Congo’s Government and Rebels Say They Are Working toward a Truce in the East
Congo’s government and a coalition of insurgents in the country’s east including the M23 rebels have agreed to work toward a truce following peace talks in Qatar, a joint statement said Wednesday. The statement was posted online by spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka of the M23 rebels, and confirmed by government spokesman Patrick Muyaya in comments to local media outlets. The statement said the parties had agreed to “work towards concluding a truce” and that they were reaffirming their commitment to “an immediate end to hostilities.” Previous commitments to a ceasefire, announced unilaterally, have not held, and Wednesday’s statement was the first such commitment to be announced jointly. AP
Sexual Violence Systematically Used as a Weapon of War in the DR Congo
Escalating attacks by non-State armed groups in eastern DRC have led to a significant surge in sexual violence, predominantly targeting women and children…Children are increasingly subjected to grave human rights violations, including recruitment and abduction by armed groups, alongside the threat of sexual violence. Local militias have also coerced young girls into early marriages. Since February, at least nine girls have reportedly been forced into marriage, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)…Ongoing violence, looting, and restricted humanitarian access have worsened living conditions. Attacks on healthcare facilities and severe shortages of medical supplies are placing additional strain on survivors, particularly those requiring life-saving HIV treatment, which is increasingly unavailable…Despite the scale of the crisis, acts of sexual violence remain largely underreported due to fear of stigma, threats of retaliation, and inadequate access to humanitarian services. Survivors frequently face obstacles in accessing medical treatment, mental health support, and legal protection. UN News
Jihadist Attack in Benin Kills at Least 54, Government Says
Suspected jihadist insurgents killed 54 troops in an attack last week on military posts in a Benin National Park, the government said on Wednesday, April 23. Government spokesman Wilfried Leandre Houngbedji gave the new toll to a press briefing on the April 17 attack in the W National Park in northern Benin, close to the frontiers with Burkina Faso and Niger. Authorities had previously said eight soldiers were killed. This is the heaviest official toll since the start of jihadist attacks in the north. The attack was claimed by the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM or JNIM in Arabic), which is affiliated with al Qaeda. It said that 70 Beninese soldiers were killed..The country deployed nearly 3,000 soldiers to secure its borders in January 2022. It later sent an additional 5,000 troops to bolster security in the north. Twenty-eight Benin soldiers were killed near the border between Benin, Niger and Burkina Faso in January in an attack also claimed by the GSIM. Le Monde with AFP
Sudan’s Burhan, China Envoy Discuss Resuming South Sudan Oil Exports
Sudan’s military leader, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, met China’s Ambassador Zhang Xianghua in Port Sudan on Tuesday to discuss bilateral ties and oil issues, particularly the imminent resumption of South Sudanese oil exports transiting Sudan. The meeting addressed “ways to enhance and develop relations between the two countries, especially in the oil sector… following the arrival of South Sudanese oil at the Bashayer Port,” Acting Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Idris Ismail said in a statement…The discussions come as South Sudan’s oil exports are expected to resume in early May after a two-year stoppage caused by Sudan’s internal conflict…Before the halt, South Sudan exported around 150,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil via the 1,131-kilometre (703-mile) pipeline running from its Upper Nile State to Bashayer Port. Sudan Tribune
JEM Faction Sides with Sudan Army, Plans to Break El Fasher Siege
An armed faction that split from the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM)-Sandal announced on Wednesday the formation of an operations room dedicated to breaking the siege on El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state. The announcement came just days after the faction declared it would fight alongside the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The group, led by Mohamed Bashara Yahya, announced its split from a JEM faction led by Suleiman Sandal on February 16, dissolving previous structures and tasking its military leadership with managing affairs, according to faction statements…El Fasher has been under a tightening siege by the RSF for nearly a year, severely restricting food and medical supplies…Explaining the split with Sandal, Yahya cited organizational disputes, including Sandal’s alleged failure to visit field commands, his purported support for the RSF, and his signing of a charter to establish a parallel government in RSF-controlled areas. Sudan Tribune
Djibouti Tells “Illegally Present” Immigrants to Leave or Face Deportation
Djibouti said Wednesday it would soon begin deporting “illegally present” foreigners, calling on them to leave the migration hub before the end of April. Many foreigners come to the Horn of Africa country to attempt the perilous journey across the Red Sea to wealthy Gulf countries in unseaworthy and overcrowded boats. In 2024, at least 558 people died while attempting the crossing, according to the United Nations…[Djibouti] is only 26 kilometres (14 nautical miles) from Yemen across the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. Each year, tens of thousands of migrants — often from neighbouring giant Ethiopia — brave the crossing to escape conflict, natural disasters and poor economic prospects. Many try to reach Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab countries where they can find employment as labourers or domestic workers. AFP
“I Am Going to Saudi Arabia, or My Grave”: The Exodus of Ethiopia’s Frustrated Youth
An economic crisis caused partly by the fallout from Ethiopia’s 2020-22 civil war has sent the cost of living skyrocketing. Meanwhile, an armed insurgency launched by the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) has ravaged parts of Oromia since late 2018, causing widespread suffering…For many disillusioned young Oromos, there seems to be no point in protesting or demanding change. Thousands are deciding the only way out of their misery is to migrate…Many Oromos who choose to migrate use the so-called Eastern Route, seeking to cross the Red Sea or the Gulf of Aden into Yemen, with the ultimate goal of reaching Saudi Arabia. While the trend has traditionally been young men, there was a sharp increase in women and girls making the journey – accounting for nearly one third of all migrants using the route in 2024. It’s a hazardous ordeal: 558 deaths were recorded last year, mostly caused by drownings. Overcrowded and unseaworthy vessels capsized on at least six occasions in 2024, and smugglers have also been known to throw people into the sea…Overall, at least 234,015 people left Ethiopia in 2024 and headed towards the Red Sea coastline – a 27% increase on the previous year…Despite knowing the dangers, many young Oromos seem to have decided…that they must reach Saudi Arabia at any cost. The New Humanitarian
CPJ Warns of ‘Sensitive Data Misuse’ amid Police’s Continued Seizure of Multiple Electronic Devices Confiscated in Raid on Addis Standard
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has voiced “grave concerns about potential misuse of sensitive data,” after recent police raids led to the confiscation by the police of multiple electrics devices from the home and office of Addis Standard publications. In a statement issued last night, CPJ further described the police actions as part of a broader campaign by the Ethiopian government to suppress independent journalism. Ethiopian police raided the office of Addis Standard and the home of one of its senior staff members on 17 April, briefly detaining three managers for several hours and confiscating multiple electronic devices, including laptops, phones, and data storage equipment…[T]he CPJ said that the police justified the raids by alleging the outlet was preparing to produce a documentary that could incite violence – an accusation that Tsedale Lemma, founder of Addis Standard, dismissed as false. “Addis Standard does not have the capacity to produce documentaries,” she told the CPJ…Yonas Kedir, Editor-in-Chief of the publication, said that following a visit at the Federal Police Crime Investigation Unite on 22 April the police informed him and a defense lawyer present at the meeting that “they will access the confiscated devices”… and “retain backup data” before returning the devices. Addis Standard
Ivory Coast’s Main Opposition Party Calls For ‘Marches’ Thursday Outside Courts
Ivory Coast’s main opposition party has called for “marches” outside courts on Thursday to protest against the removal of its candidate, Tidjane Thiam, from the October presidential race. An Abidjan court on Tuesday struck Thiam off the electoral list, just days after the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI) nominated him as its candidate for the October 25 election. The court said Thiam had been removed from the electoral list because he had lost Ivorian nationality when he acquired French citizenship in 1987…In Abidjan, the march [was] scheduled for 9:00 am from the party’s headquarters to the courthouse…Also on Thursday, an Abidjan court is expected to rule in a case that could remove Thiam from his post as PDCI party president. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, lawmakers from the PDCI and from the opposition party of ex-president Laurent Gbagbo “walked out of a plenary session at the National Assembly”, PDCI spokesman Soumaila Bredoumy told AFP. “We did it out of protest against the court decision to exclude Tidjane Thiam from the electoral list,” he said. AFP
Tanzania: Chadema’s Heche, Mnyika Arrested as Lissu’s Treason Case Proceeds Online
Chadema Vice Chairman (Mainland), John Heche, and the party’s Secretary General, John Mnyika, were separately arrested by police on Thursday, April 24, 2025, while on their way to attend court proceedings in the treason case involving Chadema National Chairman, Mr Tundu Lissu. According to a statement issued by Chadema on Thursday, Mr Heche was detained along with the party’s Mara Regional Chairperson, Mr Chacha Heche, and two bodyguards. The circumstances surrounding their arrest remain unclear. Meanwhile, media reports indicate that Mr Mnyika was apprehended near the Fire Station area in Dar es Salaam, also en route to the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court to attend the hearing. Later in the day, reports emerged that Mr Lissu would not appear in court physically. Instead, authorities advised that the proceedings would be held online, urging interested parties to follow the case virtually. The Police Force had yet to issue an official statement regarding the arrests or the decision to conduct the hearing online. The Citizen
Tanzania Bans South Africa and Malawi Imports as Trade Row Escalates
Tanzania has banned all agricultural imports from South Africa and Malawi in the latest episode of a growing trade row…South Africa has for years prohibited the entry of bananas from Tanzania. Malawi, which shares a border with Tanzania, has blocked imports of flour, rice, ginger, bananas and maize from its northern neighbour. Diplomatic efforts to resolve the long-running trade issues have so far failed but [Tanzania’s Agriculture Minister Hussein Bashe] said fresh talks were ongoing. South African exports to Tanzania of various fruits, including apples and grapes, will be hit. Meanwhile, landlocked Malawi, which has relied on Tanzanian ports to carry its exports such as tobacco, sugar and soybeans to the rest of the world, will have to reroute its goods…[W]hile Tanzania can seek alternative markets such as in Kenya, Namibia and South Sudan, Malawi may find it harder to get its goods out of the country. Much of its exports go through the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salaam, as well as essential imports such as fuel and machinery. Losing access to Dar es Salaam would likely force Malawi to move shipments through the Mozambican ports of Beira and Nacala – options that may be more expensive. BBC
West Africa’s ‘Catfishers’: The Romance Scammers
Young West African ‘catfish’ scammers have turned cyber-fraud into a cornerstone of transnational crime by recycling age-old scams for the social media age…The so-called “Nigerian scams” – named after the country where they first appeared before spreading across Benin, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana – have evolved over the years, exploiting technological progress to reach more potential victims…Though cybercrime increasingly threatens states, institutions and businesses heavily reliant on evolving technology and targeted by skilled hackers, West Africa’s catfish scammers embody a distinctly low-tech, old-fashioned fraud. Requiring neither sophisticated infrastructure nor advanced tech skills, these scams remain among the most significant online threats. Patience, boldness, charm and complete lack of remorse is all it takes to deceive carefully profiled victims – typically over 50, socially or family-isolated, unfamiliar with social media, making them easy targets. The Africa Report
Senegal Constitutional Council Overrules Revised Amnesty Law
Senegal’s constitutional council on Wednesday struck down legislation approved by the new government revising the amnesty law passed under former president Macky Sall. Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko had vowed to repeal the amnesty law passed by Sall, which critics say shields perpetrators of crimes committed between February 2021 and February 2024. During that period, dozens of people were killed and hundreds of opposition figures were arrested, including Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who is now president, and Prime Minister Sonko. The amnesty law was adopted in March 2024, during the final weeks of Sall’s presidency (2012–2024), in an effort to ease political tensions. But in early April, the parliament under Sonko’s new government adopted a revision stating that killings, assassinations, acts of torture and barbarism were no longer covered by the amnesty “regardless of their motivation and irrespective of the perpetrators”. The new text opened the possibility for the prosecution of senior figures from the former government over events between 2021 and 2024, though the opposition believed it was an attempt to protect the supporters of Sonko’s ruling Pastef party. Wednesday’s constitutional council ruling said a provision of the revised law was “contrary to the country’s constitution”. AFP
South Africa Ditches Planned VAT Hike That Split Unity Government
The South African finance ministry said on Thursday the government had abandoned a plan to increase value-added tax that had been rejected by the ANC’s main coalition partner. The planned hike in VAT caused fractures within the 10-party unity government that the African National Congress cobbled together after the May 2024 general election. “The decision to forgo the (VAT) increase follows extensive consultations with political parties and careful consideration of the recommendations of the parliamentary committees,” the ministry said. “By not increasing VAT, estimated revenue will fall short by around 75 billion rand ($4.0 billion) over the medium-term.” The finance ministry said it would propose “expenditure adjustments” to make up the shortfall and propose revised legislation in the next few weeks. The centre-right Democratic Alliance (DA), the second-largest party in the unity government, had filed a legal appeal to stop the increase. AFP
France and Madagascar Announce Deepened Economic Ties as Macron Visits
France and Madagascar announced on Wednesday, April 23, that they would strengthen economic cooperation through several ambitious projects, including a major hydroelectric dam, as President Emmanuel Macron kicked off a two-day state visit to the Indian Ocean island. The visit, the first official trip by a French president in 20 years, aims to strengthen bilateral ties and consolidate France’s presence in the Indian Ocean despite ongoing colonial-era disputes. Macron announced after talks with President Andry Rajoelina that several agreements would be concluded during the visit, covering energy, digital technology, infrastructure and tourism. They include funding from the French development agency, AFD, and a loan from the French treasury to support the construction of a major hydropower dam in Volobe, in the east of the country, which has been in the pipeline for almost a decade. A deal is also expected to be reached for the entry of French electricity giant EDF into Madagascar’s hydroelectric company, CGHV, an official told Agence France-Presse. Le Monde with AFP