Attacks in Mali Mark Long Trajectory of Worsening Security
The coordinated attacks across Mali on April 25-26 are not an isolated escalation, but the latest manifestation of a steadily deteriorating security trajectory. … The attacks—claimed by JNIM and conducted in coordination with Tuareg separatist forces from the Front de libération de l’Azawad (FLA)—targeted sites spanning from Bamako in the south to central and northern Mali. The scale and geographic spread of the attacks punctuate patterns that have been building over time and reflect the increasingly fragile security environment facing the ruling junta, which seized power from a popularly elected government in 2020. … Annual fatalities linked to militant Islamist groups in Mali have tripled under the military junta. … The attacks highlight JNIM’s capacity to operate across vast distances—it is roughly 1,500 km from Bamako to Kidal—in a coordinated manner. Rather than isolated incidents, the events reflect a synchronized effort to target strategic nodes across Mali’s security architecture. … The attacks on Bamako and Kati are particularly significant. These locations represent the core of the junta’s political and military authority. … A perplexing paradox of the junta security strategy has been its rejection of regional and international partners in the face of the escalating militant Islamist threat. … The deterioration in security has unfolded in the context of a systematic tightening of political and civic space by the junta since it seized power. Promises of a transition back to civilian rule have been repeatedly postponed. Africa Center for Strategic Studies
Mali’s Militant Attacks Expose Limits of Putin’s Power in Africa
When Assimi Goïta, the leader of Mali’s military junta, sat down with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, in the Kremlin last summer, it symbolised Moscow’s commanding sway over Mali at the expense of the west. … But in the last few days, a wave of coordinated, surprise attacks by jihadist militants and a separatist group has exposed the limits of Moscow’s reach and military might in the impoverished west African state. Over the weekend, rebel fighters launched one of their most effective assaults in years against the Russian-backed authorities. Fighting continued into Monday, with the full picture still unclear. The rebels have so far achieved at least one major victory. Russia’s Africa Corps, the successor to the Wagner group, said on Monday it had pulled out of Kidal, a strategically important northern town. “This crisis is definitely affecting the credibility of Russia’s interventions in the region,” said Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim of the International Crisis Group thinktank. The Guardian
Security Fears Mount for Ghana’s Border Economy after Convoy Attack
A military-escorted civilian convoy in northern Ghana was attacked on Monday, leaving three civilians dead and one injured, the Ghana Armed Forces said. The convoy, transporting about 140 civilians from Bawku to Bolgatanga, came under gunfire at Binduri from unidentified assailants, according to a statement. … The military said it repelled the attack, killing seven of the attackers. … The latest violence adds to a long-running conflict in and around Bawku, where tensions, often tied to chieftaincy disputes between the Kusasi and Mamprusi groups, date back decades and have periodically flared into deadly clashes. The area was already under special security restrictions: in January, the interior ministry renewed a 10pm–5am curfew for Bawku and its environs and maintained a ban on arms, ammunition, offensive weapons and motorbike riding. There have been cycles of reprisals, curfews and heavy security deployments by the Ghana Armed Forces and police, with attacks on civilians, traders and security personnel disrupting cross-border trade and daily life. … Even where violence remains locally rooted, the wider Burkina Faso crisis has made the border economy more dangerous, increasing the risk that arms, fighters and criminal networks intersect with Bawku’s domestic dispute. The Africa Report
Sudan: Doctors Report Ethnic Killings and Cholera Outbreak in RSF El Fasher Detention Centres
Sudanese doctors have reported systemic, ethnically motivated killings and a devastating cholera outbreak within detention centres run by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in El Fasher, North Darfur. The RSF seized control of the historic Darfur capital on October 26, 2025, after an 18-month siege. Since the takeover, rights groups have documented widespread abuses, including summary executions, looting, and sexual violence. A report by the Sudan Doctors Network covering January to April 2026 found that hundreds of civilians, including women and children, remain in custody. The group alleged that detainees face torture, interrogation, and execution based on their ethnicity. According to data collected by the network, the RSF is currently holding approximately 907 military prisoners and 1,470 civilian detainees. The civilians include 426 children and 370 women, held at sites including Shala Prison, the pediatric hospital, the land port, and inside shipping containers. Sudan Tribune
Nigeria’s Military Backs Local Startup Unveiling Drones, Mine-clearing Vehicles
Nigerian technology startup Terra Industries unveiled interceptor drones and mine-clearing unmanned vehicles on Monday as part of new defence systems the military said could help in its anti-insurgency operations. Nigeria has grappled with an Islamist insurgency for over 17 years and this year, militants have stepped up attacks against army positions using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and drones. Terra had until now focused on civilian drones and other security equipment. Terra CEO Nathan Nwachukwu said, “We are unveiling new defence systems such as our interceptor UAVs, our minesweepers, ground vehicles that can detect IEDs on the ground, and our battlefield intelligence software.” Major General Babatunde Alaya, who heads Nigeria’s state-run military-industrial corporation DICON, said collaboration with Terra Industries was necessary given high troop casualties from improvised explosive devices. Reuters
South Sudan Moves to Bypass Peace Body in Push to Amend Deal
A widening rift has emerged between South Sudan’s transitional government and the body mandated to oversee its peace process, the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (R-JMEC), over proposed amendments to the 2018 Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS). R-JMEC, a 43-member body established under the 2018 peace deal, is tasked with monitoring implementation of the agreement that ended a five-year civil war. It brings together representatives of the transitional government, opposition groups, civil society, regional guarantors and international partners, including the African Union, IGAD member states and the United Nations. The commission is designed to balance domestic and international stakeholders, with voting membership drawn from signatory parties, South Sudanese non-state actors, regional representatives and international partners. At the centre of the dispute is the government’s decision to proceed with amendments to the peace agreement without what R-JMEC says is its mandatory approval under Article 8.4 of the R-ARCSS. … The move has raised concern among peace stakeholders that core safeguards embedded in the 2018 agreement are being weakened. Radio Tamazuj
A South Sudan Community Is Denied Aid as Government and Opposition Blame Each Other
Displaced people who took refuge from conflict in an isolated South Sudan village were denied lifesaving aid by the government even as deaths there mounted, eyewitnesses and aid groups said. The Associated Press spoke with people who fled to the swamp-encircled community of Nyatim in recent weeks. They described having little food and no clean water in a place so desolate that a Starlink connection was used to call for help. When aid workers reached out to South Sudanese authorities with a request to deliver emergency relief, however, it was denied. Reports that dozens of people had died, including some of apparent starvation, made no difference. … It has happened over and over in South Sudan, whose people fought for years for independence from Sudan and then turned on each other. Whatever side that controls aid is accused of withholding it from the other, and civilians suffer. … Concerns about aid diversion are not without precedent. Armed groups in South Sudan, including the military, have a long history of diverting humanitarian supplies for military purposes. During recent fighting in Jonglei, fighters looted more than two dozen humanitarian-run health facilities, according to the U.N. AP
Congo Creates a Paramilitary Mining Guard Backed by US and UAE Funding
Congo on Monday announced the creation of a paramilitary guard to secure its vast mining operations, backed by U.S. and Emirati investments. … The central African country’s General Inspectorate of Mines said in a statement the new unit would be deployed gradually, with an initial 2,500 to 3,000 personnel expected to be operational by December following six months of training in military collaboration. The paramilitary force is projected to have more than 20,000 personnel across all of Congo’s 22 mining provinces by the end of 2028, with the aim of boosting investor confidence and strengthening state oversight of mineral production. The $100 million program is funded through partnerships with the United States and United Arab Emirates, the statement said. AP
Suspected Pirates Seize Vessel Carrying Cement off Somalia, the Second Hijacking Incident in Days
A cargo vessel carrying cement and flying the flag of St. Kitts and Nevis was hijacked off Somalia’s coast, a local maritime security official said Monday. The ship was seized off the coastal town of Garacad in the Somali region of Puntland, according to an operations officer from the Puntland Maritime Police Force, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media. The incident also was reported by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which cited a hijacking incident six nautical miles northeast of Garacad. … This is the second hijacking incident in less than a week; on Wednesday an oil tanker was seized in waters off Puntland. That tanker had left the port of Berbera and was heading to the Somali capital of Mogadishu when it was intercepted. Piracy off Somalia’s coast, once among the most dangerous in the world, has declined significantly over the past decade due to international naval patrols and improved maritime security. However, sporadic incidents continue to raise concerns about a possible resurgence. AP
Chad Opposition Leaders Detained as Planned Protest Is Blocked
Several leaders of the opposition coalition of political consultation groups have been arrested in Chad, just days before a planned nationwide protest. Security forces detained the politicians over the weekend as the group prepared for a “march of indignation and dignity” scheduled for May 2. The crackdown follows a ruling by the Supreme Court of Chad on April 24, which declared the coalition illegal. The government has since warned against any political activity linked to the group, including the planned demonstrations. Opposition parties have condemned the arrests, calling for the immediate release of those detained and describing the court’s decision as politically motivated. Activist and former presidential adviser Makaïla Nguebla says the situation reflects growing tensions between the authorities and the opposition, warning of further instability if political dialogue is not prioritised. Channel Africa
Uganda Detains 231 Foreigners in Crackdown on Possible Human Trafficking
At least 231 people have been detained since Monday in operations that targeted a group of Nigerians living in the country’s north, as well as another group of foreigners living together in a closed compound in Kampala, the capital. The second group included people from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Ghana, Myanmar, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Malaysia, all of whom were staying in “a highly restricted, self-contained apartment complex equipped with its own restaurant and internal facilities designed to restrict movement,” according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Thirty-six of the 169 people found in the compound were women. … Authorities say they acted on intelligence showing large groups of foreigners living or working in Uganda without the necessary papers to do so. Many didn’t have passports, the ministry said in a statement. “Some individuals have claimed they were trafficked into Uganda with promises of employment,” the statement said. … Simon Peter Mundeyi, a spokesman for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, told The Associated Press that there were three categories of foreigners now held for questioning in two places: suspected victims of trafficking, alleged perpetrators, and those who simply overstayed their visas but did not engage in criminal activities. The trafficking victims and the overstayers would be helped to leave Uganda after buying their own tickets, he said, while those authorities identify as suspected ringleaders of trafficking will be charged and could eventually face deportation. AP
Tunisian Journalist Detained after Criticising Judiciary, Lawyer Says
Prominent Tunisian reporter Zied Heni was detained on Friday after writing an article criticising the judiciary, according to his lawyer, a move the journalists’ union said was part of a broader crackdown on free speech. The Tunisian public prosecutor ordered the arrest, lawyer Nafaa Laribi told Reuters. There was no immediate statement from the prosecutor’s office or details of any charge. … The head of Tunisian journalists’ union, Zied Dabbar, said Heni’s detention was “arbitrary and … another step aimed at intimidating journalists”. Free speech initially flourished following the 2011 uprising that toppled autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and led to the “Arab Spring”. But critics say Saied’s accumulation of power in 2021 and decrees he has issued since then have dismantled democratic safeguards and enabled the authorities to pursue many journalists. Reuters
‘I Jumped around the House’: Sabastian Sawe’s Parents Celebrate Marathon Record
[VIDEO] Sabastian Sawe’s parents have shared their pride at the runner’s historic sub-two-hour London Marathon win. The 31-year-old Kenyan set a new world record after crossing the line in one hour 59 minutes 30 seconds on Sunday, more than a minute faster than the previous record holder’s time. Simion and Emily told the BBC they watched the race from home in rural Kenya, and are planning celebrations for when Sabastian returns. BBC