Uganda Government Suspends Five Rights Groups Ahead of Elections
The Uganda National NGO Bureau has ordered at least five prominent human rights organisations to suspend their operations with immediate effect, citing investigations into activities alleged to be prejudicial to national security. The affected organisations include Chapter Four Uganda, Alliance for Election Finance Monitoring (ACFIM), Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ-U), National NGO Forum, and National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders. … Uganda is set to hold presidential and parliamentary elections on Thursday, with a tight contest expected between the ruling National Resistance Movement and the National Unity Platform. The suspension of these organisations has raised concerns about the shrinking space for civil society in Uganda, particularly ahead of the elections. Human rights groups have long complained of government crackdowns on dissenting voices and restrictions on their work. Monitor
“Execution-Style Killings” in Tanzania Election Crackdown: Report
Tanzanian security forces fired on fleeing protesters and carried out “execution-style killings” during election unrest last year, according to a report released Monday that verified online images alongside drone and satellite footage. The Centre for Information Resilience (CIR), a UK-based independent organisation that carries out digital investigations, collected and analysed evidence from the unrest that broke out during the October 29 election in Tanzania. Violent protests erupted after the government of President Samia Suluhu Hassan was accused of barring her main opponents and carrying out a spate of abductions and murders ahead of the election. … CIR verified the repeated use of live ammunition by security forces and plain-clothed armed men, resulting in casualties,” the report said. It “identified possible mass graves through satellite imagery and verified large piles of bodies” within user-generated content, as well as images showing civilians “assaulted” and “humiliated”. AFP
Sudan Tribune Investigation Reveals Mass Graves and Secret RSF Detention Centers in El Fasher
A Sudan Tribune investigation, based on testimonies from survivors, residents trapped inside the city, and field sources, has identified suspected mass grave sites. The findings reveal a disturbing pattern of secret burials, enforced disappearances, and the systematic destruction of evidence intended to mask the scale of the atrocities. Residents still in El Fasher describe a city dotted with secret detention centres. In these facilities, RSF fighters reportedly subject civilians to murder, rape, torture, starvation, and financial extortion. Sources told Sudan Tribune that the RSF has detained the vast majority of the city’s male population, sparing only a small number of the elderly, women, and children. … The investigation found that splinter groups of the Revolutionary Awakening Council, led by Musa Hilal, have moved detainees to sites outside El Fasher, including Kutum and the Al-Zarq base near the Libyan-Chadian border. Evidence of mass burials is also mounting. Sudan Tribune
UN Envoy Arrives in Cairo for Sudan Peace Talks as Kordofan Violence Flares
The United Nations personal envoy for Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, arrived in Cairo on Tuesday for the fifth Sudan Consultative Group meeting as international mediators seek to coordinate efforts to end the conflict. The meeting, hosted by Egypt and running until Jan. 15, is designed to provide a platform for renewed international engagement. Lamamra is scheduled to meet regional and international partners on the sidelines of the event to push for a synchronized approach to peacemaking. While diplomats gathered in Cairo, the humanitarian situation in Sudan’s Kordofan region has worsened significantly. UN spokespeople said escalating insecurity is disrupting health services and forcing more families to flee their homes. Sudan Tribune
Somalia Ends Port Deals and Security Cooperation with UAE
Somalia’s government said on Monday it is annulling all agreements with the United Arab Emirates, including port deals and defence and security cooperation, accusing the UAE of undermining its national sovereignty. “This decision is based on credible reports and compelling evidence concerning hostile actions undermining national sovereignty, territorial unity, and the political independence of the country,” Somalia’s Council of Ministers said. The decision “applies to all agreements and partnerships relating to the ports of Berbera, Bosaso, and Kismayo … (and) bilateral security and defence cooperation agreements,” it said in a statement. … The Horn of Africa country launched an investigation last week after the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said the UAE had spirited a separatist leader out of Yemen via Somalia. Somalia said at the time that if the allegation were proved true it would represent a serious violation of its sovereignty. The UAE has also cultivated deep economic and security ties with Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland. Reuters
Three Industrial Sites Attacked, Civilians Kidnapped in Mali
Armed men attacked three industrial sites and abducted civilians in western Mali over the weekend, local sources told AFP on Monday, as jihadists seek to disrupt the economy. Militants from the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) have carried out a fuel blockade and targeted industrial and mining sites in recent months in the landlocked west African country. Sunday’s attack on three factories in the Kayes region left “enormous” damage, a Malian security source told AFP. … In June, JNIM threatened to attack foreign industries and companies doing business with the Malian state without “its authorisation.” Since then, numerous industrial sites have been attacked and several civilians, mostly foreigners, have been kidnapped, primarily in the west of the country. These kidnappings have allowed the jihadists to finance their activities through ransoms. AFP
These Gen Zers Just Raised $11.75M to Put Africa’s Defense Back in the Hands of Africans
After five years of building an edtech company, Nathan Nwachuku, 22, realized that Africa was at a crossroads. The continent is undergoing rapid industrialization, he told TechCrunch. There is money, opportunity, and a young, driven population. He figured, soon enough, the continent was on the “edge of an industrial revolution.” “At the same time,” he said, he felt the continent still struggled to address what was one of its biggest Achilles’ heels: “Terrorism and insecurity.” … He teamed up with a friend, Maxwell Maduka, 24, and launched Terra Industries, a defense company that designs infrastructure and autonomous systems to help governments and organizations monitor and respond to threats. The company announced Monday that it emerged from stealth with an $11.75 million round led by Joe Lonsdale’s 8VC. … “The goal is to build Africa’s first defense prime, to build autonomous defense systems and other systems to protect our critical infrastructure and resources from armed attacks,” Nwachuku, the company’s CEO, said. Maduka serves as the company’s CTO. The team is stacked with military experience: 40% of its engineers held the same role in the Nigerian military; 8VC’s Alex Moore, who specializes in defense investing, is also on the board, and Nigeria’s Vice Air Marshal Ayo Jolasinmi serves as an advisor. Maduka also served as an engineer in the Nigerian Navy and founded a drone company at 19. TechCrunch
Morocco Targets $10 Billion AI Contribution to GDP by 2030
Morocco is targeting a $10 billion boost to its gross domestic product from artificial intelligence by 2030, the minister in charge of digital transition said on Monday, as the country steps up its investment in training programmes, sovereign data centres and cloud services. Morocco, whose current GDP comes to around $170 billion, plans to invest in artificial intelligence centres linked to universities and the private sector, and to integrate AI solutions into public administration and industry, Minister Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni told a conference in Rabat. The GDP boost would largely come from expanding domestic data‑processing capacity through sovereign data centres, scaling up cloud and fibre‑optic infrastructure, and building an AI‑skilled workforce to support the deployment of AI solutions across industry and government, she said. … The government is also preparing legislation governing artificial intelligence, according to the minister. Reuters
Egypt Signs Renewable Energy Deals Worth $1.8 Billion
Egypt has signed renewable energy deals worth a combined $1.8 billion, state TV reported on Sunday. Among the deals were contracts with Norwegian renewable energy developer Scatec and China’s Sungrow. Egypt hopes to have renewable energy reach 42% of its electricity generation mix by 2030, but officials say the goal will be at risk without more international support. The first project will be the construction by Scatec of a solar energy plant to generate electricity and energy storage stations in Upper Egypt’s Minya, an Egyptian cabinet statement said. … A second project will be a Sungrow factory to manufacture energy storage batteries at the Suez Canal Economic Zone. A share of the factory’s output would be supplied to the first project, the cabinet said. The deals also include power purchase agreements, with Scatec signing a deal for total capacity of 1.95 gigawatts and 3.9 gigawatt hours of battery storage systems, the Norwegian company said in a statement. Reuters
10 Nigerians Arrested as Spain, Germany Crack Down on Black Axe Network
At least 10 Nigerians are among 34 suspected members of the transnational criminal organisation, widely known as Black Axe, arrested in a coordinated operation by Spanish and German authorities, with support from Europol. The arrests, according to a statement by Europol, followed a large-scale crackdown led by the Spanish National Police in collaboration with the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office and backed by Europol. Investigators said the operation targeted the “core leadership” of the group operating in Spain. … Authorities added that the suspects are believed to be linked to large-scale fraud schemes that caused financial losses estimated at more than €5.9 million. During coordinated raids on residences and other locations connected to the suspects, investigators froze €119,352 in bank accounts and seized an additional €66,403 in cash. … Investigators say the group is involved in a range of criminal activities, including cyber-enabled fraud, drug trafficking, human trafficking and prostitution, kidnapping and armed robbery. Premium Times
The Gambia Reparations Commission Begins Payments to Victims of Jammeh-Era Abuses
The Gambia Reparations Commission has begun paying reparations to victims of human rights abuses perpetrated under the regime of former Gambian dictator Yahya Jammeh, the body said in a statement on Monday. The commission described the move as a “significant milestone” in its mandate for “justice” and “dignity.” It said payments are being disbursed in phases, starting with victims who endured violations early in Jammeh’s rule. Jammeh, a military officer, seized power in a 1994 coup and held onto the presidency until 2017. He went into exile after losing the 2016 presidential election to Adama Barrow. Jammeh’s authoritarian rule was marked by human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings and arbitrary arrests. The Gambia Reparations Commissions was created in 2017 to investigate abuses, collect testimonies from victims and witnesses, and work towards transitional justice and reconciliation. Africanews with APA
UNHCR Chief Urges Global Backing for Kenya’s Refugee Integration Plan
On his first official visit to Kenya, UNHCR chief Raouf Salih on Sunday toured Kakuma in northwestern Kenya, one of the refugee camps authorities want to convert into an urban area as part of a policy shift. He acknowledged Kenya’s decades-long record of hosting refugees and its policies allowing them to work and access healthcare, education and financial services. “This is how we move from aid dependency to self-reliance. …” he said. Kenya is among the largest refugee hosts in eastern Africa, with 854,876 people in Kakuma and Dadaab camps and another 200,000 in urban areas. … The programme, launched last year, aims to change how refugees are hosted by integrating them into local communities, promoting socio-economic inclusion and reducing reliance on humanitarian assistance. Under the plan, long-established camps such as Dadaab and Kakuma will gradually be transformed into integrated settlements operating as municipalities. Refugees will gain greater freedom of movement, access to national services and opportunities to participate in local economies. The East African