News That Matters To Africa©️
QUOTE OF THE DAY
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HIGHLIGHTS
EAC and SADC mull deployment of joint force to DRC
Senegal brings to an end one of Africa’s oldest conflicts
Claims of white genocide ‘not real’, South African court rules
Hunger-striker mother of jailed British-Egyptian hospitalized
UK’s big cut to aid budget to boost Defence.
TOP NEWS
EASTERN AFRICA
WEST AFRICA
SOUTHERN AFRICA
NORTH AFRICA
AFRICA-GENERAL NEWS
EASTERN AFRICA
DR CONGO
EAC and SADC mull deployment of joint force to DRC
Eastern and Southern African countries are looking into the possibility of deploying troops to secure areas of eastern DRCongo now under M23 rebel control, according to a document seen by Reuters on Tuesday. The EAC and SADC regional blocs have previously called for a ceasefire in the war in the mineral-rich region. The document apparently detailed recommendations to defence chiefs after a meeting of technical experts in Tanzania on February 23. The defence chiefs are expected to prepare a report that will be discussed this coming weekend. The document says the blocs are considering seeking a mandate, along with unspecified forces from the African Union, to secure M23-controlled areas in North and South Kivu provinces, and that the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO could also be asked to beef up its presence in the region.
UK to pause some bilateral aid to Rwanda over Congo conflict
Britain on Tuesday said it would pause some bilateral aid to Rwanda and impose other diplomatic sanctions on Kigali over its role in the conflict in neighbouring Congo, a move Kigali termed “punitive”. Kigali denies backing the group but says its own troops are acting in self defence against hostile groups based in Congo. Rwanda’s foreign ministry said in a statement, that “the measures do nothing to help the Democratic Republic of Congo, nor do they contribute to achieving a sustainable political solution to the conflict in eastern DRC.” A statement from the British government said that this would involve ending high-level attendance at events hosted by the government of Rwanda; limiting trade promotion activity with Rwanda; and pausing direct bilateral financial aid to the government of Rwanda, excluding support to the poorest and most vulnerable. Britain would also coordinate with partners on potential new sanctions, suspend future defence training assistance to Rwanda and review export licences for the Rwanda Defence Force.
Congolese president urges US to buy raw materials from DR Congo, not Rwanda
Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi has urged the US to purchase strategic raw materials directly from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), calling it the “true owner” of the resources, rather than Rwanda, which he accused of looting them through violence against the Congolese people. Tshisekedi extended the offer to the US first, stating that “what has been hidden and maintained for 30 years has just been revealed by the Trump administration,” presidential spokesperson Tina Salama said Sunday on X. She added that the proposal is also open to European nations and other buyers currently sourcing materials from Rwanda, warning that “receiving stolen goods will become increasingly complicated.” Her remarks come after the US imposed sanctions on Rwanda’s State Minister for Regional Integration James Kabarebe and an M23 spokesperson over their alleged roles in escalating the conflict in eastern Congo.
3 former African leaders to lead merged DRCongo talks
The East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have appointed former leaders—Uhuru Kenyatta(Kenya), Olusegun Obasanjo (Nigeria), and Ethiopia’s Hailemariam Desalegn—as joint facilitators of peace efforts in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This move now merges the Nairobi and Luanda peace processes under a coordinated framework… With the appointment of these three African leaders, the EAC-SADC peace process aims to bring a unified and strategic approach to resolving instability in the Eastern DRC. Both organisationss remain dedicated to restoring peace and security through diplomatic efforts and coordinated military action.
Critically injured South African soldiers are evacuated
A group of critically injured South African peacekeepers who were hurt in fighting in eastern Congo a month ago, as well as two female soldiers who were pregnant, have been evacuated by the United Nations, the South African armed forces said Tuesday. South African National Defense Force spokesperson said that the soldiers had returned to South Africa, but did not say how many had been repatriated. An official from the union that represents members of the armed forces told South African media that more than 100 South African sick and injured soldiers were being evacuated, with three needing urgent medical attention. An M23 spokesperson said Monday that up to 300 soldiers of different nationalities left eastern Congo this week, among them the injured South African troops.
South Africa has no better option than withdrawal from Congo: expert
Darren Olivier, a director at African Defence Review with nearly two decades’ experience in conflict analysis, believes that South Africa should withdraw from DR Congo, “simply because it no longer has good options left to militarily influence the situation.” But Olivier said if South Africa withdraws unilaterally, without a SADC decision, “that also harms credibility and will bring South African economic and political costs long term.” There are an estimated 1,000 South African and SADC Mission in the DRC troops surrounded by M23 rebels in Goma and Sake. Although not officially prisoners of war, their movements and supplies are controlled by the M23…“However, this is not a situation that can last stably, forever, especially given the inconsistent availability of food and other vital supplies. It’s a bit of a standoff, but one with a time limit as conditions get ever less habitable for the troops in their surrounded bases,” he said.
Crisis deepens as crime and insecurity surges in Eastern Congo
The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate as M23 rebels push deeper into the region, capturing key towns and displacing thousands. The security situation remains volatile, with increasing reports of crime and targeted violence. In Goma, criminal activity has surged, with home invasions, kidnappings and vehicle hijackings targeting humanitarian agencies. Some incidents have resulted in deaths. A similar increase in crime and insecurity has been reported in South Kivu, particularly in Bukavu and Uvira, where rape and looting have also been documented, according to UN aid partners…The UN peacekeeping mission in the country (MONUSCO) also warned that the security situation in areas seized by M23 rebels remains “unstable and highly unpredictable”, with reports indicating further advances by the group towards Lubero.
How DR Congo’s Tutsis become foreigners in their own country
Experts and organisations like the UN have documented decades of discrimination against Congolese Tutsis and the Banyamulenge – a Tutsi sub-group concentrated in the South Kivu province. This ranges from ethnic killings, to workplace discrimination, to hate speech on the part of politicians…The perception that Congolese Tutsis are “foreign” can have deadly consequences. Prior to colonisation, part of the territory that is now DR Congo was subject to the Rwandan monarchy, which is Tutsi. It had long been fighting expansionist wars, extending the kingdom to include more and more of East Africa. Tutsis, Hutus and other ethnic groups lived in the Rwandan kingdom and had done so since at least the 19th Century. But when colonial powers drew up arbitrary borders in Africa, the kingdom was split between present-day DR Congo and Rwanda.
ICC prosecutor visits DRC, urges armed groups to abide by international law
“We are extremely worried about recent developments in Congo, we know the situation particularly in the east is acute,” ICC prosecutor Karim Khan told reporters upon his arrival in the capital Kinshasa. Khan added that all sides of arms conflicts “must comply with international humanitarian law.” Khan is set to meet DRC President Felix Tshisekedi, government ministers, the UN Secretary General’s country representative Bintou Keita, as well as victims of the conflict and civil society members.
Congo suspends cobalt exports for four months amid glut
DRCongo halted all cobalt exports for at least four months, shaking up the market and rattling companies that mine, trade and process the metal. While President Felix Tshisekedi ordered his government to come up with measures to rein in oversupply a year ago, the ban still caught the industry off guard. Congo is by far the biggest supplier, churning out about three-quarters of the mineral used in electric-vehicle batteries. Markets analysts expects the cost of cobalt to skyrocket over coming weeks. The intervention is a gamble, though. Congo risks accelerating a shift toward the use of EV batteries that don’t contain cobalt, will exporters simply ship their stockpiles and flood the market once the ban is lifted, and, will Congo’s actions lift No. 2 producer Indonesia?
Mystery illness killed more than 50 people hours after they felt sick
An unknown illness first discovered in three children who ate a bat has rapidly killed more than 50 people in northwestern Congo over the past five weeks, health experts say. The interval between the onset of symptoms – which include fever, vomiting and internal bleeding – and death has been 48 hours in most cases and “that’s what’s really worrying,” said Serge Ngalebato, medical director of Bikoro Hospital, a regional monitoring center. These “hemorrhagic fever” symptoms are commonly linked to known deadly viruses, such as Ebola, dengue, Marburg and yellow fever, but researchers have ruled these out based on tests of more than a dozen samples collected so far. The latest disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo began on Jan. 21, with 419 cases recorded and 53 deaths.
ETHIOPIA
Tigray Interim Admin accuses some leaders of Tigray military forces of “dismantling” local gov’t
The Tigray Interim Administration has accused certain leaders within the Tigray military forces of “inappropriately” working to dismantle local government structures, warning that such actions could lead to a “severe crisis.” The accusation follows an incident in Seharti district, where “security forces” allegedly used force to seize a kebele administration stamp, injuring 17 people, according to the district administrator…The Interim Administration emphasized that the Tigray military forces were “established as a defensive force to ensure the survival of its people, not to fulfill any group’s pursuit of power.” However, it stated that “it is entirely unacceptable for them to be involved in dismantling the interim administration’s structures outside the legal framework.”…The statement from the Tigray Interim Administration comes amid escalating divisions within the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) between factions led by Debretsion Gebremichael and Interim Administration President Getachew Reda. Recent developments have seen elements of the Tigray military forces aligning with one side, heightening concerns over further instability
ETHIOPIA/KENYA
Clash between Ethiopian and Kenyan fishermen leaves many dead or missing
A border clash between Ethiopian and Kenyan fishermen has left about 22 Kenyans missing and 13 people dead on the Ethiopian side, authorities from the two countries said. The fighting happened on Saturday evening at Lopeimukat and Natira near the Omo River along the Kenya-Ethiopia border, Turkana Governor Jeremiah Lomorukai said in a statement. Around 22 Kenyan fishermen were unaccounted for, and 15 boats were stolen, while six ethnic Dasenech fishermen from Ethiopia had been rescued and returned to their country, Turkana County police said on Sunday. On the Ethiopian side, a total of 13 people died and another three were wounded in the fighting, Tadele Hatte, the chief administrator of Dasenech district, said in a statement on Monday.
KENYA
Kenyan officer killed in Haiti
A Kenyan police officer sent to Haiti to help rein in violent gangs was fatally shot in a fight with one of the gangs, Kenyan authorities said Sunday. The shooting happened in the western Artibonite region, where Kenyan police sent to neutralize Haitian gangs were conducting an operation this past week. The Kenyan mission said in a statement that officers responded to a plea for help from residents in an area known as Pont-Sonde. The police officer was airlifted out of the area and died from his injuries, Godfrey Otunge, the commander of the Kenyan forces in Haiti, said in a statement…The death was a blow to efforts to try and rein in Haiti’ s gangs, which have violently rampaged through the country since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.
Role in DRC, Sudan wars taints Kenya’s image
Kenya was last week negatively portrayed on the continental and global diplomatic stage amid dramatic political and geopolitical shifts ruled by fierce economic competition among nations. The seismic upheavals have thrown Kenya’s foreign policy into a spin fueled by conflict within the continent and another in a far-flung region that has been raging for three years. Kenya has been thrust deep into this diplomatic, military and climate breakdown conundrum within the scientific imperative of alarming global warming and the energy transition As host of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Kenya is required to be at the forefront in the diplomatically daunting task of convincing humans to cut down on fossil fuels – the main contributors to greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming. Unfolding political, geopolitical and economic events have sucked in Kenya and Africa into demands for the US, China, Russia, Europe, Japan and industrialising nations to transition away from fossil fuels to clean energy.
Exit Adani, enter Africa50: KETRACO to sign Ksh.45B deal ($347m) for two power lines
The Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO) says it is in the advanced stages of negotiating a public-private partnership with pan-African infrastructure investor Africa50. The announcement which comes months after KETRACO cut ties with Adani Energy will see the finalisation of a Ksh.45 billion deal inked for the construction of two power lines. Amid financial constraints, the company appears to be turning to private investors to strengthen the power grid and cut technical losses. KETRACO and Africa50 have already agreed on a number of issues, such as the total cost of the project, which is about Ksh.45 billion, as well as the cost of the debt, which will come in at 7.25 per cent.
Green gems, red flags: the companies that exploit local miners often abuse them too
Working the tsavorite mines of Kenya’s Kasigau corridor should be lucrative. After all, just a single carat of the rare sparkly-green garnet gemstone – one fifth of a gram – can fetch up to $10,000 on the world market. In reality, the mines are both a lifeline and “a trap…” In 1915, Kenya’s British colonisers exiled people from the area, accusing them of aiding German World War I forces. When they returned in 1936, the land had been labelled “Crown Land” and at independence, it was passed on to the Kenyan government as public land. The government went on to parcel much of it out to private wildlife conservancies. Prevented from farming the land around them, many descendants of the 1915 exiles turned to minow ning once tsavorites were discovered in the area in the 1970s. Collectives are helping Kenyan miners in Kasigau and elsewhere to find a middle ground between walking away from economic opportunity and taking abuse from cut-throat companies.
Photo Essay: Meet The Ice Lions, Kenya’s national ice hockey team
Hidden inside Nairobi’s Panari Hotel is East Africa’s only ice rink, a small patch of ice measuring 32m by 12m, a third of the size of a standard rink. Opened in 2005, it quickly grew a following of recreational ice skaters. Then, in 2006, a group of Canadians discovered the rink and introduced the country to ice hockey. A small but committed group emerged and a decade later Kenya’s national team, The Ice Lions, was born. In 2019, a federation was formed to grow the game, and the Madaraka Day Cup was launched. The Ice Lions play mainly in a friendly league against NGO and embassy workers from the United States, Canada and Europe. And this year, for the first time, they won the league.
KENYA/SUDAN
Sudan recalls its envoy to Kenya over RSF meeting
Sudan has recalled its ambassador to Kenya Kamal Jubara after Nairobi hosted the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). It also vowed escalatory measures following the move by RSF to establish a parallel government while in Nairobi. “The government of Sudan announced today the withdrawal of its ambassador from Kenya, against the backdrop of the latter’s hosting of meetings that included representatives of the Rapid Support Militia and some political parties, which aim to form a parallel government,” Sudan said in a statement.( The Star, Kenya). Read more:
SOMALIA/ETHIOPIA
Agreement on deployment of ENDF on AU mission
Ethiopia and Somalia have “agreed on the force disposition of ENDF” within the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), according to a joint communiqué issued following a visit by an Ethiopian delegation led by Field Marshal Birhanu Jula, Chief of Ethiopia’s National Defense Force, on February 22. The visit followed a bilateral meeting between Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Addis Ababa earlier in February…The agreement follows diplomatic tensions between Ethiopia and Somalia after Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Somaliland in early 2024…However, tensions have since eased following the Ankara Declaration, mediated in Ankara by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and involving Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud…The statement also emphasized that Ethiopia and Somalia agreed that “the Federal Government of Somalia will be the only point of entry” for Ethiopia’s engagements with Somalia, reaffirming “respect for Somalia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and unity
SOMALIA
Pirates abandon Yemeni fishing boat
Somali pirates who hijacked the Yemeni-flagged fishing boat Saytuun-2 last week released the vessel after stealing crew belongings. The Saytuun-2 was captured off Garmaal on the northern coast of Puntland on 17 February. The European Union Naval Force’s Operation Atalanta on 24 February announced the vessel had been released after being “under pirate activity from 17 to 22 of February. On Saturday, the vessel was vacated by the alleged pirates after they stole some of the crew’s belongings. The crew reported that, after the pirate boarding, they proceeded to high seas with the alleged pirates armed and equipped with ladders, and after several days, the alleged pirates abandoned the ship and further intentions. The crew and vessel were released without harm and allowed to sail on.
SOUTH SUDAN
South Sudan’s instant payments push
South Sudan will fully roll out an instant payments system by December, after an initial pilot, to enable faster money transactions. The system, built by the country’s central bank and nonprofit AfricaNenda, is designed to connect local mobile money providers, including MTN and Zain, with banks, aiming to expand the population’s access to financial services. South Sudan’s target for full functionality by December is “realistic,” said Robert Ochola, CEO of AfricaNenda, saying it gave time for more financial service providers to integrate into the network. South Sudan follows in the footsteps of countries like Ghana and Nigeria whose instant payments frameworks are among the continent’s best, Ochola said. Last year, Lesotho became the latest entrant to the space, bringing the number of African countries with such systems to 20, according to AfricaNenda.
SUDAN: War/Crisis:
Heavy fighting in forces Doctors Without Borders to stop aid at a camp with 500,000 people
Doctors Without Borders on Monday, February 24, halted its operations in Sudan’s famine-stricken Zamzam camp due to an escalation of attacks and fighting in the vicinity. The international medical aid group, also known by its French name Médecins Sans Frontières and acronym MSF, said fighting between the Sudanese military and its rival paramilitary the Rapid Support Forces intensified in the camp in North Darfur. The escalation made it “impossible” for the group to provide lifesaving humanitarian help to thousands of displaced people, it said in a statement, adding it had suspended all activities in Zamzam, including at its field hospital.
’People will starve’ because of US aid cut to Sudan
The freezing of US humanitarian assistance has forced the closure of almost 80% of the emergency food kitchens set up to help people left destitute by Sudan’s civil war, the BBC has learned. Aid volunteers said the impact of President Donald Trump’s executive order halting contributions from the US government’s development organisation (USAID) for 90 days meant more than 1,100 communal kitchens had shut. It is estimated that nearly two million people struggling to survive have been affected. The kitchens are run by groups known as emergency response rooms, a grassroots network of activists who stayed on the frontlines to respond to the crises in their neighbourhoods.
Plight continues for hundreds of thousands of people forced to leave their country
Earlier this month, armed men attacked the Aftit refugee camp in Ethiopia’s Amhara region. The gunmen stole valuables and because there were no ambulances nearby, and roads to and from the camp are considered unsafe, the injured people did not receive immediate medical care. This is merely the latest in a litany of attacks against this community of refugees, who fled the civil war in Sudan hoping to find refuge in Ethiopia. Instead, they have experienced repeated incidents of murder, sexual assault, abduction, theft and natural disaster. Another resident predicted more attacks were coming. Initially, they were sheltered in the Awlala and Kumer refugee camps. But Ethiopia was experiencing its own conflict and the refugees became easy targets. They were relocated to the new site in Aftit – where things are scarcely better.
Neither side is anywhere near the ‘total military victory’ wanted by Sudan’s warring generals
The symbolic centre of the Sudanese state is the Republican Palace, a compound on the banks of the Blue Nile in Khartoum. It is currently under siege. Units fighting for the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), commanded by Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, are just a few blocks away, after advancing rapidly through parts of the capital city… Should the Republican Palace siege end in SAF’s favour – the army says it will, and soon – General al-Burhan’s claim to be the legitimate governor of Sudan will be dramatically more credible. Most countries continue to recognise al-Burhan as Sudan’s official leader anyway, even though he has – until recently – been stuck in Port Sudan, the wartime capital that is some 800km away from the office of the presidency. This will not mean, however, that the end of the war is in sight. The RSF is still entrenched in Darfur and parts of North Kordofan, and Hemedti is attempting to build a coalition of civil society organisations with which he can create a parallel government.
Political charter in Sudan deepens fragmentation of country, risks further entrenching crisis, warns UN Secretary-General
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday expressed deep concern over the Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) announcing of a political charter expressing intention to establish a parallel government in Sudan. “The Secretary-General is deeply concerned at the announcement by the Rapid Support Forces and affiliated civilian actors and armed groups of a political charter that expresses an intention to establish a governing authority in Rapid Support Forces areas of control,” said a statement by spokesperson’s office. Emphasizing that “this further escalation in the conflict in the Sudan deepens the fragmentation of the country and risks further entrenching the crisis,” Guterres said “preserving the Sudan’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity remains key for a sustainable resolution of the conflict and the long-term stability of the country and the wider region.”
UGANDA
Winnie Byanyima denies past relationship with Museveni has anything to do with husband’s trial
Winnie Byanyima, the wife of beleaguered Uganda’s foremost opposition figure Kizza Besigye has denied that her past relationship with President Yoweri Museveni has anything to do with Besigye’s current trial. Winnie, a Ugandan aeronautical engineer, politician, human rights activist, feminist and diplomat is the executive director of UNAIDS. In an interview with Uganda’s Next Gen Radio, she talked about her past love relationship with Museveni, who has shown no remorse over Besigye’s incarceration. The talk about the past relationship between Winnie and Museveni emerged on online social media platforms, with many users arguing that the Ugandan president is entertaining the suffering of Besigye because he is jilted. Winnie’s relationship with Museveni has constantly come out during Uganda’s political contests.
Gen Muhoozi to Besigye’s wife: You tried to wreck a happy home!
Netizens have been treated to a spectacle after Uganda’s Chief of Defense Forces General Muhoozi Kainerugaba traded words with Kizza Besigye’s wife, Winnie Byanyima over her remarks on her past relationship with President Yoweri Museveni. The tiff which took place on the X platform, had the two exchange words online. The online buzz started when in a recent interview on Next Gen Radio, Byanyima reflected on her previous relationship with Museveni who is the father to Muhoozi…But the situation escalated when Muhoozi went on X, unleashing criticism of Byanyima. According to Muhoozi, Byanyima, who is married to embattled opposition leader Kizza Besigye, tried to wreck their home. Byanyima replied, warning Muhoozi to go slow about her past relationship with his father or else she may be forced to provide hard evidence.
Revealed – the defection of Ali Kony, son of notorious warlord
Ali Kony, son of notorious warlord Joseph Kony and once poised to lead the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), has defected and returned to Uganda, signalling the near collapse of the decades-old rebel group. […] His departure underscores the LRA’s decline, with Kony now left with only a handful of fighters. Despite Uganda’s amnesty law, Ali faces challenges reintegrating into civilian life, struggling with unfulfilled promises from the government. Born in the early-to-mid 1990s, Ali was until recently one of the most senior figures in the Lord’s Resistance Army, the rebel group created in northern Uganda in the second half of the 1980s and led by the self-styled spirit medium, Joseph Kony. Ali was one of his father’s closest sons as well as the LRA’s so-called minister of foreign affairs. He helped thrash out peace deals with other rebel groups, and traded ivory with merchants from China and Yemen. Yet a privileged life within the LRA – once one of the world’s most notorious militia groups – was not the life Ali wanted. He slipped away from an LRA camp four years ago, spending time in a Sudanese border town before – in mid-2023 – returning to Uganda, where he met President Yoweri Museveni and eventually joined the national army.
UGANDA/KENYA
Kenyan activists demand release of Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye
Human rights activists, the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), and the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) staged a protest in Nairobi, demanding the release of Ugandan opposition politician Kizza Besigye. The demonstrators condemned President Yoweri Museveni’s government, labeling it authoritarian and oppressive. They delivered a petition to the National Assembly, urging the Kenyan government to take responsibility for Besigye’s alleged abduction and rendition before marching to the Ugandan Embassy, where they reiterated their demands for his release.
WEST AFRICA
GHANA
New president seeks to overhaul $3B IMF deal
Ghana’s president will ask a panel of experts to chart a new path for the country’s economy, as he seeks changes to the IMF agreement credited with bringing financial stability to the west African country three years after its default. John Mahama will lead a two-day “national economic dialogue” in the capital, Accra, from March 3, bringing together participants from the private sector, academia, think-tanks and civil society. The session follows his pledge, upon taking power in December, to reverse years of economic drift, which resulted in Ghana’s 2022 debt default and its 18th IMF programme since independence…Yet John Asafu-Adjaye, senior fellow at the Accra-based African Center for Economic Transformation think-tank, said Mahama had “no choice” but to continue with the fiscal discipline imposed by the IMF due to the conditions attached to the bailout…Analysts said Mahama, who was also Ghana’s president from 2012 to 2017, would want to work out a deal on debt restructuring.
IVORY COAST
2,000 tonnes of falsely declared cocoa beans are seized
Côte d’Ivoire’s customs have seized around 2,000 metric tonnes of falsely declared cocoa beans worth around $19 million at its main port in Abidjan, two customs sources and one judicial source said on Tuesday. Cocoa, the main ingredient in chocolate, is usually smuggled over Côte d’Ivoire’s western border to Guinea and Liberia where traffickers pay above the local farm-gate price for the commodity. However, last week Côte d’Ivoire’s customs discovered that a cocoa exporter had made a false declaration to pay less tax on the shipment at the port. They seized 110 containers that according to the document were supposed to contain rubber, said a customs officer familiar with the case. “To my knowledge, this is the first time we’ve made such a seizure. 2,000 tonnes, or around 15 million pounds, is a huge amount,” another officer said.
MAURITANIA
Prosecutors seek 20-year jail sentence for ex-president
Mauritania’s former president Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz faces a potential sentence increase, with prosecutors seeking 20 years in prison. Already sentenced to five years in December 2023 for corruption and illicit enrichment, he has been appealing the verdict since November. Ould Abdel Aziz, who led Mauritania from 2008 to 2019, was convicted in 2023 of using his power to amass a fortune. The former president “transformed the presidency into an office … for blackmailing investors”, lead prosecutor Sidi Mohamed Ould Di Ould Moulay told the court. Investigators accuse the former head of state of accumulating assets and capital worth $70 million during his presidency. Ould Abdel Aziz denies the charges. His lawyers are due to make their case on Tuesday.
NIGERIA
Court orders final forfeiture of $4.7m, properties linked to former Central Bank chief
Justice Yellim Bogoro of the Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday ordered the final forfeiture of $4.7m and multiple properties linked to the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria Godwin Emefiele. The judge who had earlier dismissed an application brought by an interested party seeking to stop the judgment, from being delivered granted the final forfeiture application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s counsel Bilkisu Buhari-Bala. Justice Bogoro in his judgement held that all these properties and funds are proceeds of unlawful activities which are bound to be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Vitol, Glencore win $380 million award in Nigerian LNG litigation
Trading houses Vitol and Glencore will receive $380 million in compensation after their gas supplier, trading firm Taleveras, won a legal battle in a London court against Nigeria’s sole liquefied natural gas (LNG) producer for non-delivery of cargoes. The case heard in London’s High Court and Court of Appeal is the latest in a string of lawsuits brought by buyers against sellers and producers for non-delivery of cargoes after gas rallied from lows plumbed during the COVID pandemic when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Taleveras sued Nigerian venture, known as NLNG and involving Shell, TotalEnergies, and Eni as partners, four years ago. NLNG runs Nigeria’s biggest LNG plant, which covers around 5% of global supply.
Regrets, executions and coups: 4 takeaways from former Nigerian military ruler’s book
Nigeria’s former military ruler Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, known as IBB, has released a new autobiography including several revelations about the turbulent times while he was in charge of the country from 1985 to 1993. ‘A Journey In Service’ has got Nigerians talking and reflecting on what might have been if things had turned out differently – especially the controversial decision to annul the 1993 elections. The other takeaways from the book include the execution of coup-plotter Gen. Mamman Vatsa, a childhood friend; the 1966 coup which overthrew Nigeria’s first government following independence; and the death of Babangida’s wife Maryam in 2009. He never remarried.
SENEGAL
Gov’t signs peace deal with separatist group, ending Africa’s oldest conflicts
The Senegalese government and the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) have signed a peace agreement brokered by Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, bringing an end to one of Africa’s oldest conflicts, which has lasted four decades, state media reported. Casamance, separated from northern Senegal by Gambia, is the site of one of Africa’s oldest conflicts, which began in 1982 and has claimed thousands of lives while harming the region’s economy. The MFDC, founded in 1982, has been fighting for independence in Senegal’s southern region of Casamance, which borders Gambia. In May 2023, at least 250 MFDC fighters surrendered their weapons in Mongone, a former separatist stronghold.
SIERRA LEONE
Sierra Leone ‘kush’ drug made of ingredients from China, UK, Holland
New testing of a cheap and deadly drug that has triggered a national emergency in Sierra Leone reveals it is composed of synthetic opioids and cannabinoids imported from abroad, according to a report published on Tuesday. The findings indicated that China, the UK and the Netherlands are “the key exporters of kush” and its ingredients, the report said. Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio declared a national emergency on substance abuse last April following calls for a crackdown on the drug known as kush, which is also used in at least five other West African countries. But the lack of information about the chemicals in kush and their origins had complicated efforts to combat it, according to the report by the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) and Clingendael, the Netherlands Institute of International Relations.
REGION
UNICEF to reduce workforce, travel after USAID funding cut
The United Nations Children’s Fund has disclosed plans to reduce workforce and travel as part of measures to mitigate the effect of the cut of USAID funding by the Trump administration. The Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Gilles Fagninou, made the disclosure on Monday during an assessment visit to some of the organisation’s ongoing programmes at the Hajj Camp in Maiduguri, Borno State. He said UNICEF was working closely with various governments in Africa to see how they could collaborate and mitigate the effect of the funding cut by US, President, Donald Trump. In the meantime “…what we have, we will use it in an efficient way, and as a precautionary measure, we are reducing travel, and our workforce to be able to have more efficiency in what we do.
SOUTHERN AFRICA
SOUTH AFRICA
Claims of white genocide ‘not real’, South African court rules
A South African court has dismissed claims of a white genocide in the country as “clearly imagined” and “not real”, undermining comments made by US President Donald Trump and his adviser Elon Musk. The ruling came as the court blocked a wealthy benefactor’s donation to white supremacist group Boerelegioen. Grantland Michael Bray wanted to bequeath $2.1m to the group to help it “further its messages of racial hatred and separation”. But the court ruled this request was invalid, vague and “contrary to public policy”. The court action was brought by Mr Gray’s four siblings, who are also trustees and beneficiaries of the family trust. In it, they claimed that their brother had become “obsessed with the idea of an impending genocide of white people in South Africa” in the last 10 years of his life. He died in March 2022.
South African businesses in limbo after budget delay
South African businesses are grappling with uncertainty around the government’s economic plans after the unprecedented postponement of the budget. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana on Wednesday delayed his budget speech until Mar. 12 after the Democratic Alliance, a main coalition partner with the African National Congress, opposed plans to increase value-added tax to 17%, from 15%. The government wants to spark growth in Africa’s most advanced economy without increasing borrowing — public debt is now 75% of GDP, compared to 27% in 2008 — but VAT has become a major sticking point. The row marks the biggest policy disagreement since the ANC was forced into a coalition last year after losing its parliamentary majority for the first time since the end of apartheid in 1994.
How South Africa’s Cabinet is tackling land reform, social grants, and US aid cuts
In a statement released after the latest meeting, the government addressed pressing national issues, including land reform, education, social grants, and the withdrawal of US aid funding. One of the key topics was the recently enacted Expropriation Act of 2024, which aims to address historical land dispossession through a “constitutionally mandated legal process. The government pushed back against criticism from the United States, particularly an executive order issued by President Donald Trump, who cited concerns over human rights violations and discriminatory policies. Cabinet dismissed these claims as “misinformation and falsehood aimed at misrepresenting the actual purpose of the law and sowing racial divisions in our nation.”
ZAMBIA
A witchcraft case involving the president
Prosecutors allege that two men were hired by a brother of Emmanuel Banda — a former lawmaker who is now on the run — to curse and use charms to harm President Hakainde Hichilema. “Will the court allow witch doctors and other alleged witches to testify as expert witnesses?” a column in the Lusaka Times newspaper asked with scorn. But some politicians and other public figures in Zambia have said they believe in witchcraft, seeking out supernatural help to make them stronger or more popular. Hichilema himself was accused of using witchcraft as an opposition leader by the late President Michael Sata, who asserted that the magic from his home region was stronger. The case has captured attention because many Zambians take witchcraft seriously, and the judiciary had said it would allow this trial to be broadcast live on television. But it reversed the decision following Zambia’s influential Council of Churches saying it was opposed to a live broadcast.
NORTH AFRICA
EGYPT
Mother of jailed British-Egyptian is hospitalised after 150 day hunger strike
The mother of jailed British-Egyptian dissident Alaa Abd el-Fattah has been taken to hospital as she neared the 150th day of a hunger strike in protest against her son’s imprisonment in Egypt. Laila Soueif, 68, who has lost nearly five stone in weight since starting her fast in September, was admitted to St. Thomas’ hospital on Monday after her blood sugar dipped to worryingly low levels, her daughter said in a post on X. Abd el-Fattah, a software developer and blogger who rose to prominence as an activist in the 2011 Arab Spring, was jailed for five years in Egypt over a social media post, a sentence that followed several previous spells in prison, including before and after the uprising.
LIBYA/SUDAN
After Assad’s fall, Russia looks to Libya and Sudan
Sudan’s military government has reached an agreement for Russia to set up its first African naval base near Port Sudan and by that joining, on the Red Sea, the United States and China, both of which have bases located in Djibouti. The ejection of Russian troops from Syria following the fall of Assad has led Russia to reallocate military assets to Libya and Sudan. Latest satellite imagery suggests that Russia is expanding the Maaten al-Sarra airbase in southeast Libya, which is located near the borders with Chad and Sudan. The photos suggest that Russia has reconstructed the runway, built new storage facilities, and boosted its logistical capabilities. The base was last used in 2011 by the troops of the late dictator Muammar al-Qaddafi. It’s currently controlled by warlord Khalifa Haftar, who heads the Libyan National Army.
MOROCCO
Govt says it dismantled Islamic State cell poised for attack
Moroccan authorities this month arrested a dozen people they said were planning attacks on behalf of the Islamic State in the Sahel officials said Monday. The discovery of the terrorist cell and what authorities called an “imminent dangerous terrorist plot” reflect the expanding ambitions of extremist groups in the region. Authorities did not provide details of the suspects’ motives or their plot, beyond saying they planned to set off bombs remotely. They released photographs and videos showing officers raiding terrorist cells throughout the country. The images showed weapons stockpiles found during police raids, Islamic State flags drawn on walls, and thousands of dollars of cash…Militant groups have been expanding their presence in the Sahel, capitalizing on instability in countries including Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger…Authorities said the suspects arrested this month had maintained ties to Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi, a militant leader born in the Morocco-controlled Western Sahara who was killed by French forces in 2021. In the years since, they took direction from the Libyan commander Abderrahmane Sahraoui, who oversees the group’s operations outside the Sahel.
TUNISIA
President wants central bank law changed
Tunisian President Kais Saied on Saturday called for the law governing the central bank to be amended, raising concerns the lender will lose its independence and of direct government intervention in monetary policy. Saied said in a meeting with central bank Governor Zouhair Nouri that “it is time to change the 2016 law” that granted the bank power over monetary policy, reserves and gold. “We want a national central bank, not as others wanted it based on dictates from abroad,” he added, in a video published by the presidency. In October, dozens of Tunisian lawmakers proposed a bill that would strip the central bank of its exclusivity over interest rates and foreign exchange policy, ending its independence. The bank would only be able to take action in consultation with the government, but would be allowed to finance the treasury…Following Saied’s call, the parliament in December approved a law allowing the central bank to provide $2.2 billion to finance the 2025 budget and pay off urgent debts – the second time in less than a year that the government has resorted to the bank for funds. The government is increasingly turning to domestic funding amid difficulties in securing Western finance since Saied seized nearly all power in 2021, ruling by decree, in a move the opposition has called a coup
AFRICA-GENERAL NEWS
Starmer announces big cut to UK aid budget to boost defence spending
Keir Starmer has announced drastic cuts to Britain’s international aid budget to help pay for a major increase in defence spending, amid fears over Donald Trump’s commitment to European security. The prime minister said the UK government would increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 – three years earlier than planned. Starmer also announced an ambition to increase defence spending to 3% during the next parliament, saying that “tyrants” such as Vladimir Putin would respond only to strength and that the UK must respond to the changing picture on Ukraine since Trump came to power. However, the prime minister confirmed that the rise – about £13.4bn more every year from 2027 – would be paid for by a “painful choice” to cut the aid budget, from 0.5% to 0.3% of GDP. The move has been met with fury from some Labour MPs and the development sector.
Trump contemplates scaling back US Africa Command operations
The Trump administration is considering to eliminate US Africa Command (AFRICOM) as part of a broader Pentagon downsizing effort, according to US news broadcaster CNBC on Wednesday. Reports of downsizing US Africa Command follow President Donald Trump initiating a major overhaul of the Pentagon, dismissing top officers and planning to lay off thousands of civilian workers in an effort to align the US military with his priorities. Supporters contend that moving AFRICOM under European Command (EUCOM) would help simplify command structures and cut down on bureaucracy. They also believe it could make it easier for the administration to withdraw US troops from certain areas in Africa, like Somalia. However, opponents have since reportedly argued that this would diminish US military influence in Africa, creating a space that could be filled by Russia and China. The Pentagon has yet to respond publicly to these claims.
ICJ grants African Union permission to join case against Israel
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Thursday granted the African Union permission to participate in South Africa’s case accusing Israel of genocide. South Africa filed its case against the Jewish state on Dec. 29, 2023. The African Union is likely to be able to provide information on the question put to the court’s general assembly, the ICJ statement continued. The AU will present a written statement on that question by Feb. 28. In February 2024, Israel thwarted attempts by South Africa and Algeria end its observer status at the AU. The two African countries had also planned to urge the union’s 55 member states to sever relations with Israel and introduce a proposal that would declare Israel guilty of genocide for its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Are the world’s largest donors cutting their bilateral aid to Africa?
Official development assistance (ODA) is one of the primary ways low- and middle-income countries across the world, including in Africa, receive development financing. The largest donors of these ODA funds come from the Development Assistance Committee (DAC), which includes thirty-two mostly high-income countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany. One of the notable global financial trends of 2024 seems to be a reduction, by several DAC countries, in bilateral ODA. Over the past five years, ODA has broadly increased. This trend has coincided with a general decline in Chinese concessional loans. In 2024, however, this dynamic seems to be reversing. While China does not provide as much developmental assistance in the form of grants as the DAC does, recent Chinese commitments have aimed at increasing loan provision. At the same time, the top ten DAC donors have significantly decreased their ODA development spending from 2023, as the figure below shows.
Trump advisers look to shift us foreign aid to Wall Street ally
President Donald Trump’s advisers have discussed shifting billions in funding from USAID to a government-run agency due to be headed up by the dealmaker son of Apollo Global Management co-founder Leon Black, part of an overhaul of how the US wields economic power internationally. The new approach would see reduced humanitarian assistance and a greater role for private equity groups, hedge funds and other investors in projecting economic might as the US competes for influence and strategic projects overseas with China. It comes as billionaire Elon Musk has been pushing – with Trump’s blessing – to shut down the $43 billion US Agency for International Development, long a centerpiece of aid efforts. Under the proposals, a chunk of money that went to USAID would go to the US International Development Finance Corp., which was created during the first Trump administration and given the authority to use US taxpayer funds to invest in private-sector projects overseas alongside institutional investors. It serves as a source of financing and as a deal-finder, co-investor and an insurer of risk for American institutional investors looking to invest in private-sector projects overseas.
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Video: What Has Aid Ever Done For Anyone?
THE WEEK AHEAD:
Feb. 24-27: The Nigeria International Energy Summit takes place in Abuja.
Feb. 24-25: The B20, which connects the business community with G20 governments, launches in Cape Town.
Feb. 25: The African Development Bank launches an action plan to combat money laundering.
Feb. 26-27: The Africa Media Festival takes place in Nairobi.
Feb. 28: Kenya releases inflation data.
The Africa Edition ©️ 
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