Sudan Activists Sound Alarm on ‘Catastrophic’ Situation in Besieged Darfur City
Civilians trapped in Sudan’s El-Fasher city are facing “catastrophic” conditions, activists warned on Sunday, with their situation rapidly deteriorating amid a months-long paramilitary siege. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have taken most of the vast Darfur region in their war against the regular army since April 2023, but El-Fasher in North Darfur remains the only regional state capital the RSF has not conquered. A local advocacy group, the Darfur General Coordination of Camps for the Displaced and Refugees, said in a statement that residents “bear the brunt of artillery shelling” and live “with the sounds of aircraft and their terrifying and deadly missiles, in addition to the daily suffering of hunger, disease and drought”. Life in El-Fasher and other areas of Darfur “has come to a complete standstill”, the group said, with no food at markets and a “complete halt” in humanitarian aid…There was a sharp rise in prices of basic commodities and “a severe shortage in cash”, it added, warning of an “unprecedented and catastrophic deterioration” in already dire conditions in and around El-Fasher. The RSF-aligned armed group Sudan Liberation Army called on Saturday for civilians in El-Fasher and the nearby displacement camps of Abu Shouk and Zamzan to leave, warning of an “escalation of military operations”. AFP
Sudan: Calls for National Committee and Broad Front to Protect Civilians in War-torn Sudan
Yasir Arman, leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement— Revolutionary Democratic Current (SPLM-RDC), has called for the formation of a national committee to protect civilians…Arman’s call comes as the war in Sudan completes its second year, with no hope of stopping it on the horizon due to the warring parties’ insistence on continuing the fight until the end, hoping for a complete military victory…In his call, Arman stated, “The time has come to form a national committee comprising Sudan’s most influential sons and daughters at home and abroad to defend the rights of all Sudanese civilians to life, security, relief, and housing throughout the country.” He indicated that the committee must represent Sudanese diversity and national unity and stand against the division of Sudanese men and women…It is a war, he said, aimed at tearing apart and fragmenting Sudan, which will not produce democracy or social justice, regardless of the claims of its proponents and managers…Commenting on the call to form a national committee to protect civilians in Sudan, Saleh Mahmoud, a leader in the Sudanese Communist Party…suggested establishing a broad national front, which he said would be more effective in protecting civilians as it would include those who reject the war and the fragmentation of Sudan, and would call for stopping attacks, applying justice against those involved in committing crimes, and addressing the deteriorating humanitarian situation. Sudan Tribune
Somalia: Mogadishu Airport, Halane Camp Targeted in Al-Shabaab Mortar Attacks
Al-Shabaab militants fired mortars at Mogadishu’s international airport and the nearby Halane military base early on Sunday, wounding two civilians in residential areas, security sources and locals said. At least six mortars struck the Halane compound in the Wadajir district around 6:05 a.m. local time, a heavily guarded facility housing Western embassies, international organizations, and the African Union’s AUSSOM mission, according to witnesses and a security official. Several rounds also landed in nearby neighborhoods, including Kaawo Godey, where a woman and a young man were injured, residents reported…The AUSSOM confirmed the attack but said no personnel at the base were harmed. [Al-Shabaab] is suspected of carrying out the assault. The attack comes a day after mortars hit near the presidential palace, with one striking the National Theatre and injuring several people. Earlier this week, the militants targeted Aden Adde International Airport during a visit by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, while violence has also surged in the Lower Shabelle region…The latest strike underscores the ongoing security challenges facing Somalia’s capital, which the group continues to target. Garowe Online
Uganda to Host Summit on Counterterrorism in the Horn of Africa Region
President Yoweri Museveni announced that Uganda will host a summit on April 25 to discuss the ongoing AUSSOM operation in Somalia, which began in January 2025. Leaders from countries contributing troops to the mission, as well as Egypt, which is set to join the operation, are expected to attend…The AUSSOM operation, involving 11,000 troops from various countries, supports the Somali government in stabilizing areas previously controlled by Al-Shabaab. The operation is set to last for one year, during which Somali forces will receive assistance to enhance their capabilities. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met with Museveni in Kampala on April 5 to discuss strengthening bilateral relations, regional security, and the fight against Al-Shabaab. Uganda has had troops in Somalia since 2007, becoming the first country to send forces there. Currently, over 4,000 Ugandan soldiers are stationed in key areas, including the Aden Adde International Airport and the port, contributing to several operations aimed at pushing Al-Shabaab out of strategic locations in Mogadishu. Garowe Online
Burundi Closes Site Hosting 45,000 DR Congo Refugees
Burundi has shut down a transit site sheltering tens of thousands of refugees who have fled violence in neighbouring eastern DR Congo, witnesses and a local official told AFP on Saturday. According to the United Nations Rugombo Stadium has been hosting more than 45,000 refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group has been on the offensive for months. In their advance M23 fighters have seized vast swathes of the DRC’s mineral-rich yet restive east, including areas along Burundi’s western border, triggering fears of a regional war. The UN estimates that about 70,000 refugees have fled the fighting to Burundi since January in the “largest refugee influx in decades”, with a local official calling the situation at the Rugombo Stadium “untenable”.
Heavy Rains Flood Congo’s Capital, Killing at Least 22 People
Major flooding in the Congolese capital of Kinshasa has killed at least 22 people and cut off access to over half of the city and the country’s main airport, authorities said Sunday. Most of the fatalities in Friday’s deluge were caused by collapsing walls, said a provincial health minister, Patricien Ngongo. The main road to the airport was damaged by flooding but has now reopened to light traffic and will be open to all traffic within 72 hours, said Kinshasa Gov. Daniel Bumba. The road also links Kinshasa to the rest of Congo and officials worry about the impact on trade…In addition to the 22 deaths, 46 people were hospitalized and a further 75 families will be temporarily housed in a nearby stadium. AP
Russia Vows Military Backing for Sahel Juntas’ Joint Force
Russia has committed to helping military governments in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger acquire arms and training for a planned 5,000-strong force to deploy in the central Sahel region, a statement said. The West African nations, run by juntas that have taken power in coups in recent years, have formed a body known as the Alliance of Sahel States. The grouping has kicked out French and other Western forces and turned towards Russia, mainly fighters from the Wagner mercenary outfit, for military support. It has also withdrawn from West Africa’s main political and economic bloc ECOWAS. The foreign ministers of the three West African countries travelled to Moscow for meetings beginning on Thursday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Russia voiced “unwavering support” for the joint force announced in January, a joint alliance and Russian statement said. The ministers agreed to facilitate acquisition of “major and high-performance military equipment and appropriate training” for the force and Russia is ready “to provide the necessary technical assistance”, it said. Reuters
Burkina Junta Critic Arrested in Growing Crackdown: Civil Group
Burkina Faso authorities arrested a member of a civil society group critical of the country’s military rulers, the organisation said Friday, the latest of numerous detentions targeting the junta’s critics. The organisation, the Patriotic Front, said in a statement that officials identifying themselves as intelligence officers detained its deputy secretary general Romuald Yaro on March 30 at his workplace in the capital Ouagadougou. Burkina Faso has seen numerous kidnappings of people viewed as critical of the military authorities since the junta’s leader Captain Ibrahim Traore took power in a coup in 2022. The group said it did not know the grounds for the arrest or where Yaro had been detained since. His “arrest was carried out by individuals who introduced themselves as being on a mission for the ANR,” Burkina Faso’s national intelligence agency, the statement said…The Patriotic Front is made up of civil society organisations and political parties that are legally recognised in Burkina Faso. While arrests and kidnappings have been frequent since Traore took power, they have accelerated in recent weeks. AFP
Mali Accuses Algeria of Shooting down a Surveillance Drone, Recalls Ambassador
Mali accused neighbouring Algeria of shooting down one of its surveillance drones near their shared border in a statement read out by the security minister on national TV on Sunday. The West African country and its allies Burkina Faso and Niger will recall their ambassadors from Algeria for consultations over the incident, they said in a separate joint statement on Sunday. Mali said the drone wreckage was found 9.5 kilometres south of the border with Algeria after it was shot down in the night between March 31 and April 1…The three Sahel countries said in their joint statement that they energetically condemned the “irresponsible act by the Algerian regime.”
Algeria’s Defence Ministry on April 1 said the army had shot down an “armed surveillance drone” that violated the North African country’s airspace near Tinzaouaten, a community that straddles the border, without providing further details. Mali’s army said in a statement at the time that one of its unmanned aircraft had crashed while on a routine surveillance mission. Reuters
Many Killed in Renewed Attacks in Nigeria’s Plateau State
In a wave of attacks that started on March 27, with the most recent being recorded on April 2, youth leaders say that at least 40 people have been killed. Bokkos has suffered repeated waves of violence, particularly after the Christmas massacre of 2023, which claimed scores of lives. Previous investigations by HumAngle have linked the unrest to a cycle of revenge attacks triggered by disputes over farmland grazing and cattle rustling. Others, including Musa Ashoms, the state commissioner for youth and sports, have described it as “land grabbing and ethnic cleansing.” The latest bloodshed comes just days after another attack in the area. On March 27, suspected armed herders stormed Ruwi, a community in Bokkos district, killing more than ten mourners at a funeral, according to the Stefanos Foundation, a local advocacy group. Following the massacre, Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang visited Ruwi on March 29. Shortly after his visit, security operatives made several arrests. Fuki Christian, a social change ambassador in Bokkos, believes the Wednesday night assault was retaliation…Several other locals who spoke to HumAngle said that the residence of the village head in Hurti was torched, several houses were burnt, and some victims of stray bullets—including the daughter and wife of a local pastor—are receiving treatment in Bokkos town. HumAngle
Abducted British Missionary Released in Cameroon
An 83-year-old British missionary and his assistant have been released some 48 hours after an armed group abducted them, his church group said Friday. The Catholic Mill Hill Missionary said Huub Welters and his assistant Henry Kang, were “brutally abducted” Tuesday in the town of Bambui on their way to a project to build classrooms for underprivileged children in nearby Ilung. In a statement the group said they had been released on Thursday…Kidnapping and violence has been common in Cameroon’s Northwest and Southwest regions, which are mainly populated by Cameroon’s English-speaking minority. Separatists have regularly targeted and killed civil servants, including teachers, and elected officials accused of “collaboration” with the French-speaking central government in Yaounde. The army and police are accused of carrying out punitive raids against people they accuse of pro-separatist leanings. The conflict erupted in late 2016 after President Paul Biya, who has ruled Cameroon unchallenged for 42 years, violently put down peaceful demonstrations by Anglophones in both regions. At least 6,000 civilians have been killed by government forces and separatist fighters since the unrest began, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW). AFP
Another of Jammeh’s Men Faces Trial in US for past Atrocities in Gambia
Another of former Gambian strongman Yahya Jammeh’s men is facing trial for past atrocities that prosecutors say helped put the West African leader in power through the suppression of dissent. The trial of Michael Sang Correa begins later on Monday in Denver, United States, and could reveal the extent of the methods used to maim or kill Jammeh’s opponents. Correa is a former Gambian soldier and faces charges under a rarely used law that prosecutes crimes committed outside the US…According to the [Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission] report, Correa was individually culpable for the unlawful killing of a total of 11 people, besides participating in other acts of torture. His victims included Gambia’s most famous journalist, Deyda Hydara, who was shot dead in 2004, and two young Gambian-American businessmen suspected of staging a coup. Correa was first detained in the US in 2019 for overstaying his visa. Subsequent investigations led to his charging in 2020 by the US Department of Justice with torture and conspiracy to commit the torture of at least six people, according to a citation by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. Correa is the first non-US citizen to be charged under the Extraterritorial Torture Statutes since they were enacted in 1994. He will be the third person to be tried under the law…Correa’s trial has rekindled hopes for Jammeh’s victims amid doubts about the commitment of President Barrow’s administration to justice. The EastAfrican
Amadou Bagayoko of Music Duo Amadou & Mariam Dies Aged 70
The guitarist and singer Amadou Bagayoko of the Malian music duo Amadou & Mariam has died aged 70 after an illness, his family said, paying tribute to the Grammy-nominated blind musician. Amadou and his wife, Mariam Doumbia, formed a group whose blend of traditional Malian music with rock guitars and western blues sold millions of albums across the world. Among other achievements the couple, who met at the institute for the young blind in the Malian capital, Bamako, composed the official song for the 2006 football World Cup in Germany and played at the closing ceremony concert for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris…After meeting in 1976, when Amadou was 21 and Mariam 18, the pair discovered they had similar tastes in music. They began touring together from the 1980s, mixing traditional west African instruments such as the kora and balafon with the Pink Floyd and James Brown records from their youth. They sang songs to raise awareness of the problems facing their peers living with blindness and disabilities. A few decades later their 2004 album, Dimanche à Bamako (Sunday in Bamako), brought them worldwide success backed up by the title track…They played at festivals including Glastonbury, shared bills with Coldplay, U2 and Stevie Wonder, and played for Barack Obama at the concert marking the US president’s Nobel Peace prize award. AFP