US Proposes Expanding UN Sudan Arms Embargo to Entire Country
The United States urged the UN Security Council on Monday to expand an arms embargo on the Sudanese region of Darfur to cover all of Sudan, saying the nation’s brutal conflict risks regional expansion. The Darfur arms embargo, in place for over two decades, is set to expire on September 12, 2026 if a new agreement is not reached. Expanding the restrictions to all of Sudan would require a vote of the UN Security Council, with veto-holding Russia warning on Monday against new measures that would impact the Sudanese army. US envoy to the meeting Massad Boulos called for the Council to take steps to curtail “external support” for the conflict that “risks drawing more regional actors and neighbors deeper into Sudan’s conflict.” The measure would also bring drones under the arms restriction regime and increase the number of experts scrutinizing the existing embargo. AFP
Armed Men Ambush a Patrol in South Sudan and Kill 2 UN Peacekeepers
Armed men ambushed a patrol traveling to a remote area of South Sudan on Monday, killing two U.N. peacekeepers, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan said. Though violence is rampant in the African country, attacks against peacekeepers are rare. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Seven others were wounded — three peacekeepers, two members of the South Sudanese police and two civilian staffers, the mission known as UNMISS said in a statement. The two peacekeepers killed and three injured were from Ethiopia, U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said. The mission said it had deployed a “Quick Reaction Force” to secure the area and support the emergency response after the attack. The patrol was going to the area of Pajut in the state of Jonglei when it came under attack. … Government troops in South Sudan have been combating fighters and militias loyal to opposition leader Riek Machar, who was suspended last year as vice president as he faces charges of treason and other offenses. Machar says the charges are politically motivated. A 2018 peace deal between President Salva Kiir and Machar, who is under house arrest, has collapsed, leading to fears of a return to full-blown civil war. AP
The Human Price of Turkish AI-Powered Drone Rush Across Africa
Described as the “game changer” by the Turkish media, especially for its role during the Ukraine-Russia war, military strategists in Ethiopia and many other African nations have competitively patronised the [Bayraktar TB2, a medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) drone]. The high-stakes rush by African governments to acquire the Turkish AI-enabled drones is colliding with a devastating trail of civilian casualties. A HumAngle investigation has uncovered a surge in military misfires propelled by poorly trained local operators, a lack of due diligence and accountability across the war theatres where TB2 drones are at play. From Ethiopia’s Amhara region to the volatile hearts of the Sahel, cash-strapped militaries have rapidly pivoted away from traditional hardware in favour of Turkey’s modern drone technology at the expense of civilian safety. HumAngle
2 Hijackings in 4 Days: Somali Piracy Rises
Somali pirates hijacked a suspected Iranian shadow fleet tanker off the coast of Yemen on Thursday, amid what experts say is the biggest surge in piracy in the region in more than a decade. The oil tanker, the SIBU 1, flies an Eritrean flag. But it is likely part of Iran’s shadow fleet of ships exporting oil around the world, according to TankerTrackers.com, a company that monitors global oil shipping. The tanker has routinely ferried fuel to an oil terminal in the Yemeni port of Ras Isa that is controlled by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia, the company added. SIBU 1 was the second ship hijacked by Somali pirates in a span of four days, according to officials in Somalia. Days earlier, a Cameroon-flagged cargo vessel carrying weapons was seized off the coast of the semiautonomous Somali region of Puntland, said Abshir Hashi Ali, the director general of the ministry of ports in the neighboring Galmadug State. Years after a global naval campaign largely curbed the scourge of piracy, experts worry that the conflict in Iran — along with other factors, like regional rivalries and economic difficulties for local fishermen — is setting the stage for a comeback. In the first five months of the year, more than 17 piracy-related incidents were documented across Somali waters and the Gulf of Aden, including the hijacking of at least three commercial ships and five dhow boats, according to the Center for Maritime Security. … The Houthis and Somali pirates have cultivated an alliance over the years, with the militia at times providing technology and military backup. Analysts say the war in Iran and the resulting disruptions to oil shipping could give them more reason to work together as the high price of fuel presents an opportunity to profit. The New York Times
Somalia: Clashes Expose Widening Rift between Mogadishu and Federal States
Somalia’s long-running political crisis entered a new phase [last] week as armed clashes in Southwest State highlighted growing tensions between Mogadishu and regional administrations opposed to President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s electoral and constitutional agenda. On August 17, armed militias devoted to Abdiaziz Mohamed Laftagareen, the former president of Somalia’s Southwest state, launched an attack on Baidoa, the state’s capital. It led to a heavy confrontation with soldiers aligned with the regional and federal government. The state is now under an interim administration allied to President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. … Ugas Hassan [the spokesman of Laftagareen loyalists] blames President Mohamud for all problems experienced in Southwest State, and has vowed to back Laftagareen to return to power. But that is also symbolic of relations between Mogadishu and some states. Southwest, Puntland and Jubaland have opposed delayed elections. Puntland suspended cooperation with Mohamud’s administration until elections are held. Jubaland followed. … But the bigger problem is that as long as the regions and the federal government cannot agree on an election timetable, such clashes could continue. Mohamud’s government insists parliament changed the constitution, allowing an additional year on both his tenure and that of the bicameral parliament. Opposition groups have sided with Puntland, Jubaland and now Southwest in demanding immediate elections. The East African
Somaliland Wants to Help Secure the Red Sea
Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi is an ambitious man. In December 2024 the 70-year-old former diplomat, who is better known as Irro, was sworn in as president of Somaliland, a breakaway republic that declared independence from Somalia in 1991 … Irro’s pitch centres on the Red Sea. The trade route has been a mess of late, with shipping menaced by the Houthis, an Iran-backed militia that rules much of Yemen. Speaking this month during a visit to Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, Irro says Somaliland can help secure the strategic waterway by offering military bases to global powers along its coastline. Once trade can flow unmolested again, he wants Somaliland’s main port at Berbera to be the primary gateway to the markets of the Horn of Africa. … He suggests that Somaliland could, in effect, be the new Djibouti. That tiny port-state rakes in some $125m a year by renting out slices of its coastline to foreign armies. America, China and France (among others) have bases there. It also earns many multiples of that amount in annual port fees paid by landlocked Ethiopia, which depends on Djibouti for most of its international trade. Irro wants a slice of both Djiboutian cakes. He is trying to persuade Ethiopia to use Berbera, where the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has built a new harbour, as its main outlet to the sea. He also wants to entice America to set up a military base there. The Economist
Congo’s Ebola Outbreak Records One of Its Highest Weekly Death Tolls Yet
More than 300 people died of Ebola in eastern Congo in the past week, one of the highest weekly tolls yet, government data showed Monday, as health workers struggle to catch up with an outbreak that is spreading at unprecedented speed. Ministry of Health data showed that as of Saturday, the outbreak had recorded 5,514 cases and 2,642 deaths, including 317 deaths reported in the previous seven days. But Congolese experts have said the outbreak that started weeks before it was confirmed could be three times the known size. This is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history, with many people dying outside treatment centers. It has recorded seven times more deaths at this stage than the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak that is the deadliest in history with over 11,000 in all. Most new cases in Ituri province, the current epicenter, still come from outside monitored contacts. Nearly half of people infected have died — 47.9% — but the government data shows much higher rates in hard-to-reach areas such as North Kivu province, which has a fatality rate of 68.6%. AP
Children Make up Half of Mpox Cases in Guinea-Bissau as Epidemic Spreads
More than half of the mpox cases reported in Guinea-Bissau have been among children, local authorities have said, almost two months since the country announced an epidemic. A national outbreak was declared on 4 July, just over a week after a 27-year-old woman became the first confirmed case of mpox in the west African country. Since then, there have been seven confirmed cases and 46 suspected cases. Half of those patients have been children, with 16 under the age of four. In a statement on Thursday, Unicef warned that because the country’s health surveillance systems were fragile, the virus is probably spreading undetected, leaving even more children at risk. … The outbreak comes as the country grapples with infrastructure challenges and the aftermath of the suspension of last November’s presidential election by the military, which remains in power. There was no electricity throughout Thursday in Bissau for instance because of petrol scarcity since the weekend. The Guardian
Tanzania’s Vice President Nchimbi Resigns, Retires from Politics
Tanzania’s Vice President, Dr Emmanuel Nchimbi, has resigned from office and announced his retirement from public service and active politics, effective September 4, 2026. Dr Nchimbi announced the decision on Tuesday, August 25, saying he had formally submitted his resignation to President Samia Suluhu Hassan. He said his decision was based on a commitment he made to President Hassan before taking office, when he pledged to serve her and the country faithfully and step aside if she felt the need for a different vice president. “I have become convinced, without doubt, that Her Excellency the President wants change, so I have decided to fulfil my promise,” he said. … His resignation comes 295 days after he was sworn in as Vice President on November 3, 2025, at Chamwino State House in Dodoma. The Citizen
Middle East Conflict Disrupts Equipment Deliveries, Delays Uganda First Oil
Uganda missed its July 31 target for starting commercial oil production after disruptions linked to the war in the Middle East delayed the delivery of critical equipment needed to complete the country’s oil projects, according to the Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) The government had projected that Uganda would achieve First Oil by the end of July, a major milestone after years of investment in developing the country’s petroleum industry. … [PAU Chief Executive Officer Ernest Rubondo] said much of the equipment required for the oil projects was sourced from the Middle East, with some consignments already loaded onto ships in the United Arab Emirates when the conflict escalated. … Uganda discovered commercially viable oil deposits in the Albertine Graben in the mid-2000s and has since been developing the infrastructure required to produce and export crude. … Crude from the projects will be transported through the 1,443-kilometre East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) to the Chongoleani Marine Storage Terminal near Tanzania’s Tanga Port for export. EACOP officials said earlier this month that construction of the pipeline had reached 91 percent, with the project still targeting completion by the end of 2026. Monitor
Namibia Paves Way for Phosphate Mining in the Atlantic Ocean
Namibia has granted environmental clearance for an offshore phosphate mining project that paves the way for the world’s first commercial seabed-dredging operation for the mineral, despite opposition from green groups and the fishing industry. Deep-sea mining seeks to tap previously untouched seabed deposits of a range of commodities, including cobalt and nickel, but the fledgling industry has long been stalled by environmental concerns. The government certificate issued this month is the next step in plans by Namibian Marine Phosphate (NMP) to dredge the ocean floor around 120 kilometres off the town of Walvis Bay for the key ingredient of fertilisers vital to agriculture. NMP said the clearance does not mean it will immediately begin commercial mining operations as it still needs to complete permitting, including for the necessary land-based infrastructure. But the certificate has raised alarm among conservationists, with the Confederation of Namibian Fishing Associations reportedly threatening to challenge its validity. … Sediment plumes generated by seabed excavation and processing pose significant risks to ecosystems and public health, said marine scientist Bronwen Currie. Underwater dredging risks releasing heavy metals and toxic substances trapped deep in the seabed, which could enter the marine food chain and jeopardise commercial fish stocks, she told AFP. AFP
African Nations Join the Space Race
Almost 20 African countries have satellites in orbit, with several more setting up budding space programmes. This year, African nations will collectively spend more than $800mn on space projects, almost double what they were spending two years ago. The African Union even set up the African Space Agency last year to improve co-ordination and share best practices. The continent was bypassed in the early years of the space race in the 20th century, but it is now betting that satellites will be able to collect reams of data on everything from weather and wars to crops and cattle. This will be invaluable in helping information-starved governments understand the countries they run. It helps that much of the kit the continent needs no longer has to be cutting-edge and is increasingly affordable. … This means that scientists no longer need to waste time and money travelling to scattered sensors to download data, while demographers, agronomists, urban planners and meteorologists will have access to far more information, helping them to save lives and strengthen infrastructure by identifying flood-prone areas, for example. Financial Times