Gabon Coup Leader Wins Election by Huge Margin
Gabon’s military leader Gen Brice Oligui Nguema – who in 2023 led a coup that ended a near-60-year dynasty – has won Saturday’s presidential election with more than 90% of the vote, provisional results show. Ahead of the vote, critics argued that the new constitution and electoral code were designed to give Oligui Nguema a comfortable pathway to the top job. Some opposition heavyweights who could have posed a serious political challenge were excluded from the race. His election victory consolidates his grip on power, nearly two years after he masterminded the demise of President Ali Bongo, whose family had been in power in Gabon since 1967. BBC
Sudanese Paramilitaries Kill Entire Clinic Staff in Famine-Struck Camp
Sudanese paramilitaries killed the entire staff of the last medical clinic in a famine-stricken camp in the western region of Darfur, Sudan, as part of a broader assault that killed at least 100 people, aid groups and the United Nations said on Saturday. The assault on the Zamzam camp, which holds 500,000 people in the besieged city of El Fasher, was notable even by the standards of a civil war that has seen countless atrocities as well as accusations of genocide. Paramilitaries with the Rapid Support Forces, or R.S.F., broke through the camp perimeter on Friday evening after hours of shelling. They then destroyed hundreds of homes and the camp’s main market before turning their attack on the camp’s last remaining medical clinic, according to Relief International, the aid group that runs the facility. … The escalating violence comes days before a major international conference on Sudan that is scheduled to take place in London on Tuesday, the second anniversary of the war. The purpose of the conference is to attract funds for Sudan’s severe humanitarian crisis. So far, donors have committed to just 10 percent of a $4.2 billion appeal by the United Nations. New York Times
At Least 50 People Killed in East Congo as Government and Rwanda-Backed Rebels Trade Blame
At least 50 people were killed in weekend attacks in Congo’s conflict-battered east, authorities said Saturday. The government traded blame with Rwanda-backed rebels over who was responsible for the violence that quickly escalated the conflict in the region. The renewed violence that residents reported in and around the region’s largest city of Goma — which the M23 rebels control — was the biggest threat yet to ongoing peace efforts by both the Gulf Arab state of Qatar and African nations in the conflict that has raised fears of regional warfare. … In the second city of Bukavu, which the M23 also controls, dozens of the armed Wazalendo local militia members who fight alongside Congolese forces marched for a few hours towards the local airport as they appeared to stage a challenge against the rebels. The group, which later retreated, declared a ceasefire on Sunday to give ongoing peace talks “a chance.” AP
Togo’s Faure Gnassingbé Leads African Union’s Mediation Efforts in DRC
Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé has been appointed as the African Union’s new mediator in the ongoing conflict between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group. This role marks a significant shift in the AU’s efforts to resolve the crisis, as Gnassingbé replaces Angolan President João Lourenço, who stepped down to focus on Angola’s presidency of the AU. The conflict in eastern DRC has intensified since January 2025, when the M23 launched a rapid offensive, capturing key cities like Goma and Bukavu in North Kivu province. Despite previous mediation efforts by Angola, progress has been limited. Talks scheduled in Luanda failed after the M23 withdrew following EU sanctions on some of its leaders. Africa Feeds
India Launches Biggest-Ever Joint Naval Exercises In Africa
India has launched its biggest-ever joint naval exercise with African nations, part of a push to boost its influence on the continent and presence in the Indian Ocean, where China is exercising growing commercial and military clout. Indian government and military officials, including deputy defence minister Sanjay Seth, inaugurated the six-day exercises, which are being co-hosted by Tanzania and will include eight other countries including Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius and South Africa in Dar es Salaam on Sunday. Analysts said the manoeuvres were part of New Delhi’s broader ambitions to play a more assertive role in maritime operations, including anti-piracy efforts, and deepen ties on the continent, where its influence has been diminished by rivals including China as well as emerging competitors Russia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Indian officials said they planned to make the exercises — which will include both a “harbour phase” and a “sea phase” — a biennial event. FT
Tanzania’s Main Opposition Party Faces Election Ban After Leader Is Charged With Treason
Tanzania’s main opposition party faces exclusion from general elections set for October after its leader was charged with treason last week. The CHADEMA party on Saturday boycotted an event for all parties to sign a code of ethics, violating a legal requirement for parties to participate in polls, Ramadhani Kailima, a director with the Independent National Electoral Commission, told reporters. … Tundu Lissu, the leader of CHADEMA, was charged with treason on Thursday following his arrest at a public rally in which he called for electoral reforms ahead of elections. The opposition leader was forced into a police vehicle late Wednesday following a speech at a rally in the southern town of Mbinga, which is more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) from Dar es Salaam, the commercial capital. Tanzania will elect the president and members of parliament in the October elections. AP
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. … 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. BBC
Militant Groups Claim Attacks on Nigerian Oil Facilities
Two militant groups in Nigeria’s oil-rich southern delta region on Sunday claimed responsibility for recent attacks on oil facilities. The region is prone to armed militant violence and crude oil theft but until recently had remained relatively stable for years. The relatively unknown Liberation Army of the Niger Delta and Bakassi (L.A.N.D. & B) said it and the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) attacked a main oil supply line running to a terminal in Bayelsa State. Local sources told AFP that the attacks occurred in the past week. Nigerian oil firm Oando told the government-owned News Agency of Nigeria at the weekend that there were “three separate attacks on its pipelines over the past week.” The militants said their actions were in reaction to President Bola Tinubu‘s recent declaration of a state of emergency in the oil-rich Rivers State. Defense Post with AFP
Somalia Launches National Voter Registration Campaign
Somalia launched a national voter registration campaign Sunday in the capital Mogadishu, marking a major step ahead of contentious local elections set for late June. Abdikarim Ahmed Hassan, chairperson of the national independent electoral and boundaries commission, announced during the launch that voter registration will begin on Tuesday, with citizens expected to report to registration centers that day. This marks the first time in nearly five decades that Mogadishu residents will visit registration centers. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud pledged in 2023 to move Somalia away from its clan-based indirect voting model. The Cabinet has approved two bills to transition the Horn of Africa nation to one-person, one-vote presidential elections, scheduled for 2026. Africa News
Kenya Takes Money Laundering War to Precious Metal Dealers
Kenya is targeting traders involved in precious metals as the new frontier to curb money laundering and combat terrorism financing. The Kenyan government says it has tightened its response to money laundering after it was grey-listed by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in 2023. The grey list contains countries that are actively working with the FATF to address loopholes in countering money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing. It is usually an indication of cooperation to end the vice, but with tasks pending to be accomplished. EastAfrican
Algeria to Expel 12 French Embassy Officials
Algeria has asked 12 French embassy staff to leave the country within 48 hours, France’s foreign minister has said. Jean-Noël Barrot added that it was linked to the indictment of three Algerians in France on Friday, one of whom is a consular official. They are accused of involvement in the abduction last year of Amir Boukhors, 41, an outspoken critic of Algeria’s government who has an audience of more than one million people online. He had reportedly been granted asylum in France in 2023. Barrot urged Algeria to “abandon” the expulsions and said France was ready to “respond immediately” if they went ahead. BBC
War in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region Has Left Many Disabled Veterans Without Care
The head of the Ethiopian National Rehabilitation Commission, Temesgen Tilahun, told The Associated Press there are more than 43,000 Tigrayan former combatants. … The Mekelle Ortho-Physiotherapy Center, which has operated in Tigray for nearly three decades with support from the International Committee of the Red Cross, is trying to fill the gap. The group has treated disabled combatants, providing prosthetic limbs and mobility aid such as crutches. But it is unable to help everyone who needs support without more funding. “Over the years, we have delivered a total of 180,000 services. However, this number pales in comparison to the 65,000 we have provided in just the last three years,” manager Birhane Teame said. Teame urged international organizations to assist his group “in alleviating the burden” in Tigray. AP