Africa Media Review for March 21, 2025

Sudan’s Military Retakes Presidential Palace in Devastated Capital
Sudanese military forces recaptured the presidential palace early Friday in the battle-scarred capital, Khartoum, signaling a potential turning point in Sudan’s devastating civil war, now approaching its third year. Videos and photos showed soldiers standing triumphantly at the entrance of the devastated palace, which overlooks the Nile River, after days of heavy fighting with the Rapid Support Forces, or R.S.F., the powerful paramilitary group that the army has been battling…Retaking the palace was a major symbolic victory for Sudan’s army, which lost most of Khartoum to the R.S.F. in the early days of the war in April 2023, leaving its forces confined to a handful of embattled bases scattered across the vast city. It was also a significant boost to the military’s drive to expel the paramilitaries from Khartoum entirely, six months into a giant counteroffensive that has swung the balance of the war toward the military in the eastern half of Sudan…Early Thursday, the military launched a blistering ambush on an R.S.F. convoy south of the palace, apparently as R.S.F. troops attempted to flee, video footage showed…Even if the military manages to drive the R.S.F. from Khartoum, there is little prospect of the war ending soon, analysts say. What started as a power feud between the two generals has exploded into a much wider conflict fueled by a bewildering array of foreign powers. The New York Times

South Sudan Says Sudan War Affects Joint Border Monitoring Mechanisms
South Sudan said Thursday that Sudan’s war has affected activities of the joint border monitoring and verification mechanisms, allowing non-state actors to exploit the situation and turn porous border lines into hide outs. “Before the eruption of the conflict in Sudan, there was a joint political and security monitoring and verification mechanisms. They were the channels through which and from which information about the activities of anybody outside the organs of the states were obtained. These bodies have now stopped meeting regularly because of the situation in Sudan,” explained chief of the defense forces of South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF), General Paul Nang Majok…Gen Majok commended the role of the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism (JBVMM), a part of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) which monitors the Safe De-Militarized Border Zone (SDBZ) along the Sudan-South Sudan border, conducting patrols, security monitoring, verification, and investigation activities. The JBVMM was established in 2011 by the United Nations Security Council to conduct monitoring and verification activities along the Sudan-South Sudan border, particularly within the Safe De-militarized Border Zone (SDBZ). Sudan Tribune

Somali President Visits Frontlines Amid Rising Al-Shabaab Attacks
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud arrived today by helicopter in Cadale, a town in the Middle Shabelle region, after departing from Mogadishu where he had met with a UAE delegation led by Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan Al Nahyan, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the UAE. In Cadale, President Mohamud is holding talks with military commanders leading the fight against Al-Shabaab, with a primary focus on securing previously liberated areas that the group continues to attack regularly. Mohamud’s visit comes days after a failed assassination attempt during a bombing in Ceel-Gaabta on Tuesday. He returned to Mogadishu on Wednesday to meet with the UAE delegation and reaffirm the country’s commitment to combating terrorism. Before that, he had visited the frontlines in Aadan Yabaal and Moqokori, key battlegrounds in the ongoing conflict with Al-Shabaab…On Wednesday, Al-Shabaab launched a mortar attack on Mogadishu’s airport, targeting the Halane base, which houses African Union forces, UN personnel, and foreign embassies. Garowe Online

Tigray War Survivors File Criminal Complaint in Germany, Accusing Ethiopian and Eritrean Officials of War Crimes
Eight survivors of the Tigray war have filed a criminal complaint with the German Federal Public Prosecutor, accusing twelve senior Ethiopian and Eritrean government and military officials of committing “war crimes and crimes against humanity,” according to their legal representatives…It was filed under Germany’s universal jurisdiction principle, which “allows states to prosecute international crimes committed abroad due to the egregious nature of the underlying conduct.”…Some of the complainants, LAW noted, “currently reside in Germany” and have asked the German Federal Public Prosecutor to launch an investigation…LAW pointed out that German authorities have previously used universal jurisdiction to prosecute atrocity crimes committed in Syria, The Gambia, and Iraq. The organization argued that Tigrayan victims now “demand their own day in court.” If the German prosecutor proceeds, it would mark “the first time such an investigation has been undertaken” regarding the Tigray war. Addis Standard

Tshisekedi, Kagame Meeting in Qatar ‘Surprises’ Angola
The Angolan government on Thursday expressed ‘surprise’ at the meeting between the President of the Democratic Republic of (DRC), Félix Tshisekedi, and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, in Doha, Qatar, which it said was not on the agenda of the DRC peace mediator. According to the country’s foreign minister, the meeting took place ‘on the very day’ that the DRC sent a delegation to Luanda for negotiations with M23 rebels. But just hours before the talks were due to start, the Rwandan-backed rebels pulled out. Angola later cited force majeure as the reason the negotiations failed to take place. It added that the government of Angola, as mediator, continues to make every effort to ensure that this meeting takes place at an opportune moment, reaffirming that dialogue is the only lasting solution for peace in the east of the DRC. “All efforts to resolve conflicts are welcome, but African problems should be resolved by Africans,” Foreign Minister Téte António told a press conference in Luanda. He added that President João Lourenço, who also chairs the African Union, was surprised by Qatar’s initiative to bring Tshisekedi and Kagame to Doha. The EastAfrican

Namibia: Nandi-Ndaitwah in History Books, Sworn in as First Woman President
Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah etched her name into the annals of history on Friday after being sworn in as the first woman president for Namibia since independence 35 years ago. She was sworn in by chief justice Peter Shivute at State House in full support of various heads of state from the African continent and beyond…Nandi-Ndaitwah previously served as vice president, minister of international relations and deputy prime minister, as well as various other Cabinet portfolios…Nandi-Ndaitwah was born on 29 October 1952 in Onamutai, Namibia…She joined Swapo at the age of 14, dedicating her life to Namibia’s liberation and development. During her time in exile, she held prominent roles in Swapo’s leadership, representing the party in central and East Africa and participating in key international negotiations, including the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 435.
Following Namibia’s independence in 1990, she served in various ministerial positions, including deputy minister of foreign affairs, minister of women affairs and child welfare, minister of information and broadcasting, minister of environment and tourism, and minister of international relations and cooperation. She was appointed deputy prime minister and minister of international relations and cooperation in 2015. Nandi-Ndaitwah became the vice president of Namibia on 4 February 2024 and vice president of Swapo in 2017. The Namibian

Namibia: Kuugongelwa-Amadhila Elected as First Woman National Assembly Speaker after Decade as Prime Minister
Former prime minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila has been elected as the speaker of the National Assembly for a period of five years. Kuugongelwa-Amadhila becomes the first woman elected to lead Namibia’s parliament. She received 55 votes during an election after the swearing-in of new members of the National Assembly on Thursday…She urged parliamentarians to apply their minds in the spirit of democracy and propel Namibia to become a better country. Kuugongelwa-Amadhila has been a member of the National Assembly since 1995 and was minister of finance from 2003 to 2015. She served as prime minister from 21 March 2015 to 20 March 2025, and was the first woman to serve as prime minister. Although her election as speaker may be seen as a demotion, she makes history again by becoming the first woman to lead the National Assembly. The Namibian

Tunisian President Sacks Prime Minister amid Economic and Migration Crisis
Tunisian President Kais Saied sacked Prime Minister Kamel Maddouri less than a year after his appointment amid a faltering economy and a growing number of migrants arriving from countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Maddouri was replaced by Sara Zaafarani, who is an engineer and has been minister of equipment and housing since 2021. She is Tunisia’s third prime minister in less than two years. In recent months, Saied has sharply criticised the performance of ministers, saying many have not met the required standards…Last month, he sacked Finance Minister Sihem Boughdiri…Economic growth has not exceeded 1.4% in the past year, and the North African country’s public finances face a severe crisis that has led to shortages of key commodities including sugar, rice and coffee…Tunisia is also facing widespread criticism over an unprecedented migrant crisis, as thousands of people from sub-Saharan Africa head to the country in an attempt to reach Europe. Reuters

Ugandan Army Attacks Journalists Covering Election
At least 18 journalists were violently attacked by Ugandan armed forces while covering a by-election, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said late on Thursday. The journalists were “severely beaten” while covering the vote in Kawempe North, a district of the capital, Kampala, on March 13 by members of the army and an anti-terrorist agency, RSF said…Some journalists said their equipment was confiscated and later destroyed, while others recounted being held incommunicado for hours in an army van…With Uganda set to hold a presidential election in 2026, RSF said it was “vital that journalists are able to work in complete safety”. Uganda ranks 128th out of 180 in RSF’s World Press Freedom Index. Journalists there face physical violence, restricted freedoms and legal constraints. AFP

US Court Awards $18m to Ghanaian Investigative Journalist Anas in Libel Case against Ex-MP
A United States court has awarded Ghanaian investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas $18 million (£14 million) in damages, after a jury said he was defamed by former Ghanaian MP Kennedy Agyapong. The case stemmed from comments Mr Agyapong made about Mr Anas after his BBC investigation in 2018 that exposed football corruption in Ghana and elsewhere. The BBC Thursday reported that the court heard that Mr Agyapong called the reporter a “criminal,” among other accusations he made against him on a podcast. The member of parliament also alleged on the podcast that Mr Anas was behind the murder of fellow journalist Ahmed Suale. Mr Anas had earlier lost a similar legal action in Ghana seven years ago. However, after the release of the podcast episode in 2021, Mr Anas went to court in the US state of New Jersey where Mr Agyapong has a property. The politician was in New Jersey when he was interviewed for the Daddy Fred Show podcast, according to court papers filed by his lawyers. Premium Times

China’s CCECC to Invest $1.4 billion in Tanzania-Zambia Railway
The China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) will invest $1.4 billion to upgrade the Tanzania-Zambia railway, the line’s operator said on Thursday, improving a key route for copper exports from central Africa. The railway, widely known by its initials, TAZARA, also offers a way to bypass logistics bottlenecks in South Africa that have slowed copper and cobalt exports. China signed a deal to revive the 50-year-old TAZARA last year, as the United States was throwing its financial weight behind a rival transport corridor for minerals called Lobito, after an Angolan port. Some $1 billion of CCECC’s investment will go towards the rehabilitation of the TAZARA’s rail tracks, while the balance will be used to purchase 32 new locomotives and 762 new wagons to boost capacity, Ching’andu said…The 30-year concession will be structured into three years of construction work and 27 years of operation and maintenance, Ching’andu said, adding that negotiations between both sides have not yet been completed…The CCECC investment in TAZARA is a significant boost to China’s lending to Africa, which hit a 20-year low in 2022 after peaking at $28.4 billion in 2016. Reuters

Cameroon Police Free 13 Madagascans, Congolese from Fraudsters
Cameroonian police on Thursday freed 13 Madagascans and Congolese held hostage for months by traffickers, in the first such case involving trapped foreign nationals, public broadcaster CRTV reported. Officers in the capital Yaounde also arrested three suspects accused of having lured the four women and nine men to Cameroon through false promises of lucrative jobs in engineering, finance or healthcare, the radio station added. The victims were then ordered to phone their families in Madagascar or the Democratic Republic of Congo and beg them to send the fraudsters money, Lieutenant-Colonel Georges Parfait Nana told the broadcaster…The traffickers were caught after a hostage managed to contact relatives, who alerted the police. Six other young women from Madagascar on the verge of being entrapped by the fraudsters were preparing to fly to Cameroon on March 24, the police added. Although these schemes are rather commonplace in Cameroon, it marks the first time the authorities have found non-Cameroon nationals in a bust. AFP

Ex-banker Thiam Drops French Nationality in Bid for Ivory Coast Presidency
Former Credit Suisse chief executive Tidjane Thiam has been relieved of his French citizenship, according to the French government gazette, potentially clearing the way for his bid for the presidency of world-leading cocoa producer Ivory Coast. Elected leader of the opposition PDCI party in 2023, Thiam is expected to be a leading contender in the October election, though 83-year-old incumbent Alassane Ouattara has yet to say whether he will run again. Ivory Coast has emerged from over a decade of civil war in the early 2000s to reclaim its spot as a West African powerhouse with one of the continent’s fastest growing economies. Thiam announced his presidential bid last month. Ivory Coast law, however, states that candidates must be Ivorian citizens and cannot hold another nationality…A court in the commercial capital Abidjan on Thursday began hearing a case brought by a former PDCI official contesting his party leadership. Court documents seen by Reuters argued his election as party president was void because he held French nationality at the time. The case was adjourned until April…The notion of Ivorian identity was at the heart of the civil war, and some fear lingering questions over Thiam’s nationality in the run-up to the vote risk pushing those tensions back to the surface…PDCI spokesperson Bredoumy Soumaila Kouassi, told Reuters the party’s internal rules do not explicitly require Ivorian nationality for leadership positions, and Thiam had never lost his Ivorian citizenship. Reuters