‘No One Else Will’: Sudan’s Journalists Risk All to Report the War
Since fighting erupted between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023, at least 28 reporters have been killed, according to Sudan’s journalist union. Dozens more have been detained and tortured, while many have been displaced and cut off from electricity, water and internet…According to Reporters Without Borders, since the start of the war more than 400 journalists have fled the country…Yet some remain on the ground, working in secret with nothing to their name…In the North Darfur town of Tawila, where the UN says 180,000 survivors of nearby RSF attacks are sheltering, 30-year-old photojournalist Ibrahim works undercover to report on those trapped between famine and brutal violence…Last July, RSF fighters detained him in El-Fasher and accused him of being an army spy. He said they tortured him for five days and confiscated his equipment, documents and money. Since then, he has sent his family out of Darfur and relocated to Tawila, leaving his cameras behind. His mobile phone is all he has left…Still, Ibrahim continues, turning a coffee shop in Tawila — powered by a single public solar panel — into a makeshift newsroom. “Who else will tell the world what’s happening in Darfur if we leave?” he told AFP… “No one else will tell these stories. No one can imagine the atrocities happening here.” AFP
Sudan: Darfuri Leaders Hold Talks to Address El Fasher Siege, Conflict Fears
Political leaders and figures from armed groups in Sudan’s Darfur region are holding consultations aimed at mitigating the humanitarian impact of the siege imposed by paramilitary forces on El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, and preventing a slide into wider conflict. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have besieged El Fasher for nearly a year, blocking food and medical supplies. The situation in the city has become highly critical amid daily shelling by artillery and drones…The initiative aims to facilitate humanitarian aid, prevent Darfur from escalating into a wider civil war, and ultimately halt the conflict, [Al-Sadiq Ali Hassan, a member of the initiative] said…The idea for the consultations was proposed by Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Suleiman and has drawn support from prominent Darfuri political, civil, and community leaders, Hassan explained…Hassan said the consultations are still in a preliminary, trust-building phase, with expectations to broaden their scope to address the national conflict…The talks maintain a national focus aimed at preserving Sudan’s unity, Hassan stressed. Sudan Tribune
South Sudan: Over 300 SPLA-IO Soldiers Defect to SSPDF
At least 307 soldiers from the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition (SPLA-IO), which First Vice President Riek Machar leads, have defected to the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) in Juba. The group comprises 259 SPLA-IO National Security Service officers from Western Equatoria State and 48 soldiers from Central Equatoria State. Speaking at a reception ceremony at the National Security Service’s Internal Security Bureau Headquarters in Juba on Tuesday, Brig. Gen. Justin Mark, the commander of the defecting SPLA-IO National Security Services officers from Tambura and Nagero training centers in Western Equatoria, said the desire for lasting peace in the country drove their defection…[David John Kumuri, the spokesperson of the National Security Services (NSS) Internal Security Bureau] reaffirmed the government’s commitment to integrating all armed forces under a single national military structure. Radio Tamazuj
South Sudan Opposition Says Under Fresh Govt Military Attack
South Sudan’s opposition accused government forces of attacking one of its military positions near the capital on Tuesday as a fragile power-sharing agreement unravelled further. The southern state of Central Equatoria, which includes the capital Juba, was split into areas controlled by government and opposition forces under a 2018 deal that ended South Sudan’s five-year civil war, in which an estimated 400,000 people died. The agreement brought President Salva Kiir and his long-time rival, Vice-President Riek Machar, together in a unity government. But the deal has become threatened in recent months as Kiir moves to sideline Machar, who was placed under house arrest last month…Facing sustained attacks, the opposition forces commander directed his troops to prepare for conflict, according to another statement by Gabriel on Tuesday. AFP
At Night, Crime and Fear Stalk DR Congo’s M23-run Areas
Every morning the Congolese city of Bukavu, now under the control of the Rwanda-backed M23 movement, counts its dead. Corpses are discovered at dawn, lying in the steep streets of the capital of South Kivu province, which has been in the hands of the anti-government group since mid-February after it launched a lightning offensive. The Congolese administration deserted the area after the M23 fighters and their Rwandan allies seized the city in the volatile eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, meeting virtually no resistance…But the armed group has struggled to keep a grip on the vast area it has captured…[N]o one really knows the circumstances surrounding nightly killings, or can identify their perpetrators with certainty. Territories under M23 control no longer have courts or prisons and hardly any police at all. Bukavu’s two million or so inhabitants can enjoy some level of normalcy during the day — but when it gets dark, the streets empty out…Congolese troops who fled the city left their weapons behind, which were then picked up by criminals. Thousands of pro-Kinshasa “wazalendo” (“patriots” in Swahili) militia members, known for their exactions and lack of military discipline, have hidden in neighbourhoods surrounding the city. They have been joined by hundreds of criminals released from prison. In small groups, they rob and break into homes. A lack of cash in M23-governed areas, where banks shut down months ago and are no longer supplied by authorities in the capital Kinshasa, also feeds criminality. AFP
Uganda Army Chief in Talks with DR Congo Militia
Uganda’s army chief met Tuesday near Kampala with leaders of a militia from northeastern DR Congo following deadly clashes last month, the military said. General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, a son of President Yoweri Museveni, “held a high-level meeting this morning in Entebbe with the leaders of the Lendu militia CODECO … a group that has repeatedly clashed with the Ugandan People’s Defence Forces,” said an army statement. The militia is one of a patchwork of armed groups scrambling for dominance in the mineral-rich region…Uganda has long had a military presence in the area and according to analysts is playing a complex game on its neighbour’s territory. Since late 2021, Ugandan troops have backed DR Congo’s army against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a rebel group of Ugandan origin…Uganda’s forces in March launched an offensive against CODECO near Mahagi, a town about 50 kilometres (30 miles) from major oil reserves on its territory, and claimed to have killed hundreds of its fighters. AFP
Another Tanzania Opposition Leader Arrested: Party
Tanzanian police on Tuesday arrested the deputy head of an opposition party whose leader has already been detained, the party said, amid accusations of a clampdown ahead of a presidential election this year. Chadema party vice-chairman John Heche, a former national assembly member, was detained at a rally on Tuesday in the East African state’s economic capital Dar es Salaam, the party said. Chadema leader Tundu Lissu and other party members were arrested this month. Lissu is to appear in court on Thursday on treason charges that carry a possible death sentence. Heche had called for a demonstration to support Lissu, despite police warnings. Police called for Tuesday’s rally to be moved, but Chadema said the police notification only arrived at the last minute. Chadema spokesperson Brenda Rupia said the party had been unable to find out which police station Heche had been taken to. “We believe these arrests are part of a calculated strategy to paralyze the opposition’s constitutional mandate, suppress the voice of the people, and restrict political space as the country prepares for a crucial election period,” Chadema said in a statement. AFP
EAC Ministers Meet in Arusha to Address Security Challenges, Cash Crunch
The East African Community (EAC) Council of Ministers is meeting in Arusha this week to discuss issues affecting the region, including the deteriorating security situation in eastern Congo and budgetary constraints hampering the operations of the Secretariat. The ministers are expected to review the interventions of the joint EAC-SADC (Southern African Development Community) initiatives to restore peace, security and stability in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. A paper from the Secretariat notes that since the start of the year, more than 700,000 people have been displaced in the Congolese provinces of North and South Kivu due to the resurgence of the M23 armed group…The ministers will also review the bloc’s financial situation, which has affected the implementation of its mandate and the payment of statutory obligations, including staff salaries. The EastAfrican
Ghana in Fresh Drive to Woo Back Sahel States to West African Bloc
Ghana’s new leader said Tuesday he initiated a fresh bid to woo back Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger to the west African bloc ECOWAS after the junta-led countries quit earlier this year. President John Mahama said his government had appointed a special envoy to “initiate high-level conversations” with the three countries after their withdrawal from the political and economic group. “The recent decision by Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger to withdraw from ECOWAS is a regrettable development,” said Mahama at the launch of the bloc’s 50th anniversary celebrations in Accra, Ghana’s capital…Before him, Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye had initiated similar efforts but said earlier this month he had “done everything possible” to bring the three countries back into the bloc, to no avail. ECOWAS earlier said it had extended invitations to the junta leaders to attend the event at Accra’s International Conference Centre. Officials acknowledged the presence of representatives of the three countries at the event, but did not specify who they were, with the junta leaders apparently having declined to attend. AFP
Ghana President Suspends Supreme Court Chief Justice
Ghana’s president on Tuesday announced the suspension of the country’s top judge while she is investigated for misconduct. The action against Supreme Court Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Torkornoo came after three separate petitions called for her removal. Allegations against her include tampering with court records and misuse of public funds. A spokesman for President John Mahama said in a statement he had, “in consultation with the Council of State, determined that a prima facie case has been established” and that Torkornoo would be suspended while she is investigated. Specific details of the allegations that the five-member investigative committee will probe have not been made public. Mahama, who took office in January, has promised a crackdown on graft in the west African nation. The investigative committee is being led by Supreme Court Justice Gabriel Pwamang. The panel also includes former auditor-general Daniel Domelevo. Torkornoo, 61, was appointed in June 2023, becoming Ghana’s 15th Chief Justice and the third woman to hold the post. While past judicial leaders have left through retirement or political upheaval, her suspension is the first time a sitting chief justice faces formal investigation through a constitutional process. AFP
Cote d’Ivoire: Tidjiane Thiam Is Barred from Running in Elections
An Ivory Coast court on Tuesday struck main opposition leader Tidjane Thiam off the nation’s electoral list, closing the door on him running in a presidential election in October. The court said Thiam, who became head of the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI) this month, was removed from the electoral list because he had lost Ivorian nationality when he acquired French citizenship in 1987…The decision is not subject to appeal…Opponents took action based on article 48 of the country’s nationality code, dating from the 1960s, which states that the acquisition of another nationality means Ivorian citizenship is lost…The rule does not apply to dual nationals by birth. Thiam’s lawyers provided the courts with documents showing that their client was also French by birth, through his father, but this had no effect on the ruling. For several weeks, Thiam’s entourage has denounced the “manoeuvres” they say are orchestrated by the government to keep the main opposition party out of the presidential race…Other presidential candidates have also been removed from the race, including [Laurent] Gbagbo, the president from 2000 until his arrest in 2011, his former right-hand man Charles Ble Goude and exiled former prime minister and rebel leader Guillaume Soro, all based on judicial rulings. The Africa Report
Police Rescue 33 West Africans from a Human Trafficking Scam in Ivory Coast
Police raids have rescued 33 West Africans from a human trafficking ring in Ivory Coast that lured people into paying fees and providing coerced labor by promising them jobs in Canada, the international police agency Interpol said Tuesday. Victims paid as much as $9,000 to supposed recruiters who instead trafficked them to the city of Abidjan in the Ivory Coast, where they were held under physical and psychological coercion, the agency said in a statement. They also were forced to help scam others with the same promise of finding a job abroad by taking photos of themselves in upscale restaurants and hotels and posting them online as though they were in Canada…The initial raids on two of the locations associated with the trafficking ring were conducted in February in a joint operation between Ivory Coast and Ghana, where some of the victims were from…Victims were from Benin, Burkina Faso, Togo and Ghana…Scams of this type are increasingly common in West Africa and police forces across the region have conducted mass raids in the past including the arrest of over 300 people in 2024. AP
India Offers Cheap Loans for Arms, Targeting Russia’s Traditional Customers
The world’s largest importer of weapons after Ukraine is expanding the ability of the state-owned Export-Import Bank (EXIM) to offer long-term, low-cost loans to clients, including those whose political or credit risk profiles may limit their access to conventional financing, according to two Indian officials and three industry sources. Delhi will also sharply increase the number of defense attachés in its foreign missions as part of a new program that will see the government directly negotiate some arms deals, four Indian officials said. India is particularly targeting governments which have long relied on Russia for arms, two of the people said…Delhi is focusing its arms-export strategy on countries in Africa, South America and Southeast Asia. India plans to dispatch at least 20 new defense attachés to foreign embassies by March 2026, three Indian defense officials said. Their host nations include Algeria, Morocco, Guyana, Tanzania, Argentina, Ethiopia, and Cambodia, they said, adding that Delhi believed it had the ability to significantly expand arms exports to those governments. Reuters
Energy Crisis Looms Large as Macron Makes Rare Visit to Madagascar
French President Emmanuel Macron heads to Madagascar on Wednesday, where power cuts, stalled dam projects and a troubled state energy firm are set to dominate the first visit by a French head of state in nearly 20 years. The island is hosting the fifth summit of the Indian Ocean Commission, but energy reform is expected to be high on the agenda during Macron’s five-day tour of the region. Only around a third of Madagascar’s 30 million people have access to electricity, according to the International Monetary Fund…Poor governance of the state-owned utility, Jirama, is at the heart of the problem and there’ve been protests outside their headquarters in the capital, Antananarivo…Dams – even if some run dry for part of the year – are seen as key to boosting access to electricity, which in Madagascar is well below the African average of 50 percent. But no major dam project has been built in the last 20 years…The success of Madagascar’s energy projects therefore relies on reforming Jirama. RFI
Jailed Egyptian-UK Activist Sick on Hunger Strike: Family
British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah has become ill after spending more than 50 days on hunger strike in prison, his family said on Tuesday. The prominent activist, who has spent most of the past decade behind bars in Egypt, has suffered repeated bouts of vomiting over the past week, according to a letter he wrote to his family on Saturday. Abdel Fattah went on hunger strike on March 1, after learning that his mother Laila Soueif had been hospitalised on her own hunger strike in London, where she has campaigned for his release. Since then, Abdel Fattah has consumed only herbal tea, black coffee and rehydration salts, according to the family, who say he is being treated by prison doctors for suspected damage to his stomach and intestines. Soueif — now consuming 300 calories a day — has staged her hunger strike for 205 days, since the day Abdel Fattah was meant to be released from jail after serving five years for “spreading false news”…Abdel Fattah, 43, Egypt’s most prominent political prisoner, last went on hunger strike in 2022. He survived on 100 calories a day for seven months, making headlines during a UN climate summit hosted by Egypt. AFP