Risk of Regional Conflict Following Fall of Goma and M23 Offensive in the DRC
The fall of Goma to March 23 Movement (M23) rebels has sent shock waves through the region and risks triggering a wider regional war…The development is particularly alarming because it is widely recognized that M23 is backed by the Rwanda Defense Force (RDF) in support of Rwandan interests in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)…In addition to the estimated 6,000 M23 troops, there are approximately 4,000 Rwandan forces currently in the DRC. There is also evidence from UN investigations that M23 is receiving support from Uganda…The fall of Goma could start another extended period of instability for large parts of the country. The Congo wars of the 1990s and 2000s also started in eastern DRC, with key epicenters in Kisangani, Bunia, Bukavu, and Goma. Eventually 7 African militaries were engaged. Concerns that Rwanda, with roughly 10 percent of the population size as the DRC, would gain disproportionate influence over one of the largest countries in Africa with 9 neighbors, underpins the regional anxiety. Africa Center for Strategic Studies
Congo’s Leader Calls for Massive Military Mobilization as Rwanda-backed Rebels Expand Their Control
Congo’s leader called on young people to massively enlist in the army to help fight Rwanda-backed rebels who were attempting to seize more territory in the country’s east as a crucial meeting of neighbors asked the Congolese government to talk with the rebels. Rwanda’s leader also threatened to “deal” with any confrontation from South Africa regarding the conflict. In his first public remarks since the M23 rebels advanced into eastern Congo’s largest city, Goma, on Monday, President Félix Tshisekedi late Wednesday vowed “a vigorous and coordinated response” to push back the rebels while reaffirming his commitment to a peaceful resolution…A summit of the regional East African bloc, meanwhile, called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in eastern Congo and “strongly urged” Tshisekedi’s government to hold talks with the rebels. Tshisekedi was conspicuously absent from the virtual summit attended by Rwanda, also a member. AP
‘No Hope’: Wife’s Fears for Ugandan Opposition Leader Facing Trial for Treachery
Kizza Besigye, veteran opponent of President Yoweri Museveni, may face the death penalty but will not get justice in military court, warns Winnie Byanyima, UNAids chief…Besigye – a former leader of Uganda’s Forum for Democratic Change – has lost four presidential elections standing against Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power since 1986. He appeared in court with his fellow opposition politician Obeid Lutale, who also denied all of the charges. Byanyima flew to Uganda to see her husband in prison. She says he was framed and “abducted in an illegal operation” when he went to Kenya to meet two individuals who had said they could provide support for his new political party, the People’s Front for Freedom…Both Byanyima and Besigye’s legal team believe the charges are politically motivated in a year leading up to elections in Uganda. The Guardian
Former South Africa President Zuma’s Daughter Is Arrested on Terrorism Charges
A daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma has been arrested and is expected to appear in court on Thursday to face terrorism charges. Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, who is also a member of the South African Parliament, is accused of inciting violence during riots in July 2021 which led to the deaths of more than 350 people. Zuma-Sambudla handed herself over to police on Thursday to face charges under the Protection of Constitutional Democracy against Terrorist and Related Activities Act and incitement to commit violence, police said…The case against Zuma-Sambudla is based on posts she made on Twitter, now called X, allegedly urging protesters to cause more damage during nationwide unrest that started after her father was sent to jail…The riots, which lasted more than a week, were some of the worst unrest in South Africa since the end of the apartheid system of white minority rule in 1994. Zuma-Sambudla was accused of encouraging the unrest as a sign of support for her father, although a later investigation into the riots found that they were partly spurred by frustration and poverty during South Africa’s harsh lockdowns because of the COVID-19 pandemic. AP
ECOWAS Pledges to ‘Keep Door Open’ after 3 Coup-hit West African Nations Exit Regional Bloc
The junta-led West African nations of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have formally withdrawn from the regional bloc known as ECOWAS, the body said Wednesday. The previously announced withdrawal, which marks the culmination of a yearlong process during which the group tried to avert an unprecedented disintegration, “has become effective today,” ECOWAS said in a statement. The bloc, however, said that it has also decided to “keep ECOWAS’ doors open,” and requested member nations to continue to accord the trio their membership privileges, including free movement within the region with an ECOWAS passport. ECOWAS president Omar Alieu Touray told reporters in Nigeria’s capital Abuja that despite the split, the bloc hopes to still collaborate with the countries in tackling some of the region’s challenges, including the deadly extremist violence ripping through the region. AP
Nigeria’s President Opens Lake Chad Governors’ Forum Meeting, Says Region “Not at Ease”
Speaking at the opening of the 5th meeting of the Lake Chad Basin Governors’ Forum in Maiduguri, northeastern Nigeria, [Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu] represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, acknowledged the progress made in stabilising the region but warned that significant challenges remain. “The Lake Chad region is not at ease, and neither should we be,” he noted, urging leaders to work together in tackling threats posed by insurgency and instability. Eight governors from the Lake Chad Basin, whose states share borders with the shrinking lake, convened in Maiduguri for the forum. Launched in 2018, the annual gathering serves as a platform for regional leaders to assess security, humanitarian efforts, and development strategies. This year’s meeting comes at a critical time, with the region facing a resurgence of violent attacks, particularly targeting Nigerian forces engaged in the long-running fight against Boko Haram and its breakaway faction, ISWAP…[Tinubu] also cautioned against external interference, warning that the Lake Chad Basin must not become “a tool in any proxy agenda.” HumAngle
“Strength in Solidarity”: How Mutual Aid Is Helping Women Survive Sudan’s War
Women and girls have been especially impacted by the almost two-year war between the Sudanese army and the rebel-turned-paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, with sexual violence used widely as a war weapon, and vital health services cut off in conflict areas. Yet many of those in need are still finding support – psychological, medical, and economic – from dedicated, women-led mutual aid groups set up across the country as part of a wider grassroots response to the world’s largest humanitarian emergency…Though much of the work of the women’s response rooms has been emergency-orientated, they have also found time to establish and manage learning and recreational centres for out-of-school children. Several volunteers described running safe spaces and workshops focused on literacy, numeracy, and art, though others said their centres have closed down because there is no long-term funding to pay teachers and purchase school materials. Volunteers also described running economic empowerment projects…Despite the challenges involved in mutual aid work, several volunteers said they have been inspired by the collective organising and would like to use it as a springboard for future feminist activism once the war is over. The New Humanitarian
Forty-five People Arrested in Africa in Anti-terrorism and Drugs Stings, Says Interpol
Forty-five people have been arrested in west Africa over the past three months in operations targeting drugs trafficking and the financing of terrorism, said global police body Interpol on Thursday. Interpol, headquartered in France, said those arrested included a suspected Islamic State member at the borders between Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, and a North African suspected of aiming to travel through Europe to join ISIS in Syria. Cocaine worth more than $50 million was also seized in Cabo Verde, as well as 10 tonnes of amphetamines in Burkina Faso, added the police body. “This operation marks a critical step in disrupting transnational organised crime networks that threaten regional stability and undermine efforts to build peace and foster development across West Africa,” said Mohamed Moussa from Interpol. Reuters
Surge in Deepfakes Heightens Fraud Risk for African Businesses
Generative artificial-intelligence was behind more than a third of new biometric fraud cases in Africa last year, a report found, with a surge in deepfakes threatening the data of millions of consumers whose details are held on insecure systems. Deepfake videos used to impersonate people increased sevenfold in the second half of 2024, according to data from the digital identity verification company Smile ID. The Lagos-based startup vets customer identities for hundreds of businesses on the continent including Uber. Smile ID found document forgery remains a sizable aspect of identity fraud, especially in East Africa where the crime rose by six percentage points last year. But generative AI has “radically” increased manipulation opportunities, posing fresh challenges for security and anti-money laundering enforcement, chief executive Mark Straub told Semafor…About 500 million people lack any legal ID documents in sub-Saharan Africa. But in countries where digital IDs are being introduced, some companies have failed to follow best practice, setting up ID systems before data protection and cybersecurity frameworks are in place, for instance, and exposing those systems and their users to hazards and losses. Semafor
From Policy to Progress: UN Deputy Chief Mohammed Outlines Path for Africa’s Clean Energy Transformation
United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed highlighted on Tuesday the critical need for collaborative and urgent action to achieve the ambitious goal of bringing electricity to 300 million Africans by 2030. “Access to electricity is not just a matter of convenience; it is a fundamental human right that underpins economic growth, education, healthcare, and gender equality,” Ms. Mohammed told African Heads of State attending the Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The Summit brought together African leaders and development partners to discuss Mission 300, an initiative by the African Development Bank and the World Bank. The initiative addresses energy access challenges and aims to create jobs for Africa’s youth and support future development…As the UN deputy chief pointed out, nearly 600 million Africans lack access to electricity, making it essential to leverage the continent’s abundant renewable energy resources and critical minerals. UN News
Mauritania’s Bid to Become an African Energy Hub
British energy giant BP began producing gas for the first time earlier this month from the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project, a massive liquefied natural gas field off the coast of Mauritania and its south-western neighbour Senegal, which is forecast to have annual production capacity of 2.3mn tonnes. So important is GTA that both countries have dubbed it a “project of strategic national importance”. With a production potential of at least 30 years, GTA, which is operated as a partnership between BP, American energy group Kosmos and the state-owned energy companies of Mauritania and Senegal, could transform the global energy supply chain, diversifying gas export markets while also providing power needed for growth in both countries…Mauritania’s government is banking on GTA to anchor growth in 2025, amid a broader slowdown in other extractive activities…Smaller gasfields, such as Banda, which was discovered more than two decades ago but was only signed up last year for exploration and gas production, are expected to supply electricity for domestic consumption. Financial Times
IMF Boss To Visit Ethiopia Amid Reforms
The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, will travel to Ethiopia on February 8 and 9 as the country presses on with its major revamp of the economy. The East African giant of some 120 million people has made a number of liberalising reforms in recent months in a bid to attract investors. Though the economy is still largely state-controlled, the country launched its first stock exchange this month and has allowed its currency, the birr, to float freely against the dollar since last July. Enforcing the currency peg had become unsustainable, draining the country’s finances, and the IMF made the reform a condition of unlocking a $3.4-billion aid programme. During the two-day visit, the first to Ethiopia since Georgieva took over as IMF managing director in 2019, she will meet Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and senior officials “to discuss Ethiopia’s economic outlook, policy priorities and ongoing reforms”, the finance ministry said in a statement. AFP
AfDB’s Head Sees Regional Refinancing Facility Operational Soon
The African Development Bank’s regional refinancing facility for hard-pressed African nations with maturing international bonds will be activated soon, the AfDB’s president said on Wednesday, after heads of state grant their approval in two weeks. The creation of the facility, known as The African Financial Stability Mechanism, has been finalised by the bank and received approval from finance ministers, and it is now just awaiting final approval from heads of state at an African Union summit in mid-February, Akinwumi Adesina said…African countries face high refinancing risks, he said, with repayments of $20 billion coming up every year over the next three years. The facility will lend money at “concessional” rates, Adesina said, adding that beneficiaries will be expected to carry out defined macroeconomic and fiscal reforms. Reuters