Regional Leaders Gather in Tanzania for High-stakes Summit on DRC Crisis
A joint summit between the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community will take place today and Saturday in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The Presidents of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Paul Kagame and Félix Tshisekedi, are both expected to attend. Both presidents were supposed to meet in December in Angola and sign a peace agreement, but the meeting was cancelled. Both parties blamed each other for failed talks as tensions escalated…South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni and Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud are also expected to attend the talks…But the EAC and the SADC have differing views on solutions to the conflict. The EAC advocates direct negotiations between the Congolese government and the M23, a solution that Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi has so far refused to consider. This led him to replace the EAC’s peacekeeping force in the DRC with that of the SADC, which is calling on Rwanda to first withdraw from Congolese territory, as the government in Kinshasa wants. RFI
UN Rights Body Holds Urgent Session on Violence in Eastern Congo as Rwanda-backed Rebels Advance
The U.N.’s top human rights body was holding an urgent session on Friday on spiralling violence in eastern Congo…The special session of the Human Rights Council was called by Congo with the support of dozens of countries. The government in Kinshasa urged the 47-member-country council to hold Rwanda and the M23 rebels who captured the city of Goma responsible for crimes against humanity, and to create a fact-finding mission to examine rights abuses in the area. U.N. experts say the rebels — the most potent of more than 100 armed groups in the region — are backed by roughly 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda…After a string of statements by diplomats, the council was expected to consider a draft text presented by Congo that would among other things create an independent fact-finding mission into human rights violations and abuses in the region. AP
DR Congo Court Issues Arrest Warrant for Rebel Leader Corneille Nangaa
A military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo has issued an international arrest warrant for the leader of the Congo River Alliance, which includes the M23, for war crimes and treason. State media reported on Thursday that the warrant was issued on Tuesday against Corneille Nangaa for massacres it claimed he committed in eastern DRC’s North Kivu and, more recently, in South Kivu regions – constituting a crime under Congolese legislation, as well as international law. The court has ordered Nangaa to be arrested wherever he may be found and brought to Congolese territory. Al Jazeera
Fighting Intensifies in Sudan, Leaving Hundreds Dead
Hundreds of people, including dozens of children, have been killed in Sudan in recent days, according to civilian witnesses, medical workers and the United Nations, as fierce clashes have escalated in an internal conflict that is approaching its third year. The war between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has unleashed a wave of devastation across Sudan, killing tens of thousands of people, forcing millions to flee their homes and pushing parts of the vast nation deeper into famine…In recent weeks, the army has amped its offensive to retake significant parts of the capital, which it lost when the war started in April 2023. The conflict has slowly been heating up since late last year after the end of the rainy season. With the escalating deaths, injuries and attacks on civilians, activists have been calling on the United Nations to deploy a peacekeeping mission in the country. The New York Times
Sudan, South Sudan Diplomatic Crisis Escalates over Violence against Nationals
A diplomatic crisis between Sudan and South Sudan intensified on Wednesday, marked by rising tensions and a war of words between their foreign ministries. Sudan accused Juba of fuelling violence against Sudanese citizens in South Sudan. This week, Sudanese authorities evacuated over 800 nationals from South Sudan after 16 Sudanese refugees were killed in apparent retaliatory attacks. The violence followed allegations that South Sudanese civilians were killed in Wad Madani after the Sudanese army retook the city on January 11. South Sudan’s foreign ministry issued a statement on Tuesday, calling on the UN Security Council and the African Union to support a “credible investigation into the Wad Madani killings.” Sudan’s foreign ministry responded on Wednesday, dismissing Juba’s claims as “exaggerated” and accusing them of “inciting further violence against Sudanese in South Sudan” by raising the issue of “horrific massacres” in Wad Madani. Sudan Tribune
Nigeria: Senate Probes Niger Military Junta’s Allegations on Lakurawa Militia
The Senate has directed its Committees on Intelligence and National Security, as well as Foreign Affairs, to probe claims by the Niger Republic military leader, Abdourahmane Tchiani, that Nigeria was collaborating with France to destabilise his country by supporting the Lakurawa militia group. The directive followed a motion sponsored by Shehu Buba (APC, Bauchi Central) during the plenary on Thursday. [Lakurawa operates along the border regions of both nations.] Mr Buba, who chairs the Senate Committee on Intelligence and National Security, described the allegations as unfounded and damaging to Nigeria’s sovereignty and international reputation. He emphasised the need to investigate the matter thoroughly to safeguard the nation’s diplomatic and security interests…Relations between Nigeria and Niger have been strained since the July 2023 coup that ousted Niger’s elected President, Mohamed Bazoum. Premium Times
Nigeria Recorded Decrease in Kidnapping Cases in 2024 – Counter-terrorism Centre
Nigeria recorded a decrease in kidnapping for ransom incidents in 2024. Adamu Laka, the national coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre, Office of the National Security Adviser (NCTC-ONSA), made this known while briefing journalists on the activities of the Multi-Agency Anti-kidnap Fusion Cell, on Thursday in Abuja. He said that kidnapping for ransom posed a significant security challenge in 2024, with non-state actors such as bandits, terrorists, cultists, militants and secessionist groups exploiting the crime for pecuniary gains and funding of illicit activities…The coordinator disclosed that the government had projected that kidnapping for ransom would persist in 2025 due to its financial incentives but had strengthened counter-kidnapping initiatives. According to him, efforts have been expanded to the six geo-political regions, improved collaborations with the 36 state governments and reinforced public confidence in government protection to discourage ransom payments. Other measures, according to him, include engagement of state governments to address unemployment and economic vulnerabilities that drive individuals to crime. News Agency of Nigeria
Wagner Soldiers’ Attack on Cameroonian Truck Driver Sparks Outrage
Truck drivers plying the highway linking Cameroon to the Central African Republic have threatened to go on strike after Russian mercenaries of the Wagner Security Group attacked one of their colleagues. The brutal attack happened in Baboua, situated 560 kilometres from Bangui in the Nana-Mambere prefecture. The Russian soldiers attacked the Cameroonian truck driver because he did not start his truck quickly enough, witnesses said…The fresh attack by Russian soldiers came three months after a Cameroonian driver was killed in Boali last year by the Wagner group, causing transborder tension. The murder resulted in the suspension of traffic on the Douala-Bangui corridor for two weeks. Truck drivers resumed after a meeting between the transport ministers of Cameroon and the Central African Republic. “The accords concluded after the last strike have not been respected. Russian mercenaries continue to maltreat our drivers as if they are animals,” one truck owner declared in anger. HumAngle
Ethiopia, Türkiye Discuss Ankara Declaration Implementation Ahead of Technical Talks
Gedion Timotheos, Ethiopia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with Türkiye’s Deputy Foreign Minister Burhanettin Duran on Thursday, 06 February 2025, to discuss the upcoming technical negotiations on the implementation of the Ankara Declaration, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said…The Ankara Declaration follows deteriorating relations between Ethiopia and Somalia earlier in 2024 after Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Somaliland to lease 20 kilometers (12 miles) of coastline in exchange for recognizing Somaliland’s independence—a move Mogadishu called an “infringement on Somalia’s territorial sovereignty.” Following the Ankara Declaration, Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud traveled to Ethiopia on January 11, 2025, where he agreed with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to restore full diplomatic ties and enhance regional security cooperation. The visit marked the end of a year-long diplomatic hiatus between the two countries. Addis Standard
France to Handover Last Military Base in Côte d’Ivoire as Retreat from West Africa Continues
France is preparing to hand Côte d’Ivoire back its only military base in the country in a ceremony on 20 February, further diminishing French influence in West Africa. Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara announced the planned withdrawal in December, making it the latest country in the region to dismantle military ties with former colonial power France…French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu is expected to attend the official ceremony with his Ivorian counterpart Tene Birahima Ouattara…France and Côte d’Ivoire have worked together on the handover of the base at Port-Bouet in commercial capital Abidjan – where French troops from the 43rd BIMA marine infantry battalion are stationed. About 1,000 French soldiers were deployed there to help in particular with the fight against jihadists, who launch regular attacks across the wider region. Some 80 French troops are expected to remain at the Abidjan camp to carry out training exercises. Côte d’Ivoire – the world’s biggest cocoa producer which also has huge deposits of natural resources including oil, gas and gold – remains an important ally of France.
Kenya’s Digital Struggle: AI, Activism and Crackdowns
Kenya’s digital landscape is at a breaking point, as the government clamps down on AI-generated content and social media activism, igniting what many have described as a ticking time bomb of online resistance…With AI-generated protests, viral political satire, and tech-savvy activists challenging authority, officials are scrambling to rein in a digital revolution that refuses to be silenced, leaving the East African nation standing at the crossroads of innovation and intimidation. As artificial intelligence fuels digital dissent, the government is tightening its grip on social media, wielding regulations against an increasingly vocal online population…With Kenya’s leaders frequently the subject of these AI creations, tensions are rising over how to control the technology without stifling free speech…The government’s struggle to control digital dissent has taken a darker turn, with allegations of online influencers being abducted or threatened…While cracking down on digital expression, Kenya is also positioning itself as a leader in AI policy. Ambassador Philip Tigo, Kenya’s special envoy for technology and AI, has been actively engaging with global stakeholders to unlock investment and shape international policy. DW
The Women Changing Africa’s Leadership
With Ghanaian Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang and Namibia’s President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah assuming high governmental positions in their respective countries, it seems the tide is turning towards more women across Africa holding politically powerful roles…The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2023 indicates that Rwanda, along with other sub-Saharan African countries like Namibia and South Africa, has closed more than 70% of the overall gender gap. This places them ahead of regions like South Asia and the Middle East and North Africa. Meanwhile, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, and Chad are the lowest-performing countries, with scores below 62%. Despite some achievements across Africa, the UN Women division states that, at the current pace worldwide, “gender equality in the highest positions of power will not be achieved for another 130 years” and more still needs to be done to involve women in government. DW