RSF Renews Assault on Sudan’s Al-Obeid as Drones Strike Capital, Witnesses Say
The Sudanese Rapid Support Forces renewed its assault on the city of al-Obeid on Wednesday and stepped up drone and land attacks across the country this week following losses on several fronts, according to witnesses. The RSF has found itself on the back foot lately in its war with the Sudanese army, a conflict that began in April 2023, drawing in foreign powers and creating what the United Nations considers the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. But on Wednesday, witnesses in al-Obeid said the strategically important city in the Kordofan region was targeted by eight drones, triggering army air defenses. Two people were killed and others were injured, according to medical sources. … In a long RSF campaign for control of al-Obeid, the city has suffered drone attacks and siege tactics that had decimated its power, fuel, food, and water supplies, threatening a severe humanitarian crisis. The city is estimated to currently contain half a million inhabitants, including about 100,000 people previously displaced by the conflict. Reuters
Sudan Exodus Threatens Humanitarian Catastrophe in Chad
Every week, thousands escaping Sudan pour into Chad, where Adre serves as the principal border crossing point. Home to a pre-war population of around 40,000 people, the town’s needs have swelled uncontrollably since the war began. Today, more than 280,000 Sudanese refugees live in dilapidated shelters in a brittle town bursting at its seams. Searing 42-degree heat makes the emergency all the more urgent. The few trees that still stand are naked and the rivers dry. In its rural outskirts, crops cannot grow in the arid dirt because rain is yet to fall. Food was recently so scarce that starving refugees broke down termite mounds to harvest the larva inside them. … Two miles from the border, past winding dirt streets overflowing with rubbish, desperate patients seeking lifesaving care wait to be seen at the largest state hospital in Adre. It’s a makeshift assortment of open beds, broken mosquito nets and armed guards. At the start of the conflict, six ambulances operated from the hospital. Today, there is only one functioning ambulance left and it is often too expensive to drive due to the soaring cost of fuel. … Adre’s border also remains one of the most direct routes for the delivery of water, medicines, and other life-saving assistance to Sudan, but some humanitarian organisations have already started suspending operations due to the worsening security conditions. If the border collapses, thousands who survived the worst forms of physical and psychological suffering, could die in weeks as humanitarian support is cut off, shifting Africa’s largest war into another, more deadly phase again. Telegraph
Ethiopians Make up Overwhelming Majority of Migrants Arriving in Yemen amid Worsening Regional Conditions
Ethiopian nationals accounted for 91% of the 13,687 migrants who arrived in Yemen in July 2026, making them by far the largest group of migrants recorded entering the conflict-affected country during the month, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). IOM’s Yemen Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), in its July 2026 dispatch released today, said the number of migrant arrivals increased by 3% from June. The migrants entered Yemen through southern coastal landing points and the Yemen-Oman land border crossing. Of the total arrivals, an estimated 2,584, or about 19%, were under the age of 18, while 2,540, or 18.5%, were women. No children under the age of five were recorded among the incoming migrants during the month, IOM said. … Somali nationals represented the remaining 9% of arrivals, highlighting the dominance of Ethiopians along the migration routes into Yemen during the reporting period. … The IOM data also showed that Ethiopian nationals accounted for all 1,649 migrants who departed Yemen in July, with most heading to Djibouti through the Lahj coast and others travelling to Oman through the Al Maharah land border. … The figures come amid a broader humanitarian crisis in Yemen, where IOM reported that more than 22 million people require humanitarian assistance. The agency said conflict, deteriorating maritime security, severe weather and damage to shelters at displacement sites continued to intensify humanitarian needs in July. Addis Standard
Six Killed in Houthi Strikes on Red Sea Ship, Yemeni Government Says
At least six people were killed on Tuesday when a cargo ship was hit in the Red Sea by missiles fired by the Houthi militia, Yemen’s government said, an escalation in the chaos that has engulfed shipping in the Middle East. The Yemeni Transport Ministry said in a statement that the vessel Tihamah was carrying food supplies and was hit while transiting the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. The ministry added that four crew members — three Pakistanis and one Indonesian — were killed when a fire broke out on board. Later on Tuesday, the Yemeni Coast Guard said that two members of Yemen’s armed forces were also killed during a rescue mission, when another Houthi missile targeted the vessel. … The group has in recent weeks fired on Saudi-linked oil vessels in the Red Sea and said it was imposing a maritime blockade against the kingdom, after deadly clashes with the Saudi-backed government in Yemen. The New York Times
South Sudan, Sudan Resume Security Talks after Years-long Hiatus
South Sudan and Sudan have resumed high-level political and security talks in Juba after a multi-year hiatus, bringing together senior defence and security officials to discuss border security and other issues between the neighbouring countries. A Sudanese delegation arrived in Juba on Sunday for meetings of the Joint Political and Security Mechanism (JPSM), a bilateral forum established under the 2012 Cooperation Agreement between the two countries. South Sudan’s Defence Minister, Lt. Gen. Chol Thon Balok, welcomed the delegation and said the talks were aimed at strengthening security cooperation between the two countries. … The JPSM was established following the 2012 Cooperation Agreement, which was reached after South Sudan’s independence to provide a framework for addressing political and security disputes between the two countries. The resumption of the mechanism comes as both countries face significant security and economic pressures, including the continuing war in Sudan that erupted in April 2023. Sudan’s conflict has also affected South Sudan, which hosts large numbers of Sudanese refugees and relies heavily on Sudan’s infrastructure to export its oil. Radio Tamazuj
Nigeria: Army Battalion Begins Operations in Kwara South
A Nigerian Army battalion has begun operations in Omu-Aran, headquarters of Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, as part of efforts to strengthen security in the southern part of the state. The Omu-Aran Development Association (ODA) disclosed this in a statement issued by its Public Relations Officer, Lateef Oladipo, following the commencement of operations by the troops. The battalion is commanded by Kehinde Ajose and operates under the 22 Armoured Brigade, Sobi, commanded by Brigadier-General Nicolas Rume. Mr Rume said the deployment was approved by President Bola Tinubu to strengthen security and protect lives and property across Kwara South. … The deployment comes amid growing concerns over kidnapping and other violent crimes in parts of Kwara, particularly rural communities in the southern and eastern parts of the state. PREMIUM TIMES recently reported the desertion of Owa-Onire in Ifelodun Local Government Area after repeated attacks by suspected bandits. … The operation in Omu-Aran is part of a broader plan to expand the military’s presence across Kwara. PREMIUM TIMES gathered on 11 August that the Kwara State Government said five new Army battalions had been approved for the state. Premium Times
Chad Anti-corruption Inspectors Detained, Assaulted at State Oil Firm, Authority Says
Chad’s independent anti-corruption authority (AILC) said on Wednesday that security agents detained and assaulted its inspectors while they were examining the state-owned Chadian Hydrocarbons Company’s (SHT) crude-oil operations, according to a statement. AILC said it had sent a team to examine the company’s financial, material and human resources management from 2024 to the present. Inspectors sought documents including sales invoices issued to buyers of SHT crude oil, which the AILC said were necessary to verify the completeness, accuracy and regularity of revenue from oil sales. According to the AILC statement, SHT’s director general, deputy director general and commercial director refused to provide the requested records despite legal obligations requiring entities under the authority’s oversight to provide access to management-related documents and information. The dispute escalated when the head of the National State Security Agency, known as ANSE, arrived at SHT’s premises with masked and heavily armed agents, the AILC said. The agency said its deputy controller general, its director general of investigations and oversight, inspectors and assistants were handcuffed, hooded and assaulted before being taken to ANSE offices, where they were held for several hours. The AILC said the officials’ phones and computers were seized and examined, despite explanations from its deputy controller general that the inspection was legal. Reuters
India, Southern African Customs Bloc Revive Trade Pact Talks
India and the five-member Southern African Customs Union signed terms of reference on Wednesday to start talks on a preferential trade agreement, as New Delhi seeks lower tariffs on exports including cars, pharmaceuticals and industrial machinery. The move revives talks between India and SACU, comprising South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Eswatini, after five rounds of negotiations between 2002 and 2010 ended without a deal. The pact could become India’s first major trade agreement with an African regional bloc, giving Indian companies preferential access to a market of about 65 million people while helping SACU members expand exports to the world’s fastest-growing major economy. The terms of reference set the scope, objectives and procedures for the negotiations. Unlike a comprehensive free trade agreement, a preferential trade pact typically cuts duties on an agreed list of products and is less likely to cover services, investment or intellectual property. The talks come as South Africa considers raising duties on automobiles from India and China to 50% from 25%, threatening a key Indian export. Reuters
Zimbabwe: President Mnangagwa Admits Maritime Safety Gaps After Lake Kariba Disaster Kills 44
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has acknowledged “serious deficiencies” in Zimbabwe’s maritime safety capabilities after a government-operated boat capsized on Lake Kariba, killing at least 44 people in one of the country’s deadliest passenger-water disasters in years. Mnangagwa declared the incident a national disaster on Wednesday and ordered authorities responsible for maritime safety, including specialised security units, to introduce immediate remedial measures. The admission comes as questions mount over how a vessel with a stated capacity of 90 people was allowed to leave Kariba carrying far more passengers, and whether existing safety and enforcement systems were adequate to prevent the tragedy. … The tragedy is not an isolated incident. … The repeated accidents point to vulnerabilities that extend beyond individual vessels — including overloading, vessel registration, life-jacket availability, weather conditions, navigation and the capacity of authorities to monitor traffic on a vast inland waterway. 263 Chat
Congo’s Ebola Outbreak Is on Track to Surpass the Deadliest One in History, WHO Chief Says
The ongoing Ebola outbreak in Congo is on track to surpass the deadliest one in history, which erupted over a decade ago and killed over 11,000 people, the head of the World Health Organization said Wednesday. “At its current pace, it’s on track to eclipse the West African Ebola outbreak of 2014 to 2016,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters. That outbreak horrified the world and jolted efforts to develop a vaccine. The outbreak in eastern Congo, considered the fastest-growing one yet, has killed over 2,000 people out of more than 4,300 cases. The outbreak was declared on May 15, but health authorities now say sequencing showed it began months earlier, in February. It is unlike recent Ebola outbreaks because the rare Bundibugyo virus responsible for it has no approved vaccines or treatments, though efforts to address that are underway. AP
Malawi to Meet Cameroon in Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Final
Malawi continued their giant-killing run at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and beat Algeria 3-1 on Wednesday to book a place in the final against Cameroon. Cameroon upset hosts Morocco 3-1 on penalties after the match ended goalless following extra time in the other semi-final. Competing at the finals for the first time, Malawi beat defending champions Nigeria in their opening group fixture before edging more fancied rivals Ghana in the quarter-finals. The Cup of Nations finals served as qualifiers for next year’s Women’s World Cup in Brazil with the four quarter-final winners going through. Malawi’s heroics continued on Wednesday with Chawinga sisters, Tabitha (2) and Temwa, netting the goals in the semi-final triumph with Ikram Adjabi getting Algeria’s consolation. Morocco had a controversial penalty awarded to them two minutes before the end of extra-time after a VAR review but Fatima Tagnaout had her effort saved. Cameroon goalkeeper Michaely Bihina went on to save three more spot kicks in the shootout before teenager Myriam Nyadjou coolly converted the winning penalty to send her country through to the final. The final on Sunday in Rabat will crown a new African champion with all past continental tournaments having been won by either Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria or South Africa. Reuters