Record Levels of Flooding in Africa Compounds Stress on Fragile Countries
Extensive flooding in more than two dozen African countries due to higher-than-average rainfall has resulted in thousands of fatalities, millions of people displaced, and devastated infrastructure…West and Central Africa’s rainy season typically runs from June through September. However, severe flooding persisted into November in central and southern Chad, northern Cameroon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, central and southern Mali, southern Niger, northern Nigeria, Senegal, and northern Sierra Leone…Annual precipitation data compiled by the World Bank for countries that were most impacted by flooding indicates that 2024 was less an aberration and more a continuation of a pattern of increased rainfall over the past 5 years compared to a baseline from the previous three decades…While extraordinary levels of rainfall across the tropical zone were the trigger, governance factors have directly contributed to the relative numbers of people affected by flooding. Africa Center for Strategic Studies
France Flies Out 2 Mirage Fighter Jets from Chad to Signal Beginning of Military Withdrawal
France flew out the two Mirage fighter jets it had stationed in Chad on Tuesday, signaling the beginning of its withdrawal of military forces from the former French colony in central Africa that last month broke off its defense cooperation agreement with Paris. Chad has been a key counterterrorism force in the region and was one of the last countries in which France maintained a large military presence. French forces have been ousted in recent years from Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso following years of fighting Islamic extremists alongside regional troops. Those countries have moved closer to Russia, which has mercenaries deployed across the Sahel, the vast expanse below the Sahara desert. The Mirage 2000-D fighters took off after midday from a French base in the capital, N’Djamena, after Chadian military forces came to wish them farewell, and were returning to an air force base in Nancy in eastern France, French military spokesman Col. Guillaume Vernet said. He added that negotiations with Chadian authorities continued on how and when France might withdraw other members of its 1,000-strong force in Chad, and whether all will leave. AP
Russia Scrambling to Keep Hold of Key Syria Bases as Putin Faces Loss of Gateway to Africa
Russia is scrambling to make a deal with Syria’s victorious rebels to keep hold of its vital military bases after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime…The Khmeimim air base was given to Russia in 2015 as a “thank you” from Assad for Russia’s ruthless carpet-bombing of rebels that helped reverse the civil war. As well as hosting some of Russia’s most advanced fighter jets, it was used by Russia as a refuelling stop for military and cargo planes heading to Africa. The Tartus naval base was originally built in 1971 by the Soviet Union. Putin modernised and enlarged the base again in 2012 and 2015 because he had designs on Africa. Without the Tartus naval base, analysts said that Putin can still operate in Africa but it becomes far more difficult to resupply and support the estimated 20,000 Africa Corps mercenaries operating there, mainly in Libya, Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. The Telegraph
Gunmen Kidnap at Least 50 People in Northwestern Nigeria
Armed men kidnapped dozens of people in northwestern Nigeria, residents and the police told The Associated Press on Tuesday, in the latest mass abduction in the region. The gunmen abducted at least 50 people, including several women and children, in the Maradun area of the state of Zamfara over the weekend, residents said…No group has claimed responsibility for the abduction, which locals have blamed on bandit groups known for mass killings and kidnappings for ransom in the conflict-battered northern region…Kidnappings have become common in parts of northwestern Nigeria, where dozens of armed groups take advantage of a limited security presence to carry out attacks on villages and along major roads. Most victims are released only after the payment of ransoms that sometimes run into the thousands of dollars. AP
At Least 127, Mostly Civilians, Killed in Two Days in Sudan Bombardments
At least 127 people, mostly civilians, were killed in Sudan on Monday and Tuesday by barrel bombs and shelling from the warring sides, rights activists said. The 20-month-old war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has been turning increasingly bloody as ceasefire efforts have stalled, and crises elsewhere have dominated world attention. The army has stepped up airstrikes in the half of the country that the RSF controls, while the RSF has staged raids on villages and intense artillery strikes. Both have targeted densely populated civilian areas. Reuters
Sudan: The Gold Rush at the Heart of a Civil War
[B]illions of dollars in gold are flowing out of Sudan in virtually every direction, helping to turn the Sahel region of Africa into one of the world’s largest gold producers at a time when prices are hitting record highs. But instead of using the windfall to help the legions of hungry and homeless people, Sudan’s warring sides are wielding the gold to bankroll their fight…Gold helps pay for the drones, guns and missiles that have killed tens of thousands of civilians and forced 11 million from their homes…Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan, is a camel trader turned warlord whose forces grew especially powerful after they seized one of Sudan’s most lucrative gold mines in 2017…The mine became the cornerstone of a billion-dollar empire that transformed his armed group, the R.S.F., into a formidable force…Gold drives the war for Sudan’s military, too. It has bombed R.S.F. mines, while ramping up gold production in areas still under government control, often by inviting foreign powers to do the mining…But even if the war’s foreign sponsors walked away, the gold trade is so lucrative that the belligerents could finance the conflict on their own, experts say. The New York Times
Over 50 Illegal Ethiopian Mining Companies Encroach into South Sudan
The Chief Administrator of the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA), Gola Boyoi Gola, has raised an alarm over the presence of more than 50 illegal Ethiopian mining companies operating in the Raad area of Jebel Boma County. According to Gola, the companies have reportedly encroached 15 kilometers into South Sudanese territory, threatening both the environment and local communities…South Sudan is rich in natural resources, including gold, copper, iron ore, and oil. However, the mining sector remains underdeveloped due to limited infrastructure, weak regulatory frameworks, and political instability…In recent years, local communities and foreign entities have engaged in mining, often without proper licenses or oversight. This has led to resource theft, environmental destruction, and social conflicts. Radio Tamazuj
UNHCR Concerned about Renewed Refugee Influx into South Sudan
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has said it is perturbed by the recent surge of people arriving in South Sudan in need of protection and assistance…“More than 20,000 Sudanese from border villages crossed into South Sudan last week – tripling the number of daily arrivals compared to previous weeks,” the statement reads in part…According to the press statement, the majority of those displaced are women and children, underscoring the impact of the conflict on vulnerable populations. It added that in addition to the main border crossing at Joda, many refugees were arriving through informal crossing points, which are extremely difficult for UNHCR and its partners to access. Radio Tamazuj
Somali President, Ethiopian Prime Minister Set Talks over Somaliland
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed are set to meet in person in Ankara, Turkey, Somali officials said Tuesday…The sources [close to the Somali presidency], speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said the meeting is scheduled to take place Wednesday…If the meeting occurs, it will be the first between the two leaders since Ethiopia and Somalia became embroiled in a dispute over a maritime agreement that Ethiopia signed with the breakaway republic of Somaliland on January 1. The agreement grants Ethiopia access to a 20-kilometer stretch of Red Sea coastline near the Gulf of Aden in return for potential recognition of Somaliland’s independence. The Somali government has called the agreement illegal and a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Mogadishu sees Somaliland as a part of Somalia. Ethiopia maintains that it does not infringe on Somalia’s sovereignty. VOA
Fighting Breaks Out between Somalia’s Jubbaland Region and Federal Government, Officials Say
Fighting erupted on Wednesday between Somalia’s semi-autonomous Jubbaland region and federal government forces after Jubbaland held an election against the advice of authorities in Mogadishu, officials said. The clashes will raise concerns that internal rivalries are diverting attention from the fight against al Shabaab just as the mandate of an African Union peacekeeping force expires…In late November Jubbaland, which borders Kenya and Ethiopia and is one of Somalia’s five semi-autonomous states, re-elected regional president Ahmed Mohamed Islam Madobe for a third term. The national government in Mogadishu, led by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, opposed the election, saying it was held without federal involvement…Jubbaland is seen as the breadbasket of Somalia and Kismayu is an important port. Its shoreline delineates a contested maritime zone, with potential oil and gas deposits. Reuters
Police in Kenya Hurl Tear Gas at Protesters Angry about Gender-based Violence
Police in Kenya’s capital hurled tear gas canisters Tuesday at hundreds of protesters angry about gender-based violence and femicide, or the killing of women, and arrested an unknown number of people…Kenya has a silent epidemic of gender-based violence. Police said in October that 97 women had been killed since August, most of them by their male partners…There has been a series of anti-femicide protests in Kenya and on Nov. 25 during the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, police used tear gas to disperse a handful of protesters who had braved the bad weather. Kenya was among several African countries elected to the U.N. human rights council on Oct. 9. The police crackdown on protesters on Tuesday during Human Rights Day has been criticized by activists. AP
A Zambian Court Rules Former Leader Lungu Can’t Run for President Again in 2026
Zambia’s Constitutional Court ruled unanimously Tuesday that former President Edgar Lungu was barred from contesting the 2026 election because he has already served the maximum two terms. The court ruled that Lungu’s period as president of the southern African nation between 2015 and 2016 after Michael Sata died in office counted as a full term. Lungu won election for a second term from 2016 to 2021. Lungu announced a political comeback last year and aimed to challenge current President Hakainde Hichilema in the next general election…The case has been entangled in allegations of judicial interference after Hichilema fired three judges from the court who had ruled in Lungu’s favor in a previous case related to the 2016 election…Lungu, 68, faced allegations of corruption while in office, and his wife and other family members are facing graft charges in court. He has cast those as an attempt by Hichilema’s administration to blunt his political prospects. AP
Brazil’s Drug Mule Boom Hits SA — Multiple Arrests and Cocaine Worth Millions Seized
Police have caught roughly a dozen suspected drug mules at OR Tambo International Airport over a few months, most with ties to Brazil’s São Paulo…The recent arrests have involved suspected mules who tried smuggling cocaine into South Africa either on, or crammed into, their bodies. While some mules choose to transport drugs to make money, others may be lured, with the promise of jobs…Aside from airports, many other drug trafficking conduits and routes exist between South Africa and Brazil…Traffickers are known to use the Port of Durban to push masses of cocaine, concealed in shipping containers, into the country…On Monday last week, KwaZulu-Natal police found R80-million worth of pure cocaine, disguised as kidney beans, concealed in a container at Durban Harbour. The crackdown came after police monitored a vessel travelling from Brazil with the consignment destined for Johannesburg. Daily Maverick
Some ‘Mystery Disease’ Patients in DRC Have Malaria, WHO Says
Ten patients suffering from a mystery disease that has broken out in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have tested positive for malaria, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said. However, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the patients could have more than one disease simultaneously…The DRC’s health minister said last week that the [mystery] disease had killed 79 people in the Panzi health zone since 24 October, with 376 cases identified…There is little testing capacity, and samples from patients have been transported to a regional laboratory in Kikwit, 300 miles away, as well as the national reference laboratory in Kinshasa, more than 400 miles away, a journey of two days by road. The Guardian