DR Congo Summit Directs Army Chiefs to Enforce Ceasefire
A summit of African leaders to address the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has directed army chiefs to meet within five days and “provide technical direction on an immediate and unconditional ceasefire”. The meeting, which came to a close in Tanzania on Saturday, brought together the leaders of the eight-nation East African Community (EAC) and 16-member Southern African Development Community (SADC). It also called for an opening of humanitarian corridors to evacuate the dead and injured…The summit came amid reports on Saturday that the M23 was closing on the town of Kavumu in South Kivu, which hosts an airport critical to supplying Congolese troops. Al Jazeera
Rival Factions to Announce Parallel Government in Sudan
A coalition of Sudanese political factions, including some members of the “Tagadum” alliance, the “Qimam” alliance, the National Umma Party, and other groups, are finalizing preparations to form a parallel government in opposition to the current government in Port Sudan. According to a statement from the coalition, the involved parties have held continuous meetings in Nairobi over the past two weeks to finalize the interim constitution, political charter, and government program. The parallel government, with the participation of political and civilian components, is expected to be announced soon in areas controlled by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)…The “Qimam” coalition, which allegedly supports the RSF leader, includes about 70 political and social organizations that signed the coalition charter…Components of the “Tagadum” alliance, led by the Sudanese Revolutionary Front, with the exception of Yasir Arman, and the National Umma and Unionist National parties, and political figures such as former Sovereign Council member Mohamed Hassan Al-Taishi, have joined the proposal to form the government. A report by the political mechanism in the “Tagadom” alliance suggested disengaging from those supporting the formation of a parallel government and abandoning the alliance’s name and choosing another name, which means dividing the large anti-war alliance. Sudan Tribune
UN Accuses Sudan Paramilitaries of Blocking Darfur Aid
The United Nations on Monday accused Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces of blocking aid to the war-torn country’s famine-threatened Darfur region. The RSF, which has been at war with the regular army since April 2023, controls nearly all of Darfur, a western region the size of France. Since May, it has besieged North Darfur’s El-Fasher and attacked displacement camps nearby…Famine has been declared in three areas of North Darfur and is expected to spread to five more by May, according to the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification…Since the war began, humanitarian workers have reported obstruction by both sides, looting of aid and threats against relief staff. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, uprooted 12 million and created the world’s largest hunger and displacement crises. AFP
Puntland Offensive Deals Blow to Islamic State in Somalia
Forces from Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region have captured swathes of territory from Islamic State during a weeks-long offensive they hope will draw increased international support, according to officials and Reuters reporters. The advances come against an IS faction that has gained in importance and was the target last week of the first air strikes of U.S. President Donald Trump’s new administration…IS in Somalia – with an estimated 700 to 1,500 fighters in Puntland’s mountains – is much smaller than al Shabaab, which controls large parts of southern and central Somalia. But it has become an increasingly important part of its parent organisation’s worldwide network in recent years, analysts say. It has been aided, officials and analysts say, by an influx of foreign fighters from the Middle East and other African countries and revenues earned by extorting local businesses. Reuters
Over 50 People Killed in Convoy Ambush in Northeast Mali, Sources Say
More than 50 people were killed near Mali’s northeastern city of Gao on Friday after armed assailants ambushed their convoy and its army escort, a local official and residents said. The attackers struck near the village of Kobe, around 30 kilometers from Gao in a region where militants have been active for over a decade, destabilizing Mali and neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger…Up to 56 bodies were recorded at the hospital in Gao, the official said, adding that there also was an unknown number of military casualties. Reuters
Boko Haram Attacks Leave Trail of Destruction in Northern Cameroon
In the past week, communities in Kolofata in northern Cameroon, suffered from a fresh wave of violence and kidnappings as suspected Boko Haram insurgents launched multiple attacks on villages in the region. The Kolofata district, which shares a border with Nigeria, has been a long standing target of the insurgents, who have exploited the porous borders to launch attacks on civilians. Over the past three days, insurgents have abducted two children and an elderly man, looted homes, and set an entire village on fire, leaving at least three people dead, locals told HumAngle…These latest attacks have reinforced fears that Boko Haram remains a persistent threat in northern Cameroon, despite years of military operations aimed at weakening the group. Residents of Kerawa say their community has been at the frontline of violent incursions since 2014 when they were first attacked and displaced, and the situation is only getting worse. HumAngle
Bodies of Migrants Recovered in Southeast Libya, Attorney General Says
Libya’s security authorities recovered at least 28 bodies of migrants from a mass grave in the desert in southeast Libya, the country’s attorney general said on its Facebook page on Sunday. The bodies were found north of Kufra city, the attorney general said, while 76 migrants were freed “from forced detention.” Kufra is about 1,064 miles from the capital Tripoli. On Thursday, the Alwahat security directorate in the southeast of the country recovered 19 bodies from a mass grave in Jikharra area, and the Libyan Red Crescent recovered 10 bodies of migrants off Dila port in Zawiya city in the west after their boat sank. Libya has become a transit route for migrants fleeing conflict and poverty to Europe via the dangerous route across the desert and over the Mediterranean following the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011. Reuters
Ivory Coast Opposition Leader Gives Up French Nationality Before Election
Ivory Coast’s main opposition leader Tidjane Thiam on Friday announced that he had given up French nationality in order to stand in a presidential election later this year. Thiam, who heads the Democratic Party (PDCI), called the move “an important step” that had been long planned “which involved submitting my request for release from French nationality,” he said. Doing so will make him “exclusively of Ivorian nationality at the time of the election” in October…Article 55 of the Ivorian Constitution stipulates that a presidential candidate must be “exclusively of Ivorian nationality born of a father or mother of Ivorian origin”. Thiam, a 62-year-old former engineer, minister and bank chief, lived outside Ivory Coast for about 20 years before returning in 2022. He became PDCI president in December 2023 but still has to be designated as the party’s official candidate. Jean-Louis Billon, a former commerce minister has also announced his candidacy for the party nomination. AFP
Sam Nujoma, First President of Namibia, Dies Aged 95
The first president of independent Namibia, Sam Nujoma, has died at the age of 95 in the capital Windhoek, the country’s current leader has announced. Nujoma led the long fight for independence from South Africa in 1990 after helping found Namibia’s liberation movement known as the South West Africa People’s Organisation (Swapo) in the 1960s. After independence, Nujoma became president in 1990 and led the country until 2005…Nujoma retired as head of state in 2005, but continued to lead the party before stepping down in 2007 as president of the ruling Swapo party after 47 years at the helm…Nujoma is widely credited for ensuring peace and stability after independence from South Africa, which was then under white-minority rule, in 1990. Nujoma’s policy of national reconciliation encouraged the country’s white community to remain, and they still play a major role in farming and other sectors of the economy. He also championed the rights of women and children. BBC
Northwest Nigerian Miners Block Highway to Protest ‘Extortion, Intimidation’
Scores of gold miners staged a protest along the Jabaka federal highway over what they described as “incessant intimidation by government security forces” in the Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara, North West Nigeria. The protest was staged for about six hours on Thursday, Feb. 6, by local groups and associations of gold miners from Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Katsina states. The miners accused the Nigerian security operatives of attacking them occasionally just as militants would do. Shafiu Garba, a local miner from the Yarkatsina village in Maru, told HumAngle that they do not go to the farm because militants denied them access. They resorted to local mining after obtaining a license from authorities. “This is how we survive the torments brought by the incessant challenges of the present high cost of living and the uncontrollable inflation in the land,” Shafiu complained. HumAngle
Liberia: NPHIL Named Africa-CDC Center of Excellence
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has officially designated Liberia’s National Public Health Institute (NPHIL) as a Regional Center of Excellence for National Public Health Institute (NPHI) Development…Liberia was among the three West African nations most severely affected by the 2014–2016 Ebola virus disease outbreak, a crisis that exposed critical gaps in public health systems. The country’s response capabilities were further tested during the global COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. These experiences have significantly strengthened Liberia’s public health infrastructure, disease surveillance, and emergency response mechanisms, making NPHIL exceptionally well-positioned to lead regional health initiatives and advance Africa’s health security agenda…The initiative is part of Africa CDC’s broader strategy to establish a robust network of National Public Health Institutes, reinforcing health security under the New Public Health Order for Africa. This move aligns with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, which envisions a continent equipped with strong health institutions capable of responding effectively to public health threats. Liberian Observer
Liberia’s Government Sets Course to Establish War Crimes Tribunal
Liberia’s President Joseph Nyuma Boakai endorsed a majority legislative vote in August 2024 to set up the long-awaited tribunal. Since then, the international community, including France, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, and the United States, whose courts have already tried and sentenced some Liberian war criminals, has welcomed the decision to establish the court, as has the United Nations. Meanwhile, President Boakai and Liberia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sara Beysolow Nyanti, are engaged in a continuous diplomatic effort worldwide to seek support for the court, which will prosecute those most responsible for gross human rights violations during the country’s two civil wars, which lasted 14 years and ended in 2003. The conflict resulted in an estimated 250,000 deaths, countless amputations, and widespread rape of girls and women, alongside a looming ethnic crisis and immeasurable destruction of both private and public infrastructure. RFI
‘Good Morning, Teacher!’ Senegal Introduces English In Nursery Schools
[More than 600 classes in Senegal have been] testing a new programme of teaching English in nursery and primary schools since mid-January in a push for better connectivity with the wider world. The developing country, which has seen a massive youth boom but also an exodus of young people searching for a better life…Senegal is a member of the Francophonie group of French-speaking nations and uses French in public schools and in administration. Students also learn Arabic and the country’s national languages. Until recently, English was only taught in public high schools and universities…The initiative has been praised by Ousmane Sene, director of the Dakar-based West African Research Centre (WARC), which handles academic exchanges between US and west African universities. “English is the most common language at an international level and it’s the most used language in diplomacy and international cooperation, so it’s an additional asset,” Sene told AFP. AFP