Authorities Say 10 Nigerian Police Officers Were Killed in Gunbattle with Rebels in the North
A gunbattle between rebels and Nigerian security forces has left 10 police officers dead in a remote part of the country’s conflict-battered north, authorities said Tuesday. The clash, which occurred on Monday in the Sakaba council area of Kebbi state also left two civilians and 17 of the rebels dead, police spokesperson Bashir Usman said in a statement. The rebels were riding on motorcycles, heavily armed, when they were intercepted by security forces, said Usman. They were seen close to the border with Zamfara state, where armed gangs who frequently raid Nigerian towns and villages are concentrated. AP
Sudan Civilian Bloc Somoud Rejects Army-backed Internal Dialogue Initiative
Sudan’s civilian alliance, Somoud, rejected on Monday an army-backed initiative for an internal national dialogue, warning that holding talks within military-controlled territory risks formalizing the country’s territorial division. The alliance, led by former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, denied receiving any formal contact regarding the dialogue initiative recently floated by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. Sudanese political sources indicated that Burhan had begun consultations with various political and civil factions to launch an internal dialogue process, including proposals to drop legal charges against anti-war civilian leaders. “Holding dialogue within army-controlled areas ignores the reality of Sudan’s de facto fragmentation among various armed factions,” Somoud said in a statement. “This path risks entrenching the division of the country, an outcome we refuse to legitimize.” Sudan Tribune
Sudan’s War Threatens an “Entire Generation’s” Future, UN Warns
More than 8 million school-age children in Sudan remain out of the classroom because of the ongoing civil war that erupted more than three years ago, the United Nations has said. Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed delivered the warning on Friday at an informal UN Security Council session on safeguarding education in Sudan, as the war entered its 1,210th day. “Among everything this war is taking, one of the most significant is the future of Sudan — depriving the education of its children,” Mohammed said, cautioning that the conflict is depriving an “entire generation” of its future. Nearly three-quarters of schools have been damaged, destroyed or otherwise rendered unusable in the country’s Darfur since fighting erupted in April 2023, according to the UN. … Since 2024, the UN has documented more than 67 attacks on schools and more than 154 instances of schools being used for military purposes, Mohammed said, noting that the figures almost certainly understate the true toll. Al Jazeera
South Sudan: Rights Defenders Launch Election Monitoring Ahead of Polls
South Sudan’s Human Rights Defenders Network has launched an independent initiative to monitor civic space, human rights and the electoral process ahead of general elections planned for December. The network said on Friday that its monitoring would cover the entire electoral cycle, including voter registration, political campaigns, freedom of expression and assembly, and the participation of marginalised groups. The initiative follows a week-long learning and mentorship visit to Nairobi, where network delegates, working with the South Sudan Human Rights Commission, studied Kenya’s experience in election management, observation, civic participation, dispute resolution and the handling of election-related tensions. James Bidal, who led the delegation, said the visit reinforced the importance of protecting political rights before, during and after election day. “The credibility of the December elections will largely depend on the existence of an enabling environment in which all political actors can compete fairly and citizens can participate freely without fear of reprisal,” Bidal said. Radio Tamazuj
Tanzania Opposition Leader Tundu Lissu’s Treason Trial Resumes
The treason trial of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu resumed on Monday after a five-month pause, reviving a case that has drawn international attention over the country’s political climate. Lissu, chairman of the opposition Chadema party, has been in custody since April 2025 after being charged with treason, an offense that carries the death penalty in Tanzania. Outside the Dar es Salaam courthouse, Lissu accused prosecutors of deliberately delaying proceedings to keep him behind bars, saying they wanted “to waste time so that I can continue to remain in remand custody.” The trial had been suspended since February while prosecutors appealed a ruling allowing additional evidence. Tanzania’s Court of Appeal dismissed that challenge last month, clearing the way for the case to move forward. Chadema described the hearing as a critical test of Tanzania’s commitment to democracy, the rule of law, and political freedoms, arguing the prosecution has been used to suppress legitimate opposition. The trial follows widespread criticism of Tanzania’s handling of protests surrounding last year’s elections. Lissu’s supporters accuse President Samia Suluhu Hassan of reviving the repressive tactics associated with former President John Magufuli, an accusation the government has consistently denied. Africanews
Congo Says 2,000 People Have Died in Its Ebola Outbreak, the Fastest Growing on Record
At least 2,000 people have died in Congo’s Ebola outbreak, the fastest-growing on record, according to the latest data, as health authorities struggle to get help to remote localities due to rebel conflict, bad roads and work stoppages over payment issues. Government data published overnight into Tuesday showed the outbreak has recorded a total of 4,381 confirmed cases, including 2,011 deaths. That death toll was reached almost three times faster than in the 2014-16 Ebola outbreak that was the worst in history. The current outbreak was declared on May 15 but health authorities say sequencing showed it began months earlier, in February. While it took about nine weeks for the outbreak to record the first 1,000 deaths, it’s taken just around three weeks for the figure to double, an evidence that the health crisis is moving faster than efforts to track and manage it. … Ebola can be caused by different types of virus. Although the type responsible for the 2014-2016 outbreak is considered the deadliest, government data shows this Bundibugyo outbreak has killed a higher percentage of people as care and support are not getting to patients quickly enough. Many cases are reporting symptoms late or not at all. AP
The Paradox Behind the Relentless Spread of the Rare Ebola Strain
The scariest thing about the Ebola strain ripping through East Africa this year might be rather surprising: It isn’t quite as lethal as those in earlier outbreaks. Previous variants were more dangerous on the face of it. People quickly fell ill and died during big outbreaks, like those in 2014 and 2018. But because Ebola strains like the Zaire variant were so lethal, they quickly ran out of new people to infect before they could move on to another area. They burned out. This time, the Bundibugyo strain isn’t killing people quite as quickly. Medical studies have found that it replicates more slowly than the more pathogenic forms. Symptoms develop more slowly, allowing infected patients to remain well enough to move around and spread the virus before becoming severely ill, according to Corri Levine, a virologist at the University of Texas. … Peter Bai James, a health worker who served on the front lines in Sierra Leone during the 2014-16 Ebola outbreak, calls it an epidemiological paradox. “Viruses that are extremely lethal often tend to self-contain because they quickly kill or incapacitate their hosts,” said James, who now works with Australia’s Southern Cross University. “When a strain is less virulent, as in the case of the Bundibugyo strain, infected people feel sick, but not sick enough to be bedridden or abandon their daily routines.” Wall Street Journal
Mediterranean Smuggling Network ‘Dismantled’ in Spain-led Raid, 78 Arrested
Spanish authorities, working with Europol and police in France, Portugal and Poland, have dismantled what they say is one of the largest criminal networks for migrant smuggling, illegal drugs and weapons trafficking across the Western Mediterranean. Launched by Spain’s Civil Guard and National Police in 2023, the operation culminated in an “action day” on June 16, Europol said on Friday, leading to 78 arrests and the seizure of assets, including 18 high-speed boats. … Of those detained, 77 were arrested in Spain and one in Algeria, including three high-value targets. Most were Algerian nationals with ties to criminal groups in France, Belgium, Portugal, Italy and Poland. … The criminal network, described as operating like a logistics company for organised crime groups, managed two-way maritime smuggling routes between Europe and Algeria, according to Europol. The network allegedly moved synthetic drugs southward and migrants northward to Spain’s southeastern coast and the island of Ibiza. … Authorities also found that the network provided a wide range of services to other criminal organisations, including vessel storage, transportation, refuelling, maritime transfers, boat maintenance and counter-surveillance. The network reportedly moved money through informal hawala networks, making it difficult for investigators to trace illicit funds. Al Jazeera
Zingman, the Belarusian Middleman Brokering Zimbabwe’s Tilt to Minsk
When Emmerson Mnangagwa seized power in the 2017 coup that ousted Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe, one of the more improbable beneficiaries was Alexander Zingman, a Minsk-based trader who has become the indispensable broker of Harare’s relations with Aleksandr Lukashenko’s Belarus. Amid reports of his declining health and secret gold trading, President Mnangagwa surprised Zimbabweans again when he turned up in Minsk in May, unannounced by his assiduous publicists, for a meeting with Lukashenko. It was the state media outlet, BelTA, which broke the omertà on the trip claiming that implementation of the 2026-2030 Zimbabwe-Belarus strategic cooperation plan, negotiated in May 2025, was top of the agenda. Zingman was key to that plan, according to officials with knowledge of the dossier. Through his Dubai-registered vehicle Aftrade DMCC, Zingman has supplied thousands of tractors under a mechanisation programme now worth an estimated $300m and secured a $62m fire-engine contract for local authorities. The scale of Zingman’s African corporate network – now stretching to Kenya, Nigeria and, as of this year, Francophone states such as Togo – is drawing attention from rival companies and from financial investigators. … He has been given a Zimbabwean diplomatic passport and has been appointed by Mnangagwa as Zimbabwe’s Honorary Consul to Minsk where he arranged a meeting between First Lady Auxilla Mnangagwa, her sons Collin and Sean, and Belarus President Lukashenko in August 2023. The Africa Report
Sierra Leone MPs Approve Contested Overhaul of Electoral Rules
Sierra Leone’s parliament on Monday approved a constitutional reform that would overhaul the west African country’s electoral rules ahead of the 2028 presidential race, after weeks of opposition resistance. The bill, backed by the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), was adopted by a “simple majority of members present,” parliament speaker Segepoh Solomon Thomas said after the session. … Lawmakers from the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) party walked out after unsuccessfully arguing that the reform required a two-thirds majority. The changes would cut the share of votes needed to win the presidency from 55 percent to a simple nationwide majority, while introducing proportional representation for legislative elections. They also include a 30-percent quota for women in political leadership positions. Under the proposed rules, a presidential candidate would also need to win at least 20 percent of the vote in two-thirds of Sierra Leone’s districts to avoid a run-off. … The ruling SLPP argues the changes would strengthen democracy while reducing the costs, political tensions and security risks associated with presidential runoffs. But the opposition APC wants to keep the current 55-percent threshold, arguing it encourages candidates to seek broader national support and gives the winner greater legitimacy. AFP
The Malawi Women’s Soccer Team Is on Fire. What that Means for Africa
Imagine the Faroe Islands beating Germany in men’s soccer. Picture Tajikistan besting Argentina. Those were the kind of odds Malawi’s women’s national team, the Scorchers, faced when they stepped onto the pitch on July 28 in Rabat, Morocco. The team’s first match in the continental championship was against Nigeria, the defending champion. The Super Falcons towered a full 117 places above Malawi in the FIFA rankings. As if that weren’t bad enough, Nigeria has won 10 of the 13 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) tournaments ever played. This was the first time the Scorchers had even qualified. … Indeed, when the final whistle blew two hours later, Malawi had rewritten soccer history. A forward with electric blue hair named Temwa Chawinga twice broke through Nigeria’s defensive line, and her sister Tabitha socked away a goal of her own to give the Scorchers a 3-2 victory. ESPN dubbed it “the biggest upset in WAFCON history.” … The win was a kind of announcement of the meteoric rise of women’s soccer in Africa. No longer is world class play confined to the continent’s top teams, says professional player and commentator Hannah Baptiste. Even the scrappiest underdogs have “unreal talent.” In many ways, that should come as little surprise. The informal pitches scratched out on the continent’s street corners and open lots have long produced some of world soccer’s best male players. Now, Africa’s women are claiming their place too. CS Monitor