The US has denied entry to an Air France flight carrying a passenger from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) over tightened Ebola-related restrictions, forcing the aircraft to divert to Canada.

The plane was traveling from Paris to Detroit on Wednesday but was redirected to Montreal after US authorities said the Congolese passenger should not have been allowed to board.

“Due to entry restrictions put in place to reduce the risk of the Ebola virus, the passenger should not have boarded the plane,” a US Customs and Border Protection spokesperson told CBS News. 

Air France confirmed that there was no medical emergency on board. 

The incident came as Washington tightened Ebola-related travel measures on Monday. Under the updated rules, travelers arriving from the DR Congo, South Sudan, and Uganda, are only permitted to enter the US through Washington Dulles International Airport.

The latest Ebola outbreak linked to the Bundibugyo strain in the DR Congo has resulted in at least 139 suspected deaths and 543 suspected cases, according to the country’s Health Ministry. Scientists believe the virus is naturally carried by fruit bats and can spread to humans through contact with infected animals before being transmitted between people via bodily fluids. 

There is currently no approved vaccine or targeted treatment. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak a global public health emergency.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that reports of Ebola outbreaks in the DR Congo and Uganda were “a cause of concern” and expressed hope that local authorities, together with international organizations and partner countries, would quickly contain the spread of the disease, adding that Russia would provide “every possible assistance and support” in combating the outbreak.

Nigerian anti-narcotics authorities have dismantled a methamphetamine cartel with Mexican links, arresting a suspected drug baron, three foreign nationals and six alleged local collaborators in what officials described as the country’s largest-ever seizure of the drug.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said on Wednesday that it had seized 2,419.48 kg of chemical materials, including finished and liquid methamphetamine, precursor chemicals and industrial solvents. Its Special Operations Unit carried out “well-coordinated, simultaneous strikes” in Ogun and Lagos states after months of intelligence gathering.

The raids targeted a remote farm in Abidagba forest, in Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State, which the agency said was being used as a “massive, highly dangerous clandestine methamphetamine laboratory” by the trafficking organization of Nigerian drug baron Anochili Innocent.

NDLEA chief Mohamed Buba Marwa put the international market value at $362.9 million. Marwa said the network “did not just traffic drugs” but was “actively manufacturing industrial-scale quantities” of illicit substances in the West African country.

“The arrest brings to ten the total number of cartel members” in custody, the NDLEA chief said, warning cartels that Nigeria is “a hostile territory for their business.” 

Marwa said the latest raid came barely two weeks after it announced the takedown of another drug trafficking lab headed by Simon Amadi in a multi-country operation involving US, Swiss, French, and Greek law enforcement agencies.

In 2016, the NDLEA arrested four Mexicans and four Nigerians over a methamphetamine laboratory in Delta State. Last November, the agency reported the seizure of a 1,000 kg cocaine consignment worth about $235 million at Tincan Island Port in Lagos. Earlier that year, officials also arrested a 59-year-old businessman accused of ingesting 81 wraps of cocaine before attempting to board a flight from Lagos to Paris.

The joint Russia-China declaration opposing any hegemony is “music” for many Africans seeking greater political and economic independence from the West, former South African MP and African People’s Convention President Themba Godi has told RT. 

His comments came after talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Wednesday, after which the two nations signed 42 agreements and joint documents.

“That declaration, it’s music to our ears in Africa,” Godi said, arguing that many countries on the continent have historically experienced external pressure and attempts to impose foreign political models.

“We’ve seen how China and Russia have positively impacted the prospects of Africa’s development,” he said.

Godi argued that China and Russia increasingly represent an alternative model of international relations for African countries seeking greater sovereignty.

“China and Russia are the two key alternatives from the West that we [Africa] have had,” he said.

Investigative journalist Modibe Modiba told RT that many African countries are turning toward closer cooperation with Russia and China.

Western powers never saw Africans as equal partners, Modiba noted, accusing the US of exploiting the continent’s resources. “They’ve been behind many coups around the African continent,” he added. According to the journalist, Africa now wants partnerships based on equality rather than dependence on foreign assistance.

Professor of Politics and International Relations at the University of Johannesburg, Siphamandla Zondi, said China’s decision to extend zero-tariff access to African countries offers the continent an alternative to Western trade policies.

The South African government has condemned what it called the “illegal abduction” of its nationals aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, a civilian-led humanitarian mission bound for Gaza that was reportedly intercepted by Israeli forces.

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) said it viewed the incident with “grave concern”, warning that South African citizens may now be detained or imprisoned in Israel following the seizure of the vessel.

”The Government of South Africa notes with grave concern reports that following the illegal seizure of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) bound for Gaza, South African nationals have been abducted in international waters and may now be facing detention/imprisonment in Israel,” the department said.

The flotilla was described by the government as a peaceful humanitarian initiative aimed at drawing international attention to the worsening crisis in Gaza while delivering aid to Palestinians affected by the ongoing conflict.

”It must be underscored that the Flotilla, a civilian-led initiative embarked upon a peaceful and humanitarian mission,” Dirco said.

”Its participants aim to draw attention to the severe and urgent humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people in Gaza and to deliver vital aid to alleviate the widespread suffering of a people living under occupation and genocide.”

“The safety, security and physical integrity of all unarmed participants aboard the Flotilla, including South African citizens, are of paramount importance,” the department added.

The department further warned that “any forceful detention of these vessels in international waters constitutes a grave breach of international legal norms and fundamental human rights.”

Pretoria said it would engage relevant stakeholders and organisations linked to the flotilla in efforts to secure the release of those affected.

South Africa also called on the international community to ensure the protection of humanitarian missions and adherence to international law.

”We further call upon the international community and all relevant parties to uphold their obligations under international law and to ensure the safe and unimpeded passage of humanitarian missions,” Dirco said in conclusion.

🚨 SOS - Aqir (Munki) Name Intercepted
SOS: the israeli occupation has again illegally and violently intercepted our international fleet of humanitarian vessels and abducted our volunteers as they undertake a legitimate mission to break the illegal siege on Gaza and open a… pic.twitter.com/baTm9bjI5U

— Global Sumud Flotilla (@gbsumudflotilla) May 18, 2026

First published by IOL

Nearly 600 suspected Ebola infections and at least 139 suspected deaths have been reported during the latest outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Wednesday. 

Congolese Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba has reported the country has so far recorded 543 suspected Ebola cases. 

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the outbreak could worsen rapidly, citing several factors driving the spread of the virus. According to the WHO, the number of cases is expected to rise further because Ebola had likely been “circulating for weeks” before health authorities detected the outbreak. Cases have already been identified in several urban areas, while healthcare workers are among the dead, raising fears of transmission inside medical facilities. 

“The province of Ituri is highly insecure,” Ghebreyesus stated. 

The African state continues to grapple with instability as the M23 rebel group maintains control over parts of the region, fueling ongoing clashes and humanitarian crises. 

Ghebreyesus also warned that the outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there are currently no approved vaccines or treatments. The affected area is a mining zone with constant population movement, increasing the risk of the virus spreading further across the region. 

African countries are also tightening Ebola prevention measures. Burundi, Zambia, and Tanzania have strengthened border controls, surveillance, and testing capacity, while Rwanda temporarily closed its border with DR Congo.

DR Congo and Uganda confirmed their first Ebola cases on May 15. The WHO declared the outbreak a global public health emergency on Sunday.

Nigerian anti-graft authorities have arrested former Power Minister Saleh Mamman, days after he was sentenced in absentia to 75 years in prison for fraud and money laundering linked to major state-backed electricity projects.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said Mamman was arrested early Tuesday in the Rigasa area of Kaduna State after “weeks of intensive surveillance and intelligence gathering.” 

“For us, getting the convict to serve his jail terms is extremely important in view of the seriousness with which we are tackling corrupt practices,” EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede told reporters, adding that Mamman would be transferred to the correctional authorities.

Mamman was found guilty on May 7 on all 12 counts related to the diversion of funds meant for the Zungeru and Mambilla hydroelectric power projects meant to boost Nigeria’s chronically unreliable electricity supply, with planned capacities of 3,050MW and 700MW, respectively.

The Federal High Court in Abuja held that Mamman and his associates diverted at least 22 billion naira (about $16 million) from funds allocated to the projects. Mamman was absent from court during the ruling, prompting Judge James Omotosho to order national and international security agencies to arrest him and hand him over to the authorities. The judge also ordered the forfeiture of the former minister’s Abuja properties and foreign currencies recovered from him. The EFCC said the former minister went “underground” after he was sentenced.

Former Accountant-General Ahmed Idris is also facing trial over an alleged 109 billion naira fraud, while former Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke is on trial in London on bribery charges linked to her tenure from 2010 to 2015.

On paper, Libya is one. It has one flag, one UN seat, and – as of April 11, 2026 – its first unified budget in 13 years. Yet, beneath lies a deepening fracture. While the international community celebrates the 190-billion-dinar “breakthrough,” the reality is a tale of two Libyas. This is functional fragmentation, where rival governments share a bank account while remaining at each other’s throats for the keys to the state.

The paradox of the April 11 agreement is that this technical “breakthrough” effectively serves as a survival kit for the status quo. By allocating 190 billion dinars ($30 billion) across a divided landscape, Central Bank Governor Naji Issa has created a budget trap. This financial lifeline allows the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU) and the Osama Hammad-led administration in the East – the Haftar family’s administrative arm – to maintain their patron-client networks without political compromise.

This financial “truce” seems to be the centerpiece of a pragmatic, Washington-driven strategy. Massad Boulos, US senior adviser for Arab and African affairs, has pivoted toward unifying Libya’s purse and perimeter before tackling leadership. The most striking manifestation was the Flintlock 2026 military exercises in Sirte on April 14. For the first time, forces from both East and West trained side-by-side under US Africa Command (AFRICOM) – a development that would make Muammar Gaddafi turn in his grave.

Yet, this outside-in integration risks mistaking coordination for cohesion. While Boulos frames these milestones as the bedrock of a future state, they currently formalize a duopoly of power. The presence of Saddam Haftar alongside Lt. Gen. John Brennan in Sirte confirms a US shift toward transactional realism, prioritizing “stabilization” over suffrage. By strengthening technical committees while the 6+6 Committee remains deadlocked over election laws and candidate eligibility, the international strategy is inadvertently building a more efficient cage.

Institutions now work together just enough to keep rival elites in place, indefinitely suspending the elections Libyans have been waiting for.

In her briefing to the UNSC on April 22, Hanna Tetteh, head of UNSMIL, warned against the “profoundly negative consequences for the country’s unity” resulting from this split. She pointed out that the “persistence of two constitutional bodies and two parallel Supreme Judicial Councils” amounts to the weaponization of the judiciary – which, until last year, was the final glue holding Libya together. This dangerous rift now allows for unilateral decisions regarding the appointment and transfer of senior judicial officers and, even more critically, the relocation of key judicial bodies from Western to Eastern Libya. This newly created legal environment further entrenches institutional fragmentation, making the current split legally binding and pushing the country toward a permanent partition.

Ultimately, the April 2026 milestone of a unified budget is less a bridge to stability and more a tombstone for the electoral process. While Western capitals issued celebratory statements, Tetteh’s warning served as a stark reality check. In her briefing to the UNSC she laid bare a “distorted political economy” where national wealth is being weaponized to legitimize and maintain the status quo rather than fund a transition. By granting this 190-billion-dinar seal of approval, the international community has inadvertently signaled to Libya’s rival elites that the ballot box is optional; they no longer need to win an election to access the state’s coffers, they only need to maintain the stalemate.

While the macro-strategy by Washington leans toward a shared-power status quo, a more granular technical breakthrough emerged on April 29, 2026, in Rome. Facilitated by UNSMIL, the smaller Dialogue Small Group – an eight-member working group representing authorities from both the East and West – reached a consensus on restructuring the High National Elections Commission (HNEC) board. They agreed on a mechanism to fill long-standing vacancies and recommended that the attorney general nominate an independent judge to serve as chairperson. On the surface, this resolves the critical first step of the UN roadmap, a milestone Tetteh championed in her mission to respond to the 2.8 million Libyans registered voters.

This “Boulos Doctrine” has already met a fierce local resistance. On April 6, the High Council of State officially voted to issue a “firm rejection” of the proposal, a sentiment echoed by the Grand Mufti and powerful Misratan groups, who view it as a family-led duopoly that trades national sovereignty for a manufactured stability.

The failure of the outside-in approach is mirrored by the quiet collapse of the UN’s own “bottom-up” experiment. Launched in December 2025, Tetteh’s Structured Dialogue was pitched as an inclusive, four-track engine for national consensus involving over 120 diverse participants, including the late Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi’s political team.

However, as the process nears its early-June deadline, the engine is idling. Members of the dialogue have revealed that while the tracks for reconciliation and human rights have produced lofty recommendations, the more critical tracks – security and the formation of a unified temporary government – remain deadlocked.

This internal paralysis is what ultimately forced the UN to pivot toward the “Small Group” meeting in Rome. By retreating from a 120-member inclusive dialogue to a closed-door smaller gathering, the UN has essentially admitted that its broad social roadmap has lost its way. The mission is no longer trying to solve the Libyan crisis through popular consensus; it is instead hunting for a technicality that can be sold as “progress” to the Security Council, even as the broader political foundation crumbles.

The unified budget is thus becoming the operating capital for a permanent partition. Without a single judicial authority to validate the law, or a unified government to secure the desert hinterlands, Libya remains a country on paper only. It is tragic proof of a new geopolitical reality: while you can successfully unify the bank accounts of rival generals, you cannot buy the soul of a nation. Libya is no longer a failed state in the traditional sense; it is something far more haunting – a functioning bureaucracy of division.

Russia and Equatorial Guinea have signed a memorandum on cooperation in the field of nuclear energy, Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom has said. 

The agreement was signed in Moscow on Tuesday during a meeting between Rosatom Deputy Director General Nikolay Spassky and a delegation from the African nation led by Foreign Minister Simeon Oyono Esono Angue. 

According to Rosatom, the memorandum provides for the creation of joint working groups on projects in nuclear energy and non-energy applications of nuclear technologies. The deal also includes cooperation in specialist training. 

Rosatom has been actively expanding its presence in Africa in recent years, including through the construction of Egypt’s El Dabaa nuclear power plant, the continent’s first large-scale nuclear energy project. 

Lavrov said Moscow remained open to expanding military-technical ties with the African state and was ready to respond to the country’s defense needs. 

“We are always ready to continue military-technical cooperation. We have a strong tradition of this [in this area],” the Russian foreign minister said.  

Angue said Equatorial Guinea highly values Russia’s role in training military specialists, stressing that African nations are facing growing terrorist threats and need to strengthen their defense capabilities. 

“Terrorism is gaining momentum, [and] African countries, need to strengthen our capabilities, the ability of our forces to resist any threats, including those from terrorism,” the minister said. He added that Equatorial Guinea particularly appreciated Russia’s involvement in training national specialists and supporting the country’s security sector. 

A joint operation by Nigerian and US forces has killed at least 175 Islamic State militants, including senior commanders, in the northeast of the West African nation, the authorities have said.

Nigeria’s military said on Tuesday that the strikes were conducted over several days against Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters, destroying weapons, checkpoints, and financial networks across the region. US Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed the operation and said no American or Nigerian troops were harmed.

“The removal of these terrorists diminishes the group’s capacity to plan attacks that threaten the safety and security of the U.S. and our partners,” AFRICOM said in a statement.

The latest strikes come days after Abuja and Washington announced that a joint military operation in the Lake Chad Basin killed senior Islamic State commander Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, who US President Donald Trump described as the group’s global second-in-command.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said the operation showed “effective collaboration” between the two countries in the fight against terrorism.

Nigeria’s northeast has been the center of a long-running insurgency by Boko Haram and ISWAP, which have targeted military bases, villages, schools, and transport routes. The country has also seen a surge in mass kidnappings and deadly raids in recent months, despite increased security measures, including a state of emergency declared by the government.

The Trump administration sent troops to Nigeria in February in what was described as an advisory and training role, though the recent operations indicate a more active role. AFRICOM commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson told a congressional hearing on Tuesday that Nigeria played a pivotal role in developing targets, intelligence, and operational support for the operation.

The US has imposed emergency travel restrictions on foreign nationals arriving from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), Uganda and South Sudan due to an Ebola outbreak. 

The US Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Monday that non-US passport holders who visited any of the three countries within the past 21 days will be barred from entering the country.

The move comes after the DR Congo and Uganda confirmed their first Ebola cases on Friday. On Sunday, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a global public health emergency.

US authorities have confirmed that an American working in the DR Congo has tested positive for Ebola and is being evacuated to Germany for treatment. Six other Americans exposed to the virus are also under medical monitoring. 

Bundibugyo virus is a rare strain of Ebola first identified in Uganda in 2007. Scientists believe it is naturally carried by fruit bats and can spread to humans through contact with infected animals before transmitting between people through bodily fluids. There is currently no approved vaccine or targeted treatment.

The WHO has reported that nearly seven tons of emergency medical supplies and equipment has arrived in Ituri Province in the DR Congo from Kinshasa, alongside a team of 35 experts to support frontline Ebola response efforts in the province.

Russia’s public health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, said that Russian specialists will travel to Uganda to conduct an epidemiological investigation and provide logistical support to the country’s Health Ministry. Moscow will also supply Ebola diagnostic tests developed by its research institutions. 

The citizens of 11 African countries already face a complete suspension of both immigrant and nonimmigrant visas, effectively barring general entry into the US.

Former South African ambassador to Qatar and humanitarian activist Faizel Moosa has been detained by Israeli authorities while taking part in a civilian flotilla carrying aid to Gaza, according to his family.

According to a statement released on Monday, Moosa was part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, an international civil society initiative aiming to deliver essential supplies and draw attention to the ongoing blockade of Gaza, which activists say restricts access to food, medical assistance and other critical resources for civilians.

The family expressed deep concern about his safety and wellbeing, noting that Moosa has diabetes and depends on chronic medication.

”Any disruption in access to his medication, proper nutrition, and medical care places him at serious and immediate risk. He undertook this mission out of a deep commitment to humanity and justice. Our only concern now is his safety and that he is returned home without harm,” said a family spokesperson.

The family has called on the South African government to act urgently. They specifically urged Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation to seek information about Moosa’s condition and whereabouts, ensure his medical needs are met, and pursue diplomatic channels to secure his release.

”His detention raises serious humanitarian and diplomatic concerns. We urge members of the public, civil society, and the media to amplify this call and support the campaign to bring him and all the other participants home safely. This is not just a diplomatic matter, it is a matter of life, dignity, and humanity. We urge immediate action to ensure his safe return and the release of all those detained,” read the statement.

The Israeli Navy has begun to intercept the activist mission sailing to the Gaza Strip to challenge Israel's naval blockade. pic.twitter.com/YXeSwxPDOd

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) May 18, 2026

First published by IOL

Nigeria’s leading fuel marketers have pushed back against a lawsuit by Dangote Petroleum Refinery seeking to annul fuel import licenses, warning the legal action could destabilize supply and competition in the country’s downstream sector.

Last week, Dangote filed a lawsuit in the Federal High Court in Lagos against the government, aiming to nullify import licenses issued by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to independent marketers and the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC).

Dangote argues that the permits undermine its operations and violate the Petroleum Industry Act by allowing imports despite its refining capacity.

In response, the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) said the licenses are legal instruments essential to the West African nation’s fuel supply chain.

“These licenses exist to protect supply security, not to disadvantage any single producer,” the association said in a statement on Sunday. Invalidating the permits retroactively could introduce “uncertainty into the entire downstream supply chain at a moment when Nigeria can least afford it,” it added.

The refinery, Africa’s largest with a 650,000-barrel-per-day capacity, was inaugurated in May 2023 and began commercial operations in 2024. It has been central to the Nigerian government’s efforts to boost domestic refining and reduce import reliance.

Former Belgian diplomat Etienne Davignon has died before being due to stand trial over the 1961 assassination of Patrice Lumumba, the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s first prime minister and an anti-colonial figure.

Davignon died at the age of 93, the Jacques Delors Institute, where he served on the board, confirmed on Monday. He was the last surviving Belgian official accused in the case. The cases against other suspects ended after their deaths, Reuters reported, citing court officials.

The Lumumba family said the decision to move the case toward trial remained part of the historical record. Their lawyers said they were preparing further legal action including a civil case against the Belgian state.

A Brussels court ruled in March that Davignon should face trial. He was a junior diplomat in Congo at the time, and, according to prosecutors, participated in the unlawful detention and transfer of Lumumba and denied him the right to an impartial trial. Davignon rejected the allegations.

A Belgian parliamentary inquiry in 2001 found that Belgium bore “moral responsibility” for Lumumba’s death, a finding later acknowledged by the government in an official apology. In 2022, Belgium returned a gold-capped tooth – the only known remains of Lumumba – to his family.

Davignon was among ten Belgians originally accused in the investigation. Human Rights Watch said the case included allegations of illegal transfer, “humiliating and degrading treatment,” and deprivation of a fair trial. 

At least four people were killed and more than 30 injured when protests over soaring fuel prices in Kenya turned violent on Monday, according to the East African country’s Interior Ministry.

The unrest coincided with a public transit strike called by transport operators after the country’s energy regulator announced significant fuel price increases last week, leaving commuters stranded and major roads blocked.

Protesters burned tires and lit bonfires on key highways in Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Eldoret, and other urban centers, while also preventing motorbike taxis from operating, according to footage shared on social media.

Kenyan Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said the protests were “hijacked by political actors,” involved looting and violence, and targeted government projects and supporters. He warned that “the full force of the law will be brought to bear” on the organizers of the violence.

“It is very regrettable that there are politicians in this country who measure the success of opposition to the government by the number of innocent lives lost in the demonstrations they organize,” the minister said in a statement.

Kenya: Police unleash tear gas on demonstrators as nationwide protests against soaring fuel prices continue, with anger mounting in the streets over deepening economic hardship. pic.twitter.com/ac6q0dGxlZ

— African News feed. (@africansinnews) May 18, 2026

Late on Monday, Kenya’s Energy Ministry and Transport Ministry officials held talks with representatives of major transport associations, including the Association of Matatu Transport Owners and the Federation of Public Transport Sector.

Violent protests over economic grievances are nothing new in Kenya. Demonstrations against rising living costs and policy changes have at times escalated into clashes between security forces and protesters. In 2024, dozens of protesters were killed when rallies against a now-abandoned Finance Bill turned deadly.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged African countries to strengthen cross-border surveillance and cooperation to contain Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, warning that the virus “does not respect borders.”

In his capacity as African Union Champion on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response, Ramaphosa said the outbreaks of the Bundibugyo strain in Ituri Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Kampala, Uganda, required urgent and coordinated action across the continent.

”Ebola does not respect borders,” Ramaphosa said.

”In a region marked by high population mobility, insecurity, and humanitarian movement, the risk of regional spread is significant and demands urgent, coordinated action.”

Ramaphosa commended the governments of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda for their “swift leadership and transparency” in declaring the outbreaks following laboratory confirmation.

”Early detection, rapid reporting, and decisive action remain critical to containing outbreaks before they escalate into a wider regional crisis,” he said.

He said Africa stood in solidarity with the governments and people of both countries, particularly affected communities and frontline healthcare workers, while also praising neighbouring countries that had moved quickly to strengthen preparedness, cross-border surveillance, and emergency coordination.

Ramaphosa also commended the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention under the leadership of Director-General Jean Kaseya, working together with the World Health Organization, for providing rapid support to affected countries and coordinating a continental response.

Ramaphosa welcomed efforts by national authorities, Africa CDC, the WHO, and partners to strengthen surveillance, laboratory systems, contact tracing, infection prevention and control, risk communication, case management, and access to medical countermeasures.

He called on the governments of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda to sustain strong political leadership and continue working closely with frontline responders and communities “in an environment of trust and transparency to stop these outbreaks at their source and prevent further spread”.

Ramaphosa urged affected and at-risk countries to intensify cross-border collaboration, strengthen surveillance at formal and informal points of entry, and ensure rapid information sharing, particularly in areas affected by insecurity and population displacement.

”As the chair of the Global Leaders Network for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, I make a special plea to ensure that women, children, and adolescents are not left behind and that routine services do not backslide as we handle this crisis,” he said.

The president said the outbreaks were also a reminder that Africa needed to continue investing in resilient public health systems and regional health security structures despite declining Official Development Assistance.

He said preparedness required sustained investment in national public health institutes, emergency operations centres, laboratory and genomic surveillance networks, trained healthcare workers, and rapid response capabilities.

Ramaphosa also called on African Union member states and international partners to strengthen support for pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response through timely financing, technical assistance, medical countermeasures, and direct support to affected communities.

”Solidarity must translate into concrete action,” he said.

Ramaphosa said he would continue working with the African Union Commission, heads of state and government, Africa CDC, and partners to ensure that Africa’s response remained coordinated, adequately financed, and anchored in “the principles of solidarity, health security and sovereignty”.

”The peoples of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and the wider region must not face this threat alone,” Ramaphosa said.

”Africa has the experience, institutions, and resolve to contain these outbreaks. What is required now is urgency, unity, and collective action.”

First published by IOL

Tanzania is seeking to expand agricultural cooperation with Russia, viewing Moscow’s expertise in farming technologies as key to strengthening food security, Tanzanian minister Kitila Alexander Mkumbo has said. 

“Developing cooperation in the agricultural sector can make a significant contribution to food security and job creation,” Mkumbo noted, speaking at the third meeting of the Russian-Tanzanian Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation in Arusha, Tanzania.

Mkumbo, who serves as minister of state in the President’s Office for Planning and Investment, also pointed to expanding trade, investment projects, and cooperation in uranium extraction as areas capable of pushing bilateral ties “to a qualitatively new level.” According to Russia, trade turnover between the two countries rose by nearly 20% in 2025, while Tanzania’s share in Russia’s foreign trade hit a five-year high.

Russia currently exports wheat, meslin and fertilizers to Tanzania, while importing tobacco raw materials, coffee, tea, and fruit from the African country.

Earlier, the Russian minister announced at the Russia-Tanzania Investment Forum that Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom is continuing work on a uranium project, also known as Mantra, in southern Tanzania.

“Mantra is an important project for the development of bilateral relations,” the expert said, noting that Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration had ensured “all the conditions for its implementation and the creation of a new uranium mining industry in the country.”

Maslov added the two sides had established a joint expert group on digital projects, coordinated by Russia’s HSE and Tanzania’s ICT Commission.

Rwandan businessman Felicien Kabuga has died in custody while awaiting trial for his alleged role in the East African nation’s 1994 genocide, the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) announced on Saturday. He was 93.

The IRMCT said Kabuga passed away while hospitalized in The Hague, Netherlands, where he was being held at the United Nations Detention Unit (UNDU).

“The president of the Mechanism, Judge Graciela Gatti Santana, has ordered a full inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Mr. Kabuga’s death, assigning Judge Alphons Orie to conduct the inquiry,” the UN court said in a statement.

An arrest warrant was issued by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in April 2013. Kabuga evaded capture before being arrested in France in May 2020 and transferred to The Hague branch of the IRMCT in 2020, where he entered a not-guilty plea in his first appearance in November 2020.

His trial officially began in September 2022. However, in September 2023, proceedings were indefinitely stayed after judges ruled Kabuga unfit to stand trial due to dementia. Prior to his death, he had been awaiting provisional release to a state willing to accept him.

“A man whom international judges had themselves recognized as unfit to stand trial died in prison, although his continued deprivation of liberty no longer served any judicial purpose,” Kabuga’s lawyer, Emmanuel Altit, said in a statement cited by AP.

Other suspects have faced justice in France, a common destination for individuals who fled the landlocked African state after being implicated in the genocide. In October 2024, a French court sentenced former Rwandan doctor Eugène Rwamucyo to 27 years in prison for complicity in the massacre.

The Ebola outbreak linked to the Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) and Uganda constitutes a global public health emergency, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared on Sunday.

At the same time, the WHO stopped short of labeling the situation a “pandemic emergency.” 

According to WHO data, at least eight laboratory-confirmed cases, 246 suspected cases, and 80 suspected deaths have been recorded in DR Congo’s eastern Ituri Province, while Uganda confirmed two imported cases in Kampala. Both patients in Uganda had recently traveled from the DR Congo and were admitted to intensive care units. 

Health officials stated that unusual clusters of deaths and infections among medical workers point to possible widespread community transmission and serious “gaps” in hospital infection control.

Unlike the more common Zaire strain of Ebola, there are currently no approved vaccines or targeted treatments for the Bundibugyo virus. “As such, this event is considered extraordinary,” officials said. 

Bundibugyo virus is a rare strain of Ebola first identified in Uganda in 2007. Scientists believe it is naturally carried by fruit bats and can spread to humans through contact with infected animals before transmitting between people through bodily fluids. 

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa warned that the Ebola outbreaks in the DR Congo and Uganda pose a serious regional threat, calling for urgent cross-border coordination to contain the spread. “Ebola does not respect borders,” he said, citing high mobility and ongoing instability in the region.

In affected areas, Red Cross volunteers have been going door to door to share health information, identify suspected cases, support contact tracing, and combat misinformation surrounding the outbreak.

Specialists from Moscow will conduct an epidemiological investigation in Uganda after it requested assistance amid an Ebola outbreak, Russia’s public health watchdog has announced.

Ebola is a severe viral disease that can cause hemorrhagic fever, organ failure, and death. The latest outbreak is affecting Uganda and neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a public health emergency of international concern.

“Russia’s public health watchdog will also provide logistical support to Uganda’s Health Ministry and supply Ebola diagnostic tests developed by its affiliated research institutions and used in Russia,” Rospotrebnadzor, which is responsible for monitoring epidemics, said on Monday.

The organization highlighted that joint efforts in recent years have significantly strengthened Uganda’s scientific, laboratory, and personnel capabilities. In 2024, Russia transferred a mobile anti-epidemic laboratory to Ugandan partners, enabling rapid diagnostics of dangerous infectious diseases. The facility was already used in 2025 to help contain a previous Ebola outbreak.

Russian medics have also trained more than 80 Ugandan specialists in infectious disease monitoring, disinfection practices, laboratory diagnostics and biological safety.

The WHO said the outbreak poses a serious international public health threat requiring cross-border coordination, warning that the virus has been detected in areas with high population mobility, increasing the risk of further spread.

More than 40 pupils have been kidnapped after militants, suspected to be members of the jihadist group Boko Haram, attacked a school in Borno State in northeastern Nigeria, according to a senior lawmaker and local residents.

The gunmen reportedly stormed the Primary and Junior Government Day Secondary School (GDSS) in Mussa-Biri community, located in Askira-Uba Local Government Area, last Friday.

In a statement cited by local media, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, who represents Borno South, said 32 students were seized from classrooms and another ten from nearby homes.

The Network of Civil Society Organizations – Borno State said on Sunday that 48 students were abducted in the “heinous attack” that has left “the entire community in profound shock and psychological trauma.”

The organization said the insurgents breached the school’s perimeter when classes were in session, causing pandemonium that forced “dozens of other students to flee into the surrounding bushes.”

The Nigerian police and military have not issued any public statement confirming the Mussa village incident. The raid comes amid a wave of violent attacks across Africa’s most populous nation, despite increased security measures, including a state of emergency declared by the government.

A week earlier, 17 police officers were killed when terrorists launched an assault on the Nigerian Army Special Forces School in Buni Yadi, Yobe State. Authorities described the May 8 raid as “a coordinated attack on the facility from multiple directions.”

Last Thursday, the Nigerian Police Force announced it had conducted internal purges, dismissing officers involved in kidnapping, extortion, and armed robbery.

IGP DISU VISITS ORIIRE COMMUNITIES, ORDERS INTENSIFIED RESCUE OPERATIONS

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, psc (+), NPM, today paid a visit to Oyo State following the tragic attack and abduction incident that occurred in Oriire Local Government Area of… pic.twitter.com/G7Idv9bnFI

— Nigeria Police Force (@PoliceNG) May 16, 2026

With 65 deaths reported so far, an Ebola outbreak has been confirmed in Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ituri province, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday. 

According to preliminary results from the National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB) in Kinshasa, 13 out of 20 tested samples came back positive for Ebola.  

“About 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths have been reported, mainly in the Mongwalu and Rwampara health zones,” the authorities said, adding that four of the fatalities were among laboratory-confirmed patients. 

Health officials are also investigating suspected infections in the city of Bunia, although those cases have not yet been confirmed.  

The Africa CDC said it was coordinating with the governments of the DR Congo, Uganda and South Sudan, as well as international health partners, to strengthen surveillance, preparedness and emergency response measures along border areas. 

Ebola, a highly contagious hemorrhagic fever, is spread through direct contact with infected bodily fluids or tissue. The fatality rate for this disease can reach 90%. Symptoms often include high fever, fatigue, headaches, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, skin rash, and internal or external bleeding.  

The outbreak comes just months after the DR Congo declared an end to its previous Ebola flare-up in Kasai Province. According to WHO figures, it resulted in 64 cases – 53 confirmed and 11 deemed probable – and 45 deaths. The outbreak officially declared over in December 2025 in the country, marked the country’s 16th recorded Ebola epidemic since the virus was first identified there in 1976. Kasai had previously experienced outbreaks in 2007 and 2008. 

South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola has said the US cannot exclude Pretoria from the December G20 Summit, noting that the country is a founding member.

Lamola was interviewed while in New Delhi, India, for the Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs/International Relations, which is being hosted under India’s BRICS chairmanship on 14 and 15 May 2026. The meeting has been convened under the theme, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation, and Sustainability (BRICS)”.

When asked how the country is handling its relationship with the President of the US, Donald Trump, the minister admitted that it has been “an unpredictable environment”.

”We deal with it as it comes, and as it goes. We have, up to so far, maintained our communication with the White House, and the various facets of the American society, because the American society is multilayered – Congress, ThinkTanks, academia, business sector, and so forth,” Lamola said.

“We look at it as a multifaceted society that we need to continue to work with, and strengthen the relations of people-to-people.”

He added that the ministry was surprised that the highest number of tourists to South Africa last year came from the US.

”It shows that the strengthening of people-to-people relations is also a very key component of our engagement with the US and also with the cities.”

On the matter of the G20 Summit and the uncertainty surrounding South Africa’s attendance, Lamola said that it is not Trump’s place to dictate whether South Africa can or cannot attend.

”He can’t say that we can no longer be in the G20, because we are a founding member of the G20, and no member of the G20 can decide that this country can no longer be a member of the G20.

“What he has done is not to invite South Africa into the G20 summit that will be hosted by the US, but, we are a member of the G20. So, we really don’t know what that summit will be, which does not have one of its founding members.

”It is important that the members of the G20 will have to discuss and characterise what that is… I don’t know whether you can characterise it as a G20 if South Africa is not there.”

When asked if the development of a BRICS currency was still being discussed, Lamola said: “The talks have been more on the use of local currencies on trade. It is a process that is still ongoing, and we will want to see that being developed, because those who are financial experts say it is cheaper to trade in local currency… So it’s indeed something that BRICS has to continue to develop.”

It was also reported in the media that Iranian authorities have increasingly singled out the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and have warned of stronger strikes against the country if the United States and Israel resume their attacks.

Speaking of how the tension the two between BRICS countries has impacted proceedings, Lamola said: “There are member states of BRICS who are directly impacted by the conflict, as you are aware, the UAE and Iran, but we do think, and see, this as an opportune platform for us to foster that cooperation, to foster that dialogue for peaceful engagement, even on this conflict that affects directly our members. We see it as a huge platform of interactions, of exchange of ideas, and its resolution anchored on the UN Charter.”

Speaking of the SA-India partnership, Lamola said that India is a big global player in terms of technology and agriculture, and it is among South Africa’s biggest trading partners.

”They account for almost a fourth or fifth of our trade. We are India’s number one trader in Africa, so it’s a relationship of goodwill. The relationship between South Africa and India has grown from strength to strength, with South Africa being one of those countries where there’s a huge Indian diaspora in the world,” Lamola said.

”These cultural people-to-people, but also the trade level between the two countries, make this relationship very strategic, and we look forward to continuing with it, both at the strategic level, in terms of research, development, science and technology, and also skills development.

”We are looking forward to continuing to build on this foundation,” he said.

First published by IOL

The Libyan capital of Tripoli erupted in protests on Thursday after a controversial refereeing decision during a domestic football match triggered chaos, leaving parts of the prime minister’s office damaged by fire and at least one soldier dead.

Supporters of Al Ittihad SC and Al Swehly SC had gathered for a Libyan Premier League game in Tarhuna stadium, southeast of Tripoli, when the match was suspended following a pitch invasion. Crowds later moved into central Tripoli, where parts of the Government of National Unity headquarters were set on fire and vehicles were burned, according to local reports.

According to witnesses and officials cited by the Libyan Observer, the violence began after Al-Ittihad players protested the referee’s decision not to award a penalty kick.

The Libyan Presidential Council issued a statement condemning the events, describing the attack on the prime minister’s office as “acts of vandalism and arson representing a serious affront to the prestige and sovereignty of the state.” 

Eyewitnesses said protesters used fireworks near the prime minister’s office compound, while gunfire could be heard as security forces attempted to contain the crowds. Police and paramilitary units later secured the surrounding area, restoring calm to the capital.

The council expressed regret for injuries among civilians and security personnel, emphasized that grievances should be addressed through legal channels, and called on the Libyan Football Federation and all sports institutions to uphold transparency, integrity, and the rights of clubs and fans. The statement also urged the public and sports associations to exercise self-restraint, protect public facilities, and prioritize reason to prevent incitement and division among citizens.

🚨 Protesters in #Tripoli, driven by a fallout at a football league game earlier, have stormed Government of National Unity's headquarters and set fire to parts of it.#Libya pic.twitter.com/77dw5M7RIM

— Abdulkader Assad (@Abd0Assad) May 14, 2026

The North African country has a history of violent sporting incidents. Last June, a Libyan Premier League derby between Al Ahly Tripoli and Al Ittihad was suspended after fans stormed the pitch and clashed with security forces, setting a team bus on fire. In November, supporters of Al Ahly reportedly set fire to the Libyan Football Federation headquarters over refereeing disputes. Last year, the Ministry of Interior announced that matches would be played behind closed doors as part of measures to reduce the risk of spectator violence.

The unrest reflects Libya’s long-standing instability following the 2011 NATO-backed overthrow of longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi. Since 2014, the country has been divided between rival administrations in Tripoli in the west and Tobruk in the east, with numerous armed factions operating across both regions. Protests over governance, public services, and political stalemates have occasionally escalated into violence.

🚨🇱🇾 The moment officers opened fire during the Al Ittihad vs Swehly match in Libya.

Absolutely chaotic scenes inside and around the stadium as the game was eventually stopped.

This is crazy.#AfricanFootball #Libya pic.twitter.com/E4N7elLTRD

— Micky Jnr (@MickyJnr__) May 14, 2026

British international auction house Christie’s sold a rare blue-green diamond known as the ‘Ocean Dream’, which was found in Central Africa, for more than $17.3 million at its Magnificent Jewels sale in Geneva on Wednesday. 

The auction house said the 5.5-carat diamond is the largest fancy vivid blue-green diamond ever certified by the Gemological Institute of America. It exceeded its presale estimate of $8-12 million. It was cut from an 11.70-carat rough stone found in the 1990s. 

The gem was shaped into a triangular cut that preserved much of the original rough diamond. 

Christie’s said the diamond attracted strong bidding before an unnamed private collector bought it. The bidding lasted around 20 minutes. The auction house said the final price set a new auction record for a diamond of its kind.

“The Ocean Dream is a gemstone of rare distinction, returning to auction for only the second time in its history. Celebrated by the Smithsonian Institution as one of the eight rarest diamonds in the world, it stands as the largest fancy vivid blue-green diamond ever recorded,” Max Fawcett, the global head of Christie’s Jewelry, said in a statement released before the sale.

Details about the diamond’s origin, including the mine and country where it was discovered, have never been publicly disclosed by gemological authorities or auction houses. Christie’s and industry sources have only identified the stone as originating from Central Africa.

The remains of the second US soldier who went missing during the African Lion military exercise in Morocco has been recovered after nearly two weeks of search operations involving more than 1,000 military and civilian personnel.

The US Army Europe and Africa announced on Wednesday that the body of Spc. Mariyah Symone Collington of Tavares, Florida was found on May 12 in a coastal cave around 500 meters from where she reportedly entered the Atlantic Ocean.

The army said the recovery operation spanned more than 21,300 square km and involved over 1,000 US and Moroccan personnel, deploying aircraft, drones, surface vessels, divers, mountaineers, and ground teams.

Collington served as an air and missile defense crew member with Charlie Battery, 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command. She joined active duty in 2024 and had just been promoted to specialist on May 1, shortly before the incident.

Brig. Gen. Curtis King, commanding general of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, called her death “a profound loss.” Capt. Spencer Grider, commander of Charlie Battery, echoed similar sentiments, describing Collington as “an outstanding soldier whose unwavering enthusiasm and positive spirit uplifted every environment she entered.”

African Lion is AFRICOM’s largest annual exercise, aimed at bolstering interoperability between US forces, NATO allies, and African partners. The 2026 edition involved more than 5,600 personnel and concluded on May 8. Fatal incidents have occurred in previous exercises, including a 2012 MV-22 Osprey crash in Morocco that killed two US Marines.

The Africa Forward summit held in Nairobi, Kenya on May 11-12, 2026 was intended to mark a new era in French-African relations. Addressing an audience of African leaders, investors, entrepreneurs, diplomats, and members of civil society, French President Emmanuel Macron attempted to present France as a partner ready to move beyond the legacy of ‘Francafrique’ and embrace a relationship based on sovereignty, mutual respect, innovation, and economic cooperation.

However, beyond the carefully crafted diplomatic language and investment announcements, the summit revealed something far more significant: The depth of the growing credibility crisis facing France across large parts of Africa. Once considered the dominant external power in many francophone African countries, Paris now faces open hostility from growing segments of the public, especially among young people.

The choice of Kenya as host country carried strong geopolitical significance. Since the creation of the France-Africa summits in 1973, these meetings had traditionally taken place either in France or former French colonies. Holding the event in an anglophone country was widely interpreted as a sign that Paris is now trying to expand beyond its historical francophone sphere after suffering major setbacks in the Sahel. Over the past few years, France has experienced a collapse of influence in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. French troops were expelled following military coups that were accompanied by powerful anti-French rhetoric and mass demonstrations demanding the end of the French military presence.

For many Africans, these events symbolized the exhaustion of an old political order associated with foreign interference, military dependency, and unequal partnerships inherited from the post-colonial era. Against this backdrop, Macron sought to promote the image of a modern France looking toward the future rather than the past. During the summit, he announced more than €23 billion in investments targeting key sectors: Renewable energy, AI, infrastructure, agriculture, and digital innovation.

French officials described the initiative as evidence of a renewed partnership designed to support African development and entrepreneurship while strengthening economic cooperation between both sides.

Yet despite these promises, skepticism remains widespread.

Many African observers believe France is not fundamentally changing its African strategy. Istead, it is adapting its communication in response to the loss of influence. According to several political analysts, Paris is replacing the traditional language of influence and security with softer concepts such as innovation, co-development, youth partnerships, and digital cooperation without necessarily changing the underlying power dynamics. The legacy of Francafrique continues to dominate discussions surrounding France’s role in Africa. For decades, critics accused Paris of maintaining informal political networks, supporting authoritarian regimes, intervening militarily in African affairs, and preserving economic systems favorable to French strategic interests.

Military cooperation also remains controversial. Even as France attempts to redefine its image, it still maintains military partnerships and defense agreements across Africa. In Kenya itself, recent security agreements signed between Nairobi and Paris generated concern among sections of civil society and political activists.

Some Kenyan commentators warned that the country risks becoming a strategic relay for Western geopolitical interests in East Africa at a time when the region is becoming increasingly important in global power competition. The controversy intensified during Macron’s appearance at the University of Nairobi, when the event was interrupted by noise and the French president abruptly demanded silence from the audience. The moment was quickly shared across social media platforms and triggered intense reactions online. For many African commentators, the scene reflects what they describe as a lingering paternalistic attitude from Western leaders toward Africa.

While supporters of Macron argue that the incident was exaggerated for political reasons, the reaction demonstrated how sensitive France’s image has become in many African societies. This growing distrust cannot be understood without considering the wider geopolitical transformations taking place across Africa. The continent has become one of the central arenas of global competition between major powers. China has dramatically expanded its economic influence through infrastructure projects, trade, and investment. Russia has strengthened military and political ties with several African governments, particularly in the Sahel. Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and other emerging actors are also increasing their presence across multiple sectors. In this increasingly multipolar environment, France no longer enjoys the dominant position it once held.

Facing this reality, Macron declared during the summit that France no longer sees Africa as its traditional sphere of influence. The statement was intended to signal a diplomatic shift away from old colonial patterns.

This new generation is also transforming the political landscape itself.

Highly connected through social media platforms such as TikTok, X, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, young Africans are increasingly shaping public debate independently of traditional political institutions or state-controlled media. Political narratives that once dominated diplomatic relations are now constantly challenged online by activists, journalists, influencers, and ordinary citizens. Every speech, gesture, and diplomatic symbol is instantly scrutinized and debated on a continental scale.

This evolution has profoundly changed the nature of France-Africa relations. In previous decades, relations between Paris and African countries were largely managed through presidents, diplomats, military agreements, and elite political networks. Today, African public opinion plays a far more central role. And this public opinion appears increasingly distrustful of French intentions.

For many young Africans, sovereignty is no longer limited to formal independence. It also means monetary independence, control over natural resources, military autonomy, and freedom from foreign political influence.

As a result, France now faces not only a geopolitical challenge but also symbolic and psychological challenges. Despite its financial power, diplomatic influence, technological capacity, and investment announcements, Paris is struggling to rebuild trust among populations that increasingly associate France with decades of interference and unequal partnerships.

In the end, the summit may be remembered less for its economic announcements than for what it revealed: The continent undergoing profound political and generational change and a former colonial power still struggling to redefine its place within that new African reality.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed new judges to several courts, including the Supreme Court of Appeal, in a move the Presidency says is aimed at strengthening the judiciary and improving the administration of justice.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Presidency said the appointments were made “in terms of section 174(6) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, and on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission."

The appointments span the Supreme Court of Appeal, the Gauteng High Court, and the Eastern and Western Cape divisions of the High Court.

Among the key appointments is Madam Justice Thandi Victoria Norman, who will assume office as a Judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal from May 15, 2026. Mr Justice Bashier Vally and Madam Justice Leonie Windell were also appointed to the Supreme Court of Appeal, effective from June 1, 2026.

The Presidency further confirmed that Justice Aubrey Phage Ledwaba has been appointed as Judge President of the Gauteng Division of the High Court from May 15, 2026.

Several appointments were also announced for the Western Cape Division of the High Court, including Rodges Deon Barendse, Advocate Diane Margaret Davis SC, Advocate Ncumisa Thoko Mayosi, Advocate Pinda Njokweni and Advocate Phillipa Susan Van Zyl.

President Ramaphosa also extended well wishes to the newly appointed judges, saying he “wishes the judges well as they assume their responsibilities”.

The appointments come as South Africa’s judiciary continues to face mounting pressure from growing court rolls, lengthy case backlogs and increasing public demand for efficient access to justice.

First published by IOL

A Nigerian court has sentenced in absentia former Power Minister Saleh Mamman to 75 years in prison after finding him guilty of laundering more than 33.8 billion naira (about $21 million) in funds linked to major state-backed power projects.

Abuja Federal High Court judge James Omotosho handed down the sentence on Wednesday, according to the anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Mamman, who is currently a fugitive, was convicted last week on 12 counts of money laundering.

Mamman’s whereabouts remain unclear. His lawyer reportedly told the court last week that he had been unable to reach him, while an aide later claimed the former minister was ill.

The EFCC said Mamman had conspired with ministry officials and private companies to convert 33.8 billion naira released for the Mambilla and Zungeru hydroelectric power projects. The Mambilla and Zungeru projects are large hydroelectric schemes meant to boost Nigeria’s chronically unreliable electricity supply, with planned capacities of 3,050MW and 700MW, respectively.

The commission said the court imposed seven-year terms on ten counts, a three-year term with an option of a 10 million-naira fine on one count, and a two-year term on another count, with the sentences to run consecutively from the date of his arrest.

The court also ordered the forfeiture of properties in Abuja and foreign currency recovered from Mamman’s residence, including dollars, euros and pounds, according to the EFCC. It further ordered him to refund the outstanding balance from the 22 billion naira for which he was found guilty.

The case adds to a series of high-profile corruption proceedings involving officials from the West African nation. Former Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke is standing trial in London on bribery charges linked to her tenure from 2010 to 2015, allegations she denies. US authorities also returned $52.88 million in assets to Nigeria last year, saying the funds were linked to corruption involving the former oil minister.

Ghanaian President John Mahama has approved the immediate evacuation of 300 citizens from South Africa, following what Accra described as a fresh wave of xenophobic attacks targeting foreign nationals.

The West African country’s foreign minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said the distressed Ghanaians had registered with Ghana’s High Commission in Pretoria to be rescued.

“The Government of Ghana shall continue to safeguard the welfare of all Ghanaians home and abroad,” Ablakwa wrote on X on Tuesday.

The evacuation comes amid widespread concerns across the continent over escalating anti-immigrant unrest in South Africa, where protests over undocumented foreign nationals have continued to spread across parts of the country in recent weeks. Hundreds marched in Johannesburg late last month to demand tougher immigration enforcement and mass deportations, while similar actions have since been reported in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.

Anti-immigrant groups, including Operation Dudula, have been at the center of the controversy. A Johannesburg high court previously declared the group’s conduct at public facilities unlawful and xenophobic, barring members from harassment, hate speech, and blocking foreigners from health care, education, and housing.

In a statement on April 27, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed alarm over alleged “xenophobic attacks and acts of harassment and intimidation” against migrants and foreign nationals in parts of South Africa. Guterres said African and international solidarity helped South Africa defeat apartheid, and that migrants have long helped shape the country’s development.

Ghana is not the only African country moving to protect its citizens. On May 3, Nigeria said it will voluntarily repatriate 130 nationals from South Africa in response to the attacks. The two West African countries have summoned South African diplomats to demand stronger protection for their citizens.

South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola has arrived in New Delhi to join BRICS foreign ministers from May 14 to 15 for talks under India’s chairmanship, focusing on multilateral cooperation and global tensions.

The meeting, held in New Delhi, is convened under the theme, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation, and Sustainability (BRICS)”. BRICS Foreign Ministers will deliberate and call for enhanced efforts to de-escalate and promote a peaceful resolution of conflicts raging in different parts of the world, including the Middle East.

Lamola expressed his confidence that these high-level deliberations will further cultivate the strategic synergy between BRICS member states, BRICS partner countries, and all international partners.

”Our presence here represents a concerted effort to shape a global architecture that is as sustainable as it is equitable,” Lamola said. 

“Through principled engagement and collaborative resolve, we seek to secure a future that honors the aspirations of all nations.”

South Africa’s High Commissioner to India, Professor Anil Sooklal, said that the meeting of BRICS ministers is one of the most important ministerial engagements outside of the BRICS summit.

”It gives the BRICS foreign ministers an opportunity to come together and reflect on the critical global issues as they impact the current global environment, collectively discuss them and try to see how BRICS can offer solutions and/or suggestions in addressing some of these global crises that we all find ourselves in at the moment.”

He highlighted that this includes the ongoing war in Gaza, the US-Israel situation in Lebanon and Iran, and the impact of the latter on fuel prices and supply.

“Of course, they will also discuss other global hotspots like Sudan, and also get an opportunity to perhaps get a briefing from Russia on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine situation, and so that’s always an important dimension of global peace and security that foreign ministers discuss, exchange views, and try to see how BRICS can positively impact all of these challenges.”

He added that it is quite a packed agenda, but very focused on the challenges and how BRICS responds to them as a platform of the Global South.

We have arrived in New Delhi, Republic of India, for the Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs and International Relations. This gathering, hosted under the @BricsIndia2026 Chairship, comes at a critical juncture for our global community.

We are meeting under the theme:… pic.twitter.com/aH5XoTMXae

— Minister: International Relations and Cooperation (@RonaldLamola) May 12, 2026

”In many senses, it is an opportune time for collective reflection on all of these, and perhaps see how BRICS countries can positively impact, improve, and move forward, amid these challenges, and at the same time, reflect on the corporation within BRICS itself.

”I think more so than ever, we need to reflect as BRICS countries on how we strengthen resilience in terms of the challenges to the global economy, in terms of challenges against unilateral measures being taken against many of our countries, especially in the trade sector,” Sooklal said.

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation said South Africa’s participation is anchored in a long-standing tradition of principled advocacy, focusing on three core imperatives:

They said that South Africa remains committed to bridging the gap between the developmental priorities of the Global South and emerging frontiers in technological, economic, and social innovation, with a view to ensuring that BRICS cooperation delivers tangible, inclusive, and sustainable socio-economic benefits for all.

First published by IOL

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has been sworn in for a seventh consecutive term, extending his rule of more than four decades as one of Africa’s longest serving leaders.

The 81-year-old took the oath of office Tuesday at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds in Kampala after securing more than 70% of the vote in the election in January.

The ceremony was attended by diplomats and several African leaders, including Ethiopian President Taye Atske Selassie, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Felix Tshisekedi, South Sudan’s Salva Kiir, and Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu Hassan.

In his inauguration speech, Museveni declared a new era of “no more sleep” for the nation, focusing on wealth creation, job generation, and the elimination of corruption and complacency. He urged citizens to “wake up” and embrace economic transformation by engaging in commercial agriculture, manufacturing, services, and ICT, warning that the country “can no longer afford complacency.”

Museveni showcased a long list of achievements under his administration since 1986, backing his claims with photos as evidence, including major infrastructure projects, the restoration of peace and stability, and sustained economic growth.

Museveni became president in 1986 following the overthrow of Milton Obote’s government. He won Uganda’s first multiparty elections in 2006 and has remained in power through subsequent elections and constitutional amendments that removed presidential term limits. He is currently the world’s third-longest consecutively serving non-royal head of state, after Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema and Cameroon’s Paul Biya.

His main rival, Robert Kyagulanyi – popularly known as Bobi Wine – who secured 24.72% of the vote, rejected the results, alleging massive ballot stuffing. However, election observers, including those from the African Union and Russia, said the election was conducted in an orderly and transparent manner.

Following his victory, Museveni said he would have “embarrassed” the opposition “badly” if 10 million more of his supporters had taken part. His new term will run until 2031.

For decades, the Elysee Palace viewed Africa through the narrow lens of its former colonies – a cozy, if often toxic, arrangement known as ‘Francafrique’ in which language was a colonialist tool rather than a neutral medium of expression and knowledge. But as French flags are lowered and troops are ushered out of the Sahel, President Emmanuel Macron touched down in Nairobi with a different script.

Leading the Africa Forward Summit in Kenya this week, Macron brought a strategic pivot toward the Anglophone world – a cultural, and no less colonial, space usually reserved for a competitor colonialist, the UK. By courting 30 nations in a region where France has no colonial history, Paris is attempting a high-stakes rebranding. It is a move that seems to be born of necessity. As the traditional sphere of influence crumbles under the weight of anti-colonial resentment and shifting global alliances, France is betting that its future on the continent lies in the English-speaking East.

Le Figaro described the presidential outburst as a “total lack of respect.” Far-left French MP Daniele Obono characterized it as yet another instance of the “behavior of a colonialist” who cannot help himself the moment he “sets foot on the African continent.”

Even as Le Monde analyzes the pivot as a pragmatic economic necessity, the domestic narrative suggests that while the geography has changed, the ‘schoolteacher’ temperament of French diplomacy remains firmly intact. Kicked out of the front door in the Sahel, Paris is now trying to climb back through the back window, clutching the same old lecture notes.

Beyond the theatrical scolding at the podium, the summit’s primary engine was a massive financial pivot: A €23 billion ($27 billion) investment package aimed at strategic sectors such as energy, AI, and agriculture. However, the optics of this ‘new partnership’ remain contested.

While Macron spoke of an era “free of hang-ups,” Kenyan President William Ruto pointedly used the word ‘sovereignty’ eight times in his speech, insisting that the days of European dependency are over.

For Paris, this is clearly an attempt to find a new economic ‘back window’ as the front door slams shut elsewhere. With €14 billion of the funds coming from French giants such as TotalEnergies, Orange, and the shipping titan CMA CGM – which alone committed $823 million to modernize the Mombasa port – the strategy is transparent. Having lost its grip on the Sahel region and its traditional mineral extractions, France is now trying to entrench its corporations in the ‘Silicon Savannah’ and the booming English-speaking markets. It is a high-stakes gamble: Using billions in capital to buy the relevance it can no longer command through military presence or colonial-era linguistic ties.

However, this Anglophone charm offensive has already ruffled feathers in London, where the British press has characterized the new French promised billions splurge as an attempt to buy influence within the commonwealth.

The irony is sharp. While Macron uses Nairobi to preach a new era of equal partnership, he is simultaneously engaging in a modernized scramble for the continent’s most prosperous markets, effectively replacing the military boots of the Sahel with the corporate suits of the CAC 40.

For the nations of East Africa, the spectacle is clear: They are no longer just the subjects of a new Great Game, but the prize in a high-stakes competition between a rebranded France and a stagnant Britain, both of which are desperate to remain relevant in a multipolar Africa that is increasingly looking toward the East, where the influence of China and Russia continues to grow.

Similarly, the Talent Afrique-France scheme (a pilot visa program) is being criticized as a brain-drain mechanism, designed to siphon off Africa’s brightest AI and tech innovators to serve French firms rather than building local capacity. The ghost of the failed Vinci SA highway deal still haunts the relationship; Nairobi famously scrapped the lopsided project due to sovereign debt concerns, only to see the contract eventually handed to a Chinese corporate rival. For the burgeoning tech hubs of Lagos and Nairobi, Macron’s ‘equal partnership’ looks suspiciously like a rebranding of trickle-down economics: The profits are repatriated to Paris, while the continent is left to shoulder the environmental and financial debt of a corporate-led scramble.

Ultimately, the mounting resistance across the continent is not a rejection of French investment for its own sake, but a rejection of the terms under which it has historically arrived.

For Macron, the message from the Africa Forward summit is clear: The era of unilateral lecturing is over. If France wishes to remain a relevant player in this multipolar landscape, it must finally discard the ‘back window’ tactics and the ‘schoolteacher’ temperament, proving that it can exist as a partner in progress rather than a ‘competitor colonialist’ desperately clinging to a disappearing past.

Russia is one of Ethiopia’s key long-term strategic partners and Moscow has consistently supported the African country during some of its most difficult periods, Ethiopian Air Force chief Lieutenant General Yilma Merdassa has said. 

Speaking to RT, Merdassa said he had trained in Russia and flown Soviet and Russian-made aircraft, including the Su-27. He noted that Russian and Soviet cooperation had significantly shaped the Ethiopian Air Force through pilot training, maintenance systems, and combat tactics, adding that ties weakened after the collapse of the Soviet Union but were later restored and continue to expand.   

“Russians are our strategic partners and I always used to say Russians are a very principled nation, principled government, always. They have been with us during difficult times,” Merdassa said. 

Merdassa added that cooperation between Moscow and Addis Ababa in military aviation would become “stronger and stronger” in the future, describing Russia’s aviation expertise as highly influential for Ethiopian pilots, engineers, and instructors.

Beyond military cooperation, Russia and Ethiopia have been expanding ties in numerous areas. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening relations between the countries during a phone call in March, according to the Kremlin. The two leaders also agreed to intensify contacts at various levels.

Bilateral trade nearly tripled year-on-year in 2025 to more than $435 million, Russian Ambassador to Ethiopia Evgeny Terekhin told TASS in February, citing growth in Russian exports of fertilizers and machinery as well as rising Ethiopian coffee supplies to Russia.

Africa can no longer be excluded from permanent representation on the UN Security Council (UNSC), African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf has said.

Speaking at a ministerial meeting on UNSC reform on the sidelines of the Africa-France Summit in Kenyan capital Nairobi on Monday, Youssouf said the continent’s demand is not a request for special treatment but a response to a long-standing imbalance in global governance.

“Africa is not asking for a favor; Africa is demanding the correction of a historical injustice,” he said, according to an AU statement. He added that the Security Council’s “credibility and legitimacy” depend on whether it reflects the realities of the present world rather than “the geopolitical order of 1945.” 

The AU’s position is based on the 2005 Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration. It calls for at least two permanent African seats with all the powers held by existing permanent members, including veto rights while the veto remains, as well as five additional non-permanent seats.

The Security Council currently has five permanent members – China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US – and ten elected members serving two-year terms. Africa, despite having 54 UN member states, has no permanent seat on the body.

Russia has also backed expanding the Security Council to include more African, Asian, and Latin American states. Moscow’s deputy envoy to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky, told an African Union Committee of Ten summit in New York in September that the council should reflect the “multipolar nature of the world” rather than “the global colonial past.” Polyansky said Russia supports Africa’s push for greater representation, while warning against increasing Western representation on the council.

South African Minister of Correctional Services Pieter Groenewald has said that 2,388 correctional officials were subjected to disciplinary action during the 2025/26 financial year, including cases involving corruption and the smuggling of contraband such as cellphones and drugs.

This comes after EFF Member of Parliament (MP) Nontando Nolutshungu asked Groenewald to provide details on the progress of the department’s gang management strategy since a Portfolio Committee briefing on 4 March 2026, the funding allocated to the strategy, and measurable outcomes achieved.

She also sought information on disciplinary action against officials and plans to address perimeter security vulnerabilities at correctional facilities. In response, Groenewald said 289 officials had been suspended and 118 dismissed during the period under review.

”The officials who were subjected to disciplinary action, suspension and dismissal in the 2025/26 FY for involvement in the following: 2388 officials were involved in misconducts, 25 officials were involved in corruption, 137 officials were involved in aiding the smuggling of contraband such as cell-phones and drugs,” Groenewald said in his parliamentary reply.

Groenewald said the department had allocated R24.362 million for goods and services linked to operational matters and implementation of strategies, although no funding had been specifically allocated for the gang combating strategy itself.

The minister also presented departmental performance data showing improvements in security operations between the 2023/24 and 2025/26 financial years.

According to the data, the percentage of inmates who escaped from correctional facilities declined from 0.030% in 2023/24 to 0.029% in 2024/25 and 0.012% in 2025/26, with recorded cases dropping from 20 to 4 and remaining at 4.

Addressing infrastructure challenges, Groenewald said the department had developed a multi-year plan to strengthen perimeter security across correctional facilities.

”The DCS multi-year plan is to repair or replace damaged sections of the perimeter fence, where necessary the entire perimeter will be replaced with stronger fence, access control, surveillance, scanning technology, patrols and tighter operational discipline,” he said.

Groenewald said funded perimeter fencing and security projects would be implemented during the 2026/27 financial year at St Albans Management Area in the Eastern Cape and Durban Westville Correctional Centre in KwaZulu-Natal.

First published by IOL

France is attempting to restore its influence in Africa after governments in several Sahel states pushed out French troops and scaled back ties with Paris, Kenyan lawyer and activist, professor Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba, has told RT. 

Commenting on French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Kenya and the Africa Forward summit in Nairobi, the chairman and founder of the PLO Lumumba Foundation argued that Paris is presenting itself as a changed partner while, in reality, seeking to preserve its geopolitical and economic leverage on the continent.

“The reality is they [France] want to dominate African continents… the sooner Africa realizes that, the safer Africa is,” Lumumba said. 

Speaking to RT, he suggested that France’s recent diplomatic and military initiatives in East Africa were aimed at offsetting setbacks suffered in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Senegal.

The professor also dismissed Macron’s self-description as a pan-Africanist, arguing that the French president was using the language of Pan-Africanism to appeal to African audiences while continuing policies that undermine the continent’s sovereignty.

He maintained that genuine Pan-Africanism could not coexist with military pacts or economic arrangements that preserved dependence on former colonial powers.

“He’s not a pan-Africanist of any shade, but he is trying to wear the garb of Pan-Africanism as a way of confusing gullible African leaders,” Lumumba said. 

The Africa Forward summit is taking place on May 11-12 in Nairobi. The event is focused on what organizers describe as an “Africa-France partnership” and is jointly organized by Paris and Nairobi. The summit is being held for the first time in a non-Francophone African country.

“Every relationship, if it is not symbiotic, if it is not mutually beneficial, ... it is not healthy and it is not good,” Bwala added.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared that he will not resign after the country’s top court revived impeachment proceedings linked to a long-running cash scandal at his private farm.

In a televised address on Monday, Ramaphosa said stepping down would “pre-empt a process defined by the constitution” and give credence to what he called a flawed parliamentary panel report. He also said he would seek a judicial review of the report “on an expeditious basis.” 

“Nothing in the Constitutional Court judgment compels me to resign my office,” Ramaphosa said, adding that the court had made no finding on whether he committed misconduct.

The case stems from the alleged theft of $580,000 in foreign currency from Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala wildlife farm in Limpopo in February 2020. Former State Security Agency chief Arthur Fraser, who made the scandal public in 2022, claimed the theft involved more than $4 million and accused Ramaphosa of covering it up. Ramaphosa has denied wrongdoing, saying the money came from the sale of buffaloes.

An independent panel appointed by parliament found in 2022 that there may have been grounds for impeachment, including questions over whether Ramaphosa had violated the constitution or acted inconsistently with his office. The National Assembly later voted not to proceed with an impeachment inquiry.

Ramaphosa has since faced calls from opposition parties, including the left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters and the African Transformation Movement, to step down and face impeachment proceedings.

On Monday, National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza said parliament would begin the process of establishing an impeachment committee in line with the Constitutional Court’s ruling.

The president said on Monday that he respects the court’s ruling and “will continue to cooperate with all institutions that are mandated to deal with all these matters.”

“I have consistently maintained that I have not stolen public money, committed any crime, nor violated my oath of office,” he insisted.

South Africa has declared a national disaster after days of extreme weather battered several provinces, leaving at least ten people dead.

On Sunday, the country’s National Disaster Management Center (NDMC) said severe weather conditions that began on May 4 triggered widespread flooding, heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, strong winds, and snowfall across the Western Cape, North West, Free State, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, and Mpumalanga provinces. 

The South African Weather Service had earlier issued an Orange Level 6 and Yellow Level 4 warning for damaging winds and rough waves affecting the Western and Northern Cape between May 10 and May 12.

Authorities say the disaster has already caused major infrastructure damage, disrupted essential services, and displaced residents in several areas.

@iolnews Rosmead Avenue in Kenilworth is underwater as the South African Weather Service issues a Level 8 warning for disruptive rainfall across Cape Town. 📷: Supplied #RosmeadAvenue #CapeTown #rainfall #SouthAfricanWeatherService ♬ оригинальный звук IOL NEWS

“As winter sets in, we are vulnerable to events which we may be able to forecast but whose actual intensity in specific locations we may not be able to predict,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said, adding that the government was relying on scientific forecasting to prepare for further severe weather events and coordinate responses.

@iolnews Heavy rainfall in the Western Cape caused tree branches to fall across Hout Bay on Monday morning. 📷: Supplied #heavy #rainfall #WesternCape #tree #branches ♬ original sound - IOL NEWS

In the Western Cape, provincial authorities ordered all schools to close on Tuesday due to what officials described as “disruptive rainfall and flooding,” citing concerns for the safety of learners and staff. Schools are expected to reopen on Wednesday if conditions improve.

Pretoria has already been hit by extreme weather this year. In January, Kruger National Park, one of the continent’s largest wildlife reserves, was partially closed after heavy flooding cut off access roads and campsites, with more than 600 tourists and staff were evacuated.

Heavy rains have also hit other African countries in recent weeks. In early May, at least 18 people were killed by floods and landslides in Kenya, with mudslides displacing families and damaging homes and infrastructure across central and eastern regions of the country.

The body of one of two US soldiers who went missing during the African Lion military exercise in Morocco has been recovered from the Atlantic Ocean, military officials said on Sunday.

The soldier was identified as 1st Lieutenant Kendrick Lamont Key Jr., 27, an Air Defense Artillery officer from Richmond, Virginia. A Moroccan military search team found his remains along the shoreline at around 8:55 AM local time on May 9, roughly one mile from where the two soldiers were believed to have entered the water, according to the army.

According to the US Army, Key was a platoon leader assigned to Charlie Battery, 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command.

Key and another US soldier were reported missing on May 2 near the Cap Draa Training Area outside Tan-Tan, a rugged coastal zone of cliffs, desert, and semidesert plains. The two had taken part in African Lion 26 earlier in the day, but officials said they were off duty during a recreational hike when they fell from a cliff.

The second soldier remains missing, with search efforts continuing.

The operation has involved more than 600 personnel from the US, Morocco, and partner forces, using frigates, vessels, helicopters, drones, divers, and ground teams. US Africa Command (AFRICOM) earlier said US, Moroccan, and other African Lion assets had immediately launched coordinated search-and-rescue efforts.

Fatal incidents have occurred during the exercise before. In 2012, an MV-22 Osprey crashed in a Moroccan training area during African Lion drills, killing two US marines and severely injuring two others.

In the past months, numerous reports have emerged that Somali pirate groups have acquired modern weapons and technology from the Houthis.

Ties between the Yemeni Zaydi Shiite movement Ansar Allah (better known as the Houthis), Somali pirates, and two terrorist organizations in Somalia, Al-Shabaab and the Islamic State – Somalia Province (IS–SP), continue to strengthen. This has been confirmed by both officials in Somalia and various UN reports.

In January 2026, Mohamed Musa Abulle, deputy director of intelligence for the Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF), said that some Somali pirate groups had received GPS devices from the Houthis, enabling them to “accurately track the routes of commercial vessels.” He noted that the security forces believe some members of these groups have undergone military training in Yemen. 

“This new technology has significantly simplified their planning of attacks far from the Somali coast,” the official stated.

A month earlier, on December 12, 2025, the PMPF intercepted a boat off the coast of Eyl carrying explosives and chemicals used for making explosive devices. At the time of the interception, there were seven people on board, two Yemeni nationals and five Somalis. The operation was part of Puntland’s counterterrorism efforts, in the course of which local security forces destroyed over 100 Islamic State facilities in the Cal Miskaad mountains, where militants were based.

‘Transactional, not ideological’

The 2025 report by the United Nations Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team also mentioned deals between the Houthis and terrorist groups in Somalia, characterizing their relationships as “transactional or opportunistic, and not ideological.” According to UN experts, Al-Shabaab militants met with Houthi representatives in Somalia at least twice, in July and September, to request modern weapons and training.

“In return, Al-Shabaab was to increase piracy activities within the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia, targeting cargo ships and disrupting vessel movement as well as collecting ransom from the captured vessels. During this period, Al-Shabaab was reported to have received some small arms and light weapons and technical expertise from the Houthis,” the report stated.

The same report noted that the Houthis maintain an agreement with Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) which has been in place for over three years and involves mutual non-aggression, prisoner exchanges, and arms transfers. While AQAP primarily attacks local targets in Yemen, it seeks to expand operations beyond its borders, including in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Somali pirates, who also collaborate with the Houthis, operate as a criminal organization separate from the terrorist groups. The ties between them are transactional and situational rather than ideological. Primarily motivated by economic gain, pirates seek large hauls or ransom payments, while groups like Al-Shabaab and ISIS are driven by ideology.

Occasionally, pirates partner with the Islamists to ensure their own safety or obtain logistical support in areas under their control. For instance, in March 2024, Al-Shabaab militants in the Sanaag region of northern Somalia struck a deal to provide protection for pirates in exchange for 30% of all ransoms and a share of any loot.

How much do pirates earn?

Since the early 2000s, piracy has thrived in the port city of Eyl in Puntland, which has earned the nickname ‘Harunta Burcadda’ (Pirate Capital). Small bands of pirates boldly attacked massive container ships and oil tankers, forcing shipping companies to steer clear of the Horn of Africa.

From 2005 to 2012, Somali pirate groups reportedly made between $339 million and $413 million, according to World Bank data. Between 2013 and 2019, the European Union’s counterpiracy mission, Operation Atalanta, launched in December 2008 to combat piracy off the coast of Somalia, recorded 26 attacks by Somali groups. In 2020-2022 there was a temporary lull in pirate activity, with no recorded attacks. However, in the following years piracy resumed – six attacks were recorded in 2023, and as many as 22 attacks in 2024. 

This prompted international naval forces to bolster patrols in Somali waters. The Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF) in collaboration with Operation Atalanta, evolved into a well-trained and experienced counter-terrorism unit. However, they were compelled to redirect a significant portion of their troops inland to support Puntland security forces against IS–SP in the Cal Miskaad mountains. Pirates took advantage of this, and the situation was further exacerbated by ongoing maritime instability due to the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.

Throughout 2024 and 2025, pirates continued to target commercial vessels, executing at least six hijackings. These attacks occurred as far as 2,270 miles from the Somali coast in the Indian Ocean. In April 2026 alone, they successfully detained at least three ships, including a tanker and a fishing trawler.

The recent success of pirates off the coast of Somalia can largely be attributed to the war initiated by the US and Israel against Iran. This conflict has shifted the region’s focus toward the Persian Gulf, prompting forces that once ensured security in the Red Sea to redirect their efforts toward escorting vessels attempting to navigate the blocked Strait of Hormuz.

Puntland and Somaliland, Israel and the US

The main source of pirate activity in Somali waters is Puntland, which positions itself as an autonomous state within Somalia. Since 2024, it has functioned independently of the federal government. Located in the tip of the Horn of Africa, Puntland does not claim full independence from Somalia, unlike Somaliland to the north, which actively seeks international recognition for its sovereignty.

Somaliland has made significant strides in this regard. On December 26, 2025, Israel became the first (and currently the only) country to officially recognize the independence and sovereignty of the Republic of Somaliland. It later emerged that Israel, in collaboration with the US and the UAE, has begun constructing a military base in the port city of Berbera in northern Somaliland. This base is intended to serve as a launchpad for intelligence-gathering and operations against the Houthis, who regularly target Israeli territory.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s unexpected recognition of Somaliland at the end of 2025 likely aimed to establish a strategic Israeli foothold in the Gulf of Aden, close to Yemen’s coastline, where the Houthis operate. The Houthis renewed their conflict with Israel on March 28, threatening to disrupt shipping traffic in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. Satellite images obtained by Le Monde indicate that the Berbera airport has been expanded since October 2025. 

Interestingly, this airport was originally built in the 1970s by Soviet specialists, who established a naval base around the Bab-el-Mandeb strait during the Cold War to control maritime routes and counter American influence while maintaining a presence in the Indian Ocean.

Somali pirates conduct maritime attacks from Puntland, where terrorist groups like Al-Shabaab and IS–SP operate; however, these groups are not present in Somaliland. Thus, from a strategic perspective, for foreign states Berbera holds greater significance than the port of Bosaso in Puntland, as it allows them to exert influence in the region without having to aid local authorities in their fight against terrorism and piracy.

Two axes of international influence

Following Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, experts began discussing the formation of two competing ‘axes’ defining foreign interests in the Horn of Africa. The emerging Berbera Axis (Israel – UAE – Ethiopia – Somaliland) is aimed at securing access to ports and monitoring capabilities in the Red Sea, as well as countering the dominant influence of Türkiye and Iran in the region.

Somaliland boasts 850 kilometers of coastline along the Gulf of Aden, directly opposite Yemen across the narrow Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. This geographical advantage allows Israel to gather real-time intelligence, conduct drone surveillance, and swiftly respond to missile and UAV attacks from the Houthis. Tel Aviv’s strategic partners in the region include the UAE, which normalized relations with Israel in 2020. Since 2018, through its largest port operator, DP World, the UAE has been working on expanding and modernizing the port of Berbera.

Ethiopia, which maintains friendly ties with both Tel Aviv and Somaliland’s capital, Hargeisa, also benefits from Israel’s recognition of the self-proclaimed republic. The December agreement grants Addis Ababa greater leverage for potential access to the Red Sea. According to a Memorandum of Understanding signed between Ethiopia and Somaliland in January 2024, Somaliland agreed to lease a part of its coastline to Ethiopia for 50 years. However, following negotiations facilitated by Türkiye, Addis Ababa has been discussing this issue with the federal authorities in Somalia. Both processes are still in the development phase.

The second axis, known as the Mogadishu Axis (Somalia-Türkiye-Egypt-Saudi Arabia), aims to protect Somalia’s sovereignty against external intervention. Türkiye plays a crucial role here, having become Somalia’s primary foreign partner since the 2010s. In 2017, Ankara opened its largest military base abroad, TURKSOM, in Mogadishu. Türkiye has trained thousands of Somali soldiers, many of whom serve in the elite Gorgor unit, deployed against al-Shabaab. On February 9, 2026, the Turkish parliament extended the mandate of its naval forces operating in Somali waters, the Gulf of Aden, and the Arabian Sea for another year. Türkiye has also deployed F-16 fighter jets and helicopters to Mogadishu.

On February 9, 2026, Saudi Arabia signed a military agreement with Somalia aimed at ensuring “regional stability and security in the Red Sea.” Discussions included the establishment of a naval base in the port town of Las Qoray. Additionally, Riyadh is mediating and possibly sponsoring a potential deal for Somalia to acquire 24 JF-17 Thunder Block III fighters from Pakistan for $900 million.

Clearly, Egypt could also be part of the Mogadishu Axis, since it views the Israel-Somaliland-Ethiopia alliance as a possible strategic blockade. For Cairo, the Suez Canal is not just a matter of revenue but of national survival.

On February 8, 2026, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with his Somali counterpart, reaffirming that “Egypt will always remain a sincere partner and unwavering supporter of Somalia.” Following the meeting, Cairo deployed over 1,000 troops to Mogadishu as part of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

The role of Iran

Iran is not part of any of the aforementioned axes, but it actively participates in the anti-Israeli Axis of Resistance which includes various groups across the Middle East. In fact, the Berbera Axis emerged in response to threats from Iran and its proxy forces, particularly the Houthis. 

Tehran’s relationship with Mogadishu has been strained. In 2016, Somalia severed diplomatic ties with Iran (acting in solidarity with Saudi Arabia), accusing it of meddling in its internal affairs and promoting Shiism. While relations were restored in 2024, tensions persist to this day.

Mogadishu has strongly condemned Iran’s recent attacks on critical energy infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE, which have disrupted maritime shipping routes and exacerbated Somalia’s humanitarian crisis. 

Moreover, Iran is indirectly complicit in deals between the Houthis, Somali pirates, and the militant group Al-Shabaab, as it is the primary arms supplier for the Ansar Allah movement. Tehran uses Somalia’s coastline as a key transit point for weapons shipments to the Houthis. Incidents involving the interception of such shipments have been documented in the report by the Panel of Experts on Yemen, submitted to the UN Security Council on October 11, 2024. In recent years, this cooperation has evolved into a full-fledged regional network encompassing Al-Shabaab and local piracy groups.

In addition to established players like Türkiye and the UAE, long-time rivals Israel and Iran are a influencing the region’s political landscape. Amid the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, their confrontation in the Red Sea is growing, and this is vividly demonstrated by the Iranian proxy forces’ support for Somali pirates.

For Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer and one of its most densely populated nations, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz in early 2026 exposed fault lines that politicians and technocrats have long preferred to ignore. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most consequential waterways on earth. Roughly 21 kilometers wide at its narrowest point, it channels nearly 20% of the world’s oil trade, functioning as the jugular vein of the global hydrocarbon economy. When that artery constricted in March 2026, Brent crude prices surged past $114 per barrel, the highest since 2022 – in a matter of days.

Beyond crude oil, the closure disrupted the flow of petrochemicals and fertilizers, commodities for which the Gulf region is among the world’s foremost exporters. As UNCTAD observed, the disruption deepened global economic strain across trade, prices, and finance, threatening the food security of import-dependent nations from sub-Saharan Africa to South Asia. Nigeria was firmly in that cross-hair.

There is a bitter irony at the heart of Nigeria’s energy story. A nation that sits atop some of the world’s richest hydrocarbon deposits has, for decades, been unable to refine sufficient fuel for its own population. Nigerians have paid the price of this structural contradiction through repeated fuel scarcity, suffocating queues at filling stations, and an economy perpetually held hostage by the price of imported refined petroleum products. The Hormuz crisis just stripped away whatever thin insulation of normalcy had accumulated over the years.

The commissioning of the Dangote Refinery in 2024 was greeted with optimism. With an initial capacity of 650,000 barrels per day (bpd) and an ambition to expand to 1.4 million bpd, it was positioned as the transformative answer to Nigeria’s chronic refining deficit and a statement of industrial sovereignty.

Yet the promise has been undermined by a fundamental contradiction: Nigeria’s oil, extracted from its own land, is systematically routed away from its own shores. International oil companies (IOCs) operating in the country have demonstrated a persistent preference for exporting crude to global spot markets rather than supplying domestic refineries. The result has been a structural feedstock crisis; the Dangote Refinery has been compelled to import crude from the US and other African countries, a situation of almost surreal policy failure.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company’s (NNPC) reliance on partial payments in naira and dollars to supply the refinery has further undermined pricing stability and deterred consistent local supply. Aliko Dangote, the president of the Dangote Group, has publicly lamented the unwillingness of IOCs to sell crude directly to the refinery, describing the situation as a structural impediment to domestic energy security.

When the Hormuz crisis pushed global crude prices above $114 per barrel, these vulnerabilities crystallized into a full-blown crisis.

The volatility in petrol prices through the first quarter of 2026 was jarring for ordinary Nigerians. Prices surged from ₦870 ($0.65) to ₦1,300 ($0.97) per litre in March 2026, mirroring the spike in international crude markets.

When the crude is pledged abroad

Perhaps the most consequential and least discussed dimension of Nigeria’s energy vulnerability lies in its forward sales contracts (FSCs). For context, forward sales contracts on crude oil are structured finance agreements where NNPC Limited receives significant upfront cash funding from lenders, often via a Special Purpose Vehicle, in exchange for pledging specific volumes of future crude oil production as repayment.

These instruments, originally designed to provide liquidity and budget predictability for the federal government, have over time metastasized into a structural trap. By locking Nigeria into selling crude at pre-agreed prices over extended periods, FSCs have stripped the country of its ability to benefit from price surges during exactly the kind of global crisis that the Hormuz closure represents.

Instead of capitalizing on $114 per barrel crude, Nigeria was contractually bound to honour agreements struck at far lower valuations. By 2025, FSC obligations had ballooned to ₦8.07 trillion ($6 billion), effectively diverting crude away from domestic refiners and compounding supply shortages.

The paradox is acute: Nigeria cannot feed its own refinery because its crude is pledged, at discounted prices, to foreign competitors.

A nation that cannot direct its primary natural resource toward its own strategic priorities is, in a meaningful sense, still operating under the terms of resource dependency rather than resource ownership.

The downstream consequences of the energy crisis have been deeply disruptive. Inflation has soared above 30%, driven primarily by the cascading effects of rising transportation costs on food prices, consumer goods, and industrial inputs. Fertilizer shortages, linked to disruptions in Middle East supply chains, have driven up farm input costs, placing food production under stress at a moment when Nigeria can least afford agricultural disruption. The country’s smallholder farmers, who account for the bulk of domestic food production, face a brutal double bind of higher input costs and weakened consumer purchasing power.

What can be done?

None of this is irreversible. But reversing it demands intellectual honesty about the structural origins of the crisis and the political will to pursue substantive reform rather than palliative measures.

First and most urgently, Nigeria should enact binding legislation or executive mandates that guarantee a minimum percentage of domestic crude production to local refineries, denominated in naira to reduce foreign exchange exposure. The Dangote Refinery, whatever its scale and ambition, cannot fulfil its strategic purpose if it is perpetually starved of supplies. IOCs operating in Nigeria should be made to understand that access to Nigerian acreage carries obligations to Nigerian supply chains.

Second, the Forward Sales Contract framework requires fundamental reform. FSC obligations should be capped as a proportion of total crude production, and a strategic crude reserve mechanism should be established to insulate domestic refiners from the volatility of global spot markets during crisis periods.

Third, Nigeria should accelerate its energy diversification strategy. The country’s gas reserves, which is among the largest on the African continent, remain dramatically underutilized for domestic power generation and industrial raw material. A decisive pivot toward gas-to-power infrastructure, combined with scaled investment in solar energy, can reduce the structural dependence on liquid fuels that makes Nigeria so acutely vulnerable to external price shocks.

Fourth, agricultural resilience demands immediate policy support. Fertilizer subsidies and farm input programs should be designed to function as shock absorbers during supply disruptions of precisely the kind witnessed in 2026. Food security and energy security are not separate policy domains, rather, they are, in the modern era of petrochemical-dependent agriculture, inseparable.

Finally, Nigeria should exercise its considerable continental weight to spearhead regional cooperation on alternative petrochemical supply chains. African nations cannot continue to be passive recipients of supply disruptions originating in geopolitical theaters thousands of kilometers away.

The Middle East will remain volatile. Geopolitical shocks will reoccur. The only durable protection against their consequences is the construction of genuine energy resilience – built on domestic refining capacity, reformed contract frameworks, diversified supply chains, and an agricultural sector capable of withstanding external shocks. Nigeria has the resources. The question, as it has always been, is whether it has the will.

South Africa’s Constitutional Court has ordered a review of the National Assembly’s 2022 decision to block impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa over alleged financial misconduct.

The ruling on Friday directs lawmakers to reconsider whether the National Assembly acted constitutionally in rejecting a parliamentary inquiry panel’s report.

The case stems from the so-called Phala Phala scandal, a 2020 burglary at Ramaphosa’s private game farm in Limpopo, where Ramaphosa claims that roughly $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.

A Section 89 parliamentary panel concluded there was prima facie evidence suggesting the president may have a case to answer, including questions over his reporting and handling of the incident. In December 2022, the National Assembly voted against adopting the panel’s report, effectively halting the impeachment process.

Ramaphosa has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, and state institutions, including the public protector, have not filed criminal charges. His legal team previously argued that the National Assembly acted within its powers.

The ruling comes amid a complex political landscape, with Ramaphosa’s African National Congress (ANC) governing in coalition alongside the Democratic Alliance (DA), South Africa’s second-largest party. The DA has welcomed the court’s order, saying it will “participate fully and constructively” in the Phala Phala impeachment committee.

“Those who hold the highest offices in the land must be held to the highest standards of honesty, transparency and accountability,” DA federal leader Geordin Hill-Lewis said in a statement.

EFF leader Julius Malema has also described the judgement as a win for South Africa’s constitution.

“It is very unfortunate for those other judges who wanted to defend an individual and then use the majority to suppress irrationality,” Malema told reporters. Malema was recently sentenced to five years in prison on firearms charges but remains free pending appeal.

In a statement on Friday, the South African Presidency said, “Ramaphosa respects the Constitutional Court’s judgment and reaffirms his commitment to the Constitution, the independence of the judiciary, and the rule of law.”

Actions by Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are undermining efforts to resolve a long-running dispute over Abyei region on the border with South Sudan, Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN, Anna Evstigneeva, has said. 

Addressing the UN Security Council on Thursday, Evstigneeva said the process remains a hostage to conflicts on both sides of the frontier. She noted ongoing military activity in northern South Sudan and the presence of “destabilizing elements,” including RSF units, which continue to worsen the security situation.  

On Sudan’s side, Evstigneeva stressed that the situation in Abyei cannot be separated from the fighting in Kordofan and Darfur regions. She underlined that there are no Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in the disputed area, arguing that non-state armed groups are the main obstacle to launching a structured political dialogue and also pose risks to UN personnel. 

“It is the actions of elements opposing Khartoum that are the main obstacle to the start of a comprehensive settlement process,” the representative said. 

The comments come as Sudan remains in the grip of civil war.  

Neighboring South Sudan has faced years of instability since gaining independence from Sudan.  

Despite the tensions, Russia said Sudan has signaled readiness to restart joint political and security talks, including in a letter to the UN Secretary-General. Khartoum has also expressed openness to forming joint police units with South Sudan. 

Evstigneeva warned that without a final agreement on Abyei’s status, any discussion of downsizing UN operations would be premature, adding that “pressure on the parties could have a negative impact on both the security situation and the UN’s activities there.” 

In March, the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) pulled its peacekeepers and national monitors from the Tishwin and Abu Qussa/Wunkur sites along the Sudan-South Sudan border, relocating them to safer positions within the broader Abyei operational area. The withdrawal followed worsening security conditions on the disputed frontier and affected posts.

Countries across Africa are commemorating the 81st anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, with events bringing together diplomats, local residents, students, and Russian compatriots, as Russia prepares to mark Victory Day on May 9.

The Russian Embassy in Guinea joined the international ‘Garden of Memory’ campaign, planting Geiger trees and Mussaenda shrubs on the grounds of the diplomatic mission in Conakry on Tuesday. School students and embassy staff took part in the ceremony dedicated to Soviet soldiers killed during the war.

Launched in 2020 on the instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the ‘Garden of Memory’ initiative aims to plant 27 million trees – one for each Soviet citizen who died during World War II.

In Mozambique, diplomats, students from the embassy school, and members of the Russian diaspora planted mango tree saplings as part of the campaign.

Mauritania joined the initiative for the first time this year. Russian citizens living in Nouakchott planted trees on the territory of the Russian Embassy.

Rossotrudnichestvo said the campaign has particular relevance in Mauritania, where desertification remains a major challenge. “Greening helps combat desertification, stabilizes sand, and improves the region’s microclimate,” the agency noted.

Egypt also joined the ‘Garden of Memory’ initiative this year.

Victory Day commemorations were also held elsewhere on the continent. In Tanzania, the Russian House in Dar es Salaam organized an ‘Immortal Regiment’ march ahead of May 9 celebrations. Similar processions took place in Tunisia.

The ‘Immortal Regiment’ movement began in the Russian city of Tomsk in 2012 and has since spread nationally and abroad.

Meanwhile in South Africa, the Russian Embassy hosted a Soviet film evening on Wednesday at Pretoria’s Fairtree Atterbury theater for ANC veterans. Guests watched the classic war drama ‘Officers’ and visited several photo exhibitions dedicated to World War II.

Nigerian troops have rescued seven children and two women more than a week after gunmen kidnapped them from an orphanage in the capital of Kogi State, the West African nation’s army said on Thursday.

Gunmen attacked the unregistered Daarul-Kitab Islamic Orphanage in a remote area of Lokoja on April 26, abducting 23 children and several adults. According to security officials, 15 of the children were freed shortly after the raid.

On Wednesday, troops under Operation Tiger Paw II intercepted and rescued the remaining group during a search in the Agbaja forest in Lokoja Local Government Area, Nigerian Army spokesman Hassan Abdullahi said in a statement.

“The rescued victims comprised five boys, two girls, and two adult females, believed to be the wives of the proprietor of the orphanage,” Abdullahi stated. They were evacuated to a military medical facility for immediate treatment and first aid, he added, noting that “all victims are reported to be in stable condition.”

No group has claimed responsibility for the Lokoja raid.

The surge in violence in Africa’s most populous country comes despite security measures that Abuja has implemented, including the deployment of thousands of military and police personnel and intensified operations targeting organized criminal and militant groups. On Thursday, the army announced “coordinated successes” in its campaigns and pledged to continue “aggressive operations against terrorists and their collaborators.”

TROOPS OF 12 BRIGADE RESCUE KIDNAPPED VICTIMS, FOIL TERRORIST LOGISTICS MOVEMENT IN KOGI STATE

Troops of 12 Brigade Nigerian Army have recorded significant operational successes in Kogi State, rescuing kidnapped victims and foiling a terrorist logistics movement in separate but… pic.twitter.com/JIuhPDZC0X

— Nigerian Army (@HQNigerianArmy) May 7, 2026

South Africa is a welcoming country and attempts to brand it xenophobic over ongoing protests targeting foreign nationals amount to a “lazy analysis” of tensions linked to crime and illegal immigration, Pretoria has said.

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesman, Vincent Magwenya, made the remarks on Wednesday amid growing concern from other African governments over anti-immigrant demonstrations and reported attacks on their citizens in South Africa.

“Any characterization of this protest that seeks to portray South Africans as xenophobic is actually lazy sort of analysis of the real issues that are at play here,” Magwenya told reporters.

“What you have are pockets of protest, which is permissible within our constitutional framework,” he said, adding that “the issue of immigration is a pressure point” not only in South Africa, but “throughout the world where protests are held on these issues.”

He said South African police will act against violence targeting foreign nationals.

The comments came after anti-immigrant demonstrations spread across several cities in Africa’s most industrialized economy, a major destination for workers from across the continent. Hundreds marched in Johannesburg last week demanding tougher immigration controls, while many shops closed over fears of looting and attacks.

Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa also held talks with his South African counterpart, Ronald Lamola, after videos circulated showing alleged attacks on Ghanaians. Zimbabwe and Malawi have issued safety advisories to their nationals.

The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights has expressed “grave concern” over reports of xenophobic violence and intimidation against nationals of other countries in South Africa.

Ramaphosa warned during his Freedom Day address on April 27 that public concern over illegal immigration should not become hatred toward foreign nationals. He said South Africa must enforce its laws but should not allow prejudice against “fellow Africans.”

On Wednesday, Ramaphosa’s spokesman said the president and his Mozambican counterpart, Daniel Chapo, agreed during talks that African governments must work together to address “the issues that are behind these levels of migration.”

A multinational search operation continues in Morocco after two US Army soldiers disappeared near the Atlantic coast during the African Lion military exercise. 

The US Africa Command (AFRICOM) reported on Wednesday that US Moroccan and partner forces launched a rescue mission using ground air and maritime resources.  

More than 600 military personnel are searching for missing US soldiers near the Cap Draa training area outside the city of Tan-Tan in southwestern Morocco, according to several news agencies. 

The soldiers disappeared late last week during the African Lion 2026 exercise which is led by the US Africa Command and Morocco. The soldiers were believed to have been on a recreational hike after the day’s exercises ended.  

“They were not actively taking part in any training. The day’s exercises had concluded, and, from our understanding, they were out on a recreational hike,” the official said. “Our two soldiers and their families remain our absolute priority.”  

According to the Washington Post, the missing soldiers were last seen near sea cliffs close to the Atlantic Ocean. A US Defense Department official told the newspaper the incident was “not terrorism-related.”  

One of the soldiers entered the water around 9 pm local time and was unable to swim, CBS News reported. Other members of the group reportedly tried to rescue the soldier but the effort failed. The second soldier then jumped into the water to help but was struck by a wave. 

The 2026 iteration runs from April 27 to May 8, across four countries: Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal, and Ghana. In Morocco, approximately 5,000 personnel from over 40 countries and more than 30 US-based industry partners are participating, according to AFRICOM. 

China has condemned Eswatini for hosting Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, accusing the southern African kingdom of giving a platform to “Taiwan independence,” in an escalating diplomatic row.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters on Wednesday that Beijing opposes Eswatini’s decision to receive Lai, who arrived in the kingdom on Saturday for a three-day visit after Taipei said several African states had revoked overflight permits under Chinese pressure.

“Some politicians in Eswatini are kept and fed by Taiwan and provide space for ‘Taiwan independence,’ going against the tide of history. China strongly condemns this,” Lin said.

He said the trip shows that “Taiwan independence” separatism is “shady business” and “unacceptable to the international community,” adding that there is “but one China in the world” and that Taiwan is an “inalienable part” of China.

Taipei rejected Beijing’s accusations, saying Lai’s visit was lawful and in line with formal diplomatic practice, adding that the travel plan was not disclosed until after he landed for security reasons.

Africa’s last absolute monarchy, formerly Swaziland, is Taiwan’s only diplomatic ally in Africa and one of 12 countries worldwide that maintain formal relations with Taipei. China claims Taiwan as part of its own territory and opposes official contact between the island and foreign governments. Taiwan rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claim.

The latest row comes as Beijing deepens trade incentives across Africa while excluding Eswatini.

The policy, first announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping in February, extends duty-free access beyond 33 least-developed African countries to 20 others for two years. China says the tariff plan is intended to boost African exports and narrow trade imbalances.

Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have denied accusations by Sudan’s government that they were involved in Monday’s drone strikes on Khartoum International Airport.

Sudanese Foreign Minister Mohieddin Salem and military spokesperson Asim Awad Abdelwahab said on Tuesday that they had “conclusive evidence” that multiple airstrikes targeting key sites across the capital originated from Bahir Dar airport in Ethiopia. The officials also presented technical data claiming that a UAV marked S88 and allegedly linked to the UAE had been tracked crossing into Sudanese airspace from Ethiopian territory. Khartoum later recalled its ambassador in Addis Ababa in response to the incident.

In a statement issued by its Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, Addis Ababa dismissed the claims as “baseless” and accused “some belligerents” in Sudan’s civil war of committing “grave violations” of Ethiopia’s territorial integrity and national security.

“These violations include among others the extensive use of TPLF mercenaries in the conflict,” the ministry stated.

The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) is a political and armed movement from Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region that dominated the East African country’s ruling coalition for decades before being sidelined in 2018. It waged a brutal two-year war against Ethiopia’s federal government from 2020 to 2022, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of millions.

“It is evident that these hostile actions, as well as the recent and earlier series of allegations by officials of Sudanese Armed Forces, are undertaken at the behest of external patrons seeking to advance their own nefarious agenda,” the ministry said.

Sudan’s war erupted in April 2023 between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions.

Khartoum has repeatedly accused Abu Dhabi of backing the RSF – allegations the Emirati government denies.

Three suspected ATM bombers have been killed in a shootout with police in South Africa’s North West province. Two other suspects, including a police officer, were arrested.

The three bombers were shot dead by members of the SAPS’ National Intervention Unit (NIU). The provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Adéle Myburgh, confirmed that the suspects, who gave chase from Zeerust, fled to their safe house in Magogoe in Mahikeng, where the shootout between police and the suspects took place.

“The specialised unit was tracking them, and unfortunately, they had already committed the ATM bombing before they could stop them. But then the unit chased them from Zeerust,” he said. Naidoo confirmed that officers had managed to arrest suspects.

“Members managed to arrest some of the suspects on the way, and they are in custody. 

“Members then followed the rest of the suspects. They were followed to this location and while waiting for additional backup, the suspects engaged with police in a shooting with high-calibre firearms. Obviously, police had to defend themselves, resulting in the shooting of three of the suspects, who were fatally wounded. There might be other suspects who escaped, but the same team will follow up in this area, and hopefully the others will be located,” Naidoo said. 

#sapsNW [UPDATE] An intell driven op resulted in the arrest of five suspects, including a police officer, in connection with an ATM bombing incident reported in the early hours of the morning in Dinokana, Zeerust.

The arrests follow a multidisciplinary operation that tracked the… https://t.co/CHUjHd6RBh pic.twitter.com/Tyz9Z7jpSo

— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) May 6, 2026

He confirmed two suspects were arrested by police and that the other suspects who are currently being tracked by police will be arrested soon. 

“There is one SAPS member who was arrested on the way here. He is in custody. We are still trying to determine if there are any other members involved,” Naidoo said.

Naidoo said while these types of crimes might not be as prevalent in the North West as it is in other provinces, they are working hard to curb these crimes.

“A month ago, a suspect headed to Klerksdorp but was arrested before he could bomb an ATM. We are putting measures in place, and with the help of communities, we are hoping to stamp this out. One of the key things is the information from communities, which helps us a lot,” he said. 

First published by IOL

Exports from Moscow-based firms to African countries surged dramatically in the first quarter of 2026, increasing 52-fold year-on-year to nearly 586 million rubles ($7.8 million), the Moscow mayor’s office reported on Tuesday.

The increase comes as broader Russia-Africa trade has also expanded, reaching $27.7 billion in 2025, Irina Abramova, director of the Institute for African Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences, said.

Officials note that the growth is part of a longer-term strategy to support Moscow-based companies entering African markets. “This is not a one-off success,” said Vitaly Stepanov, head of the Moscow Export Center, stressing that targeted support programs for exporters have been in place since 2019.

Algeria emerged as the largest destination, accounting for 89% of total exports. Shipments to the country were dominated by food industry products. Nigeria also featured as a key partner, with Moscow-based companies exporting mainly information technology, telecommunications, and computer-related goods and services.

According to the statement, the total volume of exports of finished goods from Moscow-based companies to African countries in 2025 rose by more than 37%, exceeding 2.2 billion rubles.

In April, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that 81 Russian regions are now engaged in cooperation with African countries, with Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Astrakhan, Novosibirsk, and Leningrad regions, as well as the Krasnodar and Perm territories, among the most active.

Momentum in Russia-Africa trade is also visible beyond Moscow’s export figures. According to the Agroexport agency, Russian wheat shipments to Sudan more than doubled, reaching around 1.7 million tons since the start of the 2025/26 season, compared with 0.7 million tons a year earlier.

At least 23 Chadian soldiers have been killed in an attack by Boko Haram militants on a military base, the armed forces reported on Tuesday.

The attack occurred late in the evening of May 4 on Barka Tolorom island, where insurgents targeted a base of Chad’s Defense and Security Forces. Military officials said the troops mounted a “fierce counterattack,” ultimately repelling the assault after heavy fighting.

The authorities reported that a significant number of militants were killed in the clash, and weapons and equipment were recovered at the scene. A search for the remaining militants is ongoing.

Twenty-six soldiers were wounded in the attack. The military said the situation is under control and vowed to continue operations against Boko Haram, adding that a more detailed report will be released later.

Boko Haram has waged an insurgency in the region since 2009, working along with its offshoot faction, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

Northeastern Nigeria remains the group’s main base, but its operations extend across the Lake Chad Basin into Cameroon, Niger, and Chad. Exploiting porous borders and remote terrain, the militants have waged a regional insurgency for over a decade, carrying out bombings, raids, and kidnappings, and contributing to widespread instability and displacement.

Despite gaining independence in the 1960s, African states still have not fully broken away from certain structures of influence inherited from the colonial period. Among them, institutional Francophonie occupies a unique place. Often presented as a space for cultural exchange and political cooperation, it is celebrated as a bridge between peoples.

Yet, for a growing number of African intellectuals and policymakers, a deeper question remains: Does Francophonie truly serve the interests of African societies, or does it perpetuate, in more subtle forms, patterns of domination rooted in the colonial past?

To understand this debate, it is essential to clarify what Francophonie actually is and where it comes from. The term refers both to all French-speaking populations around the world and to a structured political and institutional framework built around the French language. Its modern institutional form emerged in 1970, with the creation of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), an intergovernmental body designed to promote cooperation among French-speaking states.

Francophonie as an institution was not solely imposed by France. It was also actively supported by several postcolonial leaders who saw strategic value in maintaining linguistic and diplomatic ties. Among them were Leopold Sedar Senghor, Habib Bourguiba, and Hamani Diori. These leaders were part of a generation that believed cooperation with France could help stabilize newly independent states, provide access to education systems, and maintain international visibility in a world dominated by Cold War tensions.

For example, Leopold Sedar Senghor, poet and president of Senegal, viewed the French language not only as a colonial legacy but also as a potential tool for cultural synthesis. He famously promoted the idea that French could serve as a universal language of expression and diplomacy while coexisting with African cultural identities. Habib Bourguiba in Tunisia and Hamani Diori in Niger also supported early frameworks of Francophone cooperation, seeing them as pragmatic tools for development and international partnership.

Francophonie is most deeply rooted in Africa, particularly in former French colonies such as Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo, Cameroon, Gabon, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In these countries, French often remains the official language of the state, even when it is not the first language spoken by the majority of the population.

At the first glance, Francophonie presents undeniable advantages. It creates a shared linguistic space that facilitates communication between states and allows for educational and cultural exchanges. Cultural programs supported by Francophone institutions have also contributed to the visibility of African literature, cinema, and music on the global stage.

The OIF also supports initiatives in governance, election observation, and institutional capacity building. In theory, these programs aim to strengthen transparency and the rule of law in member states. For many governments, especially in smaller or developing economies, this support can represent an important form of assistance.

Beneath this positive surface, however, deeper structural questions emerge. Francophonie is not a neutral linguistic space detached from history. It is deeply rooted in a colonial past in which language was a central tool of administration, control, and cultural transformation. In many African contexts, the French language replaced or marginalized local languages in schools, courts, and public administration.

Language cannot be seen only as a communication tool. It defines how people think, how knowledge is produced and shared, and how institutions function. In many African countries, French remains the dominant language of formal education and government, while indigenous languages are often confined to informal or private spaces.

This creates a dual system in which a small educated elite operates fluently in French, while large portions of the population remain excluded from full participation in institutional life.

The consequences of this linguistic structure are significant. Access to higher education often depends on mastering a language that is not spoken at home. Legal and administrative systems become less accessible to ordinary citizens. Knowledge production tends to follow external academic frameworks rather than local intellectual traditions. Over time, this can reinforce social inequalities and create a form of cultural distance between governing institutions and everyday realities.

Beyond language, Francophonie also operates as a political and diplomatic space. The OIF participates in election observation missions, conflict mediation efforts, and governance programs. While these initiatives are often presented as neutral support mechanisms, they raise important questions about sovereignty and influence.

Who defines democratic standards? Who evaluates political legitimacy? And to what extent do external institutions shape internal political processes?

Critics argue that Francophonie can function as a soft power instrument that maintains France’s diplomatic and strategic presence in its former colonial sphere. Through language networks, educational systems, cultural funding, and institutional partnerships, France and other Francophone actors maintain long term influence without direct political control. In this sense, cooperation and influence can sometimes overlap in ways that are difficult to separate.

This does not mean that Francophonie has no positive impact. Many African professionals have benefited from Francophone education systems. Cultural industries have gained international exposure. Institutional partnerships have supported development projects and administrative reforms. The reality is complex and cannot be reduced to a single narrative of domination or benefit.

In response to these concerns, a growing number of African voices are calling not necessarily for a complete rejection of Francophonie, but for a profound redefinition of the relationship. The goal is to move from inherited structures to consciously chosen partnerships based on equality and shared interests.

One of the key areas of reform is linguistic sovereignty. This involves integrating African languages into education systems, public administration, media, and digital spaces. Research in education shows that children learn more effectively when taught in their mother tongue during early development. Strengthening local languages does not require abandoning French, but rather reducing linguistic hierarchy and promoting multilingual balance.

Another major area is cultural and economic autonomy. African creative industries, such as cinema, music, literature, and digital content production are increasingly influential. However, they often depend on external funding structures and distribution networks. Strengthening these sectors requires investment, infrastructure, and policies that prioritize local narratives and economic independence.

Political autonomy is also central. African states should have the capacity to define their development models without dependence on external frameworks. This requires improved governance systems and deeper regional cooperation. Regional integration is often presented as one of the most promising paths forward. By strengthening cooperation within Africa and building common markets, countries can increase their collective bargaining power on the global stage.

At a deeper level, the debate around Francophonie is also ideological. For decades, development has often been framed through external models and external validation. Challenging this mindset is essential for long term transformation.

Francophonie, in its current form, is neither fixed nor inevitable. It is the result of historical processes. As such, it can be questioned and redefined.

The fundamental question remains open. Can Francophonie evolve into a truly equal space where African voices are not only included but decisive in shaping direction? Or will it continue to reflect historical imbalances in a modernized form?

A cruise ship hit by a suspected hantavirus outbreak that has killed three people will head to Spain’s Canary Islands after authorities granted permission for it to dock, the Spanish government has confirmed.

In a statement on Tuesday, Madrid said the move followed a request from the World Health Organization (WHO), in coordination with the EU, and was made in line with international law and humanitarian principles. Spain said Cape Verde, where the vessel is currently located, cannot carry out the operation and that the Canary Islands is the nearest location with the required capacity.

The Dutch-flagged vessel, the MV Hondius, has been anchored off Cape Verde after several people fell ill during a voyage that began in Ushuaia, Argentina, in March and included stops in Antarctica, the Falkland Islands, and other locations.

Around 147 passengers and crew from 23 countries are on board, according to health authorities.

“Since 1 April when the boat set sail, of the 147 passengers and crew, seven people have become ill, among whom three have died, one is critically ill and three are reporting mild symptoms,” the WHO said.

The UN health body said the outbreak poses a low risk to the global population, citing current information on how hantavirus spreads.

Two crew members, one British and one Dutch, are being prepared for urgent medical evacuation via Cape Verde to the Netherlands, Oceanwide Expeditions, the company operating the vessel, said on Tuesday. Another person linked to a passenger who died on May 2 is also expected to be evacuated.

The ship is expected to arrive in the next three to four days, with the port still to be determined, the Spanish government has said.

Hantavirus infections are usually linked to exposure to the urine, feces, or saliva of infected rodents.

The WHO said rare human-to-human transmission may have occurred among close contacts aboard the ship, while testing continues to identify the strain involved.

South African MP and National Colored Congress leader Fadiel Adams has been arrested in Cape Town over fraud and obstruction charges linked to alleged interference in the investigation into the 2017 murder of ANC Youth League figure Sindiso Magaqa, police have said.

This comes after he was instructed by the Political Killings Task Team to present himself at his nearest police station in connection with charges related to fraud and defeating or obstructing the course of justice.

Adams was arrested by PKTT members after handing himself over at Parliament Village on Tuesday.

Earlier on Tuesday, the South African Police Service (SAPS) said its Political Killings Task Team had called on Adams to present himself at his nearest police station. National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said officers were in possession of a J50 warrant for Adams’ arrest.

“The warrant relates to serious allegations that he interfered with ongoing investigations into the murder of the late ANC Youth League leader, Mr Sindiso Magaqa,” Mathe said. She said investigators had found that Adams allegedly interfered with a convicted hitman at a sensitive and advanced stage of the probe.

Speaking at a media briefing at Parliament, Adams alleged that about 15 task team members stormed a house in Westridge on Saturday in search of him.

He claimed officers did not produce a search or arrest warrant and alleged they pointed rifles at a woman, assaulted a 12-year-old boy and traumatized a family while searching the wrong property.

Adams said he had sold the property a few weeks earlier and no longer lived there. “With a budget of hundreds of millions of rand a year, this corrupt unit cannot even get an address right,” he said, adding that an innocent teacher had rifles pointed at her and her husband was forced to lie on the ground.

He also addressed claims that he used a blue-light escort to Westville Prison, saying he had been escorted by metro police while carrying out official duties to interview Magaqa’s convicted killer. According to Adams, the hitman had provided a written statement alleging police involvement in the crime and was willing to testify without seeking any benefit.

Adams criticized Mkhwanazi, saying he had not sent officers to obtain the statement and had instead implied to Parliament that Adams had committed a crime. He said he had contacted acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia and acting national police commissioner Major General Puleng Dimpane but had received no response.

Adams also shared emails he claimed were from Mkhwanazi regarding the warrant and communication with investigators, as well as a letter from the NCC outlining contact details for his legal representative.

Police have not publicly responded to Adams’ allegations.

First published by IOL

Zambia has accused the US of attempting to link a proposed health funding agreement to access to its critical minerals, after Washington’s outgoing envoy criticized Lusaka over alleged corruption, poor governance, and lack of engagement with American assistance programs.

In farewell remarks on April 30, outgoing US Ambassador Michael Gonzales said Washington had offered Zambia more than $2 billion in additional health and economic assistance since October, but claimed the African state’s government had shown “effectively zero substantive engagement” since January.

Gonzales also accused Lusaka of refusing “to stop or take action to hold people accountable for the systematic and nationwide theft of US provided medicines while the Zambian citizens for whom those were intended went without.” 

On Monday, Zambian Foreign Minister Mulambo Haimbe denounced the envoy’s comments as “undiplomatic” and inconsistent with relations between sovereign states.

He said while the Lusaka recognizes the need to intensify efforts against corruption in the health and other sectors, it was “mischievous” for Gonzales to imply that the government “is working against the people of Zambia and their best interests.”

The minister said Zambia also objected to a proposed critical minerals agreement, citing what he described as Washington’s insistence on preferential treatment for US companies.

“A further concern by the Zambian Government is the coupling of the proposed agreements and frameworks to one another such that the conclusion of the critical minerals agreement is made conditional to the conclusion of the Health MOU,” Haimbe said.

Zambia is one of Africa’s top copper producers and has attracted growing international interest because of minerals used in electric vehicles, clean-energy technologies, and advanced manufacturing. Haimbe said Lusaka remains open to negotiations with strategic partners, including the US, but only on the basis of mutual benefit and respect.

Sudan has accused Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates of being behind a recent drone attack on Khartoum International Airport, according to statements by armed forces spokesperson Brigadier General Asim Awad Abdelwahab on Tuesday.

The Sudanese authorities reported that multiple airstrikes on Monday hit key sites across the capital, including the main airport, nearby residential neighborhoods, and several strategic military positions such as the al-Markhiyat training facility in Omdurman and the Signal Corps base in Khartoum North, before being driven back by air defense systems. 

Sudan descended into civil war in April 2023 following a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Data from the UN indicates that nearly 12 million people have been displaced by the conflict.

“We formally announce the involvement of the UAE and Ethiopia in the bombing of Khartoum airport,” officials said, as quoted by the Sudan Tribune, adding that Sudan could respond whenever and wherever it deems appropriate.

They alleged that the same type of drone had previously launched repeated strikes against Sudanese forces in Al-Kormuk and other territories of Blue Nile State, in addition to operations across North and South Kordofan, before it was ultimately shot down north of El Obeid on March 17. However, Ethiopian officials rejected the accusations at the time.

In response to the developments, Salem had ordered the recall of the country’s ambassador to Ethiopia for consultations.

Press Statement: 05 May 2026 pic.twitter.com/71UAxUftDr

— The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia 🇪🇹 (@MFAEthiopia) May 5, 2026

The UAE has not yet publicly commented on the allegations.

Human remains have been found inside a crocodile in South Africa’s Komati River during a search for a missing businessman, local police have said.

The discovery followed a days-long search operation near Komatipoort in Mpumalanga province, police spokesperson Colonel Mavela Masondo said on Sunday, describing the case as a suspected fatal crocodile attack. DNA tests will be conducted to confirm whether the remains belong to the missing man.

Authorities said the possible victim, a businessman from Gauteng, had been reported missing after his vehicle was found partially submerged on a low-lying bridge along the Komati River, an area known for strong currents and wildlife. Search teams intensified efforts amid difficult conditions following heavy rains that had caused flooding in the region.

The operation involved police divers, emergency responders and local authorities, who combed the river and surrounding areas.

Captain Pottie Potgieter of the Ehlanzeni Diving Unit said the team had monitored reptiles for several days before identifying a crocodile believed to be linked to the disappearance.

Another Arial view. pic.twitter.com/YE97p1GbZt

— The King of Trolls (@StHonorable) May 3, 2026

“They spotted the crocodiles at the same place now for the past four days,” Potgieter said. “With our experience and with the training we’ve had, we identified a crocodile there that we basically were 100% sure that had eaten the man that we are looking for.”

The crocodile, weighing about 500 kg, was airlifted from the river by police and flown to Kruger National Park, where a field necropsy confirmed it contained human remains.

GRAPHIC WARNING | Mpumalanga police say a crocodile they put down had human remains, believed to be those of a 59-year-old Gauteng businessman who went missing in the Komati River. Police add there is evidence to suggest more people may have fallen victim to the reptile. pic.twitter.com/kQpk6yoQW1

— SABC News (@SABCNews) May 2, 2026

Investigators with forensic teams are now working to establish the identity through DNA analysis. Police said the results would be critical in confirming whether the remains are those of the missing businessman. Authorities have not released the name of the victim, and no official identification has yet been made.

The incident is the second reported on the Komati River in nearly six months. In December, two soldiers were swept away while attempting to cross the same bridge. The body of one soldier was recovered shortly after, while partial remains believed to be those of the second were found six days later.

The Komati River, which runs along the border with Mozambique, is home to a significant population of crocodiles and has previously posed risks to residents and travelers, particularly during periods of high water levels and flooding.

Mali’s transitional president, General Assimi Goita, has taken over the duties of defense minister after Sadio Camara, who had held the post, was killed in a wave of coordinated attacks by militants, the authorities have said.

A presidential order published in the West African nation’s Official Gazette on Monday said Goita will remain head of state while assuming the defense portfolio.

“The president of the transition, head of state and supreme commander of the armed forces, shall perform the duties of Minister of Defense and Veterans,” it stated.

A separate decree named General Oumar Diarra as minister delegate for defense, placing him under the ministry now led by Goita.

Former Defense Minister Camara died after a suicide car bomb struck his residence in Kati, a garrison town near Bamako, on April 25. The offensive targeted Bamako, Kati, Gao, Sevare, and Kidal, and was claimed by Al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin and the Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front.

The government stated that the army, backed by Russia’s Africa Corps, repelled attempts to seize military sites and key infrastructure. The Russian Defense Ministry said the assault amounted to an attempted coup and claimed that the attackers received training involving Ukrainian and European mercenary instructors. More than 200 militants were killed and large quantities of equipment seized, according to Mali’s army.

Mali has battled a jihadist insurgency since 2012, a conflict that has spread into neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger. The three military-led states formed the Alliance of Sahel States after cutting defense ties with France, expelling French troops, and accusing Paris of sponsoring terrorism in the region. The Sahel states have since turned to Russia for support in combating terrorism.

Following a deadly attack on a Christian community in Nigeria earlier this year, two drinking water wells have been drilled in with church backing, the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa said on Sunday.

The assault by Islamist militants on the village of Turan in Benue State in early March, left several people dead and forced survivors to flee their homes. Among the victims were two members of a local Russian Orthodox community operating in the village.

“These are the first African parishioners of the Russian Orthodox Church to be killed for their faith,” the Exarchate said in a statement.

Following the violence, hundreds of residents fled to neighboring areas. Aid workers reported a severe shortage of clean drinking water in makeshift camps. Geological surveys were conducted in late March, and within weeks two wells equipped with pumps were completed to restore access to water for displaced families in temporary settlements in Benue State for refugees from the village of Turan.

Funding for the project was raised through the Exarchate’s official channels, with additional humanitarian assistance delivered to those affected. Food supplies were distributed to families at risk of starvation, while medical care continues for the wounded. Support also included covering tuition and relocation costs for schoolchildren after local schools in Turan were shut down.

“On behalf of all those under our care, we express our deepest gratitude to Metropolitan Constantine and all the kind people from Russia who helped us in this difficult time,” Archimandrite Nifont, a rector within the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa, said.

South Africa has signed an agreement with Brazil to help eradicate foot-and-mouth disease by 2028, focusing on vaccine supply, disease surveillance, diagnostics and biosecurity.

The move comes as the South African government faces mounting pressure and legal action over what critics have called a “lethargic” response to the animal health emergency. Meeting with his Brazilian counterpart, Agriculture Minister Andre Carlos Alves de Paula, on Thursday, John Steenhuisen tapped into Brazil’s hard-won expertise.

Brazil achieved FMD-free status without vaccination from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) on May 29, 2025, a historic milestone that took 64 years of rigorous policy implementation.

”By aligning with a nation that has successfully eliminated the disease, South Africa aims to achieve FMD-free status with vaccination, transforming biosecurity from a trade barrier into a bridge for economic growth,” Steenhuisen stated.

The newly adopted Action Plan for 2026-2028 mandates immediate, full implementation. South Africa will dispatch animal health experts to Brazil the week of May 19, 2026, for an intensive knowledge exchange. Following this, South Africa will host a seminar involving a high-level Brazilian delegation, including researchers and livestock farmers, to share strategies, policies, and technologies used in their decades-long fight.

The collaboration with Brazil deepens South Africa’s commitment to a South-South partnership, following a recent high-level working visit to Argentina. That visit concluded with a separate 2026–2028 FMD Work Plan and pivotal agreements focused on securing a stable vaccine supply.

To date, South Africa has successfully secured and distributed 2.5 million doses of FMD vaccines from the Argentine firm Biogénesis Bagó. This includes one million doses of bivalent SAT-1 and SAT-2 vaccines, and 1.5 million doses of trivalent SAT-1, SAT-2, and SAT-3 vaccines. Furthermore, the delegation inspected production facilities in Argentina, where a critical five million additional doses are ready for export, pending local regulatory approval.

Despite these diplomatic wins, the government’s pace has been severely criticised at home. Just days before the Brazil alliance was announced, the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, reluctantly granted the government a postponement in a legal bid by farmers’ organisations to allow the private sector to procure and administer FMD vaccines.

The court, however, showed its displeasure by granting punitive costs against the government and ordering Steenhuisen to publish a compulsory vaccination scheme by May 5. Judge Corrie van der Westhuizen openly criticized the government’s handling of the crisis, noting that officials appeared to be “no longer considering it to be of such importance” despite the FMD outbreak having been declared a national emergency.

”South Africa’s 14 million cattle must be vaccinated within a six-to-eight-week window to create herd immunity in 80% of them and stop transmission,” argued FMD Response SA spokesperson Andrew Morphew, citing the intensive, short-term mass campaigns successfully used by Brazil and Argentina.

First published by IOL

A suspected hantavirus outbreak aboard an Atlantic Ocean cruise ship has left three people dead and three others sick, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Sunday.

The WHO confirmed that it is responding to a public health incident aboard the MV Hondius after one case of hantavirus was confirmed and five others are suspected among passengers and crew. One affected individual is in intensive care in South Africa, the organization said in a statement.

“Detailed investigations are ongoing, including further laboratory testing, and epidemiological investigations. Medical care and support are being provided to passengers and crew. Sequencing of the virus is also ongoing,” the WHO stated.

The Dutch flagged MV Hondius was reportedly traveling from Argentina toward Cape Verde when several passengers fell ill, the health authorities said. The ship, which was carrying 150 to 170 people, remained outside the port of Praia, Cape Verde’s capital, as the authorities managed the outbreak.

One of the deceased, a 70-year-old man, became ill aboard the vessel and died after reaching the British territory of St. Helena Island, according to an AP report citing South Africa’s Department of Health. His 69-year-old wife collapsed at an airport in South Africa while trying to board a flight to her home country, the Netherlands, and died later in a South African hospital. The patient currently in intensive care has been identified as a British national.

“We are facing complex challenges, and are attempting to expedite the treatment of both individuals with the support and leadership of the Dutch authorities,” the agency wrote on Facebook.

The UN health body said it is conducting a full public health risk assessment while coordinating with member states and the ship’s operators to assist with medical evacuations.

At least 18 people have died due to flooding and landslides following heavy rains in Kenya, while extreme weather continues to batter large parts of the country, the national police service reported on Sunday. 

Mudslides have struck several regions in the central and eastern part of the country, leaving families displaced and causing widespread destruction to homes and infrastructure.  

“The National Police Service has confirmed the loss of 18 lives as a ⁠result of these incidents,” the police ⁠said in the statement. 

Emergency response teams have been deployed to carry out search and rescue operations, evacuate residents from high-risk zones, and deliver relief supplies. Officials are also assessing areas most prone to further landslides in an effort to prevent additional casualties, as fears grow that the situation could deteriorate if the rains continue.  

Heavy rainfall in late 2025 has also resulted in widespread flooding across parts of southern Africa, overwhelming drainage systems and causing rivers and dams to surge beyond capacity. In April, at least 42 people were killed in Angola after torrential rains triggered widespread flooding across multiple provinces. 

In South Africa, prolonged downpours have inundated the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga, killing at least 30 people, damaging thousands of homes, and prompting evacuations, including in Kruger National Park.  

Two US Army service members participating in the annual African Lion multinational military exercise have gone missing near a city in southwestern Morocco, the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) and the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces said on Sunday.

AFRICOM reported the personnel were last seen Saturday evening near the Cap Draa Training Area close to the Atlantic Ocean near Tan Tan, a rugged region of cliffs and desert where parts of the exercise are staged.

“US, Moroccan and other assets from African Lion immediately initiated coordinated search and rescue operations, including ground, air, and maritime assets. The incident remains under investigation and the search is on-going,” AFRICOM said in a statement.

The soldiers were not involved in formal training at the time they disappeared, “most likely while swimming” in the Oued Draa estuary, located 25 km north of Tan-Tan, Defense Atlas, which tracks military events in North Africa, reported.

“The Royal Moroccan Armed Forces are using several means for the search, including helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, Royal Navy aircraft, and other means,” it added.

The identities of the missing troops have not been released.

تستمر عملية البحث عن الجنديين الأمريكيين 🇺🇸 المفقودين في مصب واد درعة حيث اختفيا يوم أمس على الساعة 9 مساءا في الغالب أثناء السباحة في المصب .
تستخدم القوات المسلحة الملكية المغربية 🇲🇦 عدة وسائل للبحث بما في ذالك المروحيات و طائرات بدون طيار و طائرات للبحرية الملكية و وسائل أخرى… pic.twitter.com/ZIoNcuifK3

— Defense Atlas - المرصد الأطلسي للدفاع و التسليح (@DefenseAtlas009) May 3, 2026

African Lion, launched in 2004, is one of the largest annual US-led military drills in Africa, which Washington says aims to strengthen interoperability and readiness among participants and NATO partner forces.

The disappearance of the US troops is not the first incident linked to African Lion. In 2012, two US Marines were killed in a helicopter crash during exercises in Morocco.

History confirms that major Western-instigated conflicts are cultivated rather than spontaneous. From 19th-century colonial pretexts in North Africa to modern digital campaigns, the manufactured lie remains the primary propellant for the war machine. Over the last 50 years, this pattern reached a lethal zenith. Almost every intervention across the Middle East and Africa traces back to a specific fabrication – packaged and sold to the public by a compliant mainstream media.

These are structural deceptions. In this system, dominant Western media functions as a psychological vanguard, sanitizing illegal aggression as a moral imperative. By the time a fraud is exposed, states are decapitated, and economies looted. The toll is never borne by politicians in Washington, London, or Paris, but by millions whose lives are treated as collateral for a geopolitical agenda.

The consequence was the calculated annihilation of a civilization’s stability. By the time quiet mea culpas appeared in Western newspapers years later, the damage was irreversible. The human cost is staggering: Opinion Research Business (ORB) data indicates over 1 million Iraqi lives lost – a demographic erasure that birthed regional extremism. The media’s eventual admission was a postscript to a tragedy that achieved its primary objective: the permanent removal of a regional power under a false banner of liberation that never intended to arrive.

While Iraq relied on manufactured fear, the 2011 dismantling of Libya was blatant moral coercion. The ‘Architecture of Consent’ repurposed the Responsibility to Protect (R2P), transforming a safeguard for civilians into a weapon for regime change. The foundational lie rested on uncorroborated reports of an impending massacre in Benghazi. This narrative, broadcast by regional satellite channels and adopted without scrutiny by Western governments, was used to bypass the African Union’s diplomatic peace initiatives.

Rather than analyzing a complex civil conflict, Western media functioned as psychological support for the intervention. They reduced a sovereign crisis to a simplistic fable pitting ‘pro-democracy’ forces against a singular ‘villain’. Once the ‘no-fly zone’ served as a gateway for a sustained NATO bombing campaign, the trap was sprung. The ‘liberation’ celebrated in European capitals resulted in an immediate centerless, fractured wasteland.

The human and economic toll of this narrative was predicated on staggering fabrications. In the 2011 uprising, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini claimed 1,000 people were killed in the first days by Gaddafi’s forces. Media reports aggressively inflated this to 10,000 within weeks. However, investigative post-mortems reveal a different reality: Human Rights Watch documented that the actual death toll across Libya during those initial four days was 233 – a tragic number, but a fraction of the ‘onslaught’ marketed to the UN Security Council.

The 20-year occupation of Afghanistan was characterized by the absolute refusal to acknowledge it. In this theater, the ‘Architecture of Consent’ functioned through a rigid ultimatum: “You are either with us, or you are with the terrorists.” This rhetoric was designed to bypass the fundamental legal requirements of international justice and silence any call for procedural proof or diplomatic mediation.

Historical records, largely suppressed by the Western press, confirm that the Taliban leadership repeatedly attempted a diplomatic resolution. Through their representatives in Pakistan, they requested ‘solid evidence’ linking the suspects to the 9/11 attacks and offered to facilitate a trial in a neutral, third-party Islamic jurisdiction. The response from Washington was a total dismissal of the rule of law, asserting that the accusation itself was sufficient for war. Major media outlets facilitated this by rebranding a legitimate request for due process as an act of hostile ‘defiance’, thereby turning an illegal aggression into a ‘just war’.

The cost of this rejection of evidence is a matter of grim record. According to data from the Brown University Costs of War Project, the conflict resulted in over 176,000 deaths in Afghanistan alone, including roughly 46,000 civilians. By the time the Western forces staged their chaotic exit in 2021, the ‘evidence’ was irrelevant; the country had been reduced to a humanitarian emergency where over 90% of the population now survives below the poverty line. The ‘liberation’ was a 20-year cycle of violence that ended exactly where it began, but with a nation buried under the rubble of a failed narrative.

As we turn toward the current horizon, the machinery of engineered permission is undergoing a recalibration for its most ambitious project yet: the dismantling of Iran. The psychological buildup follows a frequency nearly identical to the 2003 Iraq blueprint, refined for a digital age where narrative control is seamless. Here, the deception is not tethered to a singular phantom weapon, but to an existential demonization that denies a regional power its right to sovereign security. This dehumanization reached its terminal point with Donald Trump’s declarations threatening to wipe out the entire Iranian civilization – a rhetorical war crime – and the dehumanization of its people as ‘animals’ unworthy of existence.

This architecture relies on the phenomenon of moving goalposts. In Afghanistan, a mission to apprehend one individual devolved into a 20-year social engineering project. In Libya, a ‘no-fly zone’ marketed as civilian protection morphed instantly into a regime-change bombing campaign. This fluidity of purpose is the engine of the ‘policy of no return’. That is, by the time the original justification is exposed as a fabrication, the military footprint is permanent, and the target nation is locked into a cycle of chaos. The media validates each new shift without demanding accountability for the failures of the last, ensuring that the resulting blood and ruin are never linked back to the original architects in the public mind.

Politicians engineer the pretext, corporate media sanitizes the violence, and millions –predominantly in the Global South – pay with their lives and their heritage. True accountability will never come from quiet corrections issued years after a nation has been pulverized and its wealth looted. It begins by exposing these conflicts as the systematic dismantling of states to ensure a profitable, perpetual chaos that serves the ‘imperial directive’. If we refuse to dismantle the architecture of the lie today, we are simply preparing the ground for the next million victims tomorrow.

Weapons, including three R4 rifles and a grenade launcher, have been stolen during a suspected burglary at the South African National Defence Force’s (SANDF) Tek Base in Lyttelton, Pretoria, the military confirmed on Wednesday.

In an official statement released on Thursday, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) said the suspected burglary was discovered on April 27 at around 12pm.

”A member of the South African National Defence Force discovered a break-in at a storeroom upon returning from an official funeral in Mafikeng, North West,” the SANDF said.

According to the statement, the storeroom’s burglar door had been forcefully opened. Preliminary findings indicate that three R4 rifles and a grenade launcher were stolen. Authorities suspect that access to the premises was gained by cutting a hole in the perimeter fence.

A case of business burglary has been opened, and the SANDF is currently verifying whether any additional equipment or items are missing.

First published by IOL

Sudan’s military leadership has ruled out any talks with rebel forces, signaling a hardline stance as the conflict grinds on.

Speaking at a ceremony honoring the former chief of staff and members of the general staff on Wednesday, Sudanese army chief and head of the Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, said the military offensive against what he described as a “rebel militia” would continue until it is decisively defeated.

“There will be no negotiations with the rebels or those who support or cooperate with them,” Burhan stressed. He added the armed forces remain committed to securing victory, portraying the conflict as a duty to protect civilians, “who have endured the horrors of this rebellion and nightmare.”

Chief of staff of the SAF, Yasser Abdel Rahman Al-Atta, echoed the message, vowing to press ahead with operations across all regions until full territorial control is restored. 

In March, Sudan’s armed forces announced that they had taken control of two localities in the Blue Nile state, strengthening their foothold in the country’s south-east. The following month, the military reported that it had fended off a renewed offensive launched by the RSF alongside the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) faction led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu, in the same Blue Nile area.

Military sources also told the Sudan Tribune last month that the army had destroyed two key rebels supply bases located near Sudan’s borders with Chad and Libya.

Algeria remains committed to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and OPEC+ and considers the producer alliances a foundation of stability in the global oil market, the country’s Ministry of Hydrocarbons and Mines said on Wednesday.

The ministry said the North African nation will continue to support collective coordination between oil-producing countries, arguing that the OPEC framework and the wider OPEC+ mechanism remain essential to balancing supply and demand and limiting market volatility.

The statement comes after the UAE announced on Tuesday that it would leave OPEC and OPEC+ effective May 1, citing its national energy strategy and the need for greater policy flexibility.

Algeria is one of eight OPEC+ countries, alongside Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, the UAE, Kuwait, Kazakhstan and Oman, taking part in voluntary production changes.

OPEC said the countries had reaffirmed the need for a cautious approach and full conformity with the Declaration of Cooperation, including compensation for any overproduction since January 2024. It also warned that attacks on energy infrastructure and disruptions to international maritime routes could increase market volatility and undermine supply security, a concern that has centered on chokepoints such as the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.

OPEC was founded in 1960 by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela. Algeria joined the group in 1969 and has since backed coordinated output decisions while seeking stable energy revenues for its hydrocarbon-dependent economy.

Malian forces have regained control of a key city in the north of the country after pushing Islamic State-linked militants to withdraw, local sources reported on Wednesday.

The insurgents, who earlier this week had seized Menaka, located on the Niger border, retreated following clashes with the army and its allied forces, Reuters reported, citing residents and a diplomatic source.

The pullback follows a series of coordinated attacks on military targets in the West African country on Saturday by fighters from Al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and the Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front (FLA). The authorities confirmed that Defense Minister General Sadio Camara died from injuries sustained when a suicide car bomb struck his residence during the offensive.

Malian Prime Minister Abdoulaye Maiga said on Monday that the insurgents had attempted to overthrow the government and destabilize the country’s institutions with the “support of sponsors.” While he did not specify the sponsors, Russia’s Defense Ministry later issued a statement, alleging that the militant formations, numbering about 12,000 fighters, were trained with the involvement of Ukrainian and European mercenary instructors. It also described the assault as an attempted coup by JNIM and the FLA against Mali’s military-led government.

In a televised address on Tuesday, Goita said Malian armed forces had regained control of the situation and vowed to neutralize those responsible for the April 25 attacks.

Somali government forces have killed more than 20 Al-Qaeda-linked militants during a coordinated military operation in the Lower Shabelle region, officials said on Wednesday.

The offensive, carried out over the past 72 hours with support from “international partners,” targeted the Bulo Abdalla area between Mubarak and Ugunji.

According to officials, the operation involved both ground combat and airstrikes, resulting in the deaths of 22 Al-Shabaab fighters, including a senior militant commander identified as Abdirahman Jeeri, who was accused of terrorizing local civilians.

The Somali Defense Ministry and army command said they intend to intensify operations in an effort to eliminate what they described as remaining elements of the group.

In March, Somali armed forces eliminated nine Al-Shabaab militants during an operation in the Lower Shabelle region. Earlier the same month, security forces also carried out two separate operations in which a total of 22 Al-Shabaab fighters were killed, according to military statements. The authorities also reported that government forces regained control of the Hawaadley area in the Middle Shabelle region, which had previously been held by Al-Shabaab militants.

“Adoption follows the recent extension of the Al-Shabaab sanctions regime. Taken together, these decisions demonstrate the Council’s continued determination to support Somalia in its fight against Al-Shabaab,” Archibald Young, UK ambassador to the UN General Assembly, said.

African nations are increasingly calling for a shift from a unipolar to a multipolar world order for greater autonomy in shaping their partnerships. This approach aligns with Russia’s own foreign policy position, providing a basis for expanding cooperation between Moscow and the continent.

Ghana, whose relationship with Russia dates back to the Soviet era, has experienced both growth and setbacks in its ties with Moscow. The 1966 coup in the country, allegedly orchestrated with US involvement, led to an abrupt termination of a nuclear project that had seen the Soviet Union helping Ghana establish Africa’s first atomic energy plant.

The West African nation’s ambassador to Russia, His Excellency Dr. Koma Steem Jehu-Appiah, who presents himself as a product of long-standing Ghana-Russia ties, has been tasked with strengthening bilateral relations, in support of Ghana’s key initiatives, including the 24-Hour Economy ambition.

The envoy first arrived in Moscow as a medical student in 1980. After more than three decades, he returned to Russia, officially beginning his diplomatic tenure on January 15, 2026, when he presented his credentials to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In this exclusive interview, Jehu-Appiah discusses the enduring Russia-Ghana friendship from its Soviet-era roots and the impact of US interference, Russia’s non-colonial image and Africa’s rising frontier of opportunity, non-aligned stance amid Western pressure, the sabotage of African leaders who sought control of their countries’ resources, and why Ghanaian students should seize the opportunity to study in Russia.

Q: Ghana and Russia share a long history of diplomatic ties. How would you characterize the current state of bilateral relations between the two countries?

Dr. Koma Steem Jehu-Appiah: Ghana’s relationship with Russia started during the Soviet Union era. Ghana had a strong relationship with the Soviet Union right from 1957 when we gained our independence. Our first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, made a trip to the Soviet Union, came to Moscow, and met Leonid Brezhnev, the secretary-general of the Communist Party. They had a good rapprochement between the two of them.

They signed beneficial agreements between Ghana and the Soviet Union. The first atomic energy plant project in Africa was initiated in Ghana. That contract was first agreed upon in 1961 but officially signed in 1963, and construction of the plant began in Accra [Ghana’s capital].

Unfortunately, Kwame Nkrumah was overthrown in 1966. Everything was abruptly stopped, and the equipment was removed from Ghana and sent to the US for study. Interestingly, after the coup, the CIA, which had orchestrated the coup, went to the Russian Embassy, ransacked it, and tried to find any evidence. They also ransacked the Chinese Embassy in Ghana to see if there was anything they could seize.

To cut a long story short, they took the equipment to the US for study. So, our relationship started very well. Similar to the Soviet Union, we had the Young Pioneers established in Ghana, and I was a member.

The Russian government at that time gave opportunities for Ghanaians to come and study here. We called them the “snowmen.” The snowmen came to study here right from the time of Kwame Nkrumah, and everything went well. Even after Kwame Nkrumah was overthrown, nothing was truncated. Our relationship continued to grow.

‘The current president did part of his studies in Moscow’

Q: Considering the shifting geopolitical landscape, are there any recent developments you consider especially significant in Ghana-Russia ties?

Dr. Koma Steem Jehu-Appiah: Unfortunately, for the last ten years, until two years ago, the government in Ghana was not friendly to Russia, and so they made a lot of statements. For instance, our [former] president went to the US to talk about how Russians were supporting Burkina Faso, and that posed a challenge for Ghana. I think it was a very unfortunate statement.

But luckily for us, the current president, John Dramani Mahama, did part of his studies in Moscow, and he loves Russians. So the relationship has started to improve. The selling hand for me has been the fact that Russia, on its own, was able to invite Mahama, even when he was in opposition, and they supported him to launch his book, ‘My First Coup D’État’, translated into Russian. He came here [to Moscow] to launch it. So believe me, the relationship has been cordial.

I had an opportunity to meet President Vladimir Putin. And I told him that I want my president to visit this country on the 9th of May, that is Victory Day. For me, that would have sealed a good friendship between the two countries. But we are still working at it.

‘Russia did not colonize any country like other countries did’

Q: Russia’s increased engagement in Africa has raised questions about its strategic goals. How does Ghana view Russia’s growing presence?

Dr. Koma Steem Jehu-Appiah: Do you know one thing about Russia that I like? They have never colonized any country. Russia did not colonize any country like other countries did. The geopolitics of the day meant some countries would not align with what the Soviet Union believed in. But now it has grown warmer and warmer.

Since I’ve been here, from October last year, I’ve attended several programs, and I realized that Russians have good intentions for Africa. And unfortunately, my country, Ghana, has not benefited much. But Russia has good relationships with Egypt, with Namibia, with South Africa. The BRICS, for instance. Some countries were voted to join BRICS. South Africa, Ethiopia, Egypt, they’ve joined. I was at a BRICS meeting in St. Petersburg last November, and I spoke at that program.

So, for me, the relationship is building up, it’s warming up. With the multipolar world and Russians going through a lot of sanctions, I think they’ve turned their attention to Africa. Ghana will start to benefit.

We used to call Ghana the gateway to Africa. But I said we should change it. We should make Ghana the gateway and the destination. Yeah, because we cannot be a gateway where other countries will be the destination.

I’m here to live the dream of my president, John Mahama, who said Ghana is open for business. Before I came here, I organized a business forum for Ghanaian investors who want to travel to Russia. I invited the Russian ambassador in Ghana, Sergey Berdnikov, to listen to what Ghanaians think.

There are a lot of things that Russians can get from Ghana – culture, tourism, gold, cocoa products. I also spoke about organizing an African tourist festival in Moscow so we can demonstrate what we have. Most Russians do not know what we have in Africa or what we have in Ghana. It [the engagement] should not be one direction. We should also have a situation where we can demonstrate what Ghana has for Russia.

Q: And how does Ghana view Russia’s role on the African continent and its influence within international organizations, like the UN?

Dr. Koma Steem Jehu-Appiah: I attended the last African Union meeting in Addis Ababa in 2016, which I believe was the final one that Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe attended. He made a passionate appeal to the UN, urging them to reconsider the composition of the organization, particularly the Security Council, and to give Africa a stronger voice.

When the UN was initially formed, only four African countries were involved. Today, Africa has 54 countries, so why do we still lack representation on the Security Council?

It is crucial that we move from a unipolar world to a multipolar one, where all our voices can be heard. Russia has always supported us with goodwill.

‘Russia is on the side of peace’

Q: Several African countries have faced mounting pressure from Western countries to reassess their growing ties with Moscow amid the Ukraine conflict. Despite this, the majority of the continent’s leaders have remained resolute in their non-aligned position. How does Ghana navigate its diplomatic relationships with Russia while balancing its long-standing ties with Western governments?

Dr. Koma Steem Jehu-Appiah: We are a non-aligned country. The principle Ghana has maintained is to look forward, as Kwame Nkrumah said.

I lived through four presidents in the Soviet Union, right from Brezhnev to Gorbachev, and I knew what it stood for. I have read the history behind the relationship between Russia and Western Europe, NATO, and between Russia and Ukraine. It is a slippery area. Russia is on the side of peace, and I think that we will pray that a peaceful resolution will come to fruition.

So basically, Ghana’s relationship with any country is based on truth. Whichever partner wants to be peaceful, we want to go there. My president, Mahama, said we are resetting the economy. In resetting the economy, we need the whole world to join us. And Russia being Russia, and I know what it can do for other countries. I don’t want Ghana to be left out.

Any leader who stood up to develop it, his life was truncated. I want to say, with Patrice Lumumba of the Democratic Republic of Congo, he was killed just because he wanted to nationalize their resources. Kwame Nkrumah’s role was truncated just because they thought it was too much for the West. Look at what is happening to Burkina Faso right now, to the young man, [its military leader Ibrahim] Traore. I’m happy he’s getting a lot of support from Russia.

So, for development, we know where we should go; we should turn towards that area where they give us support.

Energy expertise

Q: Energy cooperation is one of the pillars of Ghana’s foreign policy, and Russia is regarded as a vital partner in this field. What do you think about Russia’s expertise in the energy sector?

Dr. Koma Steem Jehu-Appiah: There is a program in which one of Ghana’s Ministry of Energy officials visited Russia for an energy forum. An agreement, or nearly signed agreement, has been made to introduce Russian technology to Ghana. One such initiative involves floating energy systems, where barges are placed on the sea or a lake to generate and supply energy to the rest of the country.

Several other initiatives are also underway. The Minister of Energy has had discussions with Russia, and I’m pleased to report that they will be returning this year to continue these talks.

Why Ghanaian students ‘should grab the opportunity’ to study in Russia

Q: Education is a cornerstone of Africa’s partnership with Russia. At the 2023 Russia-Africa summit, President Putin announced a significant increase in educational support, revealing that the number of federal scholarships for African students had risen by 150% over the past three years. What advice would you offer to Ghanaian youth who have the opportunity to study in Russia?

Dr. Koma Steem Jehu-Appiah: They should grab the opportunity with both hands; study the language and immerse themselves in the culture fully. In the field of medicine, for instance, there are a lot of new developments in Russia, and I believe that we should take advantage of that for our country.

We have been bombarded with Western propaganda, so most of them have turned away from the good from Russia. I studied medicine and Russian language here, and my wife met me here in the same school, Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia.

I’ve traveled throughout the world to several places. I got the opportunity to go to Asia, went to Japan, and visited many other places, including the US, Canada, and several others.

I say the best place to live is Moscow. Not because I’m here as ambassador, but because of what I’ve experienced.

Russia has trained thousands of specialists for the Republic of the Congo in recent years, President Vladimir Putin has said during talks with Congolese leader Denis Sassou Nguesso.

Speaking in Moscow on Wednesday, Putin also emphasized that Russia sees strong potential to deepen cooperation across multiple sectors, ranging from economic ties to energy, logistics, agriculture, and geological exploration.

“Eight thousand specialists have been trained in Russia in previous years for your country,” Putin said. 

He congratulated Sassou Nguesso on his reelection last month, noting that Russia was the first foreign destination following the vote, and invited him to take part in the third upcoming Russia-Africa Summit, which will be held in October.

He also thanked Russia for providing mobile laboratories, stressing that this is “extremely important” for the country.

The Congolese president’s state visit to Moscow, running from April 28 to May 2, marks his first trip abroad since his inauguration on April 16 for his eighth presidential term. Sassou Nguesso secured a decisive victory in the March election, where he won 94.8% of the vote against six other candidates. 

Earlier this month, Sassou Nguesso held talks with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak, who headed a Russian delegation and attended the inauguration ceremony. The discussions covered a broad range of areas of cooperation, including energy, trade, finance, industry, and transport.

Zimbabwean nationals and Nigerian citizens in South Africa have been urged to remain vigilant amid reports of violent “anti-foreigner” protests across several cities.

In an advisory on Tuesday, Zimbabwe’s consulate in Johannesburg urged Zimbabweans to avoid areas where demonstrations are ongoing.

”The Consulate of Zimbabwe in Johannesburg and Cape Town have received reports of disturbing demonstrations that are targeting foreign nationals,” said the embassy.

These incidents pose a serious risk to the safety and well-being of Zimbabwean nationals residing in South Africa, they added.

”The government of Zimbabwe is committed to ensuring safety, dignity and well-being of its nationals.”

Zimbabwean nationals have been advised to remain vigilant and avoid areas where demonstrations are taking place. They have also been urged to stay indoors and limit unplanned movement.

”Report any incidents to the local South African Police Services (SAPS), Embassy and the Consulates of Zimbabwe in Johannesburg and Cape Town.”

Meanwhile, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has also appealed to Nigerians in the country to exercise extreme caution as protests allegedly turn violent in multiple provinces.

NiDCOM said that the demonstrators intend to apply pressure on the government over the presence of foreign nationals. The commission advised all Nigerian citizens to avoid any confrontation with protesters and to refrain from engaging with demonstration groups.

Nigerian business owners have specifically been told to close their businesses from Freedom Day, April 27, and to remain closed on April 28 and 29.

🚨🇿🇦 Anti-migrant protests are escalating in SA in #Johannesburg & Durban, with including Nigerians & Ghanaians allegedly being harassed.

The unrest is fueled by 33% unemployment.

Police are on alert ahead of a planned May 4 shutdown. #uyajola99 #OnceAlways Sebelebele @msyj05 pic.twitter.com/jbsVHjtPZ7

— Africa Affair Journal (@AffairAfrica) April 27, 2026

First published by IOL

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has awarded €7.2 million (about $8.4 million) in reparations to victims of an Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist leader convicted of atrocities in northern Mali more than a decade ago.

Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud, 49, a former Islamic police chief, was convicted in 2024 for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including torture, sexual slavery, and religious persecution, committed during the period when armed groups associated with Al-Qaeda controlled the city of Timbuktu from 2012 to 2013. He was sentenced to ten years in prison.

“Al Hassan, as the person found responsible for the crimes which caused the harm to the victims, is the person financially liable for the cost of repairing the harm,” presiding Judge Kimberly Prost said.

Although Al-Hassan was found financially liable for the harm caused, he was declared indigent and unable to pay. As a result, the compensation will be covered by the Trust Fund for Victims, a body established by the Rome Statute. The funds will cover psychological support, vocational training, education, and socio-economic programs for the victims, with a particular focus on women and girls who were disproportionately affected by the abuses, court documents show.

The case was initiated by the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC following a request from Mali’s government, which referred the situation in northern Mali to the court in 2012.

Tuesday’s ruling marks the second ICC reparations order for victims in Mali, following the 2016 conviction of Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi, who was sentenced for being a “co-perpetrator of the war crime” involving the intentional destruction of religious and historic monuments in Timbuktu.

The Battle of Adwa was a blow against Italian colonialism in Ethiopia and a beacon of hope that illuminated the anti-colonial struggle across the globe. On March 1, 1896, in the small town of Adwa, the forces of Ethiopian Emperor Menelik II annihilated the invader – the Italian Army.

The Battle of Adwa was the height of the ‘Scramble for Africa’ when European powers carved up the continent with little regard to its existing kingdoms, peoples, and cultures. Italy, a relative latecomer to the imperial game, had established the colony of Eritrea on the Red Sea coast and set its sights on neighboring Ethiopia.

Two texts of the treaty

In 1889, Italy sought to expand its influence through the Treaty of Wuchale with Emperor Menelik II. The text of Article 17 in Italian stated that Ethiopia was obliged to conduct all foreign affairs through Italy, effectively making it an Italian protectorate. The version in Amharic, however, stated that Ethiopia could use the “good offices” of Italy if it wished – a matter of diplomatic convenience, not subjugation.

After that, General Oreste Baratieri led his forces deep into Ethiopian territory. In response, Menelik issued a call to fight, rallying a vast army not just from his own Shewa region, but also from all corners of the empire. Amhara, Tigray, Oromo, and others formed a national coalition, which was a mosaic of Ethiopia’s peoples united by a common purpose. Menelik had secured modern rifles and artillery from Russia and France.

By early 1896, Menelik had assembled a massive force of up to 100,000 troops, compared with Italy’s army of 17,000 to 20,000 men. General Baratieri, facing the prospect of retreat or defeat and goaded by his officers who insisted that Italy would prefer the loss of two or three thousand men to a dishonorable retreat, launched a nighttime advance on February 29, 1896.

The battle: A day that shook the empire

The Italian plan fell apart in the darkness. At dawn, they stumbled into the massive Ethiopian encampment, disoriented and divided. Menelik and his 12 commanders, including Empress Taytu and Ras Mekonnen, seized the opportunity. They unleashed their army in a coordinated, overwhelming assault. Wave after wave of Ethiopian warriors, armed with modern rifles, lances, and swords, engulfed the isolated Italian columns.

The fighting was fierce and bloody, and by the afternoon, the battle was over. It left two Italian generals, Dabormida and Arimondi, dead, and a third, Albertone, captured. Over 4,000 Italian soldiers were killed, nearly 2,000 were captured, and all of their artillery was seized.

Ethiopian losses were significant but far lighter and laid the Italian dream of an East African empire in ruins on the slopes of Adwa. Italy was stunned; riots broke out in Rome. The European powers, who had so casually divided a continent, were forced to reckon with the reality that an African power had defeated a modern European army on the battlefield.

The victory also resonated deeply in the Caribbean and other part of globe where descendants of enslaved Africans found immense pride in the triumph. Adwa became a foundational event for the Pan-African movement, a concrete example of what African unity and self-determination could achieve.

The first president of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah, one of the founders of Pan-Africanism, proclaimed the victory “a turning point in African history, demonstrating that Africans can unite to defeat colonial powers.”

The subsequent Treaty of Addis Ababa formally recognized Ethiopia’s absolute sovereignty and independence, ensuring it would not be colonized while the rest of the continent was carved up.

The victory at Adwa did not only free Ethiopia, but also shifted the historical narrative to another trajectory. It has helped Ethiopia, even today, develop its own narrative by supporting its citizens with great projects such as the Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam (GERD), Ethiopian Airlines, Green Legacy Initiatives, and others. Moreover, Adwa stands as a cornerstone holding Africans together in developing their own way of solving issues related to their continent, such as the Nile Basin initiative.

The Adwa victory affirmed that self-determination is non-negotiable and provided an unpredictable strategy to the African diaspora across the globe.

Ghana has rejected a proposed health assistance agreement with the US over requirements to share sensitive health data, a source familiar with the negotiations told RT on Tuesday.

The decision marks another setback to Washington’s overhaul of foreign aid, following the dismantling of the US Agency for International Development last year when President Donald Trump returned to office. The new ‘America First Global Health Strategy’ mandates what the State Department calls co-investment from recipient governments, aiming to reduce dependency on foreign aid and promote US health innovations globally.

According to a source Reuters cites, Ghana’s government objected to data-sharing terms in the deal, which would have provided $109 million in US health assistance over five years. The West African country received $219 million in US foreign aid in 2024, including $96 million for health, before the Trump administration’s aid cuts, official data shows.

Negotiations reportedly began last November, but Accra came under increasing pressure as Washington set an April 24 deadline to finalize the deal.

“They were pretty normal dealings and negotiations in the beginning, and then increasingly there was a lot more pressure, especially at the end,” the source reportedly said.

The US State Department said it does not disclose details of bilateral talks. “We continue to look for ways to strengthen the bilateral partnership between our two countries,” a spokesperson told Reuters.

So far, 32 countries have signed agreements with Washington under the initiative, totaling $20.6 billion, which includes $12.8 billion in US funding and $7.8 billion from partner countries, according to the State Department.

Ghana is not the first country to withdraw from the pact. In February, Zimbabwe rejected a $367 million US proposal, citing demands for access to sensitive health data, including virus samples and epidemiological information, without guaranteed access to resulting medical innovations.

In December, Kenya’s High Court suspended the implementation of its deal pending a case over data safety, while a proposed $1 billion deal with Zambia has faced criticism over data-sharing terms and reported links to cooperation on critical minerals.

The recent coordinated terrorist attacks on Mali were aimed at seizing power and destabilizing the country’s institutions, Prime Minister Abdoulaye Maiga has said.

Mali’s capital, Bamako, along with Kati, Gao, Sevare, and Kidal, came under militant attack on Saturday. The assault was claimed by Al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and the Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front (FLA). The coordinated offensive targeted military sites, key infrastructure, and senior officials, but was repelled by Malian forces.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, the first day of national mourning for Defense Minister General Sadio Camara, who was killed in the attacks, Maiga condemned the violence as an attempt to derail Mali’s political transition process.

”It is evident that only the support of sponsors enabled these cowardly and barbaric acts,” the prime minister said, adding that the attackers sought “to sow fear and doubt... break national cohesion” and “undermine our determination.”

Russia’s Defense Ministry has also described the assault as an attempted coup by JNIM and the FLA against Mali’s military-led government.

On Sunday, Malian Chief of General Staff Oumar Diarra said on state TV that security forces killed over 200 terrorists across the country and seized large quantities of equipment during the fighting.

The Africa Corps, a Russian Defense Ministry unit deployed in Mali, said it provided air support, helping Malian forces prevent the militants from seizing key sites, including the presidential palace in Bamako.

Earlier this year, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused France of using “outright terrorist groups” and “colonial methods” in what he described as efforts to overthrow “undesirable nationalist governments” in the Sahel.

The Alliance of Sahel States (AES), comprising Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, has made similar allegations against France, accusing the former colonial power of sponsoring terrorism in the region to destabilize military-led governments. The three countries have cut defense ties with Paris, expelled French troops previously deployed on counterterrorism missions, and turned to Russia for security support.

On Monday, Prime Minister Maiga vowed that Mali would continue its fight “until the total eradication of terrorism” in the region.

At least 231 illegal immigrants have been arrested in two separate intelligence-led crackdowns targeting irregular migration, the Ugandan Ministry of Internal Affairs said on Tuesday. 

On Monday, in Adjumani District, officers of Uganda’s National Citizenship and Immigration Control (NCIC) detained 62 Nigerian nationals who were allegedly engaged in unauthorized activities, including the operation of a church, without work permits.

A larger raid took place overnight between April 27-28 in the Bukoto-Ntinda area of Kampala, where 169 foreign nationals, including 36 women, were caught in a single apartment complex. 

According to authorities, the building functioned as a closed compound with internal facilities such as a restaurant, designed to limit movement. Inside the premises, officers reportedly seized computers and other equipment suspected of being used for online scams, illegal betting, and cyber-related fraud.

Some individuals have claimed that they were trafficked into Uganda under false promises of employment, while others are suspected of direct involvement in cybercrime. 

“All 231 individuals arrested across these two operations are currently undergoing rigorous screening and processing,” officials said, adding that “cases involving suspected cyber crime or trafficking will be handed over to law enforcement agencies for further investigation.”

All 14 people on board a small passenger aircraft died after it went down roughly 20km southwest of Juba on Monday, South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority (SSCAA) confirmed.  

The plane, a Cessna 208 Caravan operated by CityLink Aviation, had been en route from Yei to the capital when it suddenly lost contact with air traffic control less than half an hour after takeoff.  

According to aviation officials, the aircraft departed at 09:15 local time and disappeared from radar at around 09:43. On board were 13 passengers and one pilot. The victims included two Kenyan nationals and 12 citizens of South Sudan. 

“Unfortunately, there were no survivors,” the SSCAA reported. 

South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 but it has remained volatile since the end of a five-year civil war that erupted in 2013 over a feud between President Salva Kiir Mayardit and First Vice President Riek Machar, who is currently under arrest. 

The country has faced challenges with aviation safety before. In January 2025, a Beechcraft 1900D carrying oil workers went down shortly after takeoff in Unity State en route to Juba, killing 20 of the 21 people on board.  

South Africa has withdrawn its draft national artificial intelligence policy after an internal review confirmed that the document’s reference list contained fictitious sources, Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi announced on Sunday.

Malatsi said the lapse “compromised the integrity and credibility” of the draft and that the most plausible explanation was unverified AI-generated citations.

“South Africans deserve better,” he said, adding that officials involved in drafting and quality assurance would face “consequence management.”

“In fact, this unacceptable lapse proves why vigilant human oversight over the use of artificial intelligence is critical. It’s a lesson we take with humility,” the minister said in a statement.

The draft, gazetted April 10 after cabinet approval on March 25, had been open for public comment until June 10. It was meant to build on South Africa’s 2024 AI policy framework and guide sector-specific approaches to AI regulation, infrastructure, research, skills, and public-sector use, as well as positioning the country as a leader in AI innovation in Africa.

In a post on X on Saturday, Khusela Diko, the chair of the South African parliament’s portfolio committee on communications, urged Malatsi to withdraw and review the policy draft immediately to avoid “further embarrassment.”

This is not the first controversy involving AI-hallucinated sources in Africa’s most industrialized nation. Last year, a judge at the Pietermaritzburg High Court referred Surendra Singh and Associates to the Legal Practice Council for possible investigation after it was revealed that the law firm had used AI to generate non-existent case references.

Malian security forces eliminated more than 200 terrorists nationwide and seized significant quantities of equipment, Malian Chief of General Staff Oumar Diarra said on state TV on Sunday night.

On Saturday, militants carried out attacks on Bamako, Kati, Gao, Sevare, and Kidal. The operations were claimed by the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) together with the Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front (FLA). The coordinated strikes focused on military installations, critical infrastructure, and high-ranking officials, but were halted by Malian forces.

“During the operation … the enemy was routed, and this response was consistent with the threats and attacks organized by the terrorists,” Diarra said, adding that “more than 200 terrorists were neutralized.”

Authorities also confirmed that Defense Minister General Sadio Camara died from injuries sustained after a suicide car bombing hit his residence amid the wave of attacks.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry stated that it “strongly condemns” the incidents reported on April 25 across Mali. 

The Chinese Embassy in Mali said it “expresses its deep sorrow” over the death of Sadio Camara and “strongly condemns the terrorist attacks,” offering “deepest condolences” to the victims.

The Russian Embassy in Bamako echoed the criticism, calling the assaults “cowardly attacks” aimed at destabilizing the state, while Moscow’s Foreign Ministry voiced “deep concern,” warning the actions pose a “direct threat” to Mali’s stability.

The Russian Foreign Ministry added that preliminary data points to the possible involvement of Western security services in training the attackers. Earlier this year, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused France of “attempting to overthrow undesirable nationalist governments” in the Sahara-Sahel using “outright terrorist groups” and “colonial methods.”

After Mali expelled French forces in 2022, Burkina Faso and Niger followed suit, accusing Paris of providing direct support to terrorists.

Kenya’s Sebastian Sawe made history at the London Marathon on Sunday, breaking the world record and becoming the first runner to complete the distance in under two hours during an official competitive race.

The 31-year-old clocked an extraordinary time of 1:59:30 for the 42.2 km course, setting a new world record and surpassing the previous mark of 2:00:35, which had been held by the late Kenyan runner Kelvin Kiptum at the 2023 Chicago Marathon.

Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha remained close behind Sawe, finishing second in 1:59:41. Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo secured third place with a time of 2:00:28.

“I am feeling good, I am happy, it’s a day to remember for me,” Sawe told the BBC.

Sawe’s achievement drew praise from Kenyan President William Ruto, who called the result “more than a win.”

“Triumph places you [Sawe] firmly among the greats of global athletics and reaffirms Kenya as an enduring force at the pinnacle of distance running,” Ruto said on X, adding: “You have lifted our flag high, inspired a nation, and reminded the world of the power of determination. We are proud.”

BREAKING VIDEO: Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe becomes the first person ever to win a regular marathon in under two hours, setting a new world record at the London Marathon in 1:59:30!

Kenyans invented running™ pic.twitter.com/esN8QAwWmm

— Larry Madowo (@LarryMadowo) April 26, 2026

Kenyan legend Eliud Kipchoge famously ran a sub-two-hour marathon in Vienna in 2019, although his time of 1:59:40 was not recognized as a world record as the event was unofficial and held in non-competitive conditions. 

The London Marathon also saw a record-breaking run in the women’s race. Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa set a new world record of 2:15:41, finishing ahead of Kenya’s Helen Obiri and Joyciline Jepkosgei. 

Athletes from Kenya have repeatedly broken new ground in long-distance running, consistently remaining among the world’s strongest competitors in major races.

According to the Russian Embassy in Kenya, the event in Moscow gathered about 23,000 participants from 33 countries. 

Earlier in April, another Kenyan athlete, John Korir, claimed victory at the Boston Marathon for the second consecutive year, establishing a new course record of 2:01:52.

Mali’s defense minister, General Sadio Camara, has died of his injuries after a shootout with militants following a suicide car bombing that targeted his residence during a wave of coordinated terrorist attacks across the West African country, the transitional government has confirmed.

Camara, who served as minister of state and minister of defense and veterans affairs, died of injuries sustained during Saturday’s assault on his home in Kati, a garrison town near the capital, Bamako. The government said his residence was struck by a vehicle bomb driven by a suicide attacker, after which Camara exchanged fire with the assailants and “neutralized” some of them before being wounded.

The attack caused part of the residence to collapse, killing or injuring others nearby and destroying a mosque where worshipers were inside, according to the government statement.

Russia has a military presence in the West African country, which has been reeling from terrorist threats for years despite a decade-long French military mission. Mali expelled French forces in 2022, followed later by Burkina Faso and Niger, accusing Paris of providing direct support to terrorists.

Camara was one of the most influential figures in Mali’s ruling security establishment and a key architect of Bamako’s turn away from French-led security cooperation. The authorities said he would receive a national funeral.

Russia’s Africa Corps has released several videos of devastating air and artillery strikes on terrorist columns in Mali after the militants launched one of the largest coordinated attacks ever across the country. The unit added that the attack, which it said involved Western and Ukrainian mercenaries, was aimed at a coup d’etat in the West African country.

The footage released by the unit – which operates under the purview of the Russian Defense Ministry – offers a rare visual account of the fighting which erupted on Saturday when Al-Qaeda affiliate JNIM and the Tuareg-dominated Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) launched almost simultaneous strikes on Bamako, Kati, Gao, Kidal, and Sevare.

One video shows a column of trucks driving along an open road before coming under what appears to be artillery or drone-delivered fire.

In the second, a dispersed group of apparent militants is seen running alongside moving vehicles in an urban area when two or three strikes land in their midst.

The third video shows the bombardment of a small column of fast-moving light buggies.

In a statement, the Africa Corps said it essentially helped prevent a coup d’etat, as they held positions along the 2,000-km front line. It added that it provided air support, which it said prevented the seizure of key facilities, including the presidential palace in Bamako. According to the unit, militant casualties exceeded 1,000 – including an estimated 200 in Bamako, 500 in Gao, 300 in Kati, and 200 in Kidal – along with more than 100 vehicles destroyed.

The Africa Corps said some of its personnel sustained injuries and were being evacuated, while describing the situation in Mali as tense.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said “preliminary data” points to the possible involvement of Western security services in training the attackers. Earlier this year, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused France of “attempting to overthrow undesirable nationalist governments” in the Sahara-Sahel using “outright terrorist groups” and “colonial methods.”

The Africa Corps was established in 2023 and has since operated in Mali, the Central African Republic, and other states, with a mandate including counter-terrorism, training local forces, and securing strategic sites.

Western countries may have played a role in one of Mali’s largest-ever coordinated terrorist assaults, which struck Bamako’s international airport, the garrison town of Kati, and three other cities across the country, the Russian Foreign Ministry has said.

In a Telegram post on Saturday, the ministry said roughly 250 fighters had targeted Modibo Keita International Airport and an adjacent military base in Bamako. Responsibility for the attack was claimed by regional Al-Qaeda affiliate JNIM and the Tuareg-dominated separatist rebel group Azawad Liberation Front (FLA). The raid was ultimately repelled by Malian forces.

Local authorities did not give an official death toll of the attack – which also reportedly targeted senior leadership – but said 16 people were wounded.

“The Russian side expresses deep concern over the unfolding events”, the ministry said, adding that the fighting “creates a direct threat to the stability of Mali, a state with friendly relations with Russia,” and risks “the most negative consequences for the entire surrounding region.”

It added that mop-up operations are still underway and that “preliminary data indicate that Western security services could have been involved in training” of the insurgents.

Russia has a military presence in the West African country, which has been reeling under terrorist threats for years, called the Africa Corps. Established in 2023, the unit operates under the purview of the Russian Defense Ministry and assists in combating terrorism and training local forces.

The Corps also released several pictures of the aftermath of the fighting and captured weapons.

Russia suggested a Western hand in the attack after Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov earlier this year said that France was “attempting to overthrow undesirable nationalist governments” in the Sahara-Sahel region, relying on “outright terrorist groups and Ukrainian militants” to do so, and using what he called “colonial methods.” He has separately said that France’s support for terrorists in Mali is revenge for Bamako’s sovereign choice to draw closer to Moscow.

France has had long-running interests in its former colony, but has seen its influence in the region dwindle in recent years. In 2022, France ended its almost-decade-long counterterrorism mission in Mali after local authorities expelled the troops while accusing Paris of backing terrorists – an allegation French officials have denied.

Heavy fighting erupted on the outskirts of Mali’s capital and in several major cities on Saturday after a wave of coordinated attacks claimed by regional Al-Qaeda affiliate JNIM and the Tuareg-dominated separatist rebel group FLA.

Gunfire and explosions were reported around Kati, home to Mali’s main military base and the residence of President Assimi Goita. AP said the capital’s international airport area also came under attack. Witnesses cited by Reuters reported helicopters overhead and roads blocked by security forces. They also described heavy fighting in the central town of Sevare and the northern cities of Gao and Kidal.

The Malian Army said it was fighting “unidentified terrorist groups” and later declared the situation under control, adding that sweeping anti-terrorist operations were continuing. Army spokesman Col. Souleymane Dembele said at least 80 militants had been eliminated around the country.

The Al-Qaeda-linked group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying it targeted the residence of Defense Minister Sadio Camara, military positions in Kati, and Modibo Keita International Airport in Bamako.

The attack was coordinated with the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), a Tuareg-dominated rebel alliance, which separately claimed that it had taken control of Kidal, a strategically important city that Malian forces recaptured in November 2023 with the help of the Russian private military company Wagner Group after more than a decade of rebel control.

The attacks came just days after the African Corps – a unit of the Russian Defense Ministry that replaced Wagner in the region last year – successfully freed two geological exploration workers who had been held hostage by JNIM in the Sahel for nearly two years.

Bamako has accused Paris of “providing direct support to terrorists,” which Paris has denied. Mali expelled French forces in 2022, followed later by Burkina Faso and Niger. The three Sahel states have since formed the Alliance of Sahel States, a mutual defense pact supported by Russia, and formally broken away from the West African ECOWAS bloc.

Russian intelligence services have gone further, alleging that French President Emmanuel Macron authorized a plan to “eliminate ‘undesirable leaders’” in Africa. Ukraine has also faced accusations of providing intelligence and supplying kamikaze drones to the terrorist groups behind the deadly insurgency in Mali.

More than 500 people, including children, were killed in mass disorder after Tanzania’s disputed election last year, according to an official report published on Thursday.

Violent protests erupted across the East African country after the October 29 vote. President Samia Suluhu Hassan, one of only two female heads of state in Africa, won 97% of the votes, granting her a first full five-year term as an elected head of state. She initially assumed the presidency in March 2021 following the death of former President John Magufuli.

A commission set up to investigate the unrest announced that at least 518 people died from “unnatural causes,” including 197 who were shot dead. More than 2,000 people were injured, with 833 suffering gunshot wounds, the report said, adding that the toll could rise due to undocumented burials and missing records.

“Of the 518 deaths, 21 were children. In this group, 15 were children aged between 15 and 17 years, four were aged between seven and ten years, and two were under five years of age,” the commission’s chairman, retired Chief Justice Mohamed Chande Othman, said on Thursday.

The report also stated that 245 people remain missing and that 39 families reported seeing the bodies of relatives in morgues before they later disappeared. While the commission did not assign responsibility for the deaths, it recommended further investigation into the use of firearms during the unrest.

The authorities imposed an internet shutdown during the unrest. In November, the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) reported that hundreds of people were killed, with an unknown number injured or detained. It condemned the alleged use of “unnecessary or disproportionate force,” including lethal weapons, against protesters by the police.

A 208-page report released on Monday by the Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition also documented claims of mass graves, citing accounts of bodies being taken from morgues and buried in undisclosed locations.

“The information and evidence confirm that there were people roaming around in various places… inciting and recruiting various people to participate in violence during and after the general election,” it stated.

The commission said its findings will guide constitutional reforms and the creation of an investigative body to pursue accountability for those involved in the turmoil.

South Africa’s national police commissioner, Fannie Masemola, has been suspended following allegations of corruption linked to a 360 million-rand ($21 million) contract for health and wellness services, the presidency confirmed on Thursday.

Masemola appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, facing four counts of violating the Public Finance Management Act. Prosecutors allege that the contract was awarded unlawfully, with some police officers receiving bribes from the winning bidders.

The charges against Masemola stem from his role as the accounting officer for the police service.

He has denied the accusations but has yet to enter a plea. Businessman Vusimuzi Matlala, whose company Medicare24 secured the controversial contract, has yet to enter his plea along with 15 others accused of corruption, fraud, and money laundering. The case has been postponed until May 13.

In a statement on Thursday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said he has decided to place Masemola on “precautionary suspension” pending the conclusion of the case.

The decision is necessary “in consideration of the seriousness of these charges and the critical role of the National Commissioner in leading the fight against crime,” Ramaphosa stated.

The suspension comes amid growing concerns over corruption within South Africa’s law enforcement agencies. Last year, Ramaphosa took similar actions against Police Minister Senzo Mchunu following allegations that he had conspired with a criminal network and interfered with investigations into political assassinations.

Ramaphosa placed Mchunu on immediate leave and set up the Madlanga Commission of inquiry to investigate the allegations, which were brought forward by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

He said the newly appointed acting National Commissioner is expected to urgently address weaknesses in police procurement and “sustain the momentum” of Pretoria’s “fight against crime and corruption.”

More than 400 migrants have been rescued off Libya’s eastern coast this week, after they were found at risk of drowning, the Libyan Red Crescent Society announced on Thursday.

The route via the Central Mediterranean is considered one of the world’s deadliest, with more than 1,300 people lost along it in 2025, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Missing Migrants Project.

The IOM also said earlier this week that 4,407 migrants had been intercepted and returned to Libya in 2026. 

The rescue operation was carried out in coordination with the UN refugee agency, the Red Crescent reported. A total of 404 migrants of various nationalities were taken off ten overcrowded boats near the eastern city of Tobruk, about 1,600 km from the capital, Tripoli, after enduring difficult conditions that put their lives in danger.

Libya has become one of the main transit points for refugees from Africa and the Middle East trying to reach Europe via the Central Mediterranean. They are fleeing armed conflict, political instability, and economic hardship in countries such as Sudan and Nigeria, and parts of the Sahel.

The boats are usually overcrowded and unsafe, and many sink or capsize before reaching European waters.

In February, the IOM stated that at least 53 migrants, including two babies, had died or gone missing after a boat capsized off the coast of Libya. 

“These tragedies are preventable. Urgent action is needed to protect lives and ensure safe, regular pathways on the Central Mediterranean route,” the agency said in a statement on Facebook.

The Seychelles is facing a sharp drop in tourist arrivals amid the war in the Middle East, but hopes to offset losses with an increase in Russian visitors, President Patrick Herminie has said.

Speaking to RT, the head of the African state noted that the island nation has seen “the drastic reduction in tourism arrivals by 40%,” a downturn that is hitting the economy hard, as “tourism is the mainstay of our [Seychelles’] economy.”

He linked the decline to disruptions in regional air travel following the start of the conflict triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February. Multiple countries across the Middle East have imposed airspace restrictions, forcing airlines to reroute or cancel flights, while airports in the region were also affected.

The disruption has been compounded by rising aviation fuel costs, driven by instability around the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil route. Amid a deepening fuel crisis, several African carriers have raised fares or introduced surcharges, including Kenya Airways, Air Mauritius, Ethiopian Airlines, and RwandAir.

At the same time, the president pointed to Russia as a growing and stable source of tourists, noting that Russians already account for more than 22% of arrivals.

The government is now preparing additional steps to boost this trend, including plans to strengthen its diplomatic presence. “We’ll be setting up an embassy here with a tourism ambassador so that we can know on hand what exactly must we do… to get more tourists from Russia to Seychelles,” he stated.

Moscow has also signaled an interest in expanding tourism ties. During a meeting with Herminie on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said there is potential to further increase tourist flows from Russia to the Seychelles.

Following the talks, Russian authorities indicated they are ready to consider new flight connections, including a possible route linking Dar es Salaam, Victoria, and Moscow.

Watch the full interview.

Russian forces deployed in Mali have rescued two employees of a Russian geological exploration company who had been held hostage in the Sahel for nearly two years, the Defense Ministry in Moscow announced on Tuesday.

According to an official statement, the freed captives – Russian citizen Oleg Greta, 64, and Ukrainian national Yuri Yurov, 56 – were abducted by the Al-Qaeda affiliate, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), in 2024 in Niger’s Tillaberi region.

“As a result of a special operation conducted by the Africa Corps in the Republic of Mali, employees of a Russian geological exploration company captured in July 2024 in Niger by the terrorist group… were freed,” the Russian Defense Ministry wrote in its Telegram channel.

The ministry said both men were found in poor health and suffering from severe physical exhaustion following their detention. After initial medical checks at an Africa Corps facility, they are to be flown to Moscow for further treatment and rehabilitation, it added.

The African Corps – a unit of the Russian Defense Ministry – replaced the private military company (PMC) Wagner Group, which officially withdrew from the Sahel in June 2025.

Ukraine has also faced accusations of providing intelligence and supplying kamikaze drones to the terrorist groups behind the deadly insurgency in Mali.

Earlier this month, Abdul Niang, a senior Malian media executive, told RT that defense cooperation with Russia has helped Mali and its AES allies strengthen their armed forces, reclaim strategic ground, and intensify operations against jihadist groups.

At least 20 people have been killed in coordinated attacks by suspected Boko Haram militants in two remote communities in northeastern Nigeria, local officials have reported.

The violence marks the latest in a series of brutal assaults in the ongoing security crisis that has plagued Africa’s most populous nation. Earlier this month, the US warned its citizens to avoid Nigeria, pointing to the growing danger.

Gunmen riding motorbikes raided the villages of Pubagu in Borno and Mayo-Ladde in Adamawa, opening fire on residents and overpowering local vigilantes, Mada Saidu, chairman of Askira-Uba local government area, said in a statement on Wednesday.

Mada confirmed that 11 people, including four vigilantes, were killed in Pubagu, and two others were injured. The insurgents also set fire to a church, along with several homes and properties. In Mayo-Ladde, which lies on the border between Borno and Adamawa states, nine people were killed, he added.

“Pubagu is one of the locations in our council area that had never suffered such an attack until yesterday,” Mada said after the burial of the victims on Wednesday, AP reported.

On April 9, the two armed groups targeted the headquarters of the 29 Task Force Brigade in Benisheikh, located in Borno State, killing an army general and several soldiers.

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 denied claims that they are the only group being targeted, saying the violence affects Nigerians of all faiths.

Russia has announced new initiatives to combat infectious diseases in Africa, including responding to a mysterious outbreak in Burundi and expanding cooperation with the Republic of the Congo.

In recent years, mpox – a rare deadly tropical disease – has spread across parts of the continent, while several countries have also faced other infection outbreaks, and Ebola and cholera have killed thousands in West and Central Africa.

Russia’s public health agency, Rospotrebnadzor, announced on Tuesday that it will establish an epidemiology and infection prevention center in the Republic of the Congo. A memorandum was signed by its head, Anna Popova, and Congo’s minister of health and population, Jean-Rosaire Ibara.

“The creation of the center will ensure the national sovereignty of the Republic of the Congo in the field of biosafety,” the Rospotrebnadzor press service noted.

The move follows a 2023 agreement on sanitary and epidemiological cooperation signed on the sidelines of the second Russia-Africa Summit in St. Petersburg.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 35 cases have been identified and at least five people have died in the Mpanda district. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, blood in the urine, fatigue, and jaundice.

Laboratory tests for Ebola, Marburg, and other known diseases have returned negative, raising concerns about the nature of the outbreak.

“While it’s reassuring that preliminary analysis is negative for these serious infections, further investigations are ongoing,” Lydwine Badarahana, Burundi’s minister of health, has said.

Rospotrebnadzor reported it has sent a proposal to assist Burundi and noted that a joint infectious disease research center is already operating in Bujumbura.

Russia has been expanding health cooperation with African countries in recent years. In July, Rospotrebnadzor began training Ugandan medical personnel, and has also supplied Burkina Faso with a mobile laboratory capable of processing up to 800 tests per day for more than 20 infectious diseases.

Pope Leo XIV has criticized the “colonization” of Africa’s mineral resources in a speech in Equatorial Guinea, one of the continent’s top oil producers, where nearly half of the population still lives in poverty.

The pontiff arrived in the central African nation on Tuesday for the final leg of his 11-day tour of the continent, having previously visited Algeria, Cameroon, and Angola. He was warmly welcomed by flag-waving and cheering crowds in the administrative capital, Malabo.

In his address to Equatorial Guinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and other officials, Pope Leo echoed the words of Pope Francis, who passed away one year ago, stating, “We must also say ‘thou shalt not’ to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills.”

“It is clear today that the proliferation of armed conflicts is often driven by the exploitation of oil and mineral deposits, with no regard for international law or the self-determination of peoples,” he said.

A peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo to end decades of violence in eastern Congo, mediated by Trump, also includes plans to establish a regional economic framework tied to US investment in the country’s cobalt, coltan, and other critical minerals sectors.

Equatorial Guinea possesses significant oil wealth and is one of the richest economies in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, this wealth has not translated into broad prosperity, with poverty remaining widespread in the former Spanish colony, according to a World Bank report published last November.

Six people, including a retired major general and a serving police officer, have been charged with treason and terrorism for their alleged involvement in a plot to overthrow Nigerian President Bola Tinubu.

The suspects are among 16 security personnel arrested last October following media reports of a foiled coup in the West African country. The military confirmed the incident in January, stating that “a number” of officers were involved in a conspiracy to destabilize the government in violation of the ethical standards of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

On Monday, the government filed 13 charges against six of the suspects accused of masterminding the conspiracy. They are retired Major-General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, retired Captain Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni, and Abdulkadir Sani.

According to court documents cited by state broadcaster NTA on Tuesday, the defendants “conspired with one another to levy war against the state in an attempt to overthrow the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.” 

The six were remanded in custody, while former Bayelsa State Governor Timipre Sylva, charged with helping to cover up the plot, is reportedly at large.

President Tinubu, who assumed office in May 2023, has faced criticism for a cost-of-living crisis triggered in part by economic reforms, including the removal of a fuel subsidy as part of efforts to reduce the budget deficit in Africa’s most populous country. His administration is also grappling with a security crisis marked by escalating violence from insurgent groups, kidnappers, and militant factions.

Nigeria transitioned from military rule in 1999, and has experienced its longest period of uninterrupted democratic government since gaining independence from Britain in 1960.

Zimbabwe’s gold-backed currency (ZiG) is undervalued by nearly half and should be trading much stronger against the US dollar, the southern African nation’s central bank has said.

Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor John Mushayavanhu said on Friday that the ZiG should be valued at around 15 to the US dollar, compared with the official rate of about 25, Bloomberg reported on Monday.

“If we wanted to buy back all the local currency in circulation using our reserves, we could do so at an exchange rate of around 15 to the dollar,” Mushayavanhu said.

The ZiG was launched in April 2024 to replace the Zimbabwe dollar, which had been battered by inflation and repeated bouts of depreciation. It was billed as a currency backed by gold and foreign exchange reserves, with Harare presenting it as a key plank in its push to stabilize prices and eventually reduce reliance on the US dollar. Zimbabwe held 3.4 metric tons of gold reserves as of June 2025, according to official data.

Despite lower inflation and efforts to stabilize the currency, more than 90% of transactions in Zimbabwe are still done in US dollars, the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) said. In a December report, the group said confidence in the local currency remains low, with many businesses viewing its current stability as artificial and unsustainable. The IMF has also warned that the central bank continues to support the exchange rate by selling foreign currency, meaning it is still heavily managed.

“It’s a function of the confidence of the market in the central bank, and we’re still trying to rebuild that confidence,” Mushayavanhu said in an interview on the sidelines of the spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Washington, according to Bloomberg.

“We had lost it and we’re trying to rebuild it,” the governor added.

More than 14 million people have been forced to flee their homes since war broke out in Sudan three years ago, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Monday, describing the situation as “the world’s largest displacement and protection crisis.”

Sudan plunged into a civil war in April 2023 after a struggle for power broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The conflict has been marked by widespread violence against civilians, including killings, sexual violence, and attacks on specific ethnic groups, the UNHCR said. Basic infrastructure has collapsed in parts of the country, with clinics closing and aid programs scaled back due to insecurity and funding shortfalls.

Nearly 12 million people remain displaced, including 6.8 million within Sudan, while around 4.5 million have sought refuge in neighboring countries such as the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan, and Uganda, the agency said.

The UNHCR warned that its 2026 regional response plan, which requires $1.6 billion, remains severely underfunded, with only about a quarter of the needed financing secured so far.

Sudan has also topped the International Rescue Committee’s (IRC) Emergency Watchlist for global humanitarian crises for the third consecutive year, ahead of the Palestinian territories and South Sudan. At least three children a day are dying in El-Fasher, North Darfur due to food shortages, according to the Sudan Doctors Network. 

The crisis is increasingly destabilizing neighboring states, with violence spilling across the borders into countries such as Chad, which hosts more than 1.3 million Sudanese refugees.

Aid agencies warn that funding shortages mean basic needs are going unmet. Conditions in Chad are dire, with refugees often receiving less water than minimum standards require, while food assistance is being cut. The UN says it can currently support only four in ten refugees in Chad.

Ugandan and Congolese troops have rescued more than 200 teenagers from captivity after raiding a camp run by the Islamic State-linked Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the authorities said on Sunday.

The abductees were freed last week during an offensive along the River Epulu, the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) said in a press release.

Several militants were killed and weapons seized during the joint operation at the camp, which the army said was under the control of “notorious” ADF commander Ssebagala, also known as Mzee Mayor.

“Among those rescued was a 14-year-old girl, the youngest, while the oldest was a 19-year-old boy. Many recounted harsh conditions in captivity, including lack of food, forced labor, and punishment for disobedience,” the UPDF said.

The army added that several were in poor condition and appeared to be suffering from untreated illnesses, including malaria, respiratory infections, and physical exhaustion.

Ugandan and Congolese forces launched Operation Shujaa in late 2021 to counter the ADF threat after a wave of deadly bombings and cross-border attacks, but the group has continued to stage deadly raids.

The Ugandan army, however, said joint operations have intensified since January, “leading to significant gains.”

South Africa will push to put inequality at the center of the global agenda through a UN resolution, President Cyril Ramaphosa has said.

Pretoria plans to submit a draft to the UN General Assembly in 2026 proposing the creation of an International Panel on Inequality.

“This will ensure that inequality is placed as a critical issue on the global agenda that requires the ongoing attention of world leaders and the broader United Nations system,” Ramaphosa said in Barcelona on Saturday.

The proposal has already received backing from the African Union, he added, calling on UN member states and civil society to support the initiative.

The body would be modeled on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and tasked with monitoring global inequality trends, assessing their causes and impacts, and evaluating policy responses.

Inequality, as defined in the G20-backed report, includes disparities in income, wealth and access to opportunities, as well as differences in economic development among countries.

The World Inequality Report 2026, compiled by more than 200 researchers, found that the top 10% of earners receive more income than the remaining 90% combined, while the poorest half of the global population accounts for less than 10% of total income.

“If we are to build democracy, to strengthen democracy across the world, if we are to empower people to take charge of their lives, it is essential that we intensify the struggle for equality and social justice,” Cyril Ramaphosa said.

The initiative comes amid a broader push by African nations to assert their positions more forcefully on the global stage, including calls for historical accountability, the return of cultural artifacts, and greater recognition of past injustices.

In March, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution led by Ghana describing the transatlantic chattel slave trade as the “gravest crime against humanity” and calling for reparations.

Nigeria’s broadcast regulator has tightened the rules for radio and TV stations ahead of the West African nation’s 2027 general election, warning presenters against airing personal opinions, “bullying” guests, and broadcasting “divisive” political material.

Breaches will attract sanctions, the National Broadcasting Commission said in a notice on Friday, adding that it has seen a “sustained increase” in violations of the broadcasting code across news, current affairs, and political programs.

“As Nigeria enters a critical electoral period, the airwaves must not amplify tension or propagate misinformation,” the NBC stated.

It said presenters found to have “expressed personal opinion as fact, bullied or intimidated a guest, denied fair hearing to opposing views, or otherwise compromised neutrality” would be deemed to have committed a ‘Class B breach’. These include violations involving hate speech, fake news, and copyright-related offenses, and can attract a written warning, reduced broadcast hours, and financial penalties of up to 4.999 million Nigerian naira ($3,724) for public and commercial broadcasters.

Nigeria already prohibits presenters from expressing personal opinions as fact, denying opposing views a fair hearing, and airing hateful or inflammatory political material under rules introduced in 2019 and amended in 2020, but the NBC has now warned that it will enforce them more strictly ahead of the 2027 election.

In a post on X on Saturday, Atiku called the directive a “troubling attempt to muzzle the media and shrink the space for free expression in Nigeria,” claiming it signals “a government more interested in controlling narratives than permitting a free, fair, and transparent electoral process.”

Amnesty International also denounced the move on Sunday as an “outrageous and desperate” attempt by the NBC to gag journalists and the media.

Nigerian media groups and rights advocates have challenged the NBC’s sanctioning powers, most recently on April 2, 2026, when a court in Abuja dismissed the regulator’s appeal in a case brought by Media Rights Agenda over fines earlier imposed on broadcasters for alleged code breaches.