irritated, it isn’t out of any sudden democratic concern for the peoples of the Sahel. It’s because Africa now refuses to be confined to the role of a raw-materials appendage. Borders inherited from colonization, drawn with no regard for ethnic and social realities, fed decades of conflicts that the former colonial powers then exploited to justify their continued presence. Today, as those same powers try to preserve their influence through diplomatic pressure, sanctions, or media maneuvering, African states are turning to new partners, and Russia stands out as one of the most available.

Lavrov has been unambiguous about Moscow’s position: Russia supports the Sahel countries’ aspirations for genuine independence and rejects contemporary forms of neocolonialism, whether they take the shape of military tutelage, economic conditionality, or interference campaigns disguised as humanitarian aid. It is a deliberate reorientation of international relations, one already bearing fruit on the ground, whether in the reconquest of territory by Sahelian armies or in the tightening of ties between the AES and the African Union.

The pan-African idea takes shape

What independence fighters had called for over decades is starting to materialize. The AES is no longer just an alliance of convenience born from the break with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). It is becoming a model for the continent’s future, where strategic decisions are no longer made in Washington, Paris, or Brussels, but in Bamako, Niamey, and Ouagadougou. Lavrov’s African tour illustrates a consolidation of the continental legitimacy of the Russian-Sahelian partnership rather than confining it to isolated bilateral deals.

This shift comes alongside a transformation in the region’s political discourse. The alliance’s leaders now insist on principles of sovereignty, non-interference, and win-win cooperation, in a deliberate break from decades of asymmetric relations.

The Niamey visit thus confirms an underlying momentum: that of an Africa taking back control of the terms of its relationship with the world.

Russia and the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) have agreed to expand military cooperation, with Moscow pledging further support to strengthen the operational capabilities of the group’s armed forces. The move comes amid ongoing terrorist attacks in the region allegedly linked to foreign actors, including France and Ukraine.

The commitment was made during the second ministerial meeting between Russia and the AES – made up of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso – held in Niamey on Wednesday to deepen the “excellent” ties between Moscow and the Sahel states, according to a joint statement.

Russia and the AES claimed that external state actors were involved in the attacks, as well as what they described as economic and media “terrorism” in the region. The statement mentioned “alleged collusion between Ukraine, France, other countries” and terrorist groups operating in the Sahel.

The ministers also acknowledged the efforts of troops from AES member states in repelling terrorist attacks, as well as the contribution of Russia’s African Corps to counterterrorism operations in the Sahel.

The AES was formally established in September 2023 as a mutual defense and cooperation pact by Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger to jointly combat a jihadist insurgency that has gripped the region since 2012. The three military-led states have severed defense ties with France, expelled French troops, and repeatedly accused Paris of sponsoring terrorism in the Sahel. They have since turned to Russia for security support, describing it as a reliable partner.

According to the joint statement issued following the meeting in Niamey on Wednesday, officials said AES-Russia relations have evolved into a partnership based on “mutual respect, sovereign equality of states, non-interference in internal affairs, and reciprocal interests.”

Russia remains the Alliance of Sahel States’ (AES) “main partner” in combating terrorism, Niger’s Foreign Minister Bakary Yaou Sangare said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the second ministerial meeting between Russia and the AES in Niamey, Sangare said that the AES were satisfied with the implementation of their previous agreements, particularly in the defense sector, where several accords had strengthened the capabilities of AES armed forces in the fight against terrorism.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow and the Alliance share a common vision of a multipolar world order and oppose “neo-colonial practices” imposed by Western countries. He added that the Alliance had made significant progress in regional integration and in building a new security architecture.

Speaking about diplomatic missions, Lavrov noted Russia had completed its presence across the Alliance with the opening of its embassy in Niger.

The AES was established in 2023 by the governments of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger following a series of coups across the Sahel. The three military-led governments have cut defense ties with France, accusing their former colonial power of failing to contain the deadly jihadist insurgency devastating the Sahel and have expanded security ties with Russia.

In April, Russian military instructors and personnel from the Africa Corps, a Russian Defense Ministry unit deployed in Mali, provided air support to help Malian forces prevent the militants from seizing key sites, including the presidential palace in Bamako, officials said.

Beyond defense, AES members are also seeking closer cooperation with Moscow in other sectors, including civil nuclear energy. In February, Burkina Faso’s Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean-Marie Traore told RT that cooperation with Russia’s Rosatom was underway under a signed memorandum and that Burkinabe students were already training in Russia.

Violence has escalated in South Sudan’s oil-rich Jonglei State after a county commissioner was assassinated during an attack blamed on opposition forces, officials in the East African nation said on Monday.

James Kueth Makuach, the government-appointed commissioner of Akobo County, was killed on Sunday when fighters from the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO) attacked Walgak, a remote area in Akobo West, according to government and opposition officials.

Makuach had previously been aligned with the opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO) before defecting in April to President Salva Kiir Mayardit’s ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM). His appointment by the government deepened tensions in Akobo, a strategic opposition stronghold where the 2018 peace agreement assigns the county commissioner’s post to Riek Machar’s party.

Opposition-appointed Akobo governor John Wiyual Lul said that SPLA-IO fighters briefly seized the area before withdrawing after national forces arrived from the nearby town of Waat.

The fighting has left an unknown number of people dead, with senior military personnel reportedly among the casualties, including army Gen. Chuol Pathol and another officer, Gai Makuach Pan.

South Sudan broke away from Sudan in 2011 but has remained volatile after a five-year civil war erupted in 2013 over a feud between Kiir and Machar. The two leaders signed a power-sharing deal in 2018, but tensions have escalated since Machar was detained on treason charges last year.

On Monday, the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission, which monitors the implementation of South Sudan’s peace deal, warned that the renewed fighting threatens the ceasefire and civilian safety.

The latest clashes come days after the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) withdrew peacekeepers from its temporary base in Akobo, following months of deployment to protect civilians.

Last month, the South Sudanese National Elections Commission announced that the country would hold its first general election on December 22, after repeatedly missing previous voting deadlines.

Russia and Ethiopia have reaffirmed the “strategic” nature of their relationship following high-level talks in Addis Ababa, the Russian Foreign Ministry has reported, saying the meetings reinforced the long-standing friendship between the two nations.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos in Addis Ababa on Tuesday. 

Following the meeting, Abiy wrote on X that it was “a pleasure” to receive Lavrov and his delegation, adding that their discussions focused on bilateral relations and “exploring new opportunities for cooperation.”

It was a pleasure to meet with Mr. Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, and his delegation this evening, during which our discussions focused on bilateral relations and exploring new opportunities for cooperation. pic.twitter.com/HG2l5QARsc

— Abiy Ahmed Ali 🇪🇹 (@AbiyAhmedAli) July 7, 2026

The talks focused on expanding cooperation in a range of areas, with Moscow and Addis Ababa agreeing to promote direct business contacts and support joint projects in energy, transport infrastructure, digital technologies and telecommunications, information security, and agricultural production, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

Earlier in Addis Ababa, Lavrov also held consultations with African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf.

The minister arrived in Addis Ababa on Monday, kicking off his latest tour of Africa with a working visit to the Ethiopian capital. His previous trip to the country took place in July 2022.

Russia and Ethiopia have maintained diplomatic relations since 1943. The two countries have steadily expanded cooperation in recent years. 

A group of Ugandan farmers has launched a case in the UK High Court against the operator of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), seeking to stop the project over alleged environmental rights violations.

The claim was filed on Tuesday by London law firm Leigh Day on behalf of four farmers, with campaign group Avaaz supporting a crowdfunding effort for the case. It asks the court to apply Ugandan constitutional, environmental, and climate law to EACOP Ltd., the British-registered company developing and expected to operate the pipeline.

The farmers argue that the 1,443-km pipeline breaches Ugandan laws protecting citizens’ right to a clean and healthy environment. They are seeking an injunction to prevent it from becoming operational.

“Our land is our life. Without it, we have nowhere to go. Right now, we as communities don’t have access to clean and safe water,” Samuel Abedilembe, a farmer who said he lost 42% of his land to the project, said, according to local outlet Independent Uganda.

EACOP, billed as the world’s longest heated crude oil pipeline, is designed to transport crude from Uganda’s Lake Albert oilfields to the Tanzanian port of Tanga for export. EACOP Ltd. is a “special-purpose” company in which French energy giant TotalEnergies holds a 62% stake, while the Uganda National Oil Company and Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation each hold 15%, and China National Offshore Oil Corporation owns 8%, according to the project’s website.

As the project’s largest shareholder, TotalEnergies has long faced legal action from activists over alleged climate and human rights violations linked to EACOP, including claims that more than 100,000 people could be displaced if the pipeline is completed.

In November 2023, New York-based climate watchdog GreenFaith published a report describing EACOP’s construction as a “spiritual assault” on local communities. The group accused TotalEnergies of repeatedly failing to respect local customs and traditions regarding graves, after finding that hundreds of burial sites along the project route had been damaged.

In response to the latest case, the non-profit energy advocacy group African Energy Chamber criticized the move as foreign-backed litigation targeting strategically important African energy projects.

“This is colonialism 2.0... UK courts should not determine Uganda’s energy future. Ugandans should,” AEC Executive Chairman and Centurion Law Group chief NJ Ayuk said in a press release.

France has withdrawn its diplomats from Burkina Faso in response to the West African nation’s decision to break off relations with Paris, AFP reported on Monday, citing the French Foreign Ministry.

The Burkinabe transitional government notified France on June 26 that it was severing diplomatic relations with immediate effect, accusing Paris of having “neo-colonial ambitions” and supporting “subversive networks and terrorists.” France rejected the move as “hostile and baseless” and said it was considering reciprocal measures.

The Sahel nation expelled French Ambassador Luc Hallade in 2023 and ordered France’s defense attaché, Emmanuel Pasquier, and his team to leave over allegations that they were engaged in subversive activities. In 2024, the Burkinabe government also declared three French diplomats persona non grata, giving them 48 hours to leave Ouagadougou.

Paris has lost its foothold in several former colonies amid a wave of anti-French sentiment fueled by allegations of military failures. Burkina Faso’s neighbors, Mali and Niger, have also cut security cooperation with France, which said it does not recognize the military authorities in the three Sahel states as legitimate governments.

The three Sahel states have repeatedly accused Paris of acts of aggression, including allegations of backing or sponsoring jihadist groups behind the region’s deadly insurgency. France has denied the claims, with a Foreign Ministry spokesperson previously dismissing them as “fanciful.”

The African Union (AU) values Russia’s support in addressing African issues at the UN and welcomes Moscow’s backing for expanding the financing of African peacekeeping missions, African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a joint press conference following talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Youssouf said “the AU also appreciates the position of the Russia on the reform of the UN Security Council and its support for Africa’s legitimate aspirations to obtain two permanent seats on the Security Council, as well as five non-permanent seats.”

Lavrov said Russia and the AU have agreed to strengthen coordination within the UN Security Council and share the common position that Africa’s representation must be increased. The minister noted that greater African representation would help correct a historical injustice, arguing that any future expansion should primarily benefit African countries rather than Western states, which he said are already overrepresented.

The Russian minister voiced support for the AU’s agenda for reparations from former colonizers and broader efforts to strengthen sovereignty across the continent. He added that Russia and the AU confirmed the importance of holding regular political consultations and agreed to make them an annual format.

The two sides discussed counterterrorism cooperation, particularly in the Sahel region, with the AU chairperson expressing confidence that collaboration would continue to expand.

Lavrov stated that Moscow hopes Youssouf will participate in the third Russia-Africa Summit, which will take place in the capital in October.

The top Russian diplomat arrived in Ethiopia on Monday as part of an African tour. The visit marks Lavrov’s first trip to the country since 2022.

The Moroccan authorities have arrested ten suspected members of a cell linked to Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) affiliates in the Sahel and foiled attacks in the North African country, officials have said.

The suspects were arrested on Monday in coordinated raids in Agadir, Taroudant, Casablanca, El Hajeb, Tetouan, Fqih Ben Salah, and Safi, according to Morocco’s counterterrorism agency, the Central Bureau for Judicial Investigations (BCIJ).

The agency said the suspects received guidance and direct support from Islamic State’s branch in the Sahel and were preparing attacks aimed at undermining public order in Morocco.

Security forces seized weapons, chemicals, bomb-making equipment, knives, military-style uniforms, extremist manuscripts with detailed instructions on assembling explosive devices, digital equipment, and two recordings containing pledges of allegiance to IS.

Investigators also found a vehicle with a fuel tank modified to run on butane gas during a search of a warehouse in the city of Inezgane. The BCIJ said the vehicle was intended for use in a suicide bombing or ramming attack against sensitive targets and facilities.

The Al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and the IS Sahel branch are among the most active armed groups in the region. Their fighters have carried out attacks across the tri-border area between Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, while also targeting towns, military bases, and transportation routes.

In February 2025, the BCIJ said it dismantled a 12-member cell loyal to IS that was planning attacks on national and foreign targets. In July 2025, the agency also announced the arrest of four suspected IS-linked extremists operating between the northern cities of Tetouan and Chefchaouen.

Russia shipped a record volume of wheat to Tanzania in the 2025/26 season, exporting more than 850,000 tons, the Russian agriculture export agency Agroexport reported on Monday. 

The agency stated that the figure is 16% higher than the previous season and 47% above the five-year average. 

“Russia is a key supplier of wheat to Tanzania,” Agroexport said, adding that Russian exporters have steadily expanded their presence in the East African market in recent years.  

According to the estimates from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Tanzania imported around 1.5 million tons of wheat in the 2025/26 season, up 200,000 tons from the previous year and the highest level on record. 

Agroexport also reported that East African Community (EAC) countries are playing an increasingly important role in Russia’s wheat exports to Africa. Combined shipments to the bloc were about 3.5 million tons in the 2025/26 season, up 26% from a year earlier and accounting for roughly 16-17% of Russia’s total wheat exports to the continent. 

The record shipments to Tanzania come as Russia continues to expand wheat exports across Africa. Agroexport reported last week that exports to neighboring Kenya rose 10% year-on-year to around 1.4 million tons in the current season through late May. 

Wheat exports to Egypt also increased by 19% this year, while deliveries to Sudan surged 78%, according to the agency. 

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has said investments by global technology firms, including Google, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, and Mastercard, are strengthening the country’s position as Africa’s leading digital hub.

In his weekly newsletter on Monday, Ramaphosa said the investments would support cloud computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, job creation and economic growth, while warning that South Africa must protect data sovereignty and citizens’ privacy.

”Our country’s ambition to be a leading digital investment destination is being recognised by some of the world’s leading technology companies,” Ramaphosa said.

Among the projects is a new Digital Exchange Port to be built in the Eastern Cape, the first of four connectivity hubs planned across the continent to improve reliable cloud services. Ramaphosa said Google would also establish a R3 million digital innovation centre at South West Gauteng TVET College in Soweto as part of its commitment to developing digital skills. He also noted that Amazon Web Services announced plans in 2023 to invest R30.4 billion in local cloud infrastructure, while Microsoft last year committed R5.4 billion towards expanding hyperscale cloud and AI infrastructure.

Ramaphosa welcomed Mastercard’s recent launch of its Africa Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence, which will begin with a phased rollout in South Africa and Nigeria to strengthen cyber resilience and support secure digital growth across the continent.

Ramaphosa said small, medium and micro enterprises stand to benefit significantly from cloud computing, with one study estimating that wider adoption could unlock more than R185 billion for South Africa’s economy by 2030.

Despite the opportunities, Ramaphosa cautioned that South Africa must ensure innovation is matched by appropriate regulation as it positions itself as “a continental cloud and AI gateway.”

“There is a need for ‘guardrails’ to prevent abuse and other risks,” he stressed.

”The digital economy must safeguard the rights and privacy of citizens, support environmental sustainability and uphold our country’s sovereignty.”

“In the digital age, sovereignty is measured not only by territorial borders. It is increasingly measured by a nation’s ability to secure its data, develop its own digital capabilities and exercise meaningful control over the technologies on which its economy depends,” he noted.

He said government was investing in its own cloud infrastructure through institutions such as the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research to strengthen the country’s digital capabilities.

”As we navigate these complexities, we must deepen collaboration across government, business, labour, industry and civil society in pursuit of a digital future that is secure, inclusive and leaves no-one behind,” the president concluded.

First published by IOL

The US military deployment in northern Nigeria has failed to produce major improvements in the country’s security crisis despite Washington’s claim that its counterterrorism mission was successful, Nigerian political figure Samuel Memeh has told RT.

US Africa Command (AFRICOM) head Gen. Dagvin R.M. Anderson said at a press briefing on Thursday that the unit had withdrawn most of the troops deployed to the West African country. The AFRICOM commander, however, said Washington would maintain intelligence sharing and broader security cooperation with Abuja.

About 200 American soldiers were deployed to Nigeria two months after US and Nigerian forces launched a joint operation in the Lake Chad Basin area in December, including strikes targeting militants on Christmas Day.

Speaking to RT in an interview published on Sunday, Samuel Memeh, chairman of Nigeria’s opposition Democratic Leadership Alliance, argued the mission “has not yielded significant improvements” in the country’s security.

“There are reports that as a result of the mineral resources that are deposited in these areas, and so there are a lot of foreign interests,” Memeh said.

He noted foreign military support alone cannot defeat terrorism in Nigeria, where armed groups have repeatedly targeted schools, communities, and security forces.

“It is not a war that can be won by only the external forces,” Memeh said, adding that “local problems require local solutions.”

In December, Abuja said it had reached a bilateral security agreement with Washington covering intelligence sharing and “other forms of support,” after previously rejecting any unilateral military intervention on its soil. The announcement came weeks after US President Donald Trump threatened action over Abuja’s alleged failure to address what he called a “genocide” of Christians in Africa’s most populous country.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has thanked his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, for Moscow’s cooperation in the construction of the El-Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). 

Speaking after inaugurating Egypt’s State Strategic Command headquarters in the New Capital on Saturday, he pointed to accomplishments and upcoming progress in joint projects. 

“I seize this opportunity to thank Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian Federation for this constructive and longstanding cooperation, which continues to yield remarkable achievements in our mega-development projects,” the Egyptian leader said. 

Sisi said the installation of the reactor pressure vessel for the facility’s second power unit is expected within days. 

“This facility will have a significant positive impact on sustainable development by delivering clean energy to power investment projects as well as services citizens need,” the president stressed. 

The total cost of the project is estimated at $28.75 billion. Russia is financing about 85% of the construction through a 22-year loan to Egypt carrying an annual interest rate of 3%. 

Rosatom CEO Aleksey Likhachev said in April that the first shipment of nuclear fuel for El-Dabaa is expected to arrive in 2027. He also said preparations are underway to turn the first power unit into an operational nuclear facility as early as next year, allowing testing and commissioning to begin ahead of electricity generation for Egyptian consumers in 2028. 

In September, Egyptian Energy Minister Mahmoud Esmat announced that construction of the project is expected to be completed by 2029. 

Malian forces backed by Russia’s Africa Corps have repelled a coordinated terrorist assault on several locations across the West African nation, killing at least 26 militants, the army has said.

In an initial statement on Saturday, the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) said armed groups had targeted military positions in Aguel-Hoc, Anefis, Gao, Sevare, and Kenioroba. It later said all the attacks had been “vigorously repelled” and that the situation was “totally under control.”

The statement came after Azawad Liberation Front spokesman Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane wrote on Facebook that the separatist group had launched an offensive to take control of the town of Anefis in northern Mali.

According to the provisional toll, “20 terrorists on motorcycles and in equipped vehicles were neutralized” in Sevare. In Gao, one soldier was killed and four others wounded, while six terrorists were neutralized and one vehicle destroyed, the army said.

“The human and material toll of these two coordinated operations is particularly heavy in the ranks of the enemy,” the army stated.

African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf condemned the July 4 attacks, describing them as “a stark reminder that terrorism and violent extremism continue to pose a serious threat to Mali, the Sahel, and the African continent as a whole.”

He extended condolences to the families of those killed and reaffirmed the AU’s support for efforts to combat terrorism and restore stability across the Sahel.

In April, coordinated strikes hit multiple locations in Mali, including military sites and infrastructure in Bamako and Kati. Malian Defense Minister Sadio Camara was killed in an attack on his residence, prompting the country’s transitional leader Assimi Goita to assume direct control of the republic’s defense.

On May 28, 2026, the US government announced plans to establish an Ebola quarantine facility in Kenya for its citizens exposed to the virus in the DR Congo. It was also to be used as a treatment center for Americans who contract Ebola.

The 50-bed unit was to be set up at the Laikipia Military Airbase, 125 miles Northwest of the capital, Nairobi, with the US government committing $13.5 million toward the facility’s construction.

Already, the US had deployed more than 30 members of the US Public Health Service to coordinate the establishment and running of the facility before the courts stopped the process. The plan, however, attracted criticism from ordinary Kenyans, politicians, human rights defenders, the doctors’ union, and the country’s Law Society.

By the time the court order was issued, construction of the controversial facility was already underway, prompting protests from locals. Hundreds of residents of Nanyuki town, where the facility was being built, poured into the streets to oppose it. Security officers used force to repulse demonstrators who were trying to reach the military installation where the construction was happening. The protesters cited fears over potential health risks associated with hosting an Ebola centre in their neighbourhood.

‘The execution plan left a lot to be desired’

The head of Kenya’s Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union, Dr. Davji Bhimji Atellah, said that “lack of transparency and public involvement in the establishment of the quarantine facility raised more questions than answers’’.

“If the establishment of the Ebola quarantine facility was for the good of the country, then there was no need to treat it with a lot of secrecy and confidentiality,” he told RT.

He added, “The idea itself was not bad, but the execution plan left a lot to be desired”.

Atellah wondered why the US settled on Kenya as the host of its Ebola quarantine center when the outbreak was in the DR Congo.

“Why not put the facility in the DR Congo, where it is needed the most. If they are afraid of exposing their own citizens to the virus, why should they put Kenyans at risk of hosting them?”

Kenyan government officials were economical with details about the plan to set up the facility, forcing civil society groups to go to court.

The Katiba Institute, a civil society group focusing on constitutional matters in Kenya, went to court to stop the establishment of a quarantine facility. In its petition, the group argued that the planned facility was being established in secret and unilaterally, and that it “raised grave constitutional concerns”.

Joshua Malidzo Nyawa, an Advocate acting on behalf of Katiba Institute, told the court that bringing Ebola-exposed individuals into Kenya could increase the risk of the disease spreading in the country.

Law Society of Kenya President Charles Kanjama accused the US of playing double standards by pushing to have the Ebola quarantine center in Kenya despite the US having a more advanced and better-funded health system compared to the East African nation.

“It makes no sense that the US, with its advanced health system, is afraid of ‘importing’ the Ebola virus into its territory but wants to put Kenya at risk,” Kanjama told RT.

He added, “If this is not neocolonialism, then tell me what it is”.

‘Lack of transparency has raised a lot of suspicion’

Dr. Bonface Mouka, head of security, diplomacy, and peace studies at Kenyatta University, argues that it is hard to ignore the question of sovereignty whenever a foreign government supports such a critical infrastructure in another country.

According to Mouka, the global strengthening of disease surveillance and response capabilities through cross-border collaborations is a strategic imperative, but the public good must guide such agreements.

He added that the world learned vital lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic, which demonstrated that health emergencies can rapidly evolve into national security crises with economic and social consequences.

“As much as the Ebola quarantine facility agreement between Kenya and the US was a good idea, it must be embedded within Kenya’s own national security and public health frameworks. Anything outside that becomes a security concern,” he noted.

‘Total disregard for sovereignty’

Mariah Muli, an associate fellow on global security and diplomacy at the Horn Institute, argues that global health has become an important component of diplomacy and security cooperation and that the US can use investments in health preparedness to strengthen bilateral relations.

“The United States views Kenya as a strategic partner in the region, and such investments are expected as part of bilateral relations. Partnerships are good, but when they are shrouded in secrecy, they become more of a one-sided affair,” Muli said.

She told RT that in the Ebola quarantine facility case, “the US seemed to be dictating to Kenya on what to do, in total disregard for its sovereignty”. 

“It appears a call was made, and Kenya was told that the facility must be set up on US conditions and there was no room for asking questions or opposing,” Muli suggests.

“Global health cooperation is necessary in an interconnected world, and Kenya stands to benefit from strategic partnerships in epidemic preparedness and response. But any arrangement that appears to sidestep public participation or compromise national sovereignty is bound to face resistance, regardless of its intended benefits,” she concluded.

A clinical trial of two possible Ebola treatments has begun in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), where an outbreak has killed nearly 440 people, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced on Thursday that the first participant had been enrolled in the Platform Adaptive Randomized Trial for New and Repurposed Filovirus TreatmentS (PARTNERS), which will test treatments for the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.

Tedros said 438 people have died in the outbreak so far, with 1,406 confirmed cases reported. The Bundibugyo strain is highly infectious, and there are currently no approved vaccines or specific treatments.

“We urgently need treatments that can help people affected by Bundibugyo virus disease. One of the key lessons from recent outbreaks is that research needs to happen alongside the response, not after it,” PARTNERS Trial Operations Lead Professor Amanda Rojek said.

The study will assess Gilead Sciences’ antiviral drug remdesivir and Mapp Biopharmaceutical’s MBP134, an antibody-based treatment, either separately or in combination. Patients will receive standard care and be monitored for survival over 28 days.

The WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern in May, after laboratory confirmation of Bundibugyo virus disease in DR Congo and Uganda.

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said last week that health systems in DR Congo, particularly in Ituri Province, the epicenter of the outbreak, were under strain amid worsening humanitarian conditions. Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu have been affected for years by attacks by armed groups and fighting that has led to mass displacement.

Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said about $1.4 billion is required to respond to the Ebola outbreak, roughly three times higher than the previous estimate.

The South African government has strongly rejected claims by Ghana that a Ghanaian national was killed during anti-immigration demonstrations on June 30, insisting that the victim was fatally shot a day earlier in what police believe was an extortion-related criminal attack in the Western Cape.

The response follows a statement issued by Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday, in which it condemned what it described as the killing of a Ghanaian citizen during protests linked to xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

Ghana said the death of Bashiru Isak, whom it identified as a 44-year-old Ghanaian national, was evidence of a “rising tide of xenophobia targeting African nationals, including Ghanaians, in South Africa”. The West African nation further demanded a “full, transparent and expedited investigation” and called on South African authorities to ensure greater protection for Ghanaian nationals living in affected communities.

However, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Mmamoloko Kubayi, who chairs the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration, said the Ghanaian government’s claims were “not based on fact”.

“In addition to being factually incorrect, because the irregular migration protests took place on Tuesday, 30 June 2026, this statement is not based on fact.”

Kubayi said police investigations indicate that the victim was attacked at his workplace in Nyanga, Cape Town, on Monday, June 29, a day before the nationwide demonstrations. “The Ghanaian national who was fatally wounded was attacked at his place of work on Monday, 29 June 2026, in an incident that the police suspect as a criminal act, which is totally not linked to the alleged demonstrations,” she said.

According to information provided by the Western Cape police, unknown suspects allegedly entered a barbershop in Emms Drive, Nyanga, demanded money from the victim and then shot him before fleeing the scene. “The motive for the attack is believed to be extortion related,” the police statement said.

No arrests have been made and police have appealed to members of the public to assist with information that could lead to the suspects’ apprehension.

“The fact of the matter is that no fatalities have been recorded during the day of these demonstrations and isolated incidents of criminality that occurred on the day have been acted upon by the law enforcement authorities.”

The minister also urged African governments to use established diplomatic channels when raising concerns with South Africa.

While dismissing claims that the killing was linked to xenophobic violence, Kubayi expressed sympathy for the victim’s family. “We regret all loss of life on our shores and we would like to send our heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased and assure them that our law enforcement authorities will investigate this matter and bring the perpetrators to book,” she said.

Ghana additionally said its petition to the African Union Commission on xenophobic attacks against African nationals in South Africa remained active and urged the continental body to address the matter as a priority.

First published by IOL

Russia’s public health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, handed over a mobile anti-epidemic laboratory to Namibia on Wednesday to help the African nation improve its ability to detect and respond to dangerous infectious diseases.

The mobile facility was officially transferred to Namibia’s Ministry of Health and Social Services during a ceremony in the capital, Windhoek.

“Currently, 25 specialists from the Namibian Ministry of Health are undergoing comprehensive theoretical and practical training in organizing mobile laboratories, ensuring biological safety during research into particularly dangerous infections, and mastering modern methods for detecting and identifying pathogens,” Rospotrebnadzor said.

The DR Congo declared an Ebola outbreak on May 15, marking the country’s 17th since the virus was first identified there in 1976. The Bundibugyo strain detected in the country has also raised concerns among regional health authorities due to the risk of cross-border transmission.

As of July 2, the largest Ebola outbreak continues in the DR Congo, where 1,460 cases have been confirmed, 447 people have died, and 213 have recovered. Neighboring Uganda has recorded 20 cases, two deaths, and 16 recoveries. France has reported one imported case with no fatalities.

Mali has created a state body to regulate the trade in artisanal gold and other precious substances, as the transitional government moves to tighten control over one of the West African nation’s main sources of revenue.

The Council of Ministers announced the establishment of the Malian Office for Precious Substances on Tuesday, following a decision by the cabinet in March as part of efforts to centralize and secure sales in the sector.

The authorities said the measure is part of the implementation of the 2023 Mining Code and a local content law, aimed at reinforcing state sovereignty over the value chain of precious substances.

Gold from artisanal and small-scale mining occupies a strategic place in Mali’s economy, providing foreign exchange, tax revenue, and jobs for 2 million people across 350 to 400 sites, the government said. However, the sector still faces challenges, including smuggling and gaps in recorded flows.

Official statistics show Mali produced 72.2 tons of gold in 2022, including 6 tons from artisanal mining, generating 763 billion CFA francs ($1.27 billion) for the state budget. Mali’s gold exports climbed to about 2.75 trillion CFA francs ($4.81 billion) in 2025, compared with 1.61 trillion CFA francs the previous year, according to Reuters, citing the national statistics institute Instat.

The reform comes as Bamako seeks to increase state revenue from mining. The 2023 Mining Code allows the state and local investors to hold up to 35% in new mining projects.

Canadian miner Barrick and Australia’s Resolute Mining have faced direct disputes with Bamako under the government’s push to extract more revenue from the gold sector. Other operators, including Canada’s B2Gold, British firm Hummingbird Resources, and London-headquartered Endeavour Mining, have reached agreements with the state to align parts of their operations with Mali’s revised mining framework.

Last year, Niger nationalized the country’s only industrial gold mine, accusing its Australian-owned operator McKinel Resources Limited of “grave contractual breaches.” Ghana created a state gold board last year to regulate small-scale gold exports, while Guinea banned raw gold exports in June to boost local refining.

Air Tanzania has operated its first scheduled flight between Tanzania and Russia, marking the launch of the only direct regular air service currently linking the two countries.

The airline’s inaugural flight landed at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport on Thursday, carrying 123 passengers, while 144 travelers were booked on the return service. 

According to the Russian Ministry of Transport, Tanzania’s national carrier will operate the Dar es Salaam–Moscow (Vnukovo)–Zanzibar route up to three times a week using Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Air Tanzania is currently the only airline offering scheduled passenger flights between Russia and Tanzania.

The Moscow–Zanzibar journey takes around 8.5 hours.

The new route became possible after intergovernmental consultations, with Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) granting Air Tanzania permission to operate flights to the country, Deputy Transport Minister Vladimir Poteshkin said.

Passengers welcomed the launch, with one traveler telling RT they had been “waiting for a long time” for a direct connection between the two countries. “Not only Tanzanian people will benefit from this, but also other countries, extended parts of Africa,” the passenger said.

The resumption of direct air links could increase the number of Russian tourists visiting Tanzania by at least 30%, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) told TASS.

The flights restore a direct air link between the two countries for the first time since April 2021, when services were suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, though these had been mostly tourist charter flights. Moscow and Dar es Salaam agreed to resume direct flights in April 2026, and Air Tanzania received approval from Rosaviatsiya the following month to operate the route. 

A coalition of international lawyers has sued Ghana at West Africa’s top human rights court over its role in accepting migrants deported from the US under a third-country removal agreement.

The case was filed at the Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States on behalf of 27 deportees sent to Ghana under the arrangement. The coalition includes the Global Strategic Litigation Council, a network of lawyers and advocates, Ghanaian law firm Merton & Everett LLP, and Cornell Law School’s Transnational Disputes Clinic.

Since returning to office in January 2025, US President Donald Trump has pursued agreements to deport asylum seekers and other migrants to countries where they have no ties as part of a wider crackdown on illegal immigration.

Ghana has accepted at least 60 people from the US since September 2025, according to the lawyers. The complaint said Accra is violating domestic and regional law by “facilitating removals to unsafe countries.”

“No person should be returned to a place where they face persecution, torture or serious threats to their dignity and safety,” Merton & Everett LLP senior partner Oliver Barker-Vormawor said, according to Al Jazeera.

The Ghanaian government has not publicly responded to the latest case.

Last September, Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said the government’s decision to accept West African migrants deported from the US was driven by humanitarian concerns, not support for Washington’s immigration policy.

On Monday, the Global Strategic Litigation Council announced a separate lawsuit against Equatorial Guinea at the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights on behalf of 14 deportees transferred from the US. The case accuses Equatorial Guinea of receiving $7.5 million from Washington to host the deportees.

In April, the Uganda Law Society said it approached the courts seeking orders to halt what it called a “patent international illegality” after a dozen third-country migrants were transferred to the East African country.

More than 235 healthcare workers have been killed or reported missing since the civil war broke out in Sudan in April 2023, the Sudan Doctors Network reported on Tuesday. 

In its latest report, the group also said 20 doctors, including four women, have gone missing in the last few months alone, after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized control of El Fasher in October. Their whereabouts remains unknown.

At least 25 healthcare workers were killed in North Darfur between the outbreak of the conflict in April 2023 and the fall of El Fasher.

The dead include doctors, pharmacists, nurses, nutrition specialists, laboratory staff, administrators, and support workers. According to the report, they were killed in assassinations, drone strikes, shelling, shootings, torture, and other attacks linked to the fighting.

The organization called on the RSF to reveal the fate of the missing doctors in El Fasher and urged all parties to the conflict to ensure the safety of healthcare personnel and allow medical services to continue without interference.

Sudan plunged into a civil war three years ago after a struggle for power broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF.

In June, the Sudan Doctors Network said strikes on civilian infrastructure in El Obeid had knocked hospitals, dialysis centers, and water stations out of service, worsening the humanitarian crisis. It urged the UN and international organizations to pressure the RSF to halt attacks on civilian facilities.

More than 900 people were arrested in South Africa during nationwide anti-immigrant protests held on Tuesday to mark a deadline set by groups demanding that undocumented foreign nationals leave the country, police have confirmed.

South African Deputy National Police Commissioner Tebello Mosikili told reporters on Wednesday that 120 marches were held across Africa’s most industrialized nation, with 108 ending peacefully and 12 requiring police intervention.

Mosikili said the arrests were made for offenses including immigration violations, public violence, harboring undocumented migrants, looting, and robbery.

“The majority of those arrested were illegal foreigners and looting as a result of law enforcement operations conducted alongside the protests,” she stated.

Police said one person was shot dead late on Tuesday in Johannesburg’s Alexandra township, where residents were looting small grocery shops owned by foreign nationals. Two other people were injured in a shooting in the inner-city neighborhood of Hillbrow, where soldiers were deployed to reinforce police.

The demonstrations were organized by groups including March and March, Operation Dudula, and Progressive Forces. The groups had set June 30 as an unofficial deadline for undocumented foreign nationals to leave South Africa, accusing them of taking jobs, running informal businesses, straining public services, and contributing to crime.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa rejected the deadline, saying only the government can enforce immigration laws.

Ahead of the marches, Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi warned against violence and intimidation targeting foreign nationals, adding that advocates and perpetrators of racism, Afrophobia, and xenophobia have no place in South Africa.

On Tuesday, Kubayi said the South African government had repatriated 4,286 people and deported another 419 in recent days.

German federal prosecutors have arrested a dual German-Rwandan national on suspicion of taking part in the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

The suspect, identified only as Innocent S. in line with German privacy laws, was detained on Wednesday in the Main-Kinzig district of the state of Hesse under a warrant issued by Germany’s Federal Court of Justice. 

According to prosecutors, Innocent S. served as an assistant to the mayor of Kayove, a municipality in northwestern Rwanda, during the genocide. 

“He ordered the killing of a total of 25 Tutsis on five different occasions,” prosecutors said in a statement.

Investigators allege that the suspect used his position to incite violence against the Tutsi minority and ordered the creation of death lists. In one case, prosecutors say, he personally took part in the murder of a man by stabbing him in the chest. 

The genocide took place April 7 to July 19, 1994. According to the UN, Rwanda’s population at the time exceeded 7 million, with Hutus making up around 85%, Tutsis 14%, and Twa around 1%. An estimated 1 million ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed by extremist Hutu factions.

The case is the latest in a series of prosecutions targeting alleged perpetrators of the genocide. Among the most prominent suspects was businessman Felicien Kabuga, accused of bankrolling militias and using his broadcaster, RTLM, to incite mass killings. Arrested in France in 2020 after decades on the run, Kabuga died in custody in last month at the age of 93.

At least 12 people, including a mother and child, have been confirmed dead in Ghana following floods triggered by heavy rain, the West African nation’s authorities said. The country’s meteorological agency has warned of more rainfall.

The floods hit the capital, Accra, and the nearby city of Tema on Monday, submerging roads, homes, and buildings, and cutting off access to several areas, videos shared on social media show.

The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) said it rescued more than 470 people as of Tuesday. It said the dead included three women, eight men, and one child. A rubber factory in the capital also caught fire amid the deluge.

GNFS spokesperson Alex King Nartey told AP that the mother and child were swept away in the Achimota-Agbogbloshie district. He said emergency services struggled to reach some areas and requested military assistance as rescue operations continued.

Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak said 7,761 households have been affected, with at least seven people reported missing.

🚨 Massive flooding has hit Accra, Ghana 🇬🇭🌊

Heavy rains have left roads submerged, stranded commuters, and caused major disruptions across parts of the capital. pic.twitter.com/SlOwajsuQZ

— Paradise News Line (@Paradisenewslin) June 29, 2026

🚒👨🏾‍🚒 YOU CALLED AND WE SWIFTLY RESPONDED WITH COMPASSION ❤️

Thankfully, the raging fire that engulfed a rubber manufacturing factory at Odawna, near Nkrumah Circle in Accra, is being brought under control by our adept firefighters,… pic.twitter.com/iC0EQFMLgt

— Ghana National Fire Service (@gnfsofficial) June 30, 2026

Speaking after touring affected areas on Tuesday, Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama said preliminary data showed that around 140 millimeters of rain fell in Accra, the heaviest rainfall recorded in years.

Mahama said, “blocked drainage channels and structures obstructing the natural flow of water continue to worsen the impact of heavy rainfall in several parts of the capital.” He ordered the release of 300 million Ghanaian cedis (around $26.5 million) for flood relief and mitigation efforts, and warned against illegal construction on waterways.

Neighboring Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire) has also been hit by deadly flooding after days of heavy rain. Ivorian National Cohesion Minister Myss Belmonde Dogo said more than a dozen people died in Abidjan, the country’s economic capital.

Gunmen have abducted at least 36 students and one staff member from a secondary school in northeastern Nigeria, marking the latest attack on educational institutions in the country.

The attackers stormed the Government Day Secondary School in Lassa, in Borno State’s Askira-Uba Local Government Area, on Monday morning. The Nigerian authorities initially said an unspecified number of students were kidnapped but that ten students and teachers were rescued during a military operation.

On Tuesday, Borno State Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Lawan Wakiibe said at least 36 students – 25 girls and 11 boys – remain missing, along with one member of staff. According to the commissioner, one teacher was killed, another was critically injured, and the third is still missing.

“Assurances have been given to us by the security services that rescue would be carried out soon,” Wakiibe said.

The Nigerian military said troops engaged suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) militants in a firefight during the rescue operation, killing an unspecified number of attackers and seizing seven motorcycles. One soldier and a member of a civilian task force were also killed.

Nigeria’s northern and Middle Belt regions have long been plagued by kidnappings, banditry, and communal violence, with armed gangs frequently targeting travelers, villages, and schools. Abduction incidents drew global attention in 2014 when Boko Haram militants kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno State.

Switzerland has returned 18 cultural items to Nigeria, including Benin Bronzes stolen when British colonial forces raided the West African country in the 19th century, officials have said.

The handover took place at the National Museum in Lagos on Monday, where Nigerian Culture Minister Hannatu Musa Musawa and Swiss Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider also signed a bilateral agreement regulating the import, export, and repatriation of cultural property.

The agreement sets out procedures for the restitution of illegally imported cultural items and cooperation against illicit trafficking, according to the Swiss government.

Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) said that of the 18 artifacts returned, two came from the Rietberg Museum in Zurich, two from the Geneva Museum of Ethnography, and 14 from the Ethnographic Museum at the University of Zurich.

“The return of our cultural heritage marks more than the recovery of artefacts. It reflects the power of dialogue, trust, and international cooperation,” the Nigerian culture minister wrote on X.

The return of our cultural heritage marks more than the recovery of artefacts. It reflects the power of dialogue, trust, and international cooperation.

Earlier today, alongside the Director General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments @NCMMHQ , Olugbile Holloway… pic.twitter.com/8YexlmEOnk

— Hannatu Musa Musawa (@hanneymusawa) June 29, 2026

The Swiss government said last week that five archaeological artifacts seized in Geneva and Ticino would also be returned to Nigeria, along with the 18 cultural items being handed over during Baume-Schneider’s visit.

Earlier in March, Bern agreed to transfer ownership of 28 items to Nigeria as part of a wider restitution process, amid growing demands by African states for cultural objects stolen during colonial rule to be repatriated from Western museums and collections.

Nigeria’s neighbor Ghana also announced on June 20 that Germany and the Netherlands have agreed to return more than 2,000 cultural objects taken during colonial-era conquests.

Russia and Rwanda have signed a roadmap for the development of a small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear power project, the state nuclear corporation Rosatom reported on Tuesday. 

The agreement follows Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev’s statement in May that Moscow and Kigali had reached an understanding on the construction of a nuclear power plant.

It was signed in Moscow following the first meeting of the Russia-Rwanda Joint Coordinating Committee on nuclear cooperation. The talks focused on the planned nuclear power project, the creation of a Centre for Nuclear Science and Technology in Rwanda, the development of the country’s nuclear infrastructure, workforce Training, and regulatory issues.

According to Dr. Lassina Zerbo, energy advisor to the president and chairman of the Rwanda Atomic Energy Board, the country aims to add nuclear power to its energy mix in the early 2030s to meet growing electricity demand.

Speaking to RT in 2025, Zerbo said that SMRs could provide a more affordable alternative to conventional large-scale nuclear power plants, describing them as a “plug-and-play” solution that can work with existing electricity grids, avoiding costly infrastructure upgrade, and major investments in grid modernization.

Russia and Rwanda have been developing nuclear cooperation since signing an intergovernmental agreement on the peaceful use of nuclear energy in 2018. A year later, the two countries agreed to build a Centre for Nuclear Science and Technology in Rwanda, which is expected to include a 10 MW research reactor and a network of laboratories.

Protests broke out across South Africa on Tuesday as anti-immigrant groups pressed ahead with demonstrations tied to an unofficial June 30 deadline calling for undocumented foreign nationals to leave the country.

Police have been deployed in major cities including Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, and other urban centers, amid fears of unrest linked to coordinated rallies led by groups including Operation Dudula and the March and March movement.

Shops remained shut and foreign workers stayed at home while security helicopters were reportedly seen circling overhead as police monitored crowds carrying South African flags and wooden batons.

In Tembisa, a northern suburb of Johannesburg, protesters threw stones at police during clashes, while sporadic gunfire was heard near the central business district, according to Reuters. The Daily Maverick reported that police deployed tactical vehicles and fired shots in Benoni, east of Johannesburg, after being confronted by a crowd of about 500 protesters.

Local media IOL reported that a Nigerian husband of a prominent politician was arrested in Bloemfontein, the judicial capital of the Free State province, after allegedly housing about 28 undocumented foreign nationals at his guesthouse.

South Africans are out in the streets across the country today demanding that foreigners leave their country. These are scenes from Durban where the protests are so far described as largely peaceful

📹 via @SiphamandlaGoge pic.twitter.com/XYxpqx04Xk

— ZimLive (@zimlive) June 30, 2026

Thousands of protesters storm the streets of Johannesburg, South Africa 🇿🇦, demanding that illegal immigrants leave the nation.

There is heavy police presence around the demonstrations. The leaders of the anti-migration groups say they will submit a petition to the Government. pic.twitter.com/5HTaghWe3O

— Africa Facts Zone (@AfricaFactsZone) June 30, 2026

The South African Police Service said in a statement that it has arrested five people for “breaking into tuck shops owned by foreign nationals and stealing various items” in KwaZulu-Natal, one of the country’s most populous provinces along the Indian Ocean coast.

The South African government has dismissed the ultimatum demanding the exit of undocumented migrants, warning against attempts to impose extralegal ultimatums.

Earlier this month, the Mozambican government said at least five of its nationals were killed in xenophobic attacks in Mossel Bay, Western Cape, during violence that broke out between May 30 and June 1, with hundreds more displaced.

Ghana has repatriated about 300 nationals in the first evacuation flight from South Africa, according to officials. Nigeria, Malawi, and Mozambique have also taken similar actions.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed alarm in April over alleged xenophobic attacks, harassment, and intimidation against foreign nationals in parts of South Africa.

South African authorities have rejected characterizations of the country as xenophobic. Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya described such claims in May as a “lazy analysis” of complex social and economic pressures.

The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) has reached 1,307, the country’s Ministry of Communication and Media reported on Tuesday.  

According to figures published as of June 28, the outbreak has claimed 377 lives, putting the overall case fatality rate at 28.8%. At the same time, 180 patients have recovered, while 615 people remain in isolation or hospitalized. 

The outbreak has also spread beyond the DR Congo’s borders. Uganda has reported 20 confirmed Ebola cases, including two deaths, while 15 patients have recovered, according to the latest figures from Ugandan health authorities. 

The epidemic continues to be concentrated in the eastern DR Congo. The Ituri province remains the epicenter, with 23 affected health zones, while neighboring North Kivu is under heightened surveillance across 11 health zones. In South Kivu, authorities have recorded three confirmed cases and one death, but say no new transmission has been detected there since May 26, with active monitoring continuing.  

The government has banned all public gatherings in the capital Kinshasa and the provinces of Tshopo, Haut-Uele and Bas-Uele in an effort to curb the spread of Ebola. The measure, announced by Interior Minister Jacquemain Shabani in a directive sent to provincial governors on Saturday, suspends political rallies, public marches and other mass events that could bring large crowds together.  

DR Congo is battling its 17th recorded Ebola outbreak, which was declared on May 15. It involves the Bundibugyo strain of the virus for which there are currently no approved vaccines or targeted treatments available.

An unspecified number of students taking secondary school examinations have been kidnapped in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno State, the authorities say, in the latest attack targeting educational institutions in Africa’s most populous country.

The incident occurred on Monday morning when heavily armed men suspected to be Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) militants stormed the Government Day Secondary School in Lassa, Askira-Uba Local Government Area, according to the Nigerian Army.

Army spokesperson Mohammed Goni said ten abducted students and teachers have since been rescued, and search operations are ongoing to locate the remaining victims.

One soldier and one member of a civilian task force assisting security forces in counterinsurgency operations were killed during an “intense exchange of fire with the terrorists,” Goni said in a statement.

He said the troops inflicted casualties on the “fleeing terrorists” and seized seven of their motorcycles during the operation.

TROOPS OF OPERATION HADIN KAI RESCUE ABDUCTED NECO CANDIDATES IN LASSA, INTENSIFY SEARCH FOR REMAINING VICTIM

Troops of Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) have successfully rescued ten National Examinations Council (NECO) candidates and teachers abducted during an ISWAP attack on Lassa… pic.twitter.com/amqDYhwcgu

— Nigerian Army (@HQNigerianArmy) June 29, 2026

Nigeria’s northeast has been the epicenter of a long-running insurgency led by Boko Haram and its splinter faction, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), both of which have repeatedly targeted villages and schools across the region. The groups have carried out mass abductions in Borno State since the 2014 kidnapping of more than 270 Chibok schoolgirls.

The latest attack comes just weeks after gunmen seized more than 40 students from the Primary and Junior Government Day Secondary School in Mussa-Biri community, also in Askira-Uba Local Government Area on May 15. Askira-Uba lies in southern Borno State near the Sambisa Forest, a known militant stronghold.

At least 20 people were killed in an armed attack in Kawel village in Plateau State last week, according to police. Last month, gunmen attacked two primary schools in the Oriire area of Oyo State, killing a staff member and abducting an unspecified number of victims. On May 8, the authorities said 17 police officers were killed when terrorists launched an assault on the Nigerian Army Special Forces School in Buni Yadi, Yobe State.

Nine African teams have reached the knockout stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, setting a new record for the continent.

Algeria, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and South Africa all advanced from the group stage.

“It is the first time that 90% of the African National Teams qualified from the Group Stage of the FIFA World Cup,” the press service of Confederation of African Football (CAF) said on Sunday. 

CAF President Patrice Motsepe congratulated all nine teams on reaching the knockout stage, calling their qualification “hard-earned and well-deserved.”  

“The players and technical teams have made each of their countries proud and have also made the 1.6 billion people on the African Continent and in the Diaspora, proud,” Motsepe said. 

Morocco, 2022 World Cup semifinalist, will play the Netherlands on June 30. So far in this competition, they drew with Brazil before beating Scotland and Haiti. The same day, Côte d’Ivoire faces Norway. The country advanced after victories over Ecuador and Curaçao, despite losing to Germany.

This is what qualification looks like. 🇲🇦❤️#FIFAWorldCup | 📹 @EnMaroc pic.twitter.com/NrSVQ0eNUJ

— CAF (@CAF_Online) June 25, 2026

On July 1, DR Congo takes on England. In group matches they drew with Portugal, lost narrowly to Colombia, and then beat Uzbekistan 3-1.

SCENES IN ATLANTA

LOOK WHAT IT MEANS TO DR CONGO AND THEIR FANS 🇨🇩 pic.twitter.com/IHBXJwHJOv

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 28, 2026

Senegal meets Belgium,also on July 1, after keeping its World Cup hopes alive with a 5-0 victory over Iraq in its final group-stage match.

SENEGAL ARE HAVING A GOAL OF THE TOURNAMENT COMPETITION 🇸🇳

Iliman Ndiaye joins in on the golazo party! pic.twitter.com/lR4SfSTW2Z

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 26, 2026

Algeria will face Switzerland on July 3 after recovering from an opening defeat against Argentina, before they bested Jordan 2-1 and drew 3-3 with Austria. Later that same day, Egypt, unbeaten so far, will play Australia.

South Africa became the first African team to play in the knockout phase, but lost 1-0 to Canada on Sunday.

Only Tunisia failed to escape the group stage.

On the eve of nationwide protests against undocumented immigration, President Cyril Ramaphosa has issued a stern warning against vigilantism, invoking the painful legacy of apartheid-era pass laws while reaffirming that immigration enforcement remains the responsibility of the state.

In his weekly newsletter released by the Presidency on Monday, Ramaphosa acknowledged growing public frustration over illegal immigration but stressed that concerns must be addressed through constitutional and legal processes rather than intimidation or mob justice.

”The exercise of rights by any citizen in a constitutional democracy cannot be determined by intimidation, threats, or ultimatums. It must be determined through democratic institutions, evidence, and the rule of law,” Ramaphosa said.

The protests, scheduled for Tuesday, have been organized by several groups demanding tougher action against undocumented immigrants. Organizers argue that illegal immigration has placed increasing pressure on public services, enabled criminal syndicates, and negatively affected South African communities.

Rather than dismissing these concerns, Ramaphosa acknowledged shortcomings within the government’s own immigration system, saying meaningful reforms are already underway.

In one of the strongest sections of his address, Ramaphosa drew a direct comparison between modern-day vigilantism and the apartheid government’s notorious pass laws, warning that private citizens cannot assume the powers of law enforcement.

”The painful history of the pass laws reminds us why the authority to demand identification and enforce immigration laws belongs to government law-enforcement officers acting within the Constitution, not to private individuals. Whatever the motivation, taking the law into one’s own hands is vigilantism and has no place in our constitutional democracy,” Ramaphosa said.

The president warned that attempts by civilians to police immigration status on the streets risk reviving practices that South Africans fought hard to dismantle. He described such actions as “vigilantism thinly disguised in the language of patriotism” and cautioned that they undermine the very constitutional order they claim to defend.

“We must never allow ourselves to return to that painful chapter of our history where people were stopped on the street, had their physical identities scrutinized, and their right to move freely in the country hindered by suspicion and humiliation,” he stressed.

Ramaphosa said the government had spent recent weeks engaging with a broad range of stakeholders, including traditional leaders, Khoi-San representatives, organized labor, business organizations, and religious groups, all of whom had expressed support for peaceful demonstrations conducted within the law. He also welcomed commitments by some protest organizers to discourage violence, while warning that those assurances would be closely scrutinized.

The President’s intervention comes amid heightened tensions over immigration and growing public debate about border security, law enforcement and the state’s capacity to manage migration while upholding constitutional rights.

First published by IOL

A senior South African police officer has survived an assassination attempt after being shot in Johannesburg, the country’s authorities said on Monday.

Major General Feroz Khan, deputy head of crime intelligence, was wounded on Sunday evening in Houghton, an affluent suburb of Johannesburg, after being attacked, the South African Police Service (SAPS) said in a statement. He was driving home when the attack occurred and has since been rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery, according to local media.

Khan had been expected to appear before the Madlanga Commission on July 1, a judicial inquiry probing claims of corruption, interference, and misconduct within elements of the South Africa’s police and intelligence structures.

The allegations were brought forward last July by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, triggering the suspension of the country’s police minister, Senzo Mchunu. Mkhwanazi claimed the suspended police chief had conspired with a criminal network and interfered with investigations into high-profile assassinations.

The SAPS said it has launched an investigation into the attempted murder of Khan, warning that “it is premature and irresponsible to speculate on any possible motive or to conclude that the incident is linked to his anticipated appearance before the commission.” 

“The South African Police Service views any attempt to intimidate, silence or attack any individual involved in judicial processes in the most serious light,” the police stated.

Earlier in June, the South African Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police called for Khan’s suspension following his arrest in May, arguing that any officer facing allegations of wrongdoing should be removed from active duty to protect ongoing investigations and maintain public trust.

Committee chair Ian Cameron said the arrest of a senior crime intelligence officer “undermines a strategic pillar of policing” and exposed “the extent of the rot that continues to plague the SAPS Crime Intelligence environment.”

When news emerged that Kenya had authorized a 50-bed, American-funded Ebola isolation centre at Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki, the controversy immediately eclipsed medical logistics. The premise was stark: Quarantine US citizens exposed to the virus offshore to prevent them from entering US territory.

The backlash was fiercely swift. Opposition politicians, civil society groups, and citizens secured court injunctions and poured into the streets. The situation turned deadly when police cracked down on demonstrators in Nanyuki, leaving at least three people dead. What Washington framed as a pragmatic health measure has instead ignited a volatile debate over national sovereignty, neo-colonial health policies, and the cost of Western risk externalization.

On May 29, Kenya’s High Court halted the project. Responding to a petition led by the Katiba Institute and medical unions, Justice Patricia Nyaundi issued sweeping orders halting the US facility at Laikipia. The mandate went beyond stopping construction; it barred Kenyan authorities from facilitating the entry of Ebola-exposed individuals and compelled Nairobi to disclose all bilateral agreements with Washington.

For the petitioners, the state had engaged in “constitutional recklessness.” They successfully argued that hosting a Level-4 biohazard risk was negotiated in secrecy, completely bypassing parliamentary oversight and mandatory public participation. By agreeing to function as an alternative containment site, Nairobi allowed a foreign power to externalize its disease risk management, exposing a local population – in a country with zero confirmed Ebola cases – to an unacceptable imported threat.

The legal battle reached a dramatic point last week, underscoring the lengths to which the government initially went to accommodate Washington. Despite the clear judicial freeze issued in late May, work at the site quietly continued.

On June 22, the High Court held Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale in contempt for actively ignoring the injunction. Facing the unprecedented prospect of severe judicial sanctions, the minister was forced into a humiliating capitulation. Appearing personally before Justice Nyaundi the next day, Duale tendered a formal apology, expressing “sincere regret” for undermining the judiciary. More importantly, he confirmed to the court that he had finally ordered the “immediate and complete cessation of any intended construction, site preparation, or related activities” at the Laikipia facility.

While Duale was discharged with a strict warning, his forced public retreat represented a monumental victory for Kenyan civil society and a sharp rebuke to executive overreach driven by foreign health agendas.

To understand the depth of the Kenyan backlash, one must look beyond Kenya itself and examine how Washington intends to bankroll it. On June 25, the White House requested $1.4 billion for the African Ebola response – a figure that reportedly includes hundreds of millions explicitly earmarked for the very Kenyan quarantine center the High Court just halted. This is not standalone humanitarian aid; the request is buried inside a massive $87.6 billion emergency supplemental package designed almost entirely to replenish the Pentagon for military operations.

The friction in Nairobi is mirrored perfectly by recent diplomatic ruptures in Harare and Accra. In February 2026, Zimbabwe abruptly halted negotiations with Washington over a proposed $367 million health funding package. The talks unravelled because of US demand for long-term access to Zimbabwe’s sensitive epidemiological data and biological pathogen samples.

Zimbabwean officials rejected the terms as a breach of national security and data sovereignty, pointing out the inherent neo-colonial asymmetry: The agreement would force the nation to provide the raw materials for scientific discovery without any reciprocal guarantee of access to the resulting vaccines or treatments.

In April, Ghana similarly withdrew from health negotiations, citing the exact same concerns over overreaching US demands for data access.

Meanwhile, in Uganda, the US successfully leveraged funding to secure direct, real-time access to nine of the nation’s central health data systems for seven years, raising massive alarms among digital privacy and human rights experts regarding the unchecked extraction of African medical records by foreign entities.

This transactional and coercive approach to health is now being aggressively deployed to punish geopolitical defiance. The most glaring example is currently unfolding in South Africa. In June 2026, the US State Department confirmed a phased termination of funding under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) – a program that historically provided hundreds of millions annually to combat the world’s largest HIV epidemic. The official pretext for dismantling this critical infrastructure relies on highly controversial, politically motivated allegations regarding South Africa’s land policies and domestic economic transformation frameworks.

However, this manufactured narrative was brought to a head during South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s highly publicized Oval Office visit in May 2025. When confronted by the US administration with sensationalized claims regarding the safety of the country’s minority population, Ramaphosa did not simply offer a standard diplomatic rebuttal.

The diplomatic timeline further reveals this health funding cut to be a calculated smokescreen. This devastating withdrawal of aid is part of a broader, sustained campaign of economic and political retaliation that included the imposition of crippling 30% tariffs on South African industrial and manufactured exports in 2025.

The true catalyst for Washington’s punitive measures is not a sudden concern for minority rights, but rather Pretoria’s non-aligned foreign policy – specifically, its historic sovereign decision to bring a genocide case, supported by numerous other states, against Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). By weaponizing HIV/AIDS funding to settle geopolitical scores, the US has unequivocally demonstrated that African public health is viewed not as a humanitarian imperative, but as a strategic lever to be pulled whenever a sovereign nation refuses to comply.

This transformation of healthcare diplomacy into coercive policy tactics reveals that the US is ready to walk away from its global commitments to the world. By discarding multilateral health governance in favor of transactional bilateralism – accelerated by Washington’s formal exit from the World Health Organization in January 2026 – the US State Department is establishing a neo-colonial division of labor in global biosecurity.

The resistance unfolding from Nairobi to Harare is a necessary pushback against an unequal international order where national dignity, data sovereignty, and equal treatment are continually sacrificed to shield Western populations from the very risks they externalize.

Somali government forces have killed more than 30 Al-Shabaab militants in a series of coordinated airstrikes in the country’s Middle Shabelle region, the Defense Ministry reported on Friday. 

The operations targeted terrorist positions in Gayfo, Ruun Idiris, and Ali Gaduud over several days. Somali officials said the targeted locations served as command, training, and logistics hubs supporting Al-Shabaab’s activities in the region.

The first strike, carried out on June 24, targeted a militant mobilization center in Gayfo, where weapons were stored. On June 25, three additional strikes targeted a training facility in Ruun Idiris before hitting a gathering of militants in Ali Gaduud, where they were allegedly preparing future attacks.

“The strikes resulted in the elimination of approximately 30 Al-Shabaab militants,” the ministry said in a statement. 

Al-Qaeda-linked insurgent groups, particularly Al-Shabaab, have been carrying out regular attacks in several African countries since 2007, including those in the Sahel region. The terrorist group continues to conduct raids, bombings, and targeted assassinations in an effort to destabilize the Somali government, regional security structures and also establish its own rule based on a hardline interpretation of Sharia law.

The latest operation follows a similar offensive in April, when Somali government forces said they had killed 22 Al-Shabaab militants, including senior commander Abdirahman Jeeri, during a joint ground and air operation in the Lower Shabelle region.

France is considering reciprocal measures after Burkina Faso severed diplomatic relations with Paris, the French Foreign Ministry said on Saturday, amid escalating tensions between the two countries.

The West African nation’s military authorities announced on Friday that they were breaking off ties with France, accusing it of “neo-colonial ambitions” and of backing “subversive networks” and “terrorists.”

In a statement, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs described Burkina Faso’s decision as “hostile and unfounded,” saying it “illustrates the worrying drift of the Burkinabe authorities.”

“The necessary reciprocal measures are currently being considered,” the ministry stated. Paris also said it is monitoring the safety of French government personnel and citizens in Burkina Faso and urged them to “exercise heightened vigilance.”

Burkina Faso’s neighbors Mali and Niger have also cut security cooperation with France, which has said it does not recognize the military authorities in the three Sahel states as legitimate governments.

Bamako, Niamey, and Ouagadougou have in recent months repeatedly accused the former colonial power of acts of aggression, including allegations of backing or sponsoring jihadist groups behind a deadly insurgency in the region. France has denied the claims, rejecting any suggestion it supports terrorism in the Sahel.

The University of Cape Town (UCT) has once again been named Africa’s highest-ranked university, improving its position in the latest US News Best Global Universities Rankings.

The 2026-2027 rankings, released on June 17, place UCT 122nd in the world, up from 124th in the previous edition. The result places the institution among the top 5% of the 2,250 universities assessed globally.

The latest ranking further cements UCT’s status as one of Africa’s foremost research institutions and underscores South Africa’s contribution to international scientific and academic research.

The US News rankings differ from university league tables that place greater emphasis on factors such as student experience, employability and sustainability. Instead, they focus primarily on research output, academic reputation, publications, citations and international collaboration.

“UCT’s influence goes beyond ranking positions. Our mission is to deliver outstanding teaching and learning, while advancing both curiosity-driven research and work that addresses the evolving challenges of our time,” said Professor Thokozani Majozi, UCT’s deputy vice-chancellor for research and internationalisation.

“Together, these efforts contribute towards shaping a sustainable future, and this result reflects the breadth of that impact.”

[ICYMI] The University of Cape Town remains the highest-ranked university in Africa in the 2027 Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings released on 18 June 2026.

The university is placed within the top 2% of more than 8 808 institutions evaluated worldwide.… pic.twitter.com/YiODTJo1DL

— UCT (@UCT_news) June 19, 2026

One of UCT’s strongest performances came in the field of infectious diseases, where the university ranked 14th globally. The ranking is particularly significant given South Africa’s continued fight against diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV.

Professor Digby Warner, director of UCT’s Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, said the recognition reflected years of research undertaken in communities most affected by these health challenges. “This recognition is especially meaningful because much of this work is conducted in settings where infectious diseases remain among the most urgent health challenges,” Warner said.

The rankings are based on research data collected between 2020 and 2024, as well as academic reputation surveys conducted from 2021 to 2025. Strong performances in international rankings can enhance the global recognition of South African qualifications, while also helping universities attract research funding, international partnerships and academic talent.

First published by IOL

Burkina Faso has severed diplomatic relations with France, becoming the latest West African nation to distance itself from its former colonial ruler after years of deteriorating ties.

The decision was announced in a statement released on Friday by Burkinabe Communications Minister Gilbert Ouedraogo and posted by the country’s official information service. It said the move took effect on June 26.

Ouagadougou accused France of pursuing neocolonial ambitions, interfering in Burkina Faso’s internal affairs, and backing “subversive networks” and “terrorists.”

“Faced with these imperialist aims of domination over our country and the enslavement of our people, we have chosen responsibility and sovereignty,” the statement said. France has previously denied accusations that it supports terrorism in the Sahel.

COMMUNIQUE RELATIF A LA RUPTURE DES RELATIONS DIPLOMATIQUES ENTRE LE BURKINA FASO ET LA REPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE

Le Gouvernement du Burkina Faso porte à la connaissance de l’opinion nationale et internationale qu’il a pris la décision de rompre ses relations diplomatiques avec la… pic.twitter.com/n444Q3K82a

— SIG Burkina Faso (@sigbf) June 26, 2026

The statement said the decision applies only to diplomatic relations and does not affect the historical, cultural, and social ties between the Burkinabe and French peoples.

Diplomatic relations between Burkina Faso and France have steadily deteriorated since the military seized power in Ouagadougou in 2022. The new authorities ended military cooperation with Paris, forcing French troops to leave the country the following year.

Paris has lost its foothold in several former colonies amid a wave of anti-French sentiment fueled by allegations of military failures and interference. Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have expelled French troops and accused their former metropole of supporting armed groups fueling the deadly jihadist insurgency in the region.

France has previously denied the accusations and said it does not recognize the legitimacy of the military governments in the three West African countries, and is backing efforts to restore civilian rule.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has defended Pretoria’s non-aligned foreign policy during questions in Parliament. Tension with US persists over relations with China, Russia, and Iran, as well as trade.

Ramaphosa’s remarks come after US Ambassador to South Africa Leo Brent Bozell III criticized South Africa’s non-aligned foreign policy stance on X, referencing its engagements with China and Iran, including Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s visit to Beijing.

Answering questions during a National Council of Provinces (NCOP) question and answer session on Thursday, Ramaphosa said South Africa’s foreign policy is grounded in the Constitution and guided by principles of human rights, peace, multilateralism and a rules-based international order.

”We don’t see ourselves as a country of enemies. We are a country that seeks to be at peace with all other countries and have good relations with all,” Ramaphosa said.

He said South Africa maintains diplomatic relations across different regions and political systems in pursuit of national interests and constructive global engagement, consistent with its non-aligned and strategically autonomous stance.

Ramaphosa said this approach allows the country to engage with both Western and Eastern powers, including the United States, China, Russia, Iran, and others, through bilateral and multilateral platforms aimed at dialogue, cooperation, and dispute resolution.

”This does not imply neutrality or disengagement, but rather an independent foreign policy that seeks to promote dialogue, cooperation and peaceful resolution of global challenges,” the president said.

”Even in areas where we disagree, even in areas where we do agree, we continue to engage, because non-engagement does not serve any of us any good,” he noted.

He said South Africa values its long-standing relationship with the United States and continues cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, health, education and security.

Ramaphosa also defended South Africa’s participation in joint military exercises with various countries, saying such engagements are routine and not inconsistent with non-alignment. He said these exercises, conducted with countries including the United States, China and India, allow for the sharing of experience, capabilities and approaches to security and peacekeeping.

The president said South Africa has not compromised its sovereignty or independence in its engagements, insisting that the country remains self-respecting and principled in its foreign relations. He said South Africa continues to play a constructive diplomatic role in global conflicts, including the war between Russia and Ukraine, where it maintains engagement with both sides.

”We are one of those very few countries that has been able to do a number of things to give assistance to the resolution of the conflict,” he noted, adding that South Africa is often able to engage with parties on both sides of international conflicts, and is sometimes asked to pass on messages between them.

He also stressed South Africa’s non-aligned stance allows it to engage widely on trade disputes, including tariff measures imposed by major economies.

”We have decided to turbocharge our economic diplomacy and reach out to many countries around the world with a view of establishing sustainable trade relations with them,” he said.

Ramaphosa said South Africa’s participation in international organisations such as BRICS, the United Nations, the Commonwealth and the Non-Aligned Movement is voluntary and based on national interest.

”We will not be quiet. We will speak up,” the president said, adding that South Africa’s approach is deliberate, flexible and aimed at resolving disputes through engagement rather than confrontation.

First published by IOL

Africa requires about $1.4 billion to respond to the ongoing Ebola outbreak, roughly three times higher than previous estimates, the continent’s autonomous health agency has said.

Earlier funding requirements for a coordinated response had been put at about $518 million, developed with the World Health Organization and other partners to support surveillance, laboratory capacity, emergency stockpiles, and rapid response teams.

Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Director-General Jean Kaseya said at a virtual press briefing on Thursday that the revised estimate reflects escalating response needs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) and Uganda.

More than 300 people have been killed in DR Congo and Uganda since the outbreak linked to the Bundibugyo strain of the virus began on May 15. The Congolese Health Ministry said on Thursday that the country has recorded 1,155 confirmed cases and 304 deaths.

The WHO has said the risk of wider international spread remains low after the French Ministry of Health reported on Wednesday that France has reported its first Ebola case involving a doctor who returned from a humanitarian mission in the DR Congo.

Kaseya said health systems in DR Congo, particularly in Ituri province, the epicenter of the outbreak, are under strain amid worsening humanitarian conditions. Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu have been affected for years by attacks by armed groups and fighting that has triggered mass displacement of people from their homes.

The Africa CDC director-general said that so far about $910 million in funding has been pledged, but only 13% has been disbursed.

On Friday, China handed over $2 million in emergency support to the Africa CDC to help contain the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak and support affected member states, the agency announced.

Two volunteers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) Red Cross have been killed by unidentified armed men while on a humanitarian mission in South Kivu province, the organization said on Tuesday. 

Byamungu Mugisho Kabuha and Mugisho MParanya Romain were attacked on June 16 in Kakumba village, while working on a project to improve access to clean drinking water for vulnerable communities.  

“They were wearing the emblem of the Red Cross, a universal symbol of neutrality, impartiality, and humanitarian assistance,” explains Gregoire Mateso Mbuta Way, National President of the Red Cross of the DR Congo. 

The DR Congo Red Cross said attacks on humanitarian workers threaten life-saving assistance for civilians. The organization urged all parties to respect and protect aid personnel, stressing that humanitarian workers serve as a vital lifeline for communities affected by the country’s ongoing crisis. 

Alongside continuing violence in the country, the authorities are battling the nation’s 17th recorded Ebola outbreak, which was declared on May 15. It involves the Bundibugyo strain of the virus and has raised concerns across the region because there are currently no approved vaccines or targeted treatments available. 

As of June 24, the outbreak has resulted in 1,155 confirmed cases and 304 deaths, with 326 patients currently in isolation or hospitalized and 138 people reported to have recovered.

Hundreds of people were arrested across Kenya on Thursday during demonstrations in remembrance of dozens of protesters killed in the 2024 Gen Z anti-government rallies against tax hikes, according to police and rights groups in the East African nation.

Protests were reported in at least 14 counties, including the capital Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, and Nakuru. Police reportedly fired tear gas in Nairobi as families of victims and activists attempted to march toward parliament to demand accountability and compensation for those killed in last year’s unrest.

Security forces mounted roadblocks on major highways leading into the capital ahead of the demonstrations as part of heightened security measures.

“A few criminal elements attempted to commit diverse crimes in the guise of staging peaceful demonstrations. Consequently, a total of 355 arrests were made in connection with the demonstrations,” the minister said in a statement. He said Anthony Gathungu, a local Interior Ministry official in Murang’a County, was injured after being attacked by a group attempting to erect a barricade in Kandara.

However, the Police Reforms Working Group (PRWG), which includes Amnesty International Kenya and other civil society organizations, said more than 361 people had been detained, accusing law enforcement of violating the right to peaceful assembly.

The group said families of victims killed in the previous protests were blocked from laying flowers in Nairobi in remembrance, and also accused the authorities of targeting journalists.

The June 25 demonstrations mark the second anniversary of the 2024 Gen Z-led protests against an International Monetary Fund-backed finance bill, later withdrawn by the government. The legislation had been introduced to address a $2.7 billion gap in the country’s budget.

President William Ruto later withdrew the bill, dismissed his cabinet, and formed a new government in an effort to ease public anger over the country’s economic woes. Kenya’s then-deputy president, Rigathi Gachagua, was later impeached on charges including incitement to ethnic division and support for the anti-tax protests. Gachagua dismissed the allegations as false and “extremely outrageous,” claiming that his removal was politically motivated.

A former police operative appeared in South Africa’s Benoni Regional Court on Thursday to face charges stemming from three notorious apartheid-era operations examined by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).

According to The Star, the 74-year-old accused is facing 15 counts of murder, alongside charges of kidnapping, arson, unlawful possession of explosives, unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, and defeating or obstructing the administration of justice.

His court appearance follows an extensive investigation by the Hawks into apartheid-era atrocities and forms part of efforts to hold those implicated in unresolved crimes accountable, more than three decades after the alleged offences were committed.

”In its ongoing pursuit of accountability for apartheid-era atrocities, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) continues to fulfil its mandate,” Mogale said.

The investigation was conducted by the Serious Organised Crime Investigation’s Crimes Against the State section and centres on three incidents previously brought before the TRC: Operation Zero Zero, the Nietverdiend 10 and the KwaNdebele 9.

Investigators have linked the former Vlakplaas operative to the deaths of 15 young people associated with the three operations.

According to the Hawks, the incidents allegedly followed a common pattern. Young recruits were allegedly enticed with promises of military training, provided with explosives and clandestinely taken out of South Africa during the apartheid era. The recruits were allegedly led to believe they would be involved in operations against the apartheid government.

”Instead, they met their deaths at the hands of the suspect and two accomplices who allegedly operated from Vlakplaas under the command of Eugene de Kock,” Mogale said.

First published by IOL

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) football supporter Michel Nkuka Mboladinga, better known as Lumumba Vea, finally made his World Cup debut on Tuesday after missing the team’s opener against Portugal due to Ebola quarantine restrictions. 

The fan stood behind the DR Congo bench during the match against Colombia, recreating the motionless pose that turned him into a social media sensation. 

Wearing a bright red jacket and tie, a yellow shirt and blue trousers, Mboladinga stood on a pedestal with his right arm raised for almost the entire match. 

Apart from a brief delay returning after halftime, he remained frozen in character until after the final whistle. He declined interviews but acknowledged reporters with a smile and a nod, several news agencies reported. DR Congo lost 1-0 to Colombia.

FOR THE COUNTRY 🇨🇩🐆🙋🏾‍♂️#FIFAWorldCup #FifaWorldCup26 pic.twitter.com/852moEIBgp

— LUMUMBA VEA 🇨🇩🐆 (@JumbaDrc) June 24, 2026

Mboladinga’s performance is a tribute to Patrice Lumumba, who became the DR Congo’s first prime minister when the country gained independence from Belgium in 1960, but was ousted within months and executed by firing squad in January 1961 at the age of 35.

The appearance came as several African teams continue to make headlines at the expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup with a series of notable results.

South Africa defeated South Korea 1-0 on Wednesday night in their final Group A match to reach the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in the country’s history. 

UNBELIEVABLE SCENES IN MONTERREY 🇿🇦

SOUTH AFRICA TAKES THE LEAD OVER SOUTH KOREA! pic.twitter.com/YUq0uCTCqX

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 25, 2026

Morocco also advanced to the knockout stage after beating Haiti 4-2 in its final Group C match.

Cape Verde drew attention despite failing to win its opening match, holding Spain to a 0-0 draw. The result was secured largely through the performance of 40-year-old goalkeeper Josimar Dias, known as Vozinha, who made seven saves against the reigning European champions. Cape Verde followed up the result with another draw, holding Uruguay 2-2.

Other African teams have continued to collect points. Ghana held England to a goalless draw, while Egypt defeated New Zealand 3-1 and Algeria defeated Jordan 2-1.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is being held from June 11 to July 19 across 16 cities in the US, Canada and Mexico. The tournament is the first in history to feature 48 national teams.

Burkina Faso has denounced a European Parliament resolution on alleged repression of civil society organizations and human rights violations in the West African country as unacceptable interference.

The official verbal note from the Burkinabe Ministry of Foreign Affairs was published on Wednesday. The ministry said it had summoned Philippe Bronchain, head of the EU delegation in Ouagadougou, two days earlier, to express the government’s “disapproval, disappointment and disgust” provoked by the resolution.

On June 18, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) adopted three resolutions on the human rights situations in Nicaragua, Belarus, and Burkina Faso. The measure accused Burkinabe authorities of several violations, including dissolving civil society organizations and “severely” undermining press freedoms.

The MEPs criticized “intimidation, unlawful conscription, harassment, arbitrary detention, and enforced disappearance” in the Sahel nation, urging the government to reverse their decision to withdraw from the International Criminal Court.

They also expressed “serious concerns over Russia’s influence in Burkina Faso since the expulsion of European forces, contributing to human rights violations and authoritarian drift,” the European Parliament said in a statement.

The former head of French military intelligence said the country’s situation “illustrates the dramatic failure of the military junta in power since the 2022 coup.” 

In response, Burkina Faso rejected Gomart’s comments as “accusatory, rude, and untruthful.” Burkinabe Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean-Marie Traore said the longstanding insecurity faced by the country, alongside Mali and Niger, is a direct consequence of NATO’s destabilization of Libya in 2011.

Ambassador Bronchain said he would “simply relay” Ouagadougou’s concerns to his “superiors” in Brussels.

The latest exchange adds to already strained diplomatic relations between Burkina Faso and the EU since the 2022 military takeover. The authorities in Burkina Faso, along with their allies in Mali and Niger, have cut defense cooperation with EU partners and expelled French troops, accusing France of aggression.

There are moments in history when the earth trembles under the weight of a truth buried for too long. Accra, from June 17 to 19, 2026, may have been one of those moments. On the coast that served for centuries as the embarkation point for millions of our ancestors into the hell of the slave trade, heads of state, jurists, activists, and representatives of the African diaspora gathered for the Next Steps Conference on Reparatory Justice to build on UN Resolution A/RES/80/250, which was adopted on March 25, 2026. As the first document in the UN’s 80-year history dedicated to slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, they wanted to ensure it leads to real action rather than remaining a dead letter.

Let us begin with what deserves to be acknowledged. Ghana, the symbolic gateway of the slave trade, is here staking its credibility as a pan-African leader. President Mahama did not convene this summit for appearances. His formula, which became the rallying cry of Accra, rings as a warning: Reparative justice “will not be handed to us. Like political independence, it must be asserted, pursued and won through determination and unity.” These words carry the direct lineage of Kwame Nkrumah.

For the first time, monitoring mechanisms exist on paper. It is a step forward. But a step is not yet a victory.

Allow me to say what others prefer to leave unsaid in the muffled diplomacy of grand conferences. The UN March vote revealed true faces. The text received 123 votes in favor, three against – the United States, Israel, and Argentina – and 52 abstentions, including all countries of the European Union. Fifty-two European abstentions. France, which wraps itself in the discourse of human rights at every international forum, abstained. Great Britain, whose slave traders made their fortunes on the blood of our ancestors, abstained. Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal: all absent from the vote for justice.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron, who was not in Accra, declared in his speech of May 21: “We must be honest enough to tell ourselves that we can never repair these crimes. We must accept the fact that there is no final point.” Translation: We acknowledge the crime, but we refuse to pay for it. This is the classic rhetoric of the torturer who asks the victim to “turn the page” while keeping the fruits of plunder in his coffers.

Then, the international committees will include not only African and Caribbean countries, but also Western nations that historically benefited from slavery, such as the United States, France, and Great Britain. Allowing the executioners to sit at the table of justice means offering them a say in the terms of their own conviction. What court in the world accepts that the accused co-presides over his own trial?

A third uncomfortable truth: Will the African states, some of whose kingdoms and trading posts were involved in the slave trade, be capable of maintaining a united position? Internal rivalries, divergent economic interests, and persistent dependence on former colonial powers all complicate any common strategy. Africa cannot demand solidarity from its diaspora while maintaining internal divisions that weaken its negotiating capacity. Unity is not a diplomatic luxury – it is the sine qua non of any real justice. Sankara knew it. Nkrumah knew it. Nyerere knew it. And it is precisely because they attempted to build this unity that the colonial powers financed their overthrow.

Accra must not be the end of a process. Participants agreed on ambitious objectives: restitution of looted cultural property, financial justice, debt relief, technology transfer, climate justice, reform of global governance, and the fight against discrimination inherited from slavery and colonialism. These demands are just and legitimate. But they will only materialize if Africa transforms moral pressure into effective political and economic pressure. Reparations will not come from the goodwill of those who profited from the crime. They will come from our capacity to make the status quo unsustainable for them.

The reparations envisioned go beyond the financial framework: restitution of cultural property, recognition of psychological trauma, rehabilitation of the dignity of victims, and institutional reform. We are not wrong to broaden the scope. But let us not scatter our forces in every direction at once. First monetary sovereignty, because without control of our currency, any financial reparation can be neutralized by economic mechanisms we do not control; then unconditional cultural restitution, because our sacred objects are not museum curiosities, they are fragments of our soul; and, finally, the reform of international institutions, because the IMF and the UN Security Council, in their current architecture, are instruments for perpetuating the colonial imbalance.

The political union between Africa and its descendants on the other side of the Atlantic marks a turning point, hailed by the organizers as the end of a historical fragmentation.

Russia will support African nations seeking reparations from former colonial powers, deputy chairman of the Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, has said, arguing that Western states should be held accountable for centuries of colonial exploitation.

Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum on Wednesday, the former Russian president said African Union members, along with Caribbean nations, are spearheading efforts to seek compensation for the legacy of colonialism.

“We [Russia] are ready to actively support their endeavors to demand reparations and compensation from their former colonial powers,” Medvedev stated. 

He said Western countries have the capacity to provide reparations for the “colossal damage” caused by centuries of colonial and neo-colonial practices.

“The former colonial powers have neither legal nor moral grounds to evade reparations justice,” Medvedev noted, adding that fundamental legal principles prevent wrongdoing from becoming a legitimate source of rights.

The issue of reparations has gained international attention in recent months. Last week, Ghana hosted a global conference on reparatory justice, bringing together leaders from Africa and more than 80 countries to discuss compensation, the return of cultural artifacts, formal apologies, and other measures addressing the legacy of slavery and colonialism.

France has confirmed its first Ebola case in a doctor who recently returned from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), the French Ministry of Health reported on Wednesday.

The ministry said the patient was admitted to a specialized facility and is in stable condition. He has been placed in isolation as part of precautionary measures.

“A thorough epidemiological investigation is underway to identify individuals who may have been in contact with the patient,” the ministry said in a statement.

French Health Minister Stephanie Rist later confirmed that five people seated near the infected doctor on the flight to France have been identified and isolated. The Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA), a non-profit organization involved in the Ebola response in DR Congo, said the patient is a physician working with its team.

The case comes amid an ongoing Ebola outbreak in eastern DR Congo. Since the outbreak linked to the Bundibugyo strain of the virus began on May 15, 1,094 confirmed cases have been recorded and 277 deaths reported, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.

Last month, the US denied entry to an Air France flight carrying a passenger from the DR Congo under stricter Ebola-related restrictions, forcing the aircraft to divert to Canada. Washington tightened travel measures in response to the outbreak on May 18, requiring travelers arriving from the DR Congo, South Sudan and Uganda to enter the US only through Washington Dulles International Airport.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has similarly assessed the risk as “very low for the general European population,” according to the French Health Ministry statement.

Nigeria sees the upcoming Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow as an important opportunity to advance bilateral ties with Russia, newly appointed Nigerian Ambassador to Moscow Joseph Olusola Iji has said.

Speaking to RT, the diplomat said strengthening relations will be at the center of his mission in Moscow. Abuja expects to participate in the summit and views the event as a key platform for expanding cooperation across the continent as well.

“It will also be an advantage for multilateral relationship... it’s quite important for us,” the envoy stated.

Last month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed that Moscow will host the third Russia-Africa Summit in October, saying the Kremlin expects African leaders to approve a new three-year cooperation roadmap.

Iji acknowledged a persistent trade imbalance between the two countries, which he linked to sanctions-related restrictions, payment difficulties, and logistical challenges. He argued that expanding Russian industrial investment in Nigeria could help increase bilateral trade and create a more balanced economic relationship.

Iji highlighted the importance of media cooperation, saying: “It’s very important [media exchange with Russia] because the media are expected to build bridges.”

Last October, the administration of US President Donald Trump placed Nigeria on its list of ‘Countries of Particular Concern’ amid allegations of genocide against Christians in the country. Abuja has repeatedly rejected the claims, arguing that the country’s security crisis is driven by insurgency and banditry rather than religious persecution and affects Nigerians of all faiths.

Niger has formally initiated the process of its withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC), months after its decision to exit the tribunal over claims of “neo-colonialist” bias.

The West African country reportedly submitted a letter to the UN on Monday to leave the Rome Statute, the treaty on which the ICC was founded.

“While the court had raised great hopes among peoples who cherish peace and justice, it has been misused and exploited,” the letter said, according to AP.

In response, the ICC said it regrets “any decision to depart from the collective effort to end impunity for the most serious international crimes.”

The withdrawal will take effect after 12 months, making Niger the third country to leave the ICC. Burundi withdrew from the Rome Statute in October 2017, accusing the court of deliberately targeting Africans for prosecution. The Philippines followed in 2018, with then-President Rodrigo Duterte saying the ICC was being used as a “political tool” against his country.

Niger’s intention to withdraw was first made public last September when the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), of which it is a member along with Burkina Faso and Mali, issued a joint statement saying the ICC had revealed itself as a “global example of selective justice.”

The AES denounced The Hague-based tribunal as an instrument of imperialist “neocolonial repression” and accused it of targeting actors outside the “closed circle” of beneficiaries of institutionalized international impunity.

The three countries have for years battled deadly insurgencies waged by jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS). The authorities in Mali, where the violence first erupted, referred the situation to the ICC in 2012, but in more than a decade, the court has pursued only two prosecutions.

In March 2025, Burkina Faso and Mali withdrew from the International Organization of Francophone Nations, saying the Paris-based group had deviated from its original mission of promoting cultural and technical cooperation and become a biased tool of “political manipulation.”

At least 20 people have been killed in an armed attack in Nigeria’s central Plateau State, local police reported on Tuesday.

The assault took place before dawn on Sunday in Kawel village, located in the Mushere district of Bokkos Local Government Area. Police said a group of armed men stormed the community at around 4:40 AM, opening an attack that left multiple people dead.

Security forces, including officers from the Plateau State Police Command and the Violent Crime Response Unit, were dispatched to the area shortly after receiving reports of the violence. The authorities said the attackers exchanged fire with security personnel before retreating.

Eighteen victims were found dead at the scene and three others were taken to the hospital with injuries. “Subsequently, two of the injured victims were confirmed dead by a medical doctor, bringing the total number of casualties to twenty,” police said.

The motive behind the attack remains unclear. No group has claimed responsibility.

The West African state has long struggled with criminal gangs and extremist groups, which frequently hold people for ransom. This gained global attention in 2014 when Boko Haram militants kidnapped hundreds of schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno State.

On Saturday, Nigeria’s Defense Headquarters announced that retired Major General Rabe Abubakar died in captivity after being abducted by unidentified gunmen.

Last month, suspected Boko Haram militants abducted more than 40 pupils during a raid on a school in Borno State, according to local officials and civil society groups. The attackers reportedly stormed classrooms while lessons were underway, forcing dozens of other students to flee into nearby bushland.

The Kenyan Health Ministry has suspended construction of a controversial US-backed Ebola quarantine facility in the East African country after a court challenge raised questions over the legality of the project and its potential risks.

The move came after Health Minister Aden Duale appeared before the High Court in the capital, Nairobi, and apologized for defying an earlier court order to halt the project. A day earlier, on Monday, the minister was found guilty of contempt of court in a ruling by High Court Justice Patricia Nyaundi.

“The Cabinet Secretary [minister] also assured the court that all construction and site activities had been completely halted and expressed regret for any misunderstanding or perception of non-compliance with the court orders,” the ministry said on Tuesday.

Justice Nyaundi warned Duale against any further disobedience of court directives and discharged him without imposing any punishment.

The proposed quarantine facility at Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki, located about 200 km north of Nairobi, drew attention last month after Washington announced a $13.5 million initiative to boost Kenya’s Ebola preparedness amid a deadly outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Healthcare experts in the US, including former officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have also warned that the project presents “significant clinical, ethical, operational, and legal challenges.”

At least three people were reportedly killed earlier this month during protests in Nanyuki against the planned initiative.

Despite the order, flights carrying medical equipment and specialist personnel have continued to arrive at the air base, Reuters reported, citing flight-tracking data as well as US and diplomatic sources.

On Tuesday, Kenyan Health Minister Duale told the court that decisions made by the Health Ministry “are guided by scientific evidence, technical advice, and strategic public health considerations.” He said, however, that “the proposed collaboration” between Nairobi and Washington in relation to the facility was suspended “immediately after the conservatory orders were issued.”

South Sudan has announced that it will hold its first general election on December 22, after years of repeated postponements since gaining independence more than a decade ago.

The National Elections Commission (NEC) confirmed the date on Monday, saying preparations are underway across the East African country despite an ongoing armed conflict and logistical hurdles.

South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011. It has been governed under a power-sharing arrangement since 2018 as part of a peace agreement that ended a five-year civil war sparked by a feud between President Salva Kiir Mayardit and opposition leader Riek Machar. Machar served as Kiir’s first vice president until his suspension last year after being charged with treason. He is currently under house arrest.

The landlocked country has remained volatile since the end of the war, with political tensions flaring in recent months over the dismissal and arrest of officials purported to be loyal to Machar.

NEC Chairman Abednego Akok Kacuol said the electoral commission requires $250 million to conduct the 2026 election but has so far received only a fraction of the required funds, SS24 news agency reported.

The government has insisted that the election will go ahead without further extensions, despite growing concerns over political instability, sporadic fighting, and the displacement of civilians across the country.

In a statement on Monday, acting SPLM-IO chairman Nathaniel Pierino said, “anyone coming to register voters and campaigns in territories controlled” by the group will be treated as a “prisoner of war, or at worst, dead.”

“Holding elections to abrogate [the 2018 peace agreement] for South Sudan is... pure politics, not governance, it is a dangerous escalation and shall throw the country into more chaos,” Pierino warned.

Kiir is expected to run in the December presidential election. It is unclear whether Machar will be permitted to run due to the criminal charges against him.

A growing number of undocumented schoolchildren in South Africa have been left without their parents following a recent wave of repatriations targeting illegal immigrants, Gauteng Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Sports, Arts, and Culture Lebogang Maile said during a provincial legislature session on Tuesday.

Addressing the critical issue of children without guardians, Maile pledged to devise a plan to tackle the concerns surrounding undocumented learners. He stated, “I have already asked the national department of education for a list of all the undocumented children in our schools at the instruction of the courts that we must accept them. We are examining their ages and which schools they attend, and we want to assess the financial implications of supporting their education”.

In addition to addressing the plight of undocumented learners, Maile touched on another pressing issue: corruption within schools, noting that reports from recent school visits reflect this persistent challenge. “The second issue is corruption in schools. We have received a report in this regard. This is coming up from the visits that we are having in the schools and communities,” he added.

As part of strengthening the province’s rich cultural heritage, Maile has committed his department towards unveiling eight new heritage sites with a sports, arts and culture budget made up of  R719.4 million from the Provincial Equitable Share and R336.3m in Conditional Grants.

“Our heritage work remains central to preserving the identity and memory of our people. During this financial year, the department will declare eight heritage sites and implement twenty national symbols awareness programmes to deepen constitutional values, social cohesion and public consciousness, particularly among young people,” he stated.

When it comes to infrastructure backlogs and other challenges facing the education system, Maile indicated that challenges arise from rapid in-migration, urbanisation, overcrowding, infrastructure backlogs, and growing learner demand, particularly in township, informal settlement, and inner-city schools.

“These pressures require us to think differently about education delivery, infrastructure planning, and long-term sustainability. To respond to these challenges, we are increasing the department’s budget from R68bn in 2025/26 to R70.9bn in 2026/27, representing an increase of R2.9bn, or 4.3%. This increase allows us to strengthen key interventions while maintaining our focus on quality, access, and equity”.

First published by IOL

A senior Kenyan health official has been found in contempt of court over the continued construction of a controversial US-backed Ebola quarantine facility, despite an earlier judicial order halting the project.

High Court Justice Patricia Nyaundi ruled on Monday that government authorities had failed to comply with existing conservatory orders and allowed work on the facility to continue.

The court summoned the cabinet secretary of health, Aden Duale, to appear on June 23 to explain the government’s actions.

“The court cannot permit its orders to ⁠be rendered hollow,” Nyaundi said, as quoted by Reuters.

The case stems from a petition filed in May by rights group Katiba Institute, which claimed that the proposed facility could pose a public health risk in a country that has never recorded a single case of Ebola.

In a separate finding, the court concluded that the Health Ministry had disclosed all available documents related to the project.

“The fact that construction continued in direct violation of a High Court order shows that the government believed it could operate entirely above the Kenyan judicial system,” the institute’s executive director, Nora Mbagathi, noted.

The quarantine facility issue drew attention last month, after Washington announced a $13.5 million initiative to boost Kenya’s Ebola preparedness amid an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo).

Despite a High Court order halting the project, Reuters reported that about 20 flights carrying equipment and personnel landed at the base between May 23 and May 31.

The project has also triggered strong opposition among local residents. Protests against the construction of the US-backed quarantine facility reportedly turned deadly, with at least three people being killed during unrest linked to demonstrations over the site.

As of June 22, the country had reported 1,048 confirmed cases, including 267 deaths and 112 recoveries. Neighboring Uganda has also recorded infections, with 19 confirmed cases, two deaths, and ten recoveries.

The political rift and dual power structure in Libya that emerged after the 2014 House of Representatives (HoR) elections persists to this day, despite numerous attempts to unify the country.

During this period, Libya lived through its second civil war; although the war ended with a ceasefire in October 2020, two competing centers of power remained: one based in Tripoli, in the west of the country, and the other in Benghazi, in the east. 

Last year, two new initiatives for reaching a settlement were launched. The first initiative comes from the US, and the second is yet another attempt by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) to prepare the country for national parliamentary and presidential elections. 

The secret mission of Trump’s in-law 

Reports of US negotiations with Libyan political and military leaders surfaced shortly after US President Donald Trump’s return to office. These talks were led by the senior adviser to the US president on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs, businessman and diplomat Massad Boulos.

In late April 2025, the US State Department announced that it had held a series of meetings with Saddam Haftar, the son of Khalifa Haftar, commander-in-chief of the Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF) – also known as the Libyan National Army (LNA) or the Libyan Arab Army (LAA). Saddam was appointed Khalifa’s deputy in August 2025.

“The United States will continue to engage officials from western and eastern Libya and to support Libyan efforts to unify their military institutions as Libyans secure their autonomy,” the State Department said.

The talks in Washington were conducted by Boulos, who is of Lebanese descent. Libyans have nicknamed him ‘Tiffany’s father’ due to the fact that his son, Michael Boulos, is married to Trump’s youngest daughter, Tiffany.

Massad Boulos’ activities consist of implementing a pragmatic plan to unite the country’s military and economic institutions. A key episode in this strategy was a secret meeting in Rome on September 3, 2025, at which major figures from the two opposing Libyan camps met face to face for the first time. These were Saddam Haftar and Ibrahim Dbeibeh, the adviser and nephew of Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, prime minister of the Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tripoli. Boulos acted as the mediator and main negotiator on the American side.

What is Boulos’ plan about?

Several similar meetings were held later, including one in Paris in January 2026, which was also mediated by Massad Boulos. Details of the negotiations later surfaced in the media.

In particular, the negotiators discussed the appointment of Haftar as head of the Tripoli-based Presidential Council (PC), which fulfills the role of the country’s president during the transitional period and is headed by Mohamed al-Menfi. The current head of the GNU, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, will also retain his position.

At the military level, according to the plan presented by Boulos, Khaled Haftar (Saddam’s brother and the LNA chief of the General Staff in Benghazi) will remain in charge of the military leadership in the east of the country, General Salah ad-Din an-Namrush (the chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces in Tripoli) will remain in charge in the northwest, and a third figure, whose identity has not yet been established, will be in charge in the south.

Many of the plan’s aspects are being kept under wraps by officials, but Boulos himself recently admitted in an interview with the Financial Times that he is working to unite the country’s disparate institutions under a single leadership, while simultaneously promoting investments by American oil companies in Libya. The LNA leadership soon issued a statement welcoming the US initiative.

Some aspects of Boulos’ plan have already been successfully implemented. For example, on April 11, 2026, the Central Bank of Libya announced that the House of Representatives and the High Council of State (HCS), an advisory body in the west of the country, had approved the first unified budget in over 13 years.

Furthermore, Boulos’ initiatives laid the foundation for the first joint military exercises to be held in many years between the country’s eastern and western forces, as part of the annual Exercise Flintlock – a training event for special operations forces conducted under the auspices of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM).

In April 2026, Exercise Flintlock took place in Libya for the first time in history, in the port city of Sirte.

Harsh reactions

Boulos’ initiative and the secret negotiations between Saddam Haftar and Ibrahim Dbeibah are fundamentally changing the nature of the political rift in Libya. Instead of institutionally unifying the country through elections, the US is essentially promoting a pragmatic plan for power-sharing between the two dominant clans – the Haftar family and the Dbeibah family.

This has a dual effect on the power divide: On the one hand, the plan reduces the risk of a new large-scale war and temporarily defuses the acute geopolitical confrontation between Tripoli and Benghazi, transforming it into a pragmatic business alliance between the two families; on the other hand, it is creating new divisions within the two camps. 

In the east of the country, Saddam’s brother, Belqasem Haftar, who heads the Libyan Development and Reconstruction Fund, has sharply opposed the plan. He rejected US-sponsored economic agreements, claiming they “obstruct the national development project.”  

The authorities in the west, as well as paramilitary groups in Misrata and Tripoli, who fought against Haftar for years, perceive Saddam’s appointment as head of the Presidential Council as a betrayal by Dbeibah.

Moreover, Boulos’ plan completely ignores existing legitimate government bodies. This fact has united them against the US. The High Council of State and the Presidential Council of Libya officially declared the deal illegal and outside the framework of the Libyan Political Agreement. The agreement was signed on December 17, 2015, in the Moroccan city of Skhirat under UN auspices and laid the foundation for the creation of several government structures that are still in effect in the country.

The Presidential Council sees the American initiative as a direct threat to its existence, as the Boulos plan calls for the elimination of the current leadership of the council and the transfer of the chairmanship to Saddam Haftar. Realizing that Dbeibah negotiated with Haftar behind his back, Mohammed al-Manfi initiated the creation of a unified national Libyan front, joining forces with the HCS and HoR to block the Boulos plan.

Furthermore, the council is actively seeking support from loyal military groups in western Libya, convincing them that the American initiative leads to the establishment of a one-man military regime.

It’s worth noting that the swift actions of the US prompted Libya’s advisory bodies to accelerate the implementation of the UN initiative. On June 18, the HCS, HoR, and PC agreed on a roadmap that calls for holding simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections by February 17, 2027 (a significant date, as February 17, 2011, marked the beginning of mass protests and the civil war that led to the overthrow and assassination of Muammar Gaddafi).

Is US trying to sabotage the UN plan?

Since the Boulos plan generally proposes to entrench the existing status quo, the US is effectively admitting the failure of the UN plan, aimed at preparing the country for general elections. 

In contrast to America’s power-sharing deal between the clans, the UN, through its UNSMIL mission, led by Ghanaian lawyer and diplomat Hanna Tetteh, is promoting an official, inclusive Political Roadmap. Hanna Tetteh’s plan was presented on August 21, 2025, during her address to the UN Security Council.

The Political Roadmap is supposed to be implemented over 12-18 months and is built upon three main pillars: 

The first is the Electoral Framework. It includes the adoption of a single, legally sound electoral framework for holding simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections, thereby eliminating the option of appointing leaders ‘from above’; it also involves reforming and ensuring the full financial independence of the High National Election Commission (HNEC); and updating laws based on the work of the 6+6 Joint Committee formed by the HCS and HoR.

The second objective is the Unified Government. It calls for the formation of an inclusive transitional government led by technocrats and built on consensus between the House of Representatives and the High Council of State rather than family quotas. This government is temporary; its sole aim is to prepare the country for the elections. 

The third part of the plan is Structured Dialogue launched in Tripoli and aimed at engaging the entire Libyan society in the political process. It supposes the development of a common vision for the future structure of the state, the transparent distribution of oil revenues through independent oversight bodies (rather than through personal agreements between the clans), the institutional unification of the army, and the withdrawal of foreign forces from the country (as opposed to the joint exercises with AFRICOM), as well as the launch of transitional justice processes and the protection of human rights.

An inevitable dead-end

Despite Hanna Tetteh’s negotiations with various Libyan and foreign officials, the UN Roadmap, like previous UN initiatives, failed to achieve success, and encountered the usual delays or sabotage by Libyan political leaders.

The country’s key institutions – the HCS and the HoR – cannot agree on the constitutional foundations for holding the elections. One of the main issues is the restructuring of the High National Electoral Commission, which is one of the key objectives of the UN plan. Tetteh also acknowledged the failure of the UN plan, citing the usual delays in economic, social, legal, and security matters.

“The main cause of this dysfunction is a divided government, with limited coordination and unilateral action on both sides,” Tetteh stated.

This failure is also demonstrated by the security situation in western Libya, particularly the events in Zawiya, a city around 40 km from Tripoli, where armed clashes regularly occur between local militias loyal to the various government structures of Tripoli. 

Local clashes involving heavy weapons have resulted in civilian casualties, destruction, and the shutdown of the local oil refinery (the second largest in the country). A resumption of clashes near the refinery on May 8-9, 2026, resulted in deaths and injuries. Over 80 people were urgently evacuated from the fighting zone by the Red Crescent.

The UN’s inability to control local authoritarian leaders in western coastal towns like Zawiya or to achieve a permanent ceasefire remains the primary reason for the continued failure of broader UN mediation initiatives.

However, UN officials still have hope. Most recently, Hanna Tetteh announced a ‘two-step approach’: if major players continue to block the process, the UN will bypass them by convening a broad national conference involving elders, women, youth, and civil society in order to pressure leaders to make concessions. However, given the experience of past years, it is unclear how such an approach will help implement the UN plan.

Mixed opinions from outside

Boulos’ behind-the-scenes deal effectively reflects Washington’s policy in Libya, even though formally, the US, like the EU, supports the proposed UN mechanism, seeing it as a way to legitimize the government. However, several EU countries act inconsistently when it comes to the UN initiative. For example, Italy and France, which are concerned about illegal migrants arriving from Libya and have their own energy and security assets in the country, are interested in stabilizing the situation.

Italy is critically dependent on Libyan gas supplies and views a settlement as a guarantee of uninterrupted energy supplies to Europe. Furthermore, Rome views the unification of the Libyan authorities and the creation of a single government (as proposed by Boulos) as an opportunity to block the main illegal migration routes via the Mediterranean Sea.

Türkiye, which has demonstrated a surprising degree of flexibility, also supported the American initiative. While remaining the main military patron of the Government of National Unity, Ankara has begun forging ties with Saddam and Belqasim Haftar. Türkiye’s primary goals are to protect its construction contracts in the east and to secure the potential recognition of the 2019 Turkey-Libya Memorandum of Understanding on the Delimitation of Maritime Jurisdiction Areas by the country’s eastern authorities.

Cairo, which traditionally backs eastern Libya, also welcomed the US plan. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty stated this during a telephone conversation with Boulos, emphasizing, however, that the process of unifying national institutions would pave the way for holding presidential and parliamentary elections as soon as possible, which is more in line with the UN Roadmap.

And what does Russia think?

As for Russia, it pursues a unique policy of ‘equal distance’ (or ‘equal proximity’) in Libya, maintaining strong contacts with both the east and the west. Moscow’s positive role consists in maintaining a strategic balance of power, preventing a resumption of a full-scale civil war, and facilitating economic recovery.

At the same time, eastern Libya remains Russia’s main geopolitical anchor in the region. Russia maintains a military and technical presence there through the Russian Defense Ministry’s Africa Corps. The presence of Russian specialists at key LNA bases (such as Jufra and Sirte) acts as a deterrent for western groups. In the Fezzan desert region of southern Libya, Russian forces are helping the LNA control the borders with Chad and Sudan, blocking the logistics of ISIS, Al-Qaeda and arms smugglers, and stabilizing the entire Sahel region.

The political leadership of western Libya (including Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah) regularly holds official talks with the Russian Foreign Ministry. Dbeibah has publicly declared improved relations and a commitment to a strategic partnership with Moscow. 

Despite reports by Western media that one of the goals of the Boulos plan is to oust Russia from Libya’s political life, contacts with Moscow play a stabilizing role for Libya and allow the authorities in Tripoli to avoid becoming completely dependent on US dictates or Turkish military bases. 

At the same time, Moscow advocates for an inclusive process within the framework of the UN Security Council that would lead to national elections. Russia maintains that a stable peace agreement is impossible without the participation of all Libyan factions, tribal alliances, and the consideration of the interests of both the east and the west.

Despite the support of many parties both within Libya and outside of it, America’s actions are not healing the divisions in the country, but only temporarily freezing them. They reduce the likelihood of a sudden war for Tripoli, but at the same time, by relying on a deal between the elites, they undermine the democratic process promoted by UN structures.

In the long term, the creation of the Dbeibah-Haftar ‘family consortium’ makes Libya’s political system even more fragile, as it rests solely on the balance of interests of two specific families whose internal stability may be shaken after the departure of their leaders.

Guinean President Mamadi Doumbouya has banned the export of raw gold, directing all production to be refined domestically as part of a push to expand local value addition in the West African nation’s mining sector.

The measure follows talks between the president and industrial and artisanal mining operators, as well as gold buying offices, on June 19, and takes effect immediately.

“Any operator who, after the expiry of this deadline, continues to export raw gold will have its license suspended, its mining agreement terminated, and will answer for its actions before Guinean justice,” Doumbouya warned, according to his office.

Guinea holds significant gold reserves and ranks as the sixth-largest producer in Africa, with production of 69.3 tons in 2025, according to the World Gold Council. The former French colony is also the world’s leading producer of bauxite, accounting for around 33.2% of global output in 2024, US Geological Survey data shows.

President Mamadi Doumbouya said Guinea has “unfortunately been among the poorest nations in the world,” despite being “one of the richest lands in Africa.”

He said the country’s “gold leaves its soil every day in raw form, loaded onto planes, taken to foreign refineries to be processed” and sold elsewhere while Guinea “receives crumbs.” 

The government said the measure is designed to boost local value addition and accelerate industrialization in a country where mining remains the backbone of the economy.

Doumbouya, who first came to power in 2021 after a military takeover and later won the presidency in an election last December, has also tightened oversight of Guinea’s bauxite sector, revoking and reassigning mining concessions while pushing for greater local processing.