UN Rights Chief Decries ‘Horror’ in Sudan, Cites El Fasher Attack, Executions
The U.N. human rights chief on Friday decried the “horror” unfolding in Sudan, citing deadly recent attacks by paramilitary forces on the besieged city of El Fasher and disturbing reports of extrajudicial executions in the Khartoum area. Volker Türk, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, warned of potentially worse bloodshed to come amid fighting between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). “The horror unfolding in Sudan knows no bounds,” Türk said in a statement released in Geneva. He said the RSF launched coordinated attacks on El Fasher and the nearby Abu Shouk displacement camp three days ago, killing at least 40 civilians. This brought the confirmed civilian death toll in North Darfur state to at least 542 in the past three weeks alone, though Türk noted the actual figure is likely much higher…Türk also highlighted “extremely disturbing” reports of extrajudicial executions in Khartoum state. He pointed to videos circulating on social media allegedly showing armed men in RSF uniforms rounding up and executing at least 30 men in civilian clothes in Al Salha, southern Omdurman. He noted that an RSF field commander subsequently acknowledged the killings in another video. These reports follow other recent accounts of alleged extrajudicial executions of dozens accused of collaborating with the RSF in southern Khartoum, reportedly committed by the SAF-aligned Al Baraa Brigade, Türk added. Sudan Tribune
Anthrax Outbreak Compounds Security Crisis in Eastern DR Congo
An anthrax outbreak is compounding the worsening security situation in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), driving up humanitarian needs and further limiting access to basic services. The escalating crisis is also widening critical gaps in healthcare and protection, amid a broader surge in infectious diseases. And with nearly seven million people forcibly displaced by violence since advances by M23 rebels earlier this year, the DRC is facing one of the world’s most complex displacement crises, according to the UN migration agency (IOM). Living in overcrowded and under-resourced camps, displaced populations are increasingly vulnerable to both disease and attack. Since January 2025 alone, over 660,000 people have been forced to flee the Goma region after Government forces lost control of the key city along with Bukavu to the south. The scale of the humanitarian needs in the country has reached a tipping point, according to IOM, with outbreaks of mpox and anthrax underway in the east. While both mpox and anthrax typically affect livestock and other animals, food insecurity resulting from the ongoing conflict, paired with unsanitary living conditions in displacement camps, puts humans at greater risk of transmission. UN News
South Africa Says Its Peacekeeping Troops Are Withdrawing from Rebel-held Eastern Congo
The South African armed forces said Thursday they had begun withdrawing their peacekeeping troops from rebel-controlled eastern Congo. The South African National Defense Force said the troops began moving out earlier this week and would travel through neighboring Rwanda to Tanzania and fly home from there. Peacekeeping troops from Malawi and Tanzania have also started withdrawing from Congo. The three countries contributed soldiers to a southern African peacekeeping force but they had been left trapped in eastern Congo after Rwanda-backed M23 rebels launched an offensive in late January and took control of the strategic city of Goma. Fourteen South African and three Malawian soldiers were killed in fighting with M23 in January. The southern African regional body decided in March to end its peacekeeping mission early and bring the troops home. AP
Somali Forces Reclaim Key Al-Shabaab Strongholds Amid Intensified Offensive
Somali forces have made key milestones in reclaiming some of the strategic bases within the country, as the war against al-Shabaab militants takes yet another important stretch, with the militants retreating in several frontlines. According to local authorities, the Al-Shabaab militants lost central Galgadud within Galmudug state, where the group had been holed up for several months after security forces blocked several exit routes within the central parts of Somalia. The village was lost by the militants following an offensive within El-Dheer District, which is a major stronghold of the militants. The takeover means the Somali National Army and local fighters can advance while targeting other strategic areas. The operations were also extended to Ali Andhole and Barag Sheikh Abdullahi, about 40 kilometres north of El-Dheer. The local forces also targeted Ali Candhoole, which has been a major command base of the militants for several years. Security sources said that government-aligned forces gained full control of all targeted positions after more than two hours of heavy fighting…The operation marks the latest in a series of offensives that officials say have dealt a significant blow to the group’s presence in eastern Galgadud. Local fighters, also known as Macawislay fighters, have been part of the operations in central regions. Garowe Online
Disinformation Fuels Support for Burkina Junta Leader in Nigeria
While critics of [Burkina Faso junta leader Ibrahim Traore] have blamed his government for clamping down on freedom of expression, others on social media are casting him in a positive light…”This growing admiration for Traore in Nigeria poses serious risks to national security and democratic stability,” said Malik Samuel, a senior researcher at the pan-African thinktank Good Governance Africa. “It normalises military intervention as a viable political solution and opens the door to foreign ideological interference.”…For Nigerians weighed down by hardship, claims that Traore is transforming Burkina Faso into an economic powerhouse resonate deeply…Across Francophone Africa, similar narratives are gaining traction. In Ivory Coast, a video of Traore at the inauguration of a cement plant in Burkina Faso spread alongside false claims he had announced a drop in cement prices. Months before he was ousted in Niger, former Nigerien president Mohamed Bazoum said Russia’s Wagner Group had been sponsoring “disinformation campaigns against us”. Analysts told AFP there are signs of organised, large-scale campaigns using false information to boost the profiles of Sahelian military leaders. The content is produced by “Russian propaganda units and then given to these influencers, through the middlemen, to post on social media,” said Philip Obaji, a Nigerian journalist who has analysed Russian influence operations. According to [Ikemesit Effiong, partner at Lagos-based consultancy firm SBM Intelligence], this reflects a wider “Russian strategy” in Africa of leveraging social media to influence public opinion, bolster the image of military regimes, and portray Moscow as a more respectful alternative to Western powers…Unlike the stable and thriving country portrayed on social media, Burkina Faso has become caught in a spiral of violence that has spilled over from neighbouring Mali and Niger…Dissenting voices like journalists have been regularly silenced, detained, or kidnapped in the name of the war against jihadists. AFP
Nigeria Governors Urge Army to Rethink Anti-jihadist Strategy
State governors in northeast Nigeria on Thursday called on government security forces to rethink their counter-insurgency strategy, after more than 100 people were killed last month in jihadist attacks. The region has seen an upsurge in Islamist militant attacks in recent weeks, reigniting a grinding conflict over the last 16 years that has left more than 40,000 dead and displaced two million. Governors from the states of Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Gombe, Taraba and Bauchi met in the Yobe state capital Damaturu for the 11th North-East Governors Forum. Taraba state governor Agbu Kefas said in a closing speech that he and colleagues were alarmed at the increase in insurgent activity…Kefas said a “multidimensional approach” was needed to address the “root causes” of the unrest, with work on youth employment and training, better roads and education and poverty reduction. Boko Haram, which originated in Borno, and its splinter group Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have lost ground to the Nigerian army but have recently become more active. AFP
Mali’s Political Parties Speak Out Against Dissolution Threat
Malian political parties, fearing their dissolution by the ruling junta, are raising their voices despite a crackdown on dissent and a shrinking civic space. The military announced on Wednesday the repeal of a charter which sets out the creation and function of political parties, in what legal experts said could be another move towards scrapping them entirely. The decision comes after a national consultation organised by the junta recommended the dissolution of parties and tougher rules about founding them. “In Mali, we have fought to obtain democracy and we are not going to sit idly by,” said Oumar Mariko, an exiled opposition politician…Since successive coups in 2020 and 2021 brought the military to power, opposition parties have faced threats, legal action, disbandment and pressure to unite around the junta to fight the scourge of jihadist violence. But in recent weeks about 100 political parties have formed a coalition to confront what they see as the junta’s clear intention to dissolve them entirely. In a rare public statement, the coalition last Saturday accused the authorities of wanting to scrap them…Neighbours Niger and Burkina Faso are run by military juntas which came to power since 2023. The three nations are now part of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). Human rights organisations accuse them all of suppressing dissent on the pretext of battling jihadists. Despite the risk of reprisals, Mali’s political class has spoken out to avoid completely disappearing, as parties have in Burkina Faso and Niger. AFP
Tunisia Leader’s Opponents, Supporters Stage Rival Rallies in Sharp Political Split
Opponents of Tunisian President Kais Saied protested on the streets of Tunis on Thursday, accusing him of using the judiciary and police to suppress critics, while his supporters held a counter-rally, highlighting a deepening political divide. The anti-Saied demonstration — the second opposition protest in a week — reflects growing concerns among human rights groups that the birthplace of the Arab Spring is sliding toward one-man rule. Demonstrators on the capital’s main thoroughfare chanted slogans such as “Saied go away, you are dictator” and “The people want the fall of the regime”, a slogan reminiscent of the 2011 uprising that toppled former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. On the same street, Habib Bourguiba Avenue, Saied’s supporters rallied in his defence, chanting, “No to foreign interference” and “The people want Saied again”…The demonstrations follow a months-long government crackdown on Saied’s critics, including the detention last week of prominent lawyer Ahmed Souab, a fierce critic of the president…The opposition accuses Saied of undermining the democracy won in the 2011 revolution, since he seized extra powers in 2021 when he shut down the elected parliament and moved to rule by decree before assuming authority over the judiciary. Reuters
Tanzanian Priest – and Government Critic – Brutally Attacked
A prominent Tanzanian Catholic priest and government critic has been violently attacked amid rising political tensions ahead of elections due in October. Fr Charles Kitima, who had attended an all-day religious meeting, was ambushed by two people at night in a canteen restroom near his residence in Dar es Salaam…The attack on Fr Kitima, who is the secretary-general of the Catholic bishops’ organisation, Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC), has been widely condemned…Political tension is increasing in Tanzania ahead of the general elections, with rights groups raising concerns over shrinking civic space, accountability, and justice…Fr Kitima has frequently criticised government policies and is widely known in Tanzania for his bold stance on democratic reforms and human rights. The assault, which has alarmed faith leaders and the civil society, comes days after the Catholic Church called for the government to heed calls for electoral reform – a key opposition demand. Leaders of Christian churches, whose followers make up 60% of the population, have become increasingly outspoken on justice and governance issues. But their criticism has not been received well by some supporters of the ruling party, with some senior figures asking religious leaders to stay out of politics. BBC
Sierra Leone Launches Mpox Vaccination Drive as Cases Soar
Sierra Leone has launched a nationwide mpox vaccination campaign after an explosion in cases of a new, more dangerous variant of the virus. Health authorities in the West African country have now confirmed 763 cases of the virus, including 177 recorded in a two day period last week, according to data from the National Public Health Agency. At least six people have died, with most of the infections centered on the capital Freetown and the surrounding area. In response to mounting infections, the government has begun a large-scale vaccination drive targeting frontline healthcare workers, close contacts of confirmed cases, people with compromised immune systems and children from age 12. Since the campaign began at the end of March, more than 1,000 people have been vaccinated against the virus formerly known as monkeypox, which causes characteristic skin lesions and a high fever…The government has also opened four treatment centers in the capital since February. Other efforts to contain the virus include active surveillance and case-finding, as well as improvements to patient care through a newly renovated Infectious Disease Unit. Radio alerts, signage, and social media posts have all been used to urge the public to seek medical attention promptly if symptoms arise. But inside Freetown’s Connaught Hospital, the country’s largest public health facility where the first mpox patient was officially diagnosed, supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) are thinning, and overstretched staff are grappling with an overwhelming caseload. The Telegraph