Uganda Opposition Leader Under House Arrest After Vote: Party
Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine was under house arrest on Friday, a day after elections in which early results showed a commanding lead for President Yoweri Museveni as he seeks to extend his 40-year rule. Museveni, who has ruled Uganda since 1986, has been accused of “brutal repression” of the opposition in the run-up to the vote, and his government imposed an internet blackout this week. Election day on Thursday was marred by significant technical problems after biometric machines — used to confirm voters’ identities — malfunctioned and ballot papers were undelivered for several hours in many areas. … The United Nations rights office said last week that the elections were taking place in an environment marked by “widespread repression and intimidation” against the opposition. AFP
Uganda Opposition MP Tells AFP 10 Killed by Security Forces in His Home
A senior member of the Ugandan opposition told AFP on Friday that security forces stormed his home the previous day as the country held elections, shooting dead 10 members of his campaign team. “Ten were killed inside my house,” Muwanga Kivumbi, member of parliament for the National Unity Platform (NUP) in the Butambala area of central Uganda, told AFP by phone. Uganda held elections under an internet blackout on Thursday, with President Yoweri Museveni accused by rights groups of “brutal repression” against the opposition as he seeks to extend his 40 years in power. Kivumbi said he was “emotionally broken” by the attack, which occurred after hundreds of his supporters had gathered at his home after voting ended. Many fled as security forces stormed the compound, but officers fired through the door of a garage where 10 campaign agents were hiding, said Kivumbi’s wife Zahara Nampewo, a law professor. The army later came to take away the bodies, the couple said, but they confirmed the death toll from the local hospital. AFP
WFP Warns Sudan Food Aid Could Run Out in March
The World Food Programme (WFP) said on Thursday that it is struggling to keep emergency operations running in Sudan, where more than 1,000 days of war have pushed families to the brink. The UN agency has reached 10 million vulnerable people with food, cash and nutrition assistance since the conflict began and continues to deliver aid to an average of four million people monthly, including in previously hard to reach areas in the Darfur and the Kordofan regions as well as Khartoum and Al Jazira states. “By the end of March, we will have depleted our food stocks in Sudan,” he warned. … More than 21 million people are not getting enough to eat, and famine has been confirmed in parts of the country where humanitarian access is practically impossible. … Furthermore, some 3.7 million children and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers are malnourished. Recent surveys have documented record levels of malnutrition in some locations of North Darfur, where up to more than half of all young children are affected. UN News
RSF Attacks Chadian Army Camp Near Sudan Border
A Rapid Support Forces (RSF) unit attacked a Chadian army camp near the Sudanese border on Thursday, causing casualties on the Chadian side and destroying military vehicles. For about a week, fierce battles have been raging between Sudanese army allies and the RSF in the Girgira and Mastura areas of Tine locality on the border with Chad. This escalation of RSF attacks in these areas is part of broader movements aimed at seizing the last strongholds of the army and Joint Force in the Darfur region, specifically the Tine, Ambara, and Karnoi localities. Chadian sources from the town of Tine Djogorba told Sudan Tribune that an RSF force attacked the Birak military garrison near the Sudanese border, killing Chadian soldiers and destroying combat vehicles. The sources reported that the force that attacked the camp was pursuing a group belonging to the Joint Force that had withdrawn into Chadian territory after heavy fighting in the Girgira area and neighbouring regions in Sudan. Sudan Tribune
Russia Draws Closer to Niger With New Ambassador
Russia’s new ambassador to Niger presented his credentials Thursday to the west African nation’s military leader, as the two countries forge closer ties. Niger and its junta-led neighbours Burkina Faso and Mali have cultivated close relations with Russia since their leaders took power in a series of coups from 2020 to 2023, and have strained ties with the West. Previously, Russia’s ambassador to Niger was stationed in Mali. But last August, President Vladimir Putin named Viktor Voropayev to be Russia’s ambassador in the Nigerien capital, Niamey. A diplomatic source told AFP Voropayev had officially started the job Thursday, presenting his credentials to General Abdourahamane Tiani, leader of the junta that took power after a 2023 coup. AFP
Ukraine War Videos Raise Questions over Russia’s Recruitment of Africans
Videos shared on Ukrainian social media since the weekend claim to show African nationals fighting in the ranks of the Russian army – raising fresh questions about Moscow’s overseas recruitment practices. The footage, widely circulated online, shows black men in Russian military uniforms being humiliated, threatened or described as expendable. … [One] clip, filmed in a snowy forest, shows a group of men singing a Ugandan military song. The cameraman refers to them as “disposable”. These scenes echo findings by Thierry Vircoulon, an associate researcher at the French Institute of International Relations, who has written a detailed analysis of Russian recruitment in Africa. “During our study, we showed that these recruits are very often placed in units sent to the front line in the most dangerous areas,” he said. “They are frequently used to detect Ukrainian positions. That is undoubtedly what is meant by calling them disposable – the death rate in these units is high because they are involved in the riskiest operations.” … Ukrainian authorities say between 3,000 and 4,000 Africans are currently fighting in Russian ranks. If confirmed, the figure would further complicate Russia’s efforts to present itself as a partner to the Global South rather than a power exporting war. RFI
Burkina Faso’s Junta Turns to Televised “Confessions” to Crush Dissent
For the past week, Burkina Faso has been gripped by a carefully choreographed political melodrama. Every evening since 6 January, the 8pm news on the state broadcaster RTB has featured footage of military officers and civilians accused of plotting to overthrow the transitional president, Captain Ibrahim Traoré. The government, speaking through Security Minister Mahamadou Sana, has described a “grave” destabilisation plot. The plan is said to have involved a series of targeted assassinations of civil and military leaders, beginning with Traoré. … Previously, such incidents were handled via terse official communiqués, clandestine arrests or internal military purges. This move toward public, televised exposure marks a new, more confrontational era for the regime. … Analysts suggest the televised trials are a calculated move to consolidate power through public shaming. … As the junta increasingly relies on these public spectacles, the line between judicial process and political theatre continues to blur, leaving little room for dissent in a country increasingly defined by the ‘imperative of silence’. The Africa Report
Kenya Strikes a Preliminary Trade Deal With China, Ministry Says
Kenya has struck a preliminary trade agreement with China that allows 98.2% of its export goods duty-free market access, its trade ministry said on Thursday, adding the two sides had been holding discussions in search of a full bilateral trade deal. The East African nation has been forging closer ties with China, with President William Ruto making a state visit to Beijing last year, where a number of financing and cooperation agreements were signed. “We have initiated discussion with China to negotiate a bilateral trade agreement,” Kenya’s trade ministry said in a statement, disclosing the talks for the first time. “These engagements have resulted in a preliminary agreement.” Reuters
At Least 21 Migrant Bodies Found in Libya Mass Grave, Security Sources Say
At least 21 bodies of migrants have been found in a mass grave in eastern Libya, with up to 10 survivors in the group bearing signs of having been tortured before they were freed from captivity, two security sources said on Thursday. The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said security authorities raided a farm near the town of Ajdabiya after receiving a report of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa being held there. “We found migrants – men, women and children – bearing signs of torture. They were taken to a hospital where they reported that other migrants had been with them and then disappeared,” one of the security sources told Reuters. The mass grave was discovered some 10 km southeast of Ajdabiya, which is around 160 km from Benghazi, the second largest city in the North African country. The farm owner was arrested and had admitted the presence of a mass grave on his property, the sources said. Reuters
Trial Opens in Gambia of Leader of Notorious Death Squad During Jammeh Era
A Gambian court on Thursday opened the trial of one of the leaders of former dictator Yahya Jammeh ‘s notorious death squad. Sanna Manjang, who headed a feared paramilitary unit called the “ Junglers ” under Jammeh, is accused by state prosecutors to two counts of murder dating back to 2006. He denies the charges. The paramilitary unit was accused of arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearance and summary executions. Some members who testified before the country’s Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission, which was created after Jammeh’s reign in 2017, said that they acted at the direction of the former president. Jammeh was forced to step down following an electoral defeat that ended his 22-year reign. He had refused to acknowledge his opponent’s victory, sparking a threat of military action by the Economic Community of West African States. AP
Tragic Death of Adichie’s Young Son Pushes Nigeria to Act on Health Sector Failings
A series of harrowing cases of allegations of medical negligence, including the death of novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s 21-month-old son, has ignited a fierce debate about patient safety within Nigeria’s healthcare system. Following the outcry, the health minister has admitted “systemic challenges” and announced the creation of a national task force on “clinical governance and patient safety” to improve the quality of care and patient safety. The family of the internationally acclaimed author says her young son, Nkanu Nnamdi, died last week at a private hospital in the main city, Lagos, following a short illness. They allege the child was denied oxygen and excessively sedated, leading to cardiac arrest. … Announcing the creation of the national health task force, Health Minister Muhammed Ali Pate acknowledged in a statement that “Nigeria’s healthcare system faces systemic challenges” in delivering consistent quality care and ensuring patient safety. … The task force will oversee, monitor and drive efforts to integrate quality and patient safety into all areas of healthcare delivery nationwide. It will operate for an initial period of 12 months, with the option of a renewal. BBC
Floods Kill 10 in South Africa, Mozambique on Alert
Flooding triggered by torrential rains in northeastern South Africa claimed at least 10 lives overnight and forced the closure of the iconic Kruger National Park, officials said Thursday. The weather service issued the maximum warning for more rain in parts of the country while neighbouring Mozambique was also on alert after flooding that inundated roads and homes. Nine people died in a village in South Africa’s Limpopo province near Kruger, a provincial spokesperson told AFP. Nearly 200 people have been rescued, he said. … In Mozambique, authorities began evacuating residents from low‑lying areas because of the high water levels, with reports of an unspecified loss of life. Mozambique’s meteorology department said more heavy rains accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds were expected in the coming days, including in the capital Maputo. While the southern hemisphere summer typically brings seasonal rains, this year’s extremes have unfolded against a backdrop of deepening climate stress with downpours in northeastern South Africa and dry conditions and wildfires further south. AFP