News That Matters To Africa©️
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“The oppressor would not be so strong if he did not have accomplices among the oppressed…”
HIGHLIGHTS
RSF attack leaves over 200 dead in IDP camp
Coup leader is favored in Gabon election
Zimbabwe starts compensating white farmers
Algeria protests France’s detention of consular agent
US considers funding cut for central Africa over forex
UN OCHA to cut 20% staff over funding
The hidden dangers of space junk.
TOP NEWS
UNITED NATIONS
AFRICA-GENERAL NEWS
SPECIAL ADDITION
EASTERN AFRICA
DR CONGO War/Crisis:
Congo and M23 hold high-stakes talks in Qatar in a renewed push for peace
Congo’s government and M23 are meeting in the Gulf Arab state of Qatar for much-anticipated talks in a renewed push for peace in the conflict-battered eastern Congo, where the insurgents have seized vast territory, officials said. The decades-long conflict escalated in January, when the M23 rebels advanced and seized the strategic eastern Congolese city of Goma, followed by the town of Bukavu in February. The fighting has killed some 3,000 people and raised the fears of a wider regional war. According to officials from both sides, the delegations from Congo’s government and the M23 rebel group also met on Wednesday in Doha, Qatar’s capital. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the negotiations. The talks follow a recent Qatar-facilitated meeting between Congolese and Rwandan presidents in Doha and failed efforts by neighboring countries to get both parties to return to dialogue and recommit themselves to a peace deal they each accuse the other of violating. Analysts were quick to describe the meeting as meaningful but were wary about any immediate positive outcomes. The rebels delegation is led by Bertrand Bisimwa, deputy coordinator of the Congo River Alliance that includes the M23. Congo’s government delegation is mostly made up of officials from the national security services.
US firm Alphamin resumes tin mining in M23 zone after Trump Advisor’s visit
American mining firm Alphamin has resumed operations in M23-occupied Walikale in eastern Congo, following the visit of Donald Trump’s envoy to the Great Lakes region. In a press briefing in Kigali, Rwanda, Trump’s senior adviser for Africa, Massad Boulos, announced that his visit to the region was partly to help push the resumption of mining in Alphamin-controlled tin mines, which the miner abandoned in early March as the rebels advanced.”… Boulos did not divulge details of the US’s involvement in the talks mediated by Qatar. Previously, Washington has used back channels to influence meetings on the conflict in Qatar, between Rwanda and the DRC. The US is applying pressure on M23 and Rwanda Defence Forces to pull back from Northern Kivu, and Congolese army, FARDC, to stop using drones to bomb M23 positions, Boulos said.
Editorial: The Guardian view on Donald Trump’s Congo deal: mineral riches for protection
3 Americans sentenced to death over failed coup repatriated to US
Three American citizens who had been sentenced to death over a failed coup attempt in the Democratic Republic of Congo were sent back to the United States on Tuesday, according to a spokeswoman for the Congolese presidency. The American men were among 37 people sentenced to death seven months ago for participating in a May 2024 attack on Congo’s government that included a gunfight near the presidential palace. Congo’s presidency said last week that the three Americans — Marcel Malanga, Tyler Thompson and Benjamin Zalman-Polun — were granted individual clemency and had their death sentences commuted to life imprisonment. The Congolese presidency’s spokeswoman, Tina Salama, posted photographs of them boarding a plane on Tuesday. She said that the plane was bound for the United States, where the three men would serve their sentences. Tammy Bruce, a State Department spokeswoman, confirmed on Tuesday that the three men had been transferred, telling a news conference that “they’re in our custody.” But there was no comment from the Justice Department as of Wednesday about where, how, or if the men would serve their sentences in the United States. The repatriation of the three men came days after an American delegation met with Congo’s president, Felix Tshisekedi, in his country’s capital, Kinshasa. Tshisekedii has offered the United States a stake in his country’s vast mineral wealth as his government battles an armed rebellion that has captured large portions of territory in eastern Congo.
KENYA
Police fire tear gas during high school play competition
Kenya’s national high-school drama competition has been overshadowed by drama of its own after police fired tear gas to disperse a crowd that had gathered to watch a controversial play. Echoes of War is set in a fictional kingdom where the youth have lost faith in their leaders. It features battles with the police and has drawn parallels with last year’s protests by young people against tax rises. It was initially disqualified from the drama festival under unclear circumstances, but a High Court ruling overturned the decision and ordered it to be included. Tensions flared in the western town of Nakuru on Thursday morning when the student performers stormed out of the venue, demanding the release of the play’s author, Cleophas Malala, who had been detained by police. Malala was later released without charge and praised the students for boycotting the play… Following news of Malala’s arrest, large crowds had gathered outside the venue curious to watch the play…But anti-riot police had been deployed overnight in case of trouble and they fired tear gas to disperse the would-be audience. The row has sparked public uproar, with rights group Amnesty International saying it was “pointing to a worrying pattern of state-sponsored repression, external of free expression, press freedom, and the right to associate”. Chief Justice Martha Koome said that Malala’s detention contravened the court order that the play, and its author, be allowed to take part in the competition.
MAURITIUS
Former central bank governor, finance minister charged with fraud, freed on bail
Authorities in Mauritius arrested the former finance minister and former central bank governor on Wednesday as part of an investigation into embezzlement at a state company, the Indian Ocean island nation’s financial crimes commission said. Former central bank governor Harvesh Seegolam and former finance minister Renganaden Padayachy have denied wrongdoing and did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday. The government of Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam has accused the previous administration under which the two former officials served of falsifying economic growth, budget deficit and public debt figures for years. In one of his first moves following his November election victory, Ramgoolam launched an audit of public finances. This is not the first time the former central bank governor has been arrested. “Renganaden Padayachy and … Harvesh Seegolam have been arrested following new evidence brought into the enquiry of alleged embezzlement of 300 million Mauritius rupees ($6.70 million),” the financial crimes commission said. The embezzlement investigation relates to the alleged theft of funds from the Mauritius Investment Corporation, set up to help companies deal with impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
RWANDA
Belgian curriculum banned as relations sour
Rwanda has suspended the Belgian education curriculum implemented at the premier school in Kigali, Ecole Belge, with 500 students and 45 teachers.
The move is a follow-up to Kigali’s cutting of diplomatic ties with its former colonial power in March. That decision set off a series of actions, with a ban on some churches and NGOs from cooperating and getting funding from Belgian donors. Officials said the move to cut the Belgian curriculum was in line with the public notice by the Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) dated March 27, 2025, which prohibits all non-governmental organisations operating in Rwanda from engaging in any form of cooperation with the government of Belgium and its affiliated entities… An official at the Ministry of Education said that no other school would be affected because this curriculum is only implemented at Ecole Belge. The Ecole Belge schools also operate in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Morocco.
The official added that the school had received funding directly from the Belgian government, which now contravenes the recent RGB directive cutting off Belgium.“The school was ordered to cancel its curriculum and adopt the Rwandan curriculum, if they can’t do that, they will have to close,” said the official, who asked not to be named as he is not authorised to speak on the policy to the media.
SOMALIA
Trump team divided over future of U.S. counterterrorism operations in Somalia
Recent battlefield gains by an Islamist insurgency in Somalia have prompted some State Department officials to propose closing the U.S. embassy in Mogadishu and withdrawing most American personnel as a security precaution, according to officials familiar with internal deliberations. But other Trump administration officials, centered in the National Security Council, are worried that shutting the embassy could diminish confidence in Somalia’s central government and inadvertently incite a rapid collapse. Instead, they want to double down on U.S. operations in the war-torn country as it seeks to counter the militant group, Al Shabab, the officials said. The rival concerns are being fueled by memories of foreign policy debacles like the 2012 attack by Islamist militants who overran the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, and the abrupt collapse of the Afghan government as American forces withdrew in 2021. They also underscore the broader dilemma for the Trump administration as it determines its strategy for Somalia, a chaotic and dysfunctional country fractured by complex clan dynamics, where the United States has waged a low-intensity counterterrorism war for some two decades with little progress.
SOMALILAND
Somaliland offers US a chance to stick it to China
Two maritime facilities in Berbera city, and on the Gulf of Aden, a vital global shipping route frequently under attack by Houthi rebels from Yemen, belong to Somaliland, an enclave of about five million people that has functioned independently from Somalia since 1991. Some Somalilanders see the port and the airstrip as the keys to achieving a decades-old ambition: international recognition. Somaliland has its own currency and passport, as well as control over its foreign and military affairs. It has held several widely praised independent elections. Now, it wants to make a deal with President Trump in which the United States would lease both the port and the airstrip in exchange for long-awaited statehood. Gaining an endorsement from the most powerful country in the world, Somalilanders say, would bring global investment and broader diplomatic and security ties. The timing may be auspicious. The Trump administration is considering closing its embassy in Mogadishu the capital of Somalia, citing security risks. Persistent attacks from Houthis have disrupted international shipping, heightening concerns of growing instability in the region. And as the trade war with China heats up, a new U.S. foothold on the continent could help counter Chinese influence. “Myself and my people are hopeful that the business-mindedness of President Trump will lead to the recognition of Somaliland,” President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi said last month in an interview with The New York Times at the presidential palace in Hargeisa, the capital. “This is the biggest opportunity we’ve had.” Mr. Abdullahi plans to visit Washington in the coming months. The deal he envisions includes a U.S. military base along the territory’s 500-mile shoreline hugging the Gulf of Aden. Such access would give the United States a critical presence on a major shipping route and a strategic vantage point to monitor conflicts in the region, including in Somalia.
Video: Somaliland wants a deal with Trump
Home to the longest airstrip in Africa and a vital port on the Gulf of Aden, Somaliland is leveraging its strategic importance in a turbulent region to achieving international recognition – and it’s officials are appealing directly to the Trump administration
SOUTH SUDAN
Kiir replaces foreign minister with deputy after dispute with US
President Salva Kiir has replaced its foreign minister with his deputy, Monday Simaya Kumba, state media reported, following a migration dispute with the US. No explanation was given for the sacking of foreign minister Ramadan Mohamed, which was announced on the state radio station late on Wednesday. The move follows a row with Washington over Juba’s refusal to admit a Congolese man deported from the US, which led to the Trump administration threatening to revoke all US visas held by South Sudanese citizens. South Sudan yielded to Washington’s demands on Tuesday and allowed the man to enter the country.
Kiir adopts usual tools to checkmate archrival Machar
President Salva Kiir may have found a perfect opportunity to strand his old rival Riek Machar. The emerging wrangles in Machar’s party, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO) have presented President Kiir with a chance to finally cut off the man he was forced to share power with for the sake of peace. There are signs that Kiir is no longer interested in sharing power with Machar under the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan mediated by Igad. Juba has already postponed the 40th session of the Revitalised Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), an occasion where parties review progress on transition including reforms necessary to create a stable polity. A splinter group in Machar’s party announced on Wednesday they had replaced him as party leader, and Minister for Peacebuilding, Stephen Par Kuol named interim chairman…This is not the first time a coup in SPLM-IO profited Kiir. In 2016, when the then chief negotiator of SPLM-IO, Taban Deng Gai claimed to have replaced Dr Machar as the leader of the movement, he was rewarded with the position of the vice-president. Dr Machar had fled to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with a few of his aides after a fierce fighting broke out in Juba between his forces and those of President Kiir. That fighting killed the 2015 peace agreement Igad had earlier mediated but Dr Machar remained the undisputed SPLM-IO leader.
Children seeking cholera care die after U.S. cuts aid, charity says
At least five children and three adults with cholera died as they went in search of treatment in South Sudan after aid cuts by the Trump administration shuttered local health clinics during the country’s worst cholera outbreak in decades, the international charity Save the Children reported this week. The victims, all from the country’s east, died on a grueling three-hour walk in scorching heat as they tried to reach the nearest remaining health facility, the agency said in a statement. The American aid cuts, put into effect by the Trump administration in January, forced 7 of 27 health facilities supported by Save the Children across Akobo County to close and 20 others to partly cease operations, the charity said in a statement. Some clinics are now run only by volunteers, and they no longer have the means to transport sick patients to hospitals. In an interview on Thursday, Christopher Nyamandi, Save the Children’s country director for South Sudan, said he had visited a health clinic in Akobo County that was providing nutrition assistance and helping with the cholera response shortly after the cuts were announced. The scene he described was dire.
SUDAN
War/Crisis:
More than 200 civilians killed as Sudan’s RSF attacks Darfur displacement camps
Paramilitaries in Sudan have murdered more than 200 civilians in a wave of attacks in displacement camps and around the city of El Fasher, the last big city still in the hands of the Sudanese army in the Darfur region. The deaths include at least 56 civilians killed by the Rapid Support Forces over two days of attacks in Um Kadadah, a town they seized on the road to El Fasher. The violence is some of the worst in the Darfur region since the civil war between the army and the paramilitary forces began almost exactly two years ago. The UN said killings were continuing at two large displacement camps, including of the entire medical staff of Relief International, which was operating the only remaining clinic inside Zamzam camp. RSF forces were said to be burning buildings throughout Zamzam on Sunday, claiming they were seeking Sudanese government fighters hiding in the camps.
Sudanese ruler’s envoy secretly visited Israel to request military support
Al-Sadig Ismail, an envoy of Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, secretly visited Israel last week to coordinate with officials there on how to present Al-Burhan in a positive light to the new US administration and to address growing tensions with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sudan’s Al-Rakoba newspaper reported yesterday, citing informed source within the Sudanese army. According to the paper, Al-Burhan’s envoy carried several messages to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, including “Burhan’s desire to complete the normalisation process between the two countries and to arrange for the signing of the Abraham Accords in return for Israeli support for Sudan in the next phase.”. Al-Burhan’s envoy also conveyed another message to Israel, related to the rapprochement between the Sudanese army chief and Iran, which has raised concerns in Israel. According to the source, Al-Burhan had no choice but to improve ties with Tehran because Khartoum was isolated and has been faced with regional and international pressures since the outbreak of the civil war, and needed qualitative military support from any party to win its war. In this context, Al-Burhan pledged “to fulfill any obligations or conditions imposed by Tel Aviv in order to conclude the [normalisation] agreement as soon as possible.”
World Court begins hearing Sudan’s case accusing UAE of ‘complicity in genocide’
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Thursday began hearing Sudan’s case against the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which it accuses of being complicit in acts of genocide against the Masalit community in West Darfur by backing the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The hearings in The Hague, focus on Sudan’s request for the court – the UN’s principal judicial organ – to impose provisional measures to prevent further alleged grave human rights violations. Sudan’s military Government is alleging that the UAE has been directly supporting the RSF and allied militias, which have embroiled in a brutal civil war with the national army since April 2023. The conflict has triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, claiming tens of thousands of lives and displacing over 12.4 million people – more than 3.3 million as refugees in neighbouring countries. Khartoum claims the RSF and its affiliates are responsible for serious human rights violations including mass killings, rape and the forced displacement of the non-Arab Masalit people in West Darfur. The application claims the UAE “is complicit in the genocide on the Masalit through its direction of and provision of extensive financial, political, and military support for the rebel RSF militia.”
UAE mocks Sudan’s ICJ genocide case as ‘political farce’
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has mocked the genocide case filed by Sudan against it before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as a “political farce”. Reem Keteit, deputy assistant minister for Political Affairs at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said yesterday the case was a “blatant exploitation of a respected international institution,” stressing that it “completely lacks any legal or practical basis.” She claimed “what Sudan needs today is not political farce, but rather an immediate ceasefire and a serious commitment by both conflicting parties to negotiate a peaceful solution.” Sudan told the ICJ yesterday that the UAE was the “driving force” behind “genocide in Darfur”, through its support for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighting the Sudanese army. Khartoum accused the UAE of “complicity in genocide” against the Masalit tribe due to its support for the RSF, which have been fighting the Sudanese army since 2023. The UAE has long denied supplying weapons to the RSF. Attacks against the Masalit were determined to be genocide by the US in January.
Video: Watch in full as ICJ hears Sudan’s case accusing UAE of ‘complicity in genocide’
Khartoum is asking the world court to issue provisional measures to prevent genocide against the Masalit group, which is targeted by fighters backed by Abu Dhabi
Full text of ICJ speech accusing UAE of complicity in genocide in Sudan
Lawyers representing Sudan at the world court presented the factual basis for their application requesting interim measures to prevent genocide against the Masalit people
Two years of war in Sudan: a devastating combination of record displacement and dwindling aid
Two years since the start of the war in Sudan, and the news remains exceedingly grim. The world’s most damaging displacement crisis is now happening amid the worst humanitarian funding situation in decades. The brutal conflict, which shows little sign of abating, has caused a colossal trail of suffering, with families torn apart, clouding the future of millions and endangering regional stability. As displacement soars, needs are more urgent today than ever. Nearly 13 million people have fled their homes to date, with almost 4 million crossing into the neighbouring countries of Egypt, South Sudan, Chad, Libya, Ethiopia, the Central African Republic, and further afield into Uganda. Displacement continued to grow in the second year of the conflict, with over 1 million people fleeing Sudan. New arrivals report experiencing systemic sexual violence and other human rights violations, as well as witnessing mass killings. Half are children, including thousands without any family. Sudan is now the country with the largest number of its people displaced as refugees in Africa.
Children of war: six orphans’ 1,000-mile journey across Sudan in search of safety
After dysentery killed their mother and the civil war came to their home in Omdurman, Haroun and his young siblings were forced to set off on an epic 1,000 mile quest to reach El Geneina. Their father disappeared before the war started, leaving the house one day and never returning. His children have been unable to reach him on his mobile phone; they presume he is dead. Having escaped ferocious fighting around Omdurman, twin city of the capital, Khartoum, they had arrived in Darfur, synonymous with ethnic cleansing, massacres of civilians…“But we couldn’t stay, it was too deadly,” says Asrar, 13, sitting beside three of her siblings. The six are symbolic of a conflict that has ravaged swathes of Africa’s third-largest country. Their journey across the vast country forced them to navigate countless checkpoints and pass through towns emptied of residents. “Huge parts of the road felt like a ghost town,” says Haroun… Another brother who lives in Libya sent them money by phone to pay a driver to take them to El Geneina, where their parents were from and an elder sister still lived. They paid the driver in advance but he abandoned them along the way. “He left us there with nothing,” Haroun says. “We had already paid him, and we had run out of money, so we had to sell our mother’s perfumes and clothes and survive on beans.” Strangers gave them money to help pay for them to make it to El Geneina, with the children forced to sleep on streets for several weeks. Despite escaping Omdurman, life in El Geneina is also fraught with risk. On arriving, their elder sister could not be found, most likely having fled across the border to Chad. The city has witnessed myriad war crimes, including one of the worst atrocities of the war – a frenzied episode of violence, rape and looting by the RSF in 2023, in which almost 15,000 people were killed.
More Sudanese refugees fleeing as far as Europe, UN refugee agency says
Over a thousand Sudanese refugees have reached or attempted to reach Europe in early 2025, the United Nations’ refugee agency said today, citing growing desperation in part due to reduced aid in the region. Some 12 million people have been displaced by the two-year conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces that has fuelled what UN officials call the world’s most devastating aid crisis. Olga Sarrado, UN refugee agency spokesperson, told a press briefing in Geneva that some 484 Sudanese had arrived in Europe in January and February, up 38 per cent from the same period last year. Around 937 others were rescued or intercepted at sea and returned to Libya – more than double last year’s figures for the same period, she added. “As humanitarian aid crumbles and if the war does not abate, many more will have little choice than to join them,” she said. Migrant deaths hit a record last year, the UN migration agency said, with many perishing on the Mediterranean crossing which is one of the world’s most dangerous.
UK’s conference on Sudan’s war leaves out the two protagonists
The British government is bringing together foreign ministers from nearly 20 countries and organisations in an attempt to establish a group that can drive the warring factions in Sudan closer towards peace. The conference at Lancaster House in London on 15 April comes on the second anniversary of the start of a civil war that has led to the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis, but has been persistently left at the bottom of the global list of diplomatic priorities. Half of Sudan’s population are judged to be desperately short of food, with 11 million people internally displaced. The initiative holds risks for the UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, since it may require him to place pressure on some of the UK’s Middle Eastern allies to make good on their promises no longer to arm the warring parties. The UK along with Germany and France, which are co-hosting the conference, have not invited to London the two warring parties, the Sudanese Armed Forces or the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Sudan’s foreign minister, Ali Youssef, has written to Lammy to protest against his exclusion. Youssef also criticised invitations to the conference for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Chad and Kenya, which he termed “stakeholders in the war”.
TANZANIA/UGANDA
Samia, Museveni use treason to block rivals as elections approach
The arraignment of Tanzania’s opposition leader Tundu Lissu on treason charges this week has cast a new shadow on the push for a fair and credible general election later this year and is seen as a sign of determination by the administration to nip the “No Reforms, No Elections” campaign in the bud. And across the border in Uganda, opposition doyen Kizza Besigye languishes in jail after a court in Kampala denied him bail following his indictment in a court martial late last year on treason charges, even after the country’s apex court ordered his trial in a civilian court. With treason being a non-bailable offence in Tanzania and punishable by death, Lissu has now been placed in detention for an indefinite period which, if the country’s ruling establishment has its way, is likely to extend beyond the election scheduled for October or November. Or at least after the nomination period is over. And in Juba, opposition chief Riek Machar is under house arrest, in the latest political falling-out with his boss South Sudan President Salva Kiir. A fate similar to that of the other two firebrands is likely.
UGANDA
Bobi Wine to run for president in Uganda’s 2026 election ‘if I am still alive and not in jail’
The musician turned opposition leader Bobi Wine has said he will stand again against Uganda’s authoritarian leader, Yoweri Museveni, in next year’s presidential elections. Despite being jailed, attacked, shot, and facing threats of violence, including from Museveni’s son, Wine said he felt he had little choice but to try to advance the hope for change that was energising Ugandans, especially the young. “We cannot just give the election to General Museveni,” he said, in a media interview. The leader of the National Unity Platform (NUP) party, Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, said he expected the January 2026 election, in which Museveni has said he will stand for what would be his seventh term in office, to be bloody. But, with 80% of the Ugandan population under the age of 35, Wine believes change can come. “Young people are so hopeful because they see the possibility,” he said. “Ultimately the good will of the people is what is important for this election and for our campaign. They know if you are not given freedom, you don’t have a life. “I think I stir a lot of hope because I don’t shut my big mouth, and that’s a big challenge to the regime.” Museveni, now in his eighties, has held power in Uganda since in 1986, one of the world’s longest standing national leaders.
WEST AFRICA
CAMEROON
Trump officials end ‘temporary protected status’ for Afghans, Cameroonians
The administration of President Donald Trump has moved to end legal protections for thousands of Afghans and Cameroonians legally living in the United States. On Friday, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security confirmed the decision, which will affect approximately 14,600 Afghans and 7,900 Cameroonians. Those individuals were able to live in the US under a designation called “temporary protected status” or TPS. The US government typically offers TPS to individuals already in the US for whom it may be unsafe to return, at least in the short term, due to conflict, natural disaster or other circumstances. In a statement, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that conditions in Afghanistan and Cameroon no longer met the criteria for TPS. But critics point out that fighting has raged in Cameroon between the government and separatists since 2017… Cameroon has seen clashes between Anglophone separatists and Francophone security forces that have resulted in extrajudicial killings, attacks on civilians and widespread displacement.
GABON
Coup leader is favored in election after ruling family’s fall
Voters in Gabon are set to pick their next president on Saturday, and on paper they have plenty of options: anti-French firebrands, a general who staged a coup, a tax inspector and a female candidate in this oil-rich Central African country. But most candidates and experts agree that the election might be a done deal. They say the race has been rigged in favor of Brice Oligui Nguema, the general who staged a coup in 2023 and has ignored his early promises to hand power over to a civilian. “It is not a level playing field to begin with,” said Joseph Siegle, director of research at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, a Washington-based organization that is part of the U.S. Department of Defense. Gabon is a resource-rich country of 2.5 million that was long ruled by one family. Although wealthier than other countries in sub-Saharan Africa, unemployment is widespread and poverty is high, making those key issues for voters. Here is what to know about the presidential contest: Who are the main contenders? The 50-year-old general who swapped his uniform for jeans, Jordan sneakers and Michael Jackson’s dance moves on the campaign trail. Mr. Nguema is widely tipped to win; his most serious opponent is Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze, who was Mr. Bongo’s prime minister.
GHANA
Video: Ghana’s youth opioid drug problem
Ghana is witnessing a surge in drug consumption and addiction among young people. Access to cocaine and opioids such as tramadol is easy in the country that is used as a transit hub for smugglers in the region.
IVORY COAST
Ivory Coast threatens more expensive cocoa in response to US tariffs
Ivory Coast, the world’s biggest cocoa producer, could take measures to make the product more expensive if tariffs proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump go into effect, the West African country’s agriculture minister said on Thursday. The Trump administration last week announced tariffs of 21%, the highest in West Africa, on Ivory Coast as part of higher targeted duties on dozens of countries. On Wednesday Trump announced he was pausing them for 90 days. Agriculture Minister Kobenan Kouassi Adjoumani said his country wanted Washington to reconsider the tariffs. “When you tax our product that we export to your country, we will increase the price of cocoa and that will have a repercussion on the price to the consumer,” Kouassi said. It was not immediately clear what specific measures Kouassi was referring to. Ivory Coast does not have the ability to set the price for cocoa, which is determined by the global market. However, the country could raise export taxes on cocoa to earn more revenue, which would make the product more expensive for consumers. “It’s the end consumer who will be harmed,” Kouassi said. Ivory Coast exports between 200,000 and 300,000 metric tons of cocoa to the U.S. each year, according to data from the Coffee and Cocoa Council (CCC).
MALI/ALGERIA
How an intercepted drone escalated Mali-Algeria tensions
Yet another conflict story unravels from Tin Zaouatine, a desert region in Mali’s far north-east. The same region that had witnessed an unprecedented defeat of Russian mercenaries who were ambushed by Tuareg rebels in August 2024 is again at the epicenter of an unfolding crisis. On the night between March 31 and April 1, a Turkish-manufactured Akinci surveillance drone operated by the Malian military literally fell from the sky. Video footage circulating on social media depicted burning debris falling and crashing into an uninhabited area. Hours later, the Algerian army stated that an air defense unit in the border region shot down an armed reconnaissance drone that had entered Algerian airspace. Bamako, the capital of Mali, disagreed, arguing that the wreckage was found almost 10 kilometers (6 miles) into Malian territory. The unprecedented incident has since created a major diplomatic rift between the neighbors. While it appears that neither side has an interest in escalating the issue, the crisis has been intensifying. Mali’s military junta retaliated through diplomatic means: In a coordinated step with its close allies Niger and Burkina Faso, all three Sahel Alliance (AES) states withdrew their ambassadors from Algeria. Algiers quickly reciprocated. While it might have been an easy choice for Burkina Faso to stand in solidarity with its ally, the decision might have been more difficult for Niger. “From a Nigerien perspective, this is not a good development, because they have just improved their ties with Algeria,” said Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program of the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS). “Algeria had made an effort for Niger, especially because the relations with Mali are this bad. Algeria’s state oil company Sonatrach has signed a contract in Niger, from which Niger profits economically,” Laessing added.’
MAURITANIA/SENEGAL
Fishing dispute between Senegal and Mauritania
Senegal and Mauritania, two countries with shared borders, are jointly exploiting gas reserves, but when it comes to fishing it’s an altogether different story. Although fishing agreements exist between the two states, Senegalese fishermen who access Mauritanian waters are arrested and imprisoned if they do not have an employment contract. In Senegal, the fishing sector is struggling to emerge from the crisis. This situation is creating unease with Mauritania, where hundreds of Senegalese are being arrested for fishing outside the fishing zone without employment contracts. This sector is in poor shape, exacerbating the phenomenon of illegal immigration in recent years. To smooth matters out, in the space of 45 days, two Senegalese officials, Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, and recently, Minister of Foreign Affairs and African Integration Yacine Fall, have visited Mauritania. According to a parliamentary commission report, more than 400 Senegalese are currently detained in Mauritania, the majority of whom are fishermen. In Nouakchott, the Senegalese delegation were said to be carrying a message from the President of Senegal. “…As part of the strengthening of bilateral relations between Senegal and Mauritania, Ms. Fall carried out an official one-day mission to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania,” her ministry published on the day of the visit.
NIGERIA
Pipelines in Nigeria’s oil-rich Bayelsa state hit by sabotage attacks
Nigerian oil producer, Oando Plc, has confirmed a series of sabotage attacks on its key pipeline infrastructure in Bayelsa State, marking a troubling escalation in pipeline vandalism in the oil-rich Niger Delta region. In a statement issued late Friday, Oando revealed that three separate incidents occurred over the past week, targeting vital pipeline assets. Pipeline vandalism and crude theft continue to plague Nigeria’s oil sector, contributing to significant production losses and discouraging investments. The recurring challenges have driven major international oil companies like Shell, ExxonMobil, Total, and Eni to divest their onshore and shallow-water assets, shifting their focus to more secure deep-water operations. Authorities have yet to comment on whether any suspects have been identified or apprehended in connection with the recent attacks.
Nigerian bandit kingpin and 100 followers killed
A notorious bandit kingpin and 100 of his suspected followers have been killed in a joint military operation in north-west Nigeria, authorities say. Gwaska Dankarami was said to have been a high-value target who reportedly served as second-in-command to an Islamic State-linked leader. The alleged gang leader had been hiding in the Munumu Forest, with authorities reporting that several other criminal hideouts were also destroyed across the state on Friday. His apparent death comes after bandits kidnapped 43 villagers and killed four others in a deadly attack on a village called Maigora in the northern Katsina State earlier this week. The police had said that it deployed security forces in pursuit of the kidnappers. However, this is not the first time Dankarami’s death has been reported. In 2022, the Nigerian Airforce claimed to have killed him in a similar operation. The Katsina State commissioner for internal security and home affairs, Nasir Mua’zu, said the killing was a significant milestone in the fight against banditry in the state. Katsina, the home state of former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, has witnessed sporadic attacks by bandits and kidnappers that have claimed many lives.
Nigeria bans song critical of President Bola Tinubu
Authorities in Nigeria have banned a song critical of President Bola Tinubu from being broadcast on radio and TV. “Tell Your Papa” by Eedris Abdulkareem sharply criticizes after Tinubu’s economic record two years in office, which has seen major protests over rising inflation and fuel prices. Nigeria’s National Broadcasting Commission sent a memo to TV and radio stations describing the content as “inappropriate for broadcast.” It also claimed the song violated a clause in the country’s broadcasting code that prohibits content that is in “breach of public decency.” Abdulkareem has hit back at the claims and urged his fans to stream the song online instead. “It’s obvious that in Nigeria, truth and constructive criticism is always deemed as a big crime by the government,” Abdulkareem said on social media on Thursday. “Tell Your Papa” was released on April 6 and includes lyrics in Yoruba, English and Pidgin. The Afrobeats track is addressed to the president’s son, Seyi Tinubu, who recently said his father was the greatest leader in Nigeria’s history. The lyrics call on him to tell his father that “people are dying” from economic hardship as well as insecurity caused by armed groups. Abdulkareem points to Tinubu’s economic policies that he says have brought widespread hardship, highlighting a string of “empty promises.”
SOUTHERN AFRICA
ANGOLA
Angola hit with $200mn JPMorgan margin call as African bonds tumble
Angola injected nearly $200mn to shore up a $1bn loan from JPMorgan that was backed by the country’s bonds, after the dollar debts of the oil-producing African nation tumbled with crude prices in the recent global market rout. Angola’s finance ministry reported on Friday that it used the cash to meet a margin call on the loan as volatile oil and debt markets hit the value of about $2bn in debt that was used as security. The margin call on Angola reflects the financial strain that this week’s turmoil across markets is imposing on poorer nations that were already struggling to bring down double-digit costs to issue new debt…Angola issued the bonds subject to the margin call earlier this year to secure a one-year loan from JPMorgan, known as a total return swap. The deal was designed to tide Angola over to cover debt payments that come due this year while it remained too costly to issue a regular US dollar bond, people familiar with the transaction said. This week the bonds were marked down from just under 100 cents on the dollar to as low as 85 cents on Monday. That sent their value below half of the loan. On Friday, the bonds were marked at about 90 cents.
SOUTH AFRICA
Trump to snub November G20 summit in SAfr, again citing so-called persecution of whites
The Department of Intl Relations and Cooperation has pushed back against a fresh attack from United States President, who signalled he would boycott the G20 summit in South Africa in November, again falsely accusing the country of persecuting white farmers. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent have already boycotted G20 meetings ahead of the summit of heads of state, in a clear indication that the US will seek to undermine South Africa’s presidency of the economic grouping for its year-long duration. In a post on his Truth Social platform on Friday, Trump asked rhetorically how he could be expected to attend the G20 in South Africa “when land confiscation and genocide is the primary topic of conversation?” “They are taking the land of white farmers, and then killing them and their families. The media refuses to report on this. The United States has held back all contributions to South Africa. Is this where we want to be for the G20? I don’t think so!” In a brief response, the international relations department said the government was compelled by the Constitution to protect the rights of all citizens, regardless of their race. “South Africa belongs to all those who live in it. Our Constitution protects people not because they are black, not because they are white, not because they are in the majority, not because they are in the minority, but because they are human beings, every person has fundamental rights,” said spokesperson Chrispin Phiri.
Effort to get Starlink in South Africa collides with tension over Musk
South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has been vocal about his desire to see his country’s wealthiest son, Elon Musk, invest some of his billions at home. But his overtures have been stymied by Mr. Musk’s criticism of the South African government as racist. Mr. Musk has argued that a law requiring foreign companies to sell ownership stakes to Black people — or others who faced discrimination during apartheid — is discriminatory and prevents his satellite internet provider, Starlink, from operating there. Now, a South African official is paving the way for Starlink, and other similar providers, to operate in the country through an alternative to the requirement of Black ownership. The official, Solly Malatsi, who oversees the country’s telecommunications, has said that he is finalizing a directive that would allow satellite internet companies to obtain licenses by investing in disadvantaged communities, rather than by selling equity in their companies. The rules about Black ownership were created after the end of apartheid 30 years ago in an effort to economically uplift Black South Africans, who were largely prohibited from owning major companies under the white-minority government. Mr. Malatsi belongs to the Democratic Alliance, the country’s second-largest political party, which is in a multiparty coalition led by the largest party, the African National Congress. The two parties are at odds over many issues… Mr. Musk’s critiques of South Africa have created mistrust among some government officials who have raised concerns about giving Mr. Musk too much control over the country’s internet connectivity.
How US funding cuts are threatening families living with HIV
The magnitude of the HIV epidemic in South Africa, a country of 63 million people, is staggering. About 7.8 million currently live with HIV, including an estimated 270,000 children under 14. Every year, 10,000 children are estimated to be infected with HIV while 2,100 die from HIV-related causes. According to UNAIDS, the United Nations agency that coordinates global action for preventing and treating HIV/AIDS, the majority of these cases stem from transmission occurring before or during birth with a smaller number contracting the virus later through breastfeeding. Under Trump, the US government halted funding for the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a global health investment introduced in 2003. PEPFAR is the source of most of the funding for South Africa’s HIV programmes supported by USAID, the US Agency for International Development. Under Trump, the agency has in effect been dismantled. With the halt in funding, counselling initiatives and programmes including testing, education and community support have shut down.
ZIMBABWE
Zimbabwe starts compensating white farmers 25 years after land seizures
Zimbabwe has started to make compensation payments to white former farm owners, 25 years after Robert Mugabe’s government began confiscating land. The government paid $3.1m (£2.3m) to a “first batch” of 378 farms, the ministry of finance said in a statement on Wednesday, the first payout under a 2020 agreement to pay $3.5bn in compensation. The remainder of the $311m due to this group of farmers will be paid in US dollar-denominated treasury bonds with two- to 10-year maturities and interest of 2%. That is much lower than the current yield on a two-year US treasury bond of about 3.8%. Zimbabwe’s finance minister, Mthuli Ncube, said: “The payments will continue. We are very serious about this.” Mugabe’s government seized more than 4,000 mostly white-owned farms, from about the year 2000 to redistribute to black people in what it claimed was restitution for the dispossession of British colonial rule. However, Mugabe and his cronies took nearly 40% of the 14m hectares (about 35m acres) confiscated for themselves. Agricultural production, which had accounted for 40% of exports, plunged and the economy collapsed, with hyperinflation reaching a staggering 500bn% in 2008. Zimbabwe cannot borrow from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund as it has been in arrears since 2000 and 2001, respectively. Government debt was $21bn late last year, about half of which was arrears and penalties. The compensation payments to the displaced farmers are one of the requirements of international lenders to start a debt restructuring process with Zimbabwe, including a new IMF programme.
The Zimbabwean singer who found fame in China – and obscurity at home
It was 2017 and Jo Stak – wearing a red tuxedo jacket, a bow tie and a homburg hat – was belting out a Mandarin song. Red and yellow lights shimmered around him as a crowd of cheering, flag-waving fans on the Chinese version of The Voice gave a standing ovation at the end of his act. Stak’s melodious rendition of a 1992 Chinese song called The World Needs Warm Hearts was broadcast on national television. On Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, he had about five million followers. He’d appeared on some of the country’s biggest television stations. Fans stopped him on the street to ask for a photo or just have a chat. The Zimbabwean singer was riding high. In 2019, after seven years in China, his work visa expired, and he returned home. It feels a long way from China and the career he enjoyed there. He has not found the same acclaim back home. Even his neighbours had no idea about his previous life… Five years after he left China, Stak remains popular there. A couple of months ago, his Chinese boss uploaded a video of him singing in Mandarin. “[He] posted me on his WeChat status, and people were asking him about me. They were like, ‘Where is this guy?’” Stak takes a moment and then adds, “The Chinese love me.”
NORTH AFRICA
ALGERIA
Algeria protests France’s detention of Algerian consular agent
Algeria protested on Saturday against France’s detention of an Algerian consular agent over an alleged kidnapping of an Algerian citizen in France, the latest tension between the two countries.
The Algerian Foreign Ministry said that this unprecedented judicial turn, in the history of two countries’ relations, was aimed at disrupting the process of reviving bilateral relations. French media reported that three people, including an Algerian consular official, were placed under investigation on Friday on suspicion of kidnapping Amir Boukhors, an opponent of the Algerian regime. Algeria said that “the new, unacceptable, and unjustified development will severely damage Algerian-French relations and affirms its determination not to leave this case without consequences.” The North Africa country described Boukhors as “a saboteur linked to terrorist groups.”…French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said last week that ties with Algeria were back to normal after he held talks with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune following months of bickering that have hurt Paris’ economic and security interests in its former colony.
Algeria laments US support for Moroccan position on Western Sahara
Algeria said it regretted US support for Morocco’s proposal for “autonomy” for the disputed Western Sahara region. On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed Washington’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara during a meeting with his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita. According to a State Department readout, Rubio said that Morocco’s autonomy proposal rests as the only basis for a “just and lasting solution” to the long-running dispute over the territory. “The US continues to believe that genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the only feasible solution,” he said. The Western Sahara issue has been a source of tensions between Algeria and Morocco for some five decades. The issue began in 1975 after the Spanish colonial withdrawal from the region, and the conflict between Morocco and the pro-independence Polisario Front turned into an armed struggle that lasted until 1991 when a ceasefire agreement was signed. The UN does not recognise the sovereignty claims of either the Polisario Front or Morocco, which took control of most of Western Sahara in a 1975 agreement with Spain and Mauritania. Morocco proposes extensive autonomy for the Western Sahara region under its sovereignty, while the Polisario Front calls for a referendum on self-determination, a stance supported by Algeria, which hosts refugees from the region. The US agreed to recognise Morocco’s plan for the region in 2020 in return for Rabat reestablishing ties with the occupation state of Israel.
TUNISIA
Activists demand enactment of law criminalizing Israel normalization
Hundreds of activists participated in a march held in the capital, Tunis, on Friday, demanding the enactment of a law criminalizing normalization with Israel, which has been waging an ongoing war of genocide in the Gaza Strip for 18 months. A banner reading: “The people want to criminalize normalization with the Zionist entity and stop military and security cooperation with America” was at the front of the march. Hundreds of activists also raised flags of Palestinian and Lebanese resistance factions and held signs reading “Criminalize normalization,” “Palestine is not for sale… Where is the criminalization of normalization?” and “The people want to criminalize normalization.” In November 2023, the Tunisian Parliament failed to ratify a law criminalising normalisation with Israel after Speaker of the Assembly of the Representatives of the People Ibrahim Bouderbala announced the postponement of the vote, which has yet to be held. In turn, Tunisian President Kais Saied commented on the controversy surrounding the decision to postpone the vote, asserting: “Tunisia’s position on normalisation is unwavering in its rejection. The term ‘normalisation’ has no place in my dictionary.”
CENTRAL AFRICA
US considers funding cut for central Africa over forex
The US Congress is examining a law that would withhold American backing for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) support to the central African region until the six-member bloc effects “proper reporting” on forex reserves. If passed, the proposed law will compel the Economic and Monetary Community of Central African States (Cemac) make accurate foreign reserve disclosures or risk losing IMF support. The legislation, to be known as the Central African Exploitation and Manipulation of American Companies Act (Cemac Act), or H. US officials and energy sector actors fear that forex rules will slow down energy investments in the bloc. The proposed law is already attracting support from key players in the energy sector, who say it will remove opacity in foreign exchange reserves management by the regional central bank.
UNITED NATIONS
U.N. aid chief says to cut 20% of staff due to funding shortfall
The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (United Nations OCHA) is cutting 20% of its workforce, reducing staff from 2,600 to 2,100 across over 60 countries, due to a $58 million funding shortfall. OCHA’s aid chief, Tom Fletcher, told staff the U.S., its largest donor, cut its $63 million annual contribution, which made up 20% of OCHA’s extrabudgetary resources for 2025. UNOCHA’s role—mobilizing aid, sharing information, supporting relief efforts, and advocating for those in need—relies heavily on voluntary funding. With this shortfall, UNOCHA must scale back operations in Cameroon, Colombia, Eritrea, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Gaziantep (Turkey), and Zimbabwe, shrinking its global presence. Fletcher noted that these cuts stem from reduced donor funding, not lower humanitarian needs, which are rising due to conflicts, climate crises, and disease. UNOCHA plans to focus resources more on countries where it operates but will work in fewer locations. Nichols highlights the broader United Nations context, with Secretary-General António Guterres announcing cost-cutting measures as the organization faces a cash crisis at 80 years old. The shortfall forces tough choices for OCHA, despite growing global demand for aid. Fletcher emphasized the need to adapt to ensure aid continues.
AFRICA-GENERAL NEWS
The hidden dangers of space junk: Debris is falling on Africa
During the afternoon of 30 December last year, residents of Mukuku village in Makueni County, Kenya, were alarmed by a sudden loud crash. “In the middle of a field lay a mysterious, smouldering metal ring, 2.5m across and weighing nearly 500kg,” academics Richard Ocaya and Thembinkosi Malevu wrote in the journal, Nature. “Elsewhere, in western Uganda in May 2023, villagers reported seeing streaks of fire in the sky before debris rained down, scattering wreckage across a 40km-wide area.” These were no ordinary meteorites, they said. “Across the world, from Texas to Saudi Arabia, from Cape Town to the Amazon rainforest, objects launched into low Earth orbit (LEO) are now falling back to Earth.” With thousands of satellites launched every year, the growing danger of space debris, particularly defunct satellites and spent rocket stages returning to Earth, can “potentially be catastrophic”. Ocaya and Malevu warn that the space junk has become an immediate danger, necessitating space-traffic management and collision-avoidance strategies. The researchers noted that since the beginning of the space age in 1957, humans have launched more than 17,000 satellites. In 2023 the re-entry of 1,982 space objects was recorded; 678 were satellites, 96 were rocket stages and 1,208 were debris.
OpEd: Africa doesn’t need aid. It needs control over its critical minerals
African countries can break aid dependency by simply capturing the full value of their mineral resources.
SPECIAL ADDITION
The Presidential Potty and the Perils of the Expressway
By a Slightly Delayed but Still Amused Traveller Driving to Entebbe Airport:
“Yesterday morning of April 12th, I decided to do everything by the book. My ET Flight 333 awaited, and like any responsible adult with mild airport anxiety, I gave myself a generous buffer of 3 hours and 40 minutes. My trusty driver and friend, John, must’ve felt unusually patriotic — he showed up 30 minutes earlier than agreed. A miracle already.
We hit the road early, spirits high, traffic low. The Entebbe Expressway was doing what it promised: being express. No boda-boda ballet, no sugarcane sellers doing the Olympic sprint between bumpers. We cruised along like dignitaries… until we neared that infamous junction near Kajjansi, where road dreams go to die.
That’s when the great East African snaking began — cars lined up like voters on election day, but with less hope. First, we laughed. After all, we were early. Then, with Ugandan optimism, we concluded: “Ah, maybe the Presidential Convoy already passed.”
You see, in Uganda, it’s widely understood that if the President so much as sneezes, traffic across three districts halts in reverence. There’s even a running joke that roads are closed the moment His Excellency turns on the shower tap — and the water waits for clearance too.
But then we noticed something…off. We saw flashing lights, the typical signal of a state convoy. But unlike the usual 40-car motorcade (which includes everything from ambulances to spiritual backup), this convoy was suspiciously slim.
3 cars.
Yes, three!
One in front clearing the road, a military pickup behind with UPDF sharp-shooters looking like they were protecting nuclear codes, and… the pièce de résistance: the Presidential Mobile Toilet. Yes, you read that right. The entire Expressway held hostage by a high-tech, dollar-gobbling, VIP Loo on Wheels.
We couldn’t believe it. No President inside. No visible VVIP. Just the Presidential Portable Throne, majestically rolling past hundreds of everyday citizens with somewhere to be — weddings, funerals, job interviews, but all deemed less urgent than the Toilet’s journey to, we assume, await His Excellency’s next bowel appointment.
As the Convoy of Convenience turned off toward State House, we resumed our drive to the airport, laughing and shaking our heads in equal measure.
I made my flight. But as I took off, I couldn’t help but wonder:
How long will Africa hold 200 cars hostage just to make way for a glorified, bulletproof latrine?
When will our obsession with symbols of power shift to, say, improving public toilets in actual hospitals?
Until then, my friends, long live the Expressway. And God bless the Presidential potty.”
The Africa Edition ©️ 
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