Zambia Election: The Challenges of Maintaining Democratic Progress
Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema is seeking a second term in office leading this landlocked southern African country of 22 million people. The 59 percent of the vote he earned in 2021, galvanized by a strong youth turnout, was a significant breakthrough for the six-time candidate and his United Party for National Development (UPND). … A businessman-turned politician, Hichilema achieved notable successes during his first term. This included the negotiation of a debt restructuring under the G20 Common Framework, reduced fiscal deficits, a decline in inflation from 24 percent to 9 percent, and improved transparency in government procurement. … Despite these achievements, Hichilema has been the subject of growing concern over diminished space for dissent in Zambia. … [Under Hichilema, Zambia has seen] a pattern of arrests against members of opposition parties for making critical or false statements against the government. … Independent media have also faced growing pressure under the Hichilema government. … In December 2025, Hichilema signed into law constitutional changes that expanded the National Assembly from 167 to 280 seats. … [C]ritics argue that the move is intended to further solidify UPND’s control. … The PF is currently the country’s leading opposition party with 55 seats in the National Assembly. …. The election is likely to be among the most transparent and well-run on the continent this year. Moreover, the incumbent has a strong economic track record to run on, despite ongoing challenges to create enough jobs for the country’s large youth population. The test will be whether there is sufficient space to accommodate a genuine spectrum of voices, including those who are critical, so that all Zambians can embrace the outcome. Africa Center for Strategic Studies
Saudi Arabia Names Commander for Maritime Defence Coalition
Saudi Arabia has announced the appointment of a commander for a multinational maritime defence alliance to protect freedom of navigation through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The Saudi Ministry of Defence said in a statement on Thursday that Rear Admiral Abdullah bin Salem Al-Shehri has been appointed commander of the coalition a week after its establishment. Al-Shehri will oversee joint naval defence, coordinate with member states and other maritime coalitions, and carry out missions under the coalition’s charter, it added on X. Bahrain, Bangladesh, the Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Turkiye and Yemen announced the formation of the coalition on July 30. … The coalition will hold a planning meeting August 12-13 to finalise its institutional framework and pave the way for more countries to join, according to the ministry. The 14 countries that announced the formation of the Multinational Maritime Defence Coalition declared their intent to protect freedom of navigation and secure international trade routes and energy supply routes in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, which form a strategic maritime corridor linking the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean. Al Jazeera
Somalia: Puntland Says It Has Taken over Military Base in Carmo
Puntland authorities said Saturday they had officially taken control of a military base in the town of Carmo that was previously occupied by what they described as “armed militias.” In a statement, Puntland police said the forces based at the camp had carried out activities that threatened security and social stability in the region. The Puntland state government said the takeover was part of efforts to strengthen security, maintain public order and reinforce the authority of government institutions across the region. The move follows recent clashes in the central Somali town of Galkayo between Puntland security forces and fighters linked to the former Puntland Security Force, or PSF. Puntland forces took control of the former PSF compound in Galkayo after the fighting, which erupted amid tensions over the status and control of the security facility. Puntland authorities subsequently said the compound had been brought under government control. The authorities later announced that they had also taken control of the former PSF headquarters in the port city of Bosaso. The latest operations in Carmo, Galkayo and Bosaso reflect Puntland’s broader effort to bring armed security formations and their facilities under the direct control of state institutions. Garowe Online
Mass Graves Found in Sudan’s Kurmuk after Town Recaptured from RSF
Mass graves containing the bodies of 25 civilians, including women, children, and hospital staff executed by the Rapid Support Forces, have been discovered in Sudan’s Blue Nile region, a local official said on Sunday. … Abdel Aty Mohamed al Faki, commissioner of Kurmuk, said in a statement that army forces found the graves during sweeping operations in the northeastern part of the town, more than a month after driving out the paramilitary group. El Faki said the victims were executed near Jebel Fankat, a hill the RSF used as a launchpad for suicide drones during its assault on the town. The Sudanese army recaptured Kurmuk on July 8. The RSF had seized the strategic border town on March 8 in a joint operation launched from the Ethiopian border alongside the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North faction led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu. Rights monitors and residents have accused the RSF of widespread atrocities during its occupation of Kurmuk and neighbouring areas in Blue Nile, including extrajudicial killings, looting, and forced displacement. Kurmuk, which borders Ethiopia, has long been a flashpoint in Sudan’s conflicts, frequently changing hands between government forces and rebel groups during the country’s decades-long civil wars. Sudan Tribune
Ex-Benin President Talon Makes Political Comeback via Newly Founded Senate
As the sole candidate for the institution’s presidency, Patrice Talon secured 24 out of 25 votes, with one blank ballot and no votes against. … The vote was held behind closed doors and by secret ballot. Talon is therefore returning to politics in Benin via the Senate, a move many had predicted when he revised the Constitution last year. … Another former president, Thomas Boni Yayi, founder of the opposition party ‘Les Démocrates du Bénin’, was willing to challenge Talon and could have provided a genuine contest. But he lacked real support among the members of this new Senate, who are appointed rather than elected. Yayi did not run for the Senate presidency, and Talon was elected without difficulty. Talon’s opponents suspect him of having created this new institution as a landing spot after leaving office. Less than three months after stepping down as president on 24 May, he is not only returning to the political stage but coming back as the third-ranking state official in the order of precedence, following the president and the vice-president of the Republic. RFI
South Sudanese Man Abducted in Kenya Released after Two Months
A South Sudanese man who was abducted in Kenya two months ago and deported to South Sudan, where he was held at a military facility, has been released, his family said on Monday. Athorbey Al-Gaddhaffy-Dit Guet, also known as Gaddafi, was living in Nairobi, where he had repeatedly said his life was in danger because he was exposing corruption allegedly linked to South Sudan’s ruling elite. Gaddafi, who is originally from Jonglei state, also holds Kenyan identification documents, according to his family. “We are very happy that Al-Gaddhaffy has been returned to us after being abducted from Kenya and held in detention in Juba for almost two months,” the family said in a statement. He was released on Aug. 8 after investigations “did not reveal any wrongdoing”, the family said, adding that authorities had never told them why he was detained. The family said his health had deteriorated during his detention and that he was receiving medical treatment in Kenya. … Human rights groups and United Nations investigators have documented a series of cases over the past decade involving South Sudanese activists, opposition figures and government critics who were abducted, deported or forcibly returned from Kenya. Radio Tamazuj
South Sudan: SPLM-IO Rejects Kiir-led Dialogue in Talks with AU C5 Delegation
The opposition SPLM-IO has rejected President Salva Kiir’s proposed inter-party dialogue ahead of South Sudan’s December elections, saying any negotiations to revive the country’s faltering peace process should take place at a neutral venue under regional or international mediation. The position was conveyed to a delegation from the African Union’s Ad Hoc High-Level Committee for South Sudan (C5), which met SPLM-IO leaders led by acting chairman Oyet Nathaniel Pierino [last] Monday as part of consultations with South Sudan’s political stakeholders. The C5, chaired by South Africa and comprising Algeria, Chad, Nigeria and Rwanda, is mandated to support implementation of the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS). The committee has stepped up diplomatic engagement since late 2025 amid growing concern over the deteriorating peace process following the detention of First Vice President Riek Machar in March 2025. Radio Tamazuj
WHO Urges Ervebo Vaccine Trial in DR Congo Ebola Outbreak
WHO vaccine experts on Friday recommended a full-scale human trial of the only existing approved Ebola vaccine to see if it offers cross-protection against a deadly strain spreading in the DR Congo. The Ervebo vaccine has proved safe and efficacious against the more common Zaire strain of Ebola virus, and World Health Organization experts said early data, notably from animal trials, showed it may also give some protection against the rare Bundibugyo strain exploding in the DRC. The recommendation came as the number of confirmed cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo went past the 4,000 mark, now standing at 4,053, including 1,850 fatalities. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned again Friday that the virus was spreading faster than response efforts can catch up. The UN health agency’s technical advisory group on candidate vaccine prioritisation (TAG-CVP) for the Bundibugyo outbreak response met last week to review data that has emerged since their meeting in May, in the days following the outbreak declaration. … The experts looked at several studies, including one which showed that three out of four non-human primates vaccinated with Ervebo survived Bundibugyo, compared with one out of four control animals. They also looked at an unpublished study on ferrets which found that the research-grade version of Ervebo provided 100-percent protection against Bundibugyo, whereas all control animals died within 10 days. AFP
EU Holds Talks with Big Tech over Ceuta Misinformation
EU Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy Henna Virkkunen has called on social media giants to exercise closer monitoring of their platforms for misinformation, especially “during crisis situations.” Virkkunen was referring to last week’s Ceuta border crisis, which European, Spanish and Moroccan authorities say was exacerbated by the spread of misinformation on social media, including TikTok, Telegram and Meta platforms. Commissioner Virkkunen addressed the disinformation on social media, calling for greater EU monitoring of platforms during crisis situations. “Platforms must act decisively in keeping the integrity of the digital space, in particular during crisis situations,” she wrote on X. “Monitoring must increase, cooperation with fact-checkers to be strengthened,” Virkkunen wrote after a Friday meeting with representatives from TikTok and Meta — which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. A number of the estimated 72,000 people who stormed Ceuta from Morocco said they were attracted by false promises disseminated on social media and that they were lied to about the situation. … Last week, EU member states convened an emergency meeting at which representatives mulled early-warning systems and social media monitoring as potential levers for improving the bloc’s shared assessment capabilities in emerging situations. DW
Africa Wants More Homegrown Solar to Boost Self-reliance, but China’s Shadow Remains
Africa’s largest economies are accelerating plans to build more domestic solar manufacturing capacity, a shift industry analysts say reflects both industrial ambition and growing unease over dependence on imports from China that dominate the global market. Ethiopia, South Africa, Morocco and Nigeria have been stepping up efforts to localize manufacturing of equipment for solar power, from module assembly to more advanced manufacturing, according to industry experts. However, they say China is likely to retain its dominant global role in making solar cells and other components. Its exports of such equipment have soared, partly due to a glut in supply back home. Chinese renewable energy investment and related construction projects in Africa reached $66 billion between 2010 and 2024, according to the think tank ODI Global. … Africa’s largest economies are keen to build their own solar manufacturing capacity. … Africa has effectively no commercial-scale solar cell manufacturing, meaning emerging assembly plants still must rely on imported Chinese components. AP
Record July Heat in Regions Home to 900 Mn People: AFP Analysis
Regions home to around 900 million people experienced their hottest July on record in 2026, including in the Sahel, Central America, France and Spain, according to AFP analysis of Copernicus data. … The dataset combines observations from satellites operated by multiple countries, weather stations on land, at sea and in the air, together with climate modelling. It provides hourly global coverage dating back to 1970. Nearly 400 million of the roughly 900 million people residing in affected areas live in Africa, primarily within the Sahel region. Ten countries in the semi-arid belt across western and northern Africa broke their monthly heat records for July, including Mauritania, Niger and Burkina Faso. In eastern Africa, Sudan, Kenya and Ethiopia also broke records. Temperature variations and anomalies in countries close to the equator are typically smaller than in temperate climates. Yet countries such as Chad and Sudan recorded July temperatures more than 2C above the 1981-2010 average. … Sahel countries are among the most vulnerable to rising temperatures, while many are already grappling with armed conflict, food insecurity and widespread poverty. AFP
AfCFTA Seeks Adoption of Nigeria Customs’ Digital Innovation Across Africa
The Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Wamkele Mene, has commended the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for developing cutting-edge indigenous technology capable of transforming customs administration across Africa, expressing the continental body’s readiness to replicate the Service’s digital innovations in other African countries. Mene made the remarks on Thursday, 6 August 2026, during a working visit to the Nigeria Customs Service Headquarters in Maitama, Abuja, where he described the Service’s technology-driven reforms as a practical African solution to longstanding trade and revenue challenges across the continent. The AfCFTA Secretary-General noted that many African countries still rely on manual customs processes, a situation he said contributes to revenue leakages, border delays and low intra-African trade. He stressed that Nigeria’s technological advancement offers a sustainable model for strengthening customs administration across the continent. … Mene further described the Nigeria Customs Service’s data centre as a strategic continental asset capable of supporting countries that lack the resources to establish similar infrastructure, adding that the facility demonstrates Africa’s growing capacity to develop and manage critical digital infrastructure independently. PR Nigeria
African Quartet Secure Women’s World Cup Places
Algeria, Morocco, Cameroon and Malawi have all qualified for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil. The Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) in Morocco is also acting as a qualifying tournament for next summer’s tournament, with any country that makes the semi-finals earning their places at the World Cup. Algeria beat 10-player Ivory Coast 2-1, with goals from Ines Khiri and Amira Ould Braham – after N’Sira Oudraogo was sent off when the Ivorians were 1-0 ahead – to reach the Wafcon last four and qualify for a Women’s World Cup for the first time. Goals from Sakina Ouzraoui Diki and Hanane Ait El Haj helped Morocco defeat South Africa 2-1 to claim their place, with Cameroon securing a 1-0 victory over Nigeria thanks to a spectacular 30-yard free-kick from 19-year-old Myriam Nyadjou. The fourth spot was taken by Malawi, 153rd in the world rankings, who caused a huge shock by beating Ghana 2-1, coming from behind with goals from Temwa Chawinga and Rose Kadzere. The Wafcon semi-finals will take place on Wednesday with Morocco taking on Cameroon before Algeria meet Malawi. The four nations that lost in the Wafcon quarter-finals – Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and South Africa – still have a chance to qualify for the World Cup. On Thursday, Ivory Coast play Ghana and Nigeria will face South Africa with the two winners going into the 10-nation intercontinental play-offs in November and December. Out of those 10 countries in the play-offs, three will qualify for next summer’s World Cup, which begins on 24 June and ends on 25 July. BBC