Rebels Backed by Rwanda Close In on Major City in Congo
Rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo have surrounded the eastern city of Goma, in one of the sharpest escalations in years of a conflict that has pitted the Central African country against its neighbor Rwanda. On Thursday, fighting raged between rebels from the Rwanda-backed M23 group and Congolese forces in the town of Saké, the last major army position before Goma, a provincial capital with more than 2 million people…The rebels launched a major offensive in eastern Congo this year, and now the region is increasingly cut off. Rebels control the land immediately to Goma’s north and west. On its east lies the border with Rwanda. Its south is demarcated by Lake Kivu…Now equipped with high-tech weapons, according to a recent U.N. report, M23 rebels are trying to establish a long-term presence in the region. They train police, set up courts, collect taxes and issue birth certificates, experts say, and have assassinated several traditional leaders, replacing them with officials favorable to their cause. Most observers say M23 wants land and Congo’s valuable rare minerals such as coltan, a metallic ore used to produce tantalum, which is in smartphones and laptops. The New York Times
Turkey Offers to Mediate Congo Peace
Turkey has expressed its readiness “to provide every kind of support” for the settlement of the conflict between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after hosting Rwanda’s Paul Kagame on a State visit on Thursday, reiterated the need for the warring parties to find a peaceful resolution…Their meeting agenda covered trade, investments, energy, education, culture, defence and research and development. ”Turkish companies account for 13 percent of the total foreign investment in Rwanda. It is promising for the future of our relations that our country ranks among the top countries in Rwanda’s foreign trade. We have reached an agreement with Mr President for our companies to boost their investments in Rwanda and thus to contribute to its development goals,” the Turkish leader said…A few years ago, out of pressure from the Turkish government, Rwanda closed schools and other establishments that were linked to dissident cleric, the late Fethullah Gulen, before expelling people associated with the influential Turk, who had fallen out with Erdogan over allegations of fomenting a coup. “Rwanda is one of the countries to have extended support to our fight against Fetullah,” Erdogan said. The EastAfrican
Sudan’s Army, Paramilitaries Trade Blame Over Oil Refinery Attack
The Sudanese army and rival paramilitaries traded blame on Thursday over targeting a major oil refinery north of the capital Khartoum, where clashes between the warring sides have intensified. Eyewitnesses reported seeing thick plumes of smoke covering the area around Al-Jaili refinery about 70 kilometres (40 miles) from Khartoum. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had claimed since the first month of the war, in April 2023, to be in control of the refinery. In a statement, the army alleged that the RSF “deliberately set fire” to the facility in an attempt to destroy Sudan’s infrastructure after failing to seize control of the country’s “resources and land”. The RSF, however, blamed the military for the destruction, accusing it of targeting the refinery with barrel bombs during air strikes in the morning…Greater Khartoum remains divided with both sides locked in a protracted struggle…While the RSF still holds sway over much of Sudan’s western region of Darfur and parts of Kordofan in the south, the army has consolidated its grip on the north and east. AFP
SIHA Women’s Group Faces Online Attacks in Sudan
The Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) said it is facing a campaign of online attacks and threats, which it believes are orchestrated by social media accounts linked to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF). SIHA, a women’s rights organization with three decades of experience in the region, said the attacks are in retaliation for its condemnation of sexual violence and other abuses committed in Sudan since the conflict erupted in April 2023…SIHA said the online harassment includes the spread of “fake news” aimed at discrediting the organization and its work. It stressed that it remains “operational and committed to its mission” despite the intimidation. With a vast network across Sudan, the organization has a long history of documenting human rights abuses, particularly in Darfur. This work has often placed it in direct opposition to those in power. Sudan Tribune
West Africa Juntas Tighten Screws On Foreign Mining Firms
The militaries who took power in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger in recent years have stepped up pressure on foreign firms — promising greater sovereignty and a fairer distribution of revenue from the lucrative mining sector. After weeks of escalating tension with Canadian company Barrick Gold, Malian authorities carried out an order in mid-January to seize gold stocks at Loulo-Gounkoto –- one of the world’s largest gold complexes. Barrick Gold owns 80 percent of Loulo-Gounkoto, with Mali retaining the rest…Authorities are demanding hundreds of millions of dollars in arrears from Barrick Gold and in November detained four of the company’s Malian employees. In the same month, they arrested the CEO and two employees of Australian firm Resolute Mining, before releasing them after the company struck a $160 million deal with the government…At the end of last year, Niger authorities took control of French nuclear group Orano’s uranium mining unit after withdrawing its licence. Niger is the world’s seventh-largest producer of uranium, accounting for 4.7 percent of global supply. In 2023, Burkina Faso’s junta said it had requisitioned 200 kilograms of gold extracted by a subsidiary of the Canadian group Endeavour Mining for “public necessity”. AFP
Comoros President Says He Intends to Hand Power to His Son
Comoros President Azali Assoumani has for the first time said publicly he intends to hand power to his son Nour El Fath when he leaves office in 2029, confirming critics’ accusations that he has long been grooming his son to take over. Assoumani, whose re-election a year ago was tainted by allegations of voter fraud, put El Fath in charge of coordinating government affairs and granted him sweeping powers over the cabinet…”Azali is deluding himself, the Comorian people and politicians will not accept the installation of a dynastic power or a monarchy in the Comoros,” [Abdallah Mohamed Daoudou, a spokesperson for the opposition coalition] told Reuters…Assoumani first came to power in 1999 through a coup and has won four elections since 2002. Constitutional reforms in 2018 extended a requirement that the presidency rotate among the three main islands from every five years to 10. El Fath would therefore not be eligible to replace his father at the end of the presidential term in 2029 unless the constitution were changed again. Reuters
Family of Jailed Dissident Urge Lammy to Prioritise Case as He Visits Egypt
The family of the jailed British-Egyptian writer Alaa Abd El Fattah have urged the UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, to prioritise the dissident’s release above trade deals during his visit to Egypt. Fattah remains in a Cairo jail even though his sentence for dissent has been served. His mother is on a hunger strike in London with her health now deteriorating…The Foreign Office confirmed Lammy’s visit on Thursday to Egypt and said he would again raise the British government’s call for his release. But the family fear the foreign secretary may be about to throw away vital leverage by not setting any conditions on its relations with Egyptian business…A software engineer and award-winning writer, Fattah first came to prominence during the Arab spring and has served many periods in jail. The Guardian
From Cameroon to Nigeria, Separatist Conflicts Keep Children Out of School
[Since a separatist crisis erupted in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions in 2016], thousands of people have been displaced and killed in Cameroon’s English-speaking southwest and northwest regions, and nearly 500,000 children were out of school in 2024, according to UNICEF…[Meanwhile] in neighbouring Nigeria’s southeast, another separatist uprising rocking the Igbo-majority region is also putting children at risk…Children in separatist conflict zones across Cameroon and Nigeria endure underreported trauma, as violence spills across borders, experts say…Mark Duerksen, a research associate at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, told Al Jazeera: “Modern separatism in both countries is driven by economic injustice, political disenfranchisement, and heavy-handed security measures.” Al Jazeera
Nearly 250 Million Children Missed School Last Year because of Extreme Weather, UNICEF Says
At least 242 million children in 85 countries had their schooling interrupted last year because of heatwaves, cyclones, flooding and other extreme weather, the United Nations Children’s Fund said in a new report Friday. UNICEF said it amounted to one in seven school-going children across the world being kept out of class at some point in 2024 because of climate hazards. The report also outlined how some countries saw hundreds of their schools destroyed by weather, with low-income nations in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa hit especially hard…UNICEF said the world’s schools and education systems “are largely ill-equipped” to deal with the effects of extreme weather. AP
Scammers Using My Face to Con People, Warns Namibia’s Ex-first Lady
Namibia’s former First Lady Monica Geingos has released a video message warning people that fraudsters are using her name and likeness to target unsuspecting citizens. Manipulated clips circulating for some time on social media appear to show her asking people to invest in a foreign exchange (forex) scheme. There have been many victims, including one woman who was swindled out of her retirement savings, a spokesperson for Mrs Geingos told the BBC. The former first lady’s team have been raising the issue for almost two years, but this is the first time Mrs Geingos has made an appeal in person as the volume of fake messages has “gotten worse over the past two months”…There are a large number of accounts on TikTok, Instagram and X that look at first as if they belong to her – using her profile image and a handle that is very similar to her name. People are also being contacted directly…The TikTok clips have used genuine footage of Mrs Geingos speaking dubbed with a voice that sounds like hers. The bank account details and phone numbers provided are all Namibian. BBC
Interest Payments on Debt in Sub-Saharan Africa Are Skyrocketing
Interest payments on long-term debt in sub-Saharan Africa rose nearly seven-fold to $26 billion between 2010 and 2023, according to the World Bank. The increase came as the region’s foreign borrowing doubled to $864 billion within the period. Mozambique and Senegal grappled with particularly severe debt pressure. The continent’s worsening debt crisis has left some countries spending more on debt repayments than vital services such as health care or education. Though China is one of the continent’s major creditors and is often vilified for its lending practices, Africa has also borrowed heavily from multilateral financiers such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. Semafor
‘All Hands on Deck’: Why Africa’s Bid for Power Starts at Home
Dar es Salaam will host a major energy summit the 27 and 28 January, drawing governments, development finance institutions and the private sector together to tackle Africa’s immense power infrastructure deficit. Part of the Mission 300 initiative, next week’s energy summit in Tanzania aims to connect 300 million people to electricity by 2030. Central to achieving this goal is a new model of “compacts” with African countries, ensuring governments remain in the driving seat while international partners provide technical support and mobilise new financing. Franz Drees-Gross, the World Bank’s director for infrastructure in West and Central Africa, explains why the focus is on sub-Saharan Africa. “If we had been talking about this 25 years ago, it would have been a global problem,” he says. “In 2025, that picture has changed. Those without access predominantly live in sub-Saharan Africa. Of the 680 million people globally without electricity access, 570 million live in sub-Saharan Africa.” The Africa Report
Killed for Fighting Corruption, a Congolese Man Made a Martyr Is Inspiring a New Generation
When Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi was asked in 2007 to allow spoiled rice from Rwanda to be transported across the border to the eastern Congo city of Goma, he knew the risks of resisting corruption, especially as a government worker. He refused nonetheless. It didn’t take long before he was kidnapped; days later, his body was found by colleagues at the Office Congolais de Contrôle, the agency that monitors the quality of products. Nearly two decades after his death, he is being celebrated in the central African country and beyond following Pope Francis’ recent approval of his beatification. It’s a step toward possible sainthood, a status no one from Congo has ever achieved. Pope Francis recognized Kositi as a martyr late last year, setting him on the path to beatification. The move fits into the pope’s broader definition of martyr as a social justice concept, paving the way for others deemed to have been killed for doing God’s work, to be considered for sainthood. AP