News That Matters To Africa©️
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark…and…no one puts their children in a boat, unless the water is safer than the land…”
HIGHLIGHTS
Uganda deepens involvement in S Sudan
Ghana’s ex-security boss arrested for corruptionMozambique leaders meet to ‘reset’ relations
UN in Libya raises alarm over arbitrary arrests
AIDS deaths could increase globally amid US aid freeze.
TOP NEWS
AFRICA-GENERAL NEWS
THE WEEK AHEAD
EASTERN AFRICA
BURUNDI
Rwanda planning to attack Burundi, says its president
Burundi’s president has said that he has seen “credible intelligence” that Rwanda plans to attack his country. Évariste Ndayishimiye also said that Rwanda had tried to launch a coup a decade ago in Burundi, akin to “what it’s doing in the Democratic Republic of Congo” now. Rwanda has already hit back, calling the president’s comments “surprising” and insisting that the two neighbours are co-operating on security plans for their shared border, which has been shut for over a year. Rwanda has also denied links to the resurgent Red Tabara rebel group, which President Ndayishimiye says is a proxy force similar to the M23 and is being supported by Rwanda to destabilise Burundi. “They would say it’s an internal problem when it’s Rwanda [who is] the problem. We know that he [Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame] has a plan to attack Burundi,” Ndayishimiye added.
Burundi sees its largest number of refugees arriving in decades during Congo’s fighting
Burundi is seeing its largest influx of refugees in decades as tens of thousands of people flee the fighting in neighboring eastern Congo, the U.N. World Food Program said Monday. The number of registered refugees who need food assistance has doubled to over 120,000 since January as Congolese government troops fight Rwanda-backed rebels who now hold two major cities, WFP said in a statement. Many of the refugees are women and children. The decades-long conflict in eastern Congo escalated in January, when the M23 rebels seized the strategic city of Goma, followed by the city of Bukavu in February. Bukavu is less than 30 miles from the Burundi border.
DR CONGO War/Crisis:
Renewed fighting in DR Congo as regional powers step up ceasefire efforts
M23 rebels and pro-government fighters have clashed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo despite pressure from regional mediators to halt the fighting. The rebels battled pro-government fighters known as Wazalendo on Tuesday in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, a day after 24 members of two regional blocs – the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community – held virtual talks aimed at reviving faltering ceasefire initiatives. On Monday, the conflict flared up again, with rebels reneging on a pledge to withdraw from the strategic town of Walikale in North Kivu province. In South Kivu, fighting reportedly took place in several towns north of the provincial capital, Bukavu, which M23 captured in February. Corneille Nangaa, leader of the Congo River Alliance of rebel groups that includes the M23, pledged to continue fighting “like people who got nothing to lose in order to secure the future of our country”. The rebel leader also rejected the outcome of last week’s meeting between Congolese and Rwandan leaders in Qatar, saying any moves to achieve peace without his group’s involvement would fail.
Angola to end east Congo conflict mediation role
Angola will step down from its position as a mediator between parties involved in an escalating Rwanda-backed rebel offensive in eastern Congo, the presidency said on Monday, with another African state set to lead efforts to get peace talks back on track. Congo and M23 were scheduled to hold direct talks for the first time in Angola’s capital Luanda last week after Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi, who had long refused dialogue with the rebels, agreed to send a delegation. M23 pulled out at the last minute, following European Union sanctions against M23 and Rwandan officials. The regional blocs of southern and eastern Africa will hold a second joint summit on Monday to address the crisis. Kenya’s President William Ruto and his Zimbabwean counterpart Emmerson Mnangagwa will co-chair the virtual event.
DR Congo says still open to direct dialogue with the M23 rebels
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) says it is still open to direct dialogue with M23 rebels, a sign of changing stance on a group it had previously vowed never to engage peacefully. According to statements by Congolese Foreign Affairs Minister, the DRC is readjusting to realities of the conflict, especially coming at a time Southern African Development Community (SAMIDRC) forces are departing the country following a year of losses.‘…On March 18 in Doha, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda met his Congolese counterpart Félix Tshisekedi with a view to seeking a de-escalation of the war and conflict. Both leaders may soften their positions due to external pressure to end the conflict and avoid sanctions. Tshisekedi faces military difficulties with regional forces withdrawing, while Kagame faces diplomatic pressure after sanctions on military officials and a key company.
EAC-SADC Summit expands DRC mediation panel
The 2nd joint summit of the Eastern African Community (EAC) and South African Development Community (SADC) has appointed an expanded panel to lead peace efforts in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), following Angola’s formal withdrawal as a mediator in the conflict. The new panel includes former Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde and Catherine Samba-Panza from the Central African Republic, alongside former Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya), Olusegun Obasanjo (Nigeria), and Kgalema Motlanthe (South Africa). The virtual summit agreed that a political solution should be supported. Rwanda President Paul Kagame said the fruitful joint summit took place in a positive atmosphere where key issues were clarified and leaders committed to a political solution that addresses the security concerns of all parties.
ETHIOPIA
EXPLAINER: Are Ethiopia and Eritrea hurtling towards war?
Tensions are again mounting between longtime foes Ethiopia and Eritrea over Addis Ababa’s quest for maritime access, causing fears of yet another conflict in the Horn of Africa barely seven years after the two neighbours restored ties. Eritrea has, in recent months, called for young people to sign up for the army, while Ethiopia has reportedly deployed troops to joint border areas. Analysts say those moves could potentially see the two armies come face to face in a conflict. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, in a recent statement on X, ruled out conflict with Eritrea…but Eritrea has, on its part, struck a harsher tone, and called Ethiopia “misguided” over border tensions. Here’s what to know about the two countries’ historically fraught relationship, and why tensions are building again: What are the signs of tension between Ethiopia and Eritrea? What’s happening in the Tigray region and how is it related to the tensions? Why has the TPLF broken into factions? Why are relations between Eritrea and Ethiopia historically fragile? What next?
Foreign flower firms flee Ethiopia
International flower companies are fleeing Ethiopia because of a worsening conflict in the northwestern Amhara region, a key flower-growing hub, dealing a blow to one of the country’s major exports. Germany’s Selecta One this month said it would move production to Kenya and Uganda, blaming “the unstable political situation and the uncertain military environment.” The company, which began operations in Ethiopia in 2021, is also laying off more than 1,000 local employees due to the fallout from the two-year war between the Ethiopian government and Fano, a loose collection of militias. The firm is following in the footsteps of other horticultural companies, including five Dutch-owned firms that have left or suspended production since the start of 2024. Ethiopia’s cut-flower industry, which generated more than $500 million in revenues last year, is the country’s second-biggest export after the top-earning $900 million coffee sector.
KENYA
President Ruto says his Cabinet Secretary was incompetent as AG
President William Ruto has hit out at Cabinet Secretary for Public Service Justin Muturi, saying he proved to be incompetent as Attorney General. Speaking at State House, Nairobi during an iftar session for muslim community members, Ruto accused Muturi of delaying the rollout of the Muslim Endowment Fund (Wadff) that had been proposed by muslim leaders. “I agree with you that the Muslim Endowment Fund has taken too long. There is no reason. I had a problem with the AG who was there, he was fairly incompetent, but we now have a competent lady and I can assure you that the issue wRutobe sorted out,” Ruto stated. Muturi has been a critic of the Ruto administration following the escalating cases of abductions in the country, especially after the Gen Z protests last year – when his own son was abducted and temporarily held by security forces. Muturi was the Attorney General between 2022 and 2024.
‘Ruto Must Go’ movement spreads to clubs, national events
A wave of discontent is sweeping across the country with “Ruto Must Go” chants echoing in political and non-political rallies. What started as rallying call during last year’s Gen Z protests has now taken on a life of its own. In recent weeks, President William Ruto has faced direct heckling in multiple locations including Nairobi, Isiolo, Nakuru, and Embu counties. The most recent occurred at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi during a football match between Kenya and Gabon, and during the Naivasha Safari Rally final day on Sunday. What makes this trend particularly significant is its spread beyond political gatherings. The Ruto Must Go slogan, once confined to opposition rallies, is now being heard in nightclubs, and even social events… With the one-year anniversary of the Gen Z protests approaching, the anti-Ruto chants appear to intensify.
Ruto expands gov’t with Odinga allies
Kenyan President William Ruto has appointed more political allies of opposition leader Raila Odinga to senior government positions, days after their parties – the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and the main opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) – formalised a political pact. According to Ruto, these changes aim to accelerate the implementation of his bottom-up economic transformation agenda…Political analyst Paul Musingi says that the new appointments signal Raila’s growing influence within the government…Beyond the newly appointed officials, several of Raila’s close allies already hold key cabinet positions in Ruto’s government…Meanwhile, Raila has declined an invitation from former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua and other opposition leaders to join their newly formed anti-Ruto coalition. Raila, a five-time presidential candidate, reaffirmed his commitment to supporting Ruto’s broad-based government, dismissing calls to abandon the pact…Gachagua, who was impeached earlier this year, has been leading efforts to unite opposition figures including Kalonzo Musyoka, Raila’s two-time running mate, in a new political front against Ruto.
Kenya foregoes IMF funding
Eight hundred million dollars is the amount of money the Kenyan government declined after abandoning a $3.6 billion debt-management program with the International Monetary Fund. The decision to forgo the IMF’s ninth review — which involved evaluating government efforts to tackle debt — infuriated investors and drove stocks lower. Nairobi’s decision comes as the country struggles with a surge in debt-serving costs. Heavy government spending has sparked a severe debt crisis in Kenya: Last year the government was forced to abandon its proposed tax hikes after weeks of deadly protests. The country has requested a new IMF program and finalized a $1.5 billion loan from the UAE, weeks after issuing a $1.5 billion Eurobond.
Kenya Airways posts profit in 2024 after a decade of losses
Kenya Airways announced on Tuesday that it recorded a pretax profit in 2024, marking its first positive earnings in more than a decade. The airline, one of Africa’s largest carriers, reported a pretax profit of 5.53 billion shillings ($42.82 million) last year, a significant turnaround from the 22.86 billion shilling loss recorded in the previous year. This positive financial performance suggests the airline may finally be on the path to recovery after years of financial struggles. It had been operating at a loss since 2013. Kenya Airways has endured prolonged financial difficulties, with mounting losses pushing it into negative equity and making it reliant on government bailouts. The airline fell into insolvency in 2018 after an aggressive expansion plan left it saddled with massive debt, a situation worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, which devastated global air travel.
Kenyan on death row in Saudi Arabia to return home as Kenyan muslims pays $1m
Kenyans can now breathe a sigh of relief after a Muslim organisation – Muslim World League – intervened by paying that $1 million (Sh129.5 million) to secure the release of Stephen Munyakho, a Kenyan who has been on death row in Saudi Arabia for over a decade. Munyakho was convicted of manslaughter for the 2011 killing of Abdul Halim Mujahid Makrad Saleh. Munyakho, who also sustained injuries during the altercation, was initially sentenced to five years in prison. However, Abdul’s family successfully appealed to a Shariah court, which resulted in Munyakho’s death sentence. For the past 13 years, Munyakho has been detained in prison until his family could negotiate “diya” or blood money, which serves as compensation for unintentional harm or death.
SOMALIA
How Al-Shabaab fighters attacked police camp in Kenya
Somalia-based Al-Shabaab fighters used a ‘guerilla-like’ approach when storming a police base in Kenya, on Sunday, killing at least six officers attached to the National Police Reservists, who are a crucial backup to security forces in terror and bandit-prone regions. The base, located in the Fafi constituency, was hosting reservists who are integral in the fight against the militants who control large swathes of rural central and southern regions in the Horn of Africa nation. Garissa County Commissioner Mohamed Mwabudzo said the style of the attack followed a pattern of raids by the Somali-based Islamist militant group al-Shabab. The militants often sneak from Somalia to launch attacks in Kenya. According to him, the attackers ambushed the officers on Sunday morning just as the security officers were preparing for morning prayers. Four officers were critically injured and are currently receiving treatment.
Islamic State in Somalia: the terrorist group’s origins, rise and recent battlefield defeats
The Islamic State in Somalia is an affiliate of the transnational jihadist group Islamic State, known in short as ISIS. Based in the semi-autonomous northern Somalia territory of Puntland, the terrorist group was the target of the first foreign combat operation of the Trump administration in February 2025. Before the establishment of the Islamic State in Somalia in 2015, the Somali jihadist group al-Shabaab had established itself in the north. It later split into two and the future leader of the Islamic State in Somalia, Sheikh Abdulqader Muumin leader of the Islamic State in Somalia, Sheikh Abdulqader Muumin, emerged from one of the splinter groups. Stig Jarle Hansen, a researcher and author of several books on jihadism in Africa, examines its origins, rise and recent battlefield defeats in the mountains of Puntland.
SOMALILAND
Op-ed(s):
Ethiopia-Somaliland MoU: Pragmatic maritime solution, not diplomatic setback
Ballots Over Bullets: How Somaliland built thriving democracy from ashes of war, defying Africa’s election odds
Somaliland: Key ally against Al-Shabaab, Houthi aggression in Horn of Africa
SOUTH SUDAN’s CRISIS
Uganda’s Parliament approves troop deployment to South Sudan
Uganda’s Parliament approved a plan to deploy troops to South Sudan as a power struggle escalates. Tensions brewing in South Sudan are related to a breakdown of the coalition formed between President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar, a former rebel leader turned deputy president. Machar’s party last week withdrew from talks towards brokering peace. Uganda’s Defense Minister Jacob Oboth made the case for the deployment to lawmakers on Mar. 20, stating that Kiir had requested Uganda’s help 10 days earlier to deal with growing unrest in the country. It is needed to “avert a potential security catastrophe in South Sudan,” he said. The World Bank said this month it expects South Sudan’s economy to contract by 30% in the 2024-25 financial year because of the disruption to oil production, which cost the country around $7 million per day in lost export revenues. Fears of a new conflict in South Sudan, following a civil war from 2013 to 2020, have led to some diplomatic evacuations.
Uganda Army Chief says he is “tired” of killing Nuer
The Uganda People’s Defence Forces Chief of Defense Forces (CDF) and first son, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, on Saturday [22 March] night revealed on his X (formerly Twitter) handle that he is tired of killing South Sudan’s Nuer tribesmen. In subsequent posts in the wee hours of Sunday [23 March], he wrote that Nuer should surrender before they (UPDF) wipe them out, and that if Nuer elders are wise enough to give him 1,000 cows, he will stop attacking them. On 11 March, Gen. Kainerugaba wrote that Ugandan troops are in South Sudan to protect President Salva Kiir and secure the capital, Juba. Shortly before the disclosure to secure Juba, he wrote that the UPDF recognizes only Salva Kiir as the president of South Sudan and that any move against him is akin to a declaration of war against Uganda.
Riek Machar says Uganda is violating arms embargo
South Sudan’s First Vice President Riek Machar has accused Uganda of violating a United Nations arms embargo by entering the country with armoured and air force units, and conducting airstrikes there. In a letter addressed to the U.N., African Union and the IGAD regional bloc, Machar said Uganda’s military intervention in South Sudan had violated a 2018 peace deal, which ended a brutal five-year civil war. Uganda said it had deployed troops in South Sudan earlier this month at the request of the government there, following a breakdown in the turbulent relationship between Machar and President Salva Kiir. In early March security forces rounded up several of Machar’s most senior allies, following clashes in South Sudan’s northeast between the military and the White Army militia, a force the government accuses Machar of supporting. Machar’s SPLM-IO party denies any ongoing links with the White Army, which mostly comprises armed ethnic Nuer who fought alongside Machar against Kiir’s largely Dinka forces during the 2013-2018 conflict.
South Sudan on brink of renewed civil war, UN warns
The situation in South Sudan is “dire” said Nicholas Haysom, head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), and on the brink of a renewed civil war as tension between forces allied with President Salva Kiir and those of Vice President Riek Machar continues to build. Efforts to negotiate a peace deal would only be possible if Kiir and Machar were able to “put the interests of their people ahead of their own,” the UN official noted, warning that disinformation and hate speech are stirring ethnic hatred and provoking increasing violence that has displaced tens of thousands… The UN official cautioned that Kiir and Machar have little trust that the other will abide by the terms of the peace deal. An election, which was supposed to be held in 2023, was already postponed twice, and is now not scheduled until 2026. “Rampant misinformation, disinformation and hate speech is also ratcheting up tensions and driving ethnic divisions, and fear,” Haysom concluded.
Unity State Minister arrested in Juba
South Sudan’s National Security Service (NSS) on Friday arrested Tot Jock Chieng, Unity State’s Minister of General Education, at Juba Airport as he prepared to board a UN aircraft to return to Bentiu, the state capital. Chieng, a member of the opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO), was traveling with Unity State’s Deputy Governor Tor Tungwar Kueiguong when NSS agents blocked the delegation from boarding the flight. Eyewitnesses said the officials were instructed to return to their residences, but Chieng was arrested and taken to an undisclosed location…The arrest of the state minister comes amid escalating tensions between South Sudan’s government and opposition forces led by First Vice President Riek Machar. Recent clashes between the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and SPLM-IO fighters in Nasir County have heightened instability. The conflict, rooted in political and security disputes, intensified after President Salva Kiir Mayardit dismissed several SPLM-IO officials in early February.
SUDAN
Sudan army accused of killing hundreds in airstrike on Darfur market
A Sudanese monitor accused the army Tuesday of conducting an air strike on a rebel-held town’s market, in what would be one of the deadliest single attacks in the country’s nearly two-year war. Both the Emergency Lawyers group of volunteer legal professionals and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces said the attack in the western region of Darfur caused hundreds of casualties. It comes days after the army reclaimed the presidential palace in Khartoum — a major victory against the RSF. The lawyers, who document atrocities on both sides of Sudan’s war, said army warplanes carried out “an indiscriminate air strike on Tora market in North Darfur, killing hundreds of civilians and seriously wounding dozens”…A spokesperson for the Emergency Lawyers, requesting anonymity for their safety, told AFP an exact toll was not immediately possible “due to the large number of charred bodies” being counted and identified. AFP could not independently verify a toll or reach local medics due to a telecommunications blackout in Darfur.
Dozens killed in North Dafur by RSF – ethnic cleansing asserted
At least 48 people were killed and dozens injured in what doctors and activists described on Saturday as ethnically motivated attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the town of Al-Maliha, North Darfur state. The Sudan Doctors Network said in a statement that the RSF had “carried out mass killings” of 48 people in Al-Maliha “on an ethnic basis,” injuring 63 others…It said the RSF was targeting communities in the region under the pretext they were supporting the army, leading to displacement and threatening social peace…[Sharaf al-Din Mahmoud, an activist from Al-Maliha] said the RSF had killed leaders of the Meidob tribe’s traditional administration, as well as local government employees, teachers, doctors, emergency room activists, and civil society leaders. He also said the attacking forces had confiscated Starlink satellite internet devices and were preventing civilians from leaving, effectively using them as human shields amid attacks by a joint force seeking to retake the area. The main market was also looted and burned, he added. Al-Maliha hosts more than 100,000 displaced people who have arrived from various parts of Darfur, some of whom are living in shelters, aid groups say.
SUDAN/CHAD
Sudan’s Army General threatens airports in Chad for supplying RSF
Yasir al-Atta, a member of Sudan’s Sovereign Council and assistant commander-in-chief of the army said that airports in neighbouring Chad would be considered military targets, accusing the UAE of supplying the RSF with strategic drones equipped with guided missiles and that attacks had been launched from within Chad… “We will take retaliatory action against Mohamed Kaka, the President of Chad,” al-Atta said. “And we warn him that the airports of N’Djamena and Amdjarass are legitimate targets for the Sudanese Armed Forces.”…“We will pursue everyone who fought against our nation including the UAE, led by Mohammed bin Zayed, the devil of the Arabs,” he continued. Sudanese army and government leaders have repeatedly accused the UAE of providing military support to the RSF, which has been fighting the Sudanese army since April 2023.
Chad condemns Sudan’s airport threat as ‘declaration of war’
Chad has condemned a senior Sudanese general’s threat to target its airports, calling it a “declaration of war”. Its foreign ministry said it would respond according to international law if a “square metre of Chadian territory is threatened”. The warning follows comments from Lt-Gen Yasir al-Atta, the deputy commander of Sudan’s army, who said the UAE was using Chad’s airports to deliver weapons to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). UN experts have described accusations of the UAE smuggling weapons to the RSF through Chad as “credible” …”General al-Atta should stop uttering foolish threats and focus on the urgent need for an immediate cessation of hostilities and engage without delay in a constructive dialogue in favour of a peaceful and lasting solution,” said Chad, highlighting that it is hosting hundreds of thousands of Sudanese refugees, mostly from the neighbouring region of Darfur, which is largely under RSF control.
TANZANIA
Global metal giants eye Dar port as key Africa trade hub
Three of the world’s leading metal giants have expressed interest in using the Dar es Salaam Port as a hub for African trade, citing improved efficiency and productivity at Tanzania’s main sea gateway. The companies—China Metal Storage and Transport Company (CMST), Mercuria, and their jointly owned subsidiary, Henry Bath & Son Ltd—visited Tanzania at the invitation of DP World and the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) to explore potential partnerships…Speaking during a media briefing at the weekend, DP World Tanzania’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Martin Jacob, said the visit underscores Dar es Salaam Port’s growing significance in global trade. He noted that the companies’ interest would benefit the port and its stakeholders by enhancing the logistics chain—not only within Tanzania but also for landlocked countries and consumers across the region…CMST is a global leader in metal storage, while Mercuria is among the top five global metal trading companies, with an annual turnover exceeding $180 billion and operations spanning five continents—although Africa remains an untapped market for them…As these global metal giants consider expansion into Africa, Dar es Salaam Port’s role as a vital trade hub is set to grow, reinforcing Tanzania’s position in the continent’s economic future.
WEST AFRICA
CAMEROON
Measures to prevent soldiers deserting for Russia/Ukraine war front
Many Cameroonian soldiers have gone AWOL (absent without leave) in the past months, most of them ending up on the war front between Russia and Ukraine. The soldiers were allegedly deceived into thinking they were going to greener pastures by signing less-than-honest contracts with middlemen who promised them better lives in Europe. By the time they realized what they were getting into, it was too late, with many returning in black bags. At a time when soldiers are needed most at three war fronts in the Northwest and Southwest regions, Cameroon’s Ministry of Defense has taken measures to ensure that soldiers do not desert the country to fight in Eastern Europe, where a war is raging between Russia and Ukraine. In a statement addressed to officers in charge of the defense and security units, the Minister of Defense, Joseph Beti Assomo…instructed senior Cameroonian army officers to prohibit all outings from the national territory by elements of the defense and security forces who do not have authorizations duly signed by him after vetting by the chain of command and military security.
GHANA
Ex-security chief arrested for allegedly siphoning state funds
Kwabena Adu-Boahene, the country’s former National Signals Bureau (NSB) Director-General, was arrested over the weekend for diverting funds from a $7 million contract meant to strengthen Ghana’s cyber-security infrastructure, authorities said on Monday, as President John Mahama continues an anti-corruption drive. The contract was signed in January 2020 with an Israeli firm. Shortly after the contract was signed, Adu-Boahene transferred more than 27 million Ghanaian cedis ($1.7 million) from the NSB’s accounts to private accounts linked to Adu-Boahene and his wife, Angela Adjei-Boateng. Authorities say the couple then used the diverted funds to acquire multiple properties in Ghana and abroad. Both remain in detention as the investigation expands to identify other individuals involved. Mahama, who took office in January, has vowed to reclaim stolen public funds during the tenure of former President Nana Akufo-Addo. Officials say the crackdowns, including a probe into ex-finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta, mark a renewed push to hold former officials accountable for financial misconduct and restore public trust in government institutions.
Ghana VP becomes country’s first female chair of military council
Ghana’s Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has made history by becoming the first female Chairperson of the Ghana Armed Forces Council, the presidency announced. President John Dramani Mahama inaugurated the Council at the Ministry of Defence in Accra on Monday. The council, mandated by the 1992 Constitution, advises the president on defence and strategy matters, encompassing the role of the armed forces, military budgeting and finance, administration, and the promotion of officers above the rank of lieutenant colonel or its equivalent. Alongside the Vice President, council members include Dr Edward Kofi Omane Boamah, Defence Minister, and Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Foreign Minister.
NIGERIA
Pipeline damage in crisis state highlights Nigeria’s oil sector challenge
A ruptured pipeline in Nigeria has triggered a political crisis, highlighting the challenges of boosting oil output and revenues in Africa’s largest crude exporter. Nigeria’s economy depends heavily on oil, which provides over 90% of its foreign exchange earnings. Vandalism and theft along pipelines have hindered the country from benefiting fully from high global oil prices. The Trans-Niger Pipeline, with a capacity of 450,000 barrels per day, transports a third of Nigeria’s daily oil output. The pipeline is owned by Renaissance Africa Energy, which acquired it from Shell this year. On Monday, an explosion occurred in Rivers state, sparking a political crisis tied to a power struggle between the state governor and legislature. President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency, suspending both the governor and legislature for six months, with a temporary administrator appointed.
UPDATE: Trans Niger oil pipeline restored after blast
The Trans Niger oil pipeline has been fully restored and is working normally, after it was ruptured by a blast last week, a Renaissance spokesperson said on Tuesday. The Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP), with a capacity of around 450,000 barrels per day, is one of two conduits that export Bonny Light crude from Nigeria, Africa’s biggest oil producer. Oil output through the TNP was rerouted to an alternative line after blasts ruptured the main link on March 19, according to Nigerian oil consortium Renaissance Group, which now owns Shell’s former onshore subsidiary that operates the pipeline.
Separatist Kanu faces new trial in Nigeria under fourth judge
Separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu pleaded not guilty to seven counts of terrorism and treason charges in a new trial in Nigeria on Friday, with a fourth judge now presiding over the case. Kanu, a British citizen who leads the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) movement, was first arrested in 2015 but disappeared from Nigeria while on bail in 2017. He was subsequently arrested in Kenya in 2021 and charged in Nigeria with seven counts of terrorism. Kanu has pleaded not guilty. Judge James Omotosho, the new presiding judge, set April 29, May 2 and May 6 as trial dates. Kanu’s trial has been plagued by repeated delays, judicial recusals and two denied bail applications, prompting him to seek negotiations with the Nigerian government. Kanu Agabi, a senior lawyer who now leads Kanu’s defence, apologised to Judge Binta Nyako, who recently recused herself, and to prosecutor Adegboyega Awomolo and Kanu’s lawyer Alloy Ejimakor for past courtroom outbursts by the defendant. Kanu’s IPOB campaigns for the secession of southeastern Nigeria, where the majority belong to the Igbo ethnic group. Nigerian authorities have labelled IPOB a terrorist organisation. More than a million people perished in a three-year civil war that began in 1967, the year Kanu was born, when the region attempted to secede as the Republic of Biafra.
Nigeria says it remains open to crypto despite $80B Binance lawsuit
Nigeria remains open to cryptocurrency companies, its information minister said, even as the government pursues an $80 billion lawsuit against Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange. Abuja filed the multibillion-dollar legal action against Binance last month over economic losses it says were caused by the firm’s operations in the country, months after it detained one of the company’s US staff members in a money laundering case. Nigeria is second only to India on crypto adoption in the world, according to an index by data firm Chainalysis that weighs for population and purchasing power. Nigeria received approximately $59 billion in transaction value between July 2023 and June 2024, the firm said. Crypto use in the country includes holding coins as valuable assets against inflation, and as currency for international trade or remittances. In sub-Saharan Africa… The Binance lawsuit has brought Nigeria’s investor-friendliness under scrutiny. “The Nigerian government has developed a habit of imposing hefty fines on companies over infractions,” according to Lagos-based publication Business Hallmark.
How Nigeria lost its textile market to Chinese imports
In the 1990s, the textile industry in Nigeria was a key driver of the economy, providing employment to hundreds of thousands in Africa’s most populous country…Today, however, only a few factories remain, and even those are struggling amid the influx of cheap textiles from abroad — particularly from China. Nigeria still boasts domestic cotton farms. However, its textile manufacturers need to procure dye, chemicals, starch and synthetic fibers from other countries. In contrast, China’s textile industry benefits from an integrated supply chain, where all the necessary goods and even machinery are available domestically…Another obstacle for Nigeria’s textile industry is the depreciation in 2023 of the country’s currency, the naira, driving up the cost of importing raw materials and spare parts…Last summer, the Nigerian government signed a deal to take out a loan of some $3.5 billion (€3.2 billion) with pan-African African Export–Import Bank to revive the textile industry.
SIERRA LEONE
The debate on decriminalizing abortion
Women’s reproductive rights are up to be widely expanded in Sierra Leone as lawmakers debate the Safe Motherhood Bill, which would legalize abortion and give wider access to family planning and reproductive health services. Government officials have called the bill a necessary response to the reality of high numbers of deaths among pregnant women, particularly from botched abortions… Over 20% of girls between 15 and 19 in Sierra Leone get pregnant, according to the U.N. Population Fund, one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in the world. The country could become the second nation in West Africa to decriminalize abortion, which health workers say would significantly improve the safety of pregnant women, decrease the number of preventable deaths and bring an end to the current colonial-era law. Tens of thousands of women and girls attempt to self-terminate their pregnancies every year in Sierra Leone, where abortion is illegal in all circumstances. Supporters of the bill say unsafe abortions account for around 10% of maternal deaths.
SAHEL
Sahel govts’ poses new dilemma for Ecowas
Two months after quitting the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), three Sahelian junta-led countries of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger are raising a new dilemma initially not anticipated in the bloc. For one, officials of Ecowas decided to continue extending privileges to the three countries as though they never left: free movement of people, common tariffs and other bloc-wide policies. Now the very officials admit this may be problematic especially since they also needed to keep the privileges as an enticement for countries to stay in. When Ecowas began some 50 years ago, Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso were among the original members… Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger also quit the francophone group of countries (Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), delinking themselves from the former coloniser. The three formed a new bloc known as the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). They have continued to face security and economic challenges they military had raised when toppling civilian administrations.
SOUTHERN AFRICA
MOZAMBIQUE
Leaders meet to ‘reset’ relations
Mozambican President Daniel Chapo met main opposition figure Venancio Mondlane for talks in an effort to ease tensions, following months of violent clashes between protesters and security forces, the president’s office said late on Sunday. The gas-rich southern Africa nation has been gripped by political turmoil since October’s disputed general election. The election, which several international observer missions said was tainted by irregularities, was followed by more than two months of demonstrations and blockades, during which more than 360 people died, according to a local civil society group. Chapo and Mondlane met in the capital, Maputo, to “discuss solutions to the challenges facing the country”, the presidency said…Mondlane confirmed the meeting in a social media post, saying it had been aimed at “embarking on a mutual process in answer to the calls and desires of the Mozambican people”…It was not immediately clear if a political deal was in the offing for Mondlane, who recently split with the opposition Podemos party, which had supported his presidential candidacy…Chapo’s overture comes nearly two weeks after Mondlane said he had been questioned for 10 hours by prosecutors and placed under judicial supervision.
NAMIBIA
Visas to be required for U. S. citizens and tourists from over 30 countries
In a significant policy shift reflective of the evolving dynamics of international travel, the Namibian government has announced that as from April 1, 2025, U.S. citizens and tourists from more than 30 other countries will be required to obtain a visa prior to entering the country. The announcement has been underscored by a notice from the U.S. Embassy in Namibia, which has urged American travellers to begin preparations for the new visa requirements. The changes come days after the country inaugurated Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah as Namibia’s first female president. On her election as Namibia’s first woman president, she told SABC: “Of course, it’s a good thing that we are breaking the ceiling, we are breaking the walls.”
SOUTH AFRICA
Trump nominates Pro-Israel media critic for ambassador to South Africa
President Donald Trump on Tuesday nominated conservative media critic and pro-Israel commentator Leo Brent Bozell III as ambassador to South Africa. The move comes during strained diplomatic relations with the country, including over its stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict. The nomination of Bozell, an outspoken Israel supporter, comes at a time when relations between South Africa and the U.S are at a low. Bozell must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. The frosty relations saw South Africa’s ambassador to the U.S., Ebrahim Rasool, declared persona non grata by the U.S. government over his comments about Trump and his administration and was forced to leave the country last Friday. Trump has been critical of South Africa’s stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict, including taking Israel to the International Court of Justice and accusing it of committing genocide in Gaza. Bozell’s son, Leo Brent Bozell IV, was one of the people who stormed the U.S. Capitol in 2021 and was convicted and sentenced to four years in prison last year.
Who is Brent Bozell III, the man tapped for US ambassador role in South Africa
At 64 years old, Bozell is the son of Leo Brent Bozell Jr., a notable public relations executive, and the grandson of a seminal figure in the conservative movement. This lineage not only underpins Bozell’s political underpinnings but also signals a continuity of conservative ideals that have shaped his career. In 1987, Bozell founded the Media Research Center (MRC), an organisation dedicated to monitoring and critiquing the media’s portrayal of conservative issues. Under his leadership, MRC has become one of the foremost conservative media watchdogs, providing research, analysis, and advocacy to counter what many perceive as a liberal bias in mainstream media outlets… “As ambassador, Bozell would be expected to navigate complex political and social dynamics in South Africa, a nation with a rich history and diverse population. His tenure could significantly impact US-South Africa relations and the broader context of US diplomacy in Africa. Liberal commentator and political analyst David Brock said on MSNBC’s The Last Word that “South Africa requires a nuanced understanding of its socio-political landscape, something Bozell’s track record does not indicate.”
President rejects Musk’s ‘white genocide’ claim
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Monday that the claim that white people are persecuted in his country is a “completely false narrative .” It was his latest attempt to push back against allegations by US President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and some white minority groups in South Africa. South African-born Elon Musk, who has regularly accused South Africa’s black-led government of being anti-white, repeated in a social media post this weekend that some political figures in the country are “actively promoting white genocide. ” In his weekly message to the nation, Mr Ramaphosa said South Africans “should not allow external events to divide us or pit us against each other”.
OpEd(s):
What Musk and Trump describe is not the South Africa I know and love
Trump is following Musk’s lead in branding post-apartheid South Africa a country riddled with racial discrimination. They are wrong.
From South Africa to the US, white victimhood knows no borders
The MAGA right’s support for Afrikaner grievances should not surprise anyone.
ZIMBABWE
President moves army chief to sports docket
President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Tuesday retired and reassigned the head of the country’s army, Lieutenant General Anselem Nhamo Sanyatwe, was redeployed as minister of sport, recreation, arts and culture. It was not immediately clear what prompted the decision which comes at a time of increased political sparring well ahead of the general election in 2028. Sanyatwe’s removal from the army comes at a period mounting repression in the Southern African country bowed by an economic crisis blamed on government-led corruption and incompetence. Political analyst Eldred Masunungure said Sanyatwe’s ouster served to protect the Mnangagwa from a mutiny.
Court keeps Journalist in jail
A Zimbabwe High Court denied bail Friday to a journalist arrested 25 days ago after he interviewed a former ruling party veteran who said President Emmerson Mnangagwa should step down. The February 24 arrest of Blessed Mhlanga adds to claims of mounting repression in the southern African country bowed by an economic crisis blamed on government-led corruption and incompetence. Rejecting an appeal against a lower court’s refusal to release Mhlanga on bail, High Court judge Justice Gibson Mandaza said he agreed that the journalist could interfere with the investigation and witnesses…Mhlanga was arrested after speaking with a veteran of Zimbabwe’s fight for independence, Blessed Geza, who has become the public face of opposition to attempts to keep Mnangagwa in power after the end of his term in 2028…The journalist said in a message read out by his lawyer, Doug Coltart, that he did not take sides in his work and only wanted to “inform a nation, to equip it with information that builds a stronger and better Zimbabwe”.
Newly elected IOC President Kirsty Coventry celebrated on return home to Zimbabwe
Newly elected International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry arrived Sunday in her home country of Zimbabwe to a hero’s welcome as her victory is celebrated as a national milestone. The southern African country has faced years of isolation and sanctions by the United States and other Western nations. The 41-year-old Coventry, who is also Zimbabwe’s sports minister, was the only female candidate in the IOC presidency race and became the first woman and first African to be elected head of the global Olympic movement. She beat six other candidates in the vote in Greece on Thursday, including the head of world track and field, the head of international cycling and a member of Jordan’s royal family. “It’s not just my success, it is our success. We broke down barriers,” Coventry said in Zimbabwe.
Kirsty Coventry interview: The IOC’s first woman president and Africa’s most-decorated Olympian
Like adult cicadas and leaders of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), new presidents of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) don’t come around very often. Since its creation in 1894, the governing body of the modern Olympic Games has only had nine presidents, two fewer than the CCP, but the same number as FIFA, the world governing body of football. But on Thursday, March 20, the IOC’s 109 full members—an electorate that includes three princesses, three princes, a grand duke, a baron, an emir, and an Oscar winner—voted Kirsty Coventry as their organization’s tenth leader.
NORTH AFRICA
UN raises alarm over ‘wave’ of arbitrary arrests
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya expressed concern over what it said were arbitrary arrests, including of lawyers and members of the judiciary, calling for their immediate release…Libya has struggled to recover from the chaos that followed the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that overthrew longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi. It remains split between a UN-recognised government in Tripoli and a rival authority in the east backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar. UNSMIL also expressed concern about the use of filmed confessions, “where individuals are detained and coerced into ‘confessing’ to alleged crimes with videos published online.” It said the practice was used to “intimidate and humiliate” the individuals, and must be deemed inadmissible. Among those arrested was Judge Ali al-Sharif, who was subjected to violence during his arrest in Tripoli on March 10, as well as lawyer Mounir al-Orfi, detained in Benghazi since March 12, said the UN. Two military prosecutors, Mansour Daoub and Mohammed al-Mabrouk al-Kar, have also been held in Tripoli since 2022, UNSMIL said.
UNITED NATIONS & RELATED
HIV and AIDS deaths could increase globally amid US aid freeze, UN says
There could be 2,000 new HIV infections a day across the world and a tenfold increase in related deaths, possibly in the millions in the years to come, if funding frozen by the United States is not restored or replaced, the United Nations AIDS agency has said. US President Donald Trump put almost all US foreign aid on hold upon taking office on January 20. Days later, the US Department of State said life-saving HIV work under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) would continue. But the disruption to health funding and the impact on broader services were having a devastating impact on people living with HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS executive director Winnie Byanyima told reporters in Geneva on Monday. She added that if funding from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) did not resume at the end of the 90-day pause, in April, or was not replaced by another government, “there will be, in the next four years, an additional 6.3 million AIDS deaths.” “We’ll see it come back, and we’ll see people die the way we saw them in the ’90s and in the 2000s,” she said.
UNAIDS director proposes that Trump make an ‘amazing deal’ to end HIV
The head of the U.N. AIDS agency on Monday proposed an “amazing deal” for U.S. President Donald Trump that she said could result in “the end of AIDS.” At a news briefing in Geneva, UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima said that the deal would involve Trump enabling the U.S. company Gilead to produce and license its “magical” prevention drug lenacapavir across the world to the millions of people who need it. Lenacapavir, sold as Sunlenca, has been shown through twice-yearly injections to completely prevent HIV infection in women and which works nearly as well in men. “President Trump likes deals,” Byanyima said, acknowledging that it was President George W. Bush who first started paying for the widespread roll-out of HIV drugs more than two decades ago. “It could be President Trump, another Republican president, who leads the prevention revolution towards the end of AIDS,” Byanyima said. She added that the deal would result not only in profits for Gileadd and create jobs for Americans, but save millions of lives in poorer countries.
UNHCR suspends aid to refugees in Egypt over lack of funding
The United Nations refugee agency said on Tuesday a lack of funding was forcing it to suspend vital aid to refugees in Egypt, including medical care for many fleeing war-torn Sudan. “The lack of available funds and deep uncertainty over the level of donor contributions this year has forced UNHCR to suspend all medical treatment for refugees in Egypt except emergency life-saving procedures, affecting around 20,000 patients,” the UN agency said in a statement. UNHCR public health officer Jakob Arhem said that without the agency’s services, some patients “will not be able to find the means to pay for healthcare themselves and they will get sicker, weaker and many will die.”… Egypt has hosted more than 1.5 million Sudanese, some 670,000 of whom are registered with UNHCR, as war rages in the neighbouring country since April 2023 between the army and paramilitaries.
AFRICA-GENERAL NEWS
Commentary: Trump Can Mobilize Africa’s Miners to Source Critical Minerals
U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order accelerating domestic production of critical minerals is an essential first step in securing U.S. supply chains for the technology, defense, and renewable energy sectors. However, from the perspective of a business leader working in Africa to strengthen mineral supply chains, I see a huge gap. Domestic production is a long-term game: building new mines and infrastructure takes years. Meanwhile, U.S. industries need immediate access to lithium for electric vehicle batteries, tungsten for military equipment, cobalt for aviation, and much more.
THIS WEEK AHEAD
Mar. 23-25: Standard Bank hosts its inaugural African Markets Conference in Cape Town.
Mar. 24-26: Zambia holds its first Digital Week conference in Lusaka.
Mar. 24-26: Ghana’s monetary policy committee meets.
Mar. 26: Mozambique’s central bank announces its interest rate decision.
Mar. 25-26: African Development Bank and UN agencies meet in Cotonou to discuss modernizing public finance systems.
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