Sudan: North Darfur Governor Declares Mobilization to Retake El Fasher
North Darfur Acting Governor Al-Hafiz Bakhit on Saturday declared a general mobilization and the opening of training camps to reclaim El Fasher, in his first public appearance since the fall of the state capital. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized control of El Fasher on October 26, following a land siege and continuous fighting lasting a year and a half. The North Darfur governor, along with some army commanders and Joint Forces leaders, withdrew from the city hours before its fall. Speaking during a briefing for North Darfur leaders in the eastern city of Port Sudan, Bakhit said he has announced a general mobilization for all youth and state components to liberate El Fasher and clear the Darfur region of the RSF. He indicated his intention to conduct inspection tours of displaced persons’ camps in White Nile, Khartoum, Kassala, Northern, and River Nile states to assess conditions and find solutions to their problems. The acting governor explained that the priority of these tours includes health and education issues, the issuance of identification documents, and the provision of food and shelter materials. Sudan Tribune
South Kordofan, Sudan: RSF Claim Control of El Bardab Area North of Kadugli
Forces allied to the Sudan Founding Alliance (Tasees) Alliance, consisting of the People’s Army led by Abdel Aziz El Hilu and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), claimed on Saturday afternoon that they had taken control of El Bardab area north of Kadugli, capital of South Kordofan, and the military garrison belonging to the Sudanese Armed Forces. In a press statement seen by Radio Dabanga, the movement indicated that its forces had established full control over the strategic road linking the cities of Dilling and Kadugli, thus tightening its grip on all roads and access points leading to the city of Kadugli. Last week, the forces of the Establishment took control of the intersection area and other areas on the Dilling and Kadugli road, while the armed forces announced that they had crossed the Hamadi area and were heading towards the city of Deribat. … [T]he Sudanese Doctors Network warned in a press statement seen by Radio Dabanga that the continued siege and intensive blockade of the city is an attempt to slowly kill civilians, noting that it is the same scenario that was implemented by the Rapid Support Forces in the city of El Fasher in North Darfur State, which it said was followed by the largest humanitarian disaster and displacement in the world. Dabanga
Renewed Fighting near Uvira Raises Tensions in Eastern DR Congo
Renewed tensions are flaring in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, with fresh fighting reported around the city of Uvira in South Kivu province. Clashes broke out Saturday in several localities about ten kilometers south of Uvira, involving the Congolese army supported by Wazalendo fighters, and AFC/M23 rebels allied with the Twirwaneho group. According to multiple United Nations reports, the armed groups are backed by Rwanda. Fighting was reported in Kigongo and surrounding areas, with gunfire and explosions heard inside Uvira. Witnesses say heavy weapons fire was heard in the highland areas and, at times, in residential neighborhoods. While activity continued in central Uvira, insecurity has forced residents from nearby localities to flee toward the city. Displaced families are sheltering in churches and public buildings, facing difficult conditions due to limited access to clean water and basic services. Civil society organizations warn that the humanitarian situation is deteriorating as displacement increases. Africanews with AP
DRC, Liberia among Five New Non-permanent UN Security Council Members
The United Nations Security Council has welcomed Bahrain, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Latvia and Liberia as its five new non-permanent members for the next two years. The DRC joins the Council for the first time in 35 years. … “We will actively contribute to discussions on the future of United Nations peacekeeping operations,” said Congolese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Noëlla Ayeganagato Nakwipone. “As a host country for more than two decades to one of the largest peacekeeping missions [MONUSCO], the DRC has gained concrete experience of both the challenges and limitations of these instruments,” she added. Meanwhile, Liberia joins the Security Council for the first time since 1961. “Libera comes to the Security Council guided by experience and anchored in the United Nations Charter,” said Liberian Ambassador to the UN Lewis Garseedah Brown II. “We come determined to build bridges, encourage consensus, and contribute constructively to a safer world.” The DRC and Liberia join Somalia as part of the Council’s African Group for the 2026 – 2027 period. Africanews with AP
Zambia Says to Host Regional Meeting on DR Congo
Zambia said it will host a meeting on Thursday of Great Lakes region defence ministers to address the increasingly parlous security situation in conflict-racked eastern DR Congo. In a statement on Saturday, Lusaka said it will “host a three-day meeting on the deteriorating security situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) … at the request of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR)”. Countries in the region are alarmed at ongoing violence which again on Saturday pitted fighters from the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group against DRC troops around the strategic and resource-rich eastern city of Uvira bordering Rwanda. The area has suffered repeated conflict over three decades and the violence has intensified since the resurgence of M23 in 2021. Zambia shares a large border with the DRC. Zambian Defence Minister Ambrose Lwiji Lufuma is expected to chair the meeting in Livingstone, with Lusaka adding that all 12 defence ministers and defence chiefs Forces from ICGLR member countries were expected to attend. AFP
Uganda Detains Prominent Rights Campaigner and Government Critic Ahead of Polls
Police in Uganda said they have detained a prominent human rights activist as long-serving President Yoweri Museveni’s government widens its crackdown on dissent and political opposition ahead of the January 15 general election. The detention of Sarah Bireete, head of a rights organisation and a frequent anti-government commentator on local TV and radio, was confirmed by police in a post on social media platform X on Tuesday. “She is in police custody. She will be arraigned before court in due course,” the post said, without specifying when she would appear in court or what charges she faces. Bireete, a lawyer and executive director of the Centre for Constitutional Governance (CCG), has been critical of a range of government actions including what the opposition says are illegal detentions and torture of its supporters. … Last month, U.N. Human Rights Chief Volker Türk also decried what he described as an “intensifying crackdown” on the opposition in Uganda and said at least 550 NUP supporters had been detained this year. Reuters
Nigeria Arrests 22 Indian Ship Crew Members in Drug Bust
Nigeria’s drug enforcement agency Sunday said it had arrested 22 Indian crew members of a merchant ship after 31.5 kilogrammes of cocaine was found on the vessel at Lagos’s main port. The seizure was made on January 2 aboard MV Aruna Hulya which “originated from Marshall Islands,” Femi Babafemi, spokesman for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), said in a statement. Nigeria has long been considered a trafficking and production hub for drugs bound for Europe and other African countries. The agency said in November that it arrested 20 Filipino sailors caught ferrying at least 20 kilogrammes of cocaine from Brazil to the same port. Earlier that month, NDLEA said it was working with US and British anti-drug agencies to investigate a cartel behind the importation of 1,000 kilograms of cocaine discovered in a container at a Lagos port. AFP
Over 30 Killed, Several Kidnapped in Nigeria
Armed gangs killed more than 30 people and kidnapped others in a raid in Nigeria in the same state where hundreds of schoolchildren were abducted late last year, police said Sunday. The gangs swept into Kasuwan Daji village, in the Kabe district of the western Niger State on Saturday and set a market ablaze, before looting shops for food, they said. “Over 30 victims lost their lives during the attack, some persons were also kidnapped,” Wasiu Abiodun, Niger state police spokesman said. … Gangs — known in Nigeria as “bandits” — frequently carry out mass kidnappings for ransom and loot villages in parts of Nigeria. Niger state has been one of the hardest hit in recent months. AFP
Tanzania: Chadema Demands Lissu’s Unconditional Release, Constitutional Reforms
Tanzania’s opposition party Chadema has demanded the unconditional release of its national chairman, Mr Tundu Lissu, who has been facing treason charges since early last year. The opposition party has also called for constitutional reforms, the establishment of an independent electoral commission, an international investigation into killings and abductions, and the lifting of the suspension on Chadema’s political activities. Delivering the party’s 2026 New Year’s message, Chadema National Vice Chairman for the Mainland, Mr John Heche, said 2025 was an extraordinary year. “It was a year of difficult decisions and great pain, but also a historic awakening of Tanzanians’ resolve to demand justice, freedom, and genuine democracy,” he said. … “We want a Tanzania governed by a living constitution, a pact of rights between citizens and the state, not empty words. A nation ruled by law that protects human rights as the foundation of dignity, not at the mercy of a few rulers,” Mr Heche added. He said Chadema is demanding a new constitution to restore the integrity of votes, accountability, and access to justice for all, alongside an independent electoral commission to safeguard citizens’ voices. Monitor
Mali’s Junta Leader Assimi Goïta Purges Senior Officers in Latest Military Shake-up
Mali’s transitional president, Assimi Goïta, has dismissed several high-ranking security officials from the armed forces, marking the latest stage in a sweeping purge of the country’s military apparatus. According to a decree signed by Goïta on 30 December, those removed from the ranks include Colonel-Major Kassoum Goïta, the former head of Malian intelligence, as well as Colonel Fodé Malick Sissoko of the National Guard and Moustapha Diakité, a commissioner in the National Police. … These dismissals are part of a broader trend of removals within the Malian security services that has intensified in recent months. … The official justification provided by the presidency was “disciplinary measures”, though the decree offered no specific details regarding the alleged misconduct or the evidence against the officers. … As Mali faces a surge in jihadist attacks and growing friction with political actors, the persistent purges risk eroding internal military morale and creating a climate of fear and suspicion within the command structure. The loss of seasoned commanders could also diminish the operational effectiveness of the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) at a time when security remains precarious, with insurgent activity increasingly threatening the peripheries of the capital, Bamako. The Africa Report
Benin, Niger in Tit for Tat Diplomatic Expulsions
Two years of tension between Benin and Niger this week saw the West African neighbours carry out a tit-for-tat expulsion of diplomats, diplomatic sources in both states said Sunday. Relations have been frosty since a military junta gained power in Niamey in July 2023. The regime has regularly accused its pro-Western neighbour of seeking to destabilise it, something Cotonou denies. Relations plunged still further after a foiled coup attempt in Benin in early December. Cotonou has not specifically accused Niger, but suspicions remain about Niamey’s possible role in the failed coup. Recent days saw Benin expel an intelligence agent and a police officer stationed at the Niger embassy in Cotonou, according to a Beninese diplomatic source, who did not specify a reason. In retaliation, Niger, in a note dated Thursday, declared the first counsellor of Benin’s embassy in Niamey “persona non grata” and gave him 48 hours to leave the country, citing a reciprocal move. AFP
Equatorial Guinea Relocates Capital to Ciudad De La Paz
Equatorial Guinea officially changed its capital city from Malabo to Ciudad de la Paz, in Djibloho province, via a presidential decree on Saturday, January 3. The central African country’s plan to assign Ciudad de la Paz (meaning “city of peace” in Spanish) as the capital has been in the works since 2008 under President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. Mbasogo, in power for 47 years, said the decision to move the capital to the heart of the equatorial forest on the mainland was for strategic reasons. The previous capital, Malabo, is located on Bioko island, separate from Equatorial Guinea’s mainland. Presidential services, state powers, constitutional bodies, government agencies and public enterprises will take the necessary measures to transfer to the new capital within one year, according to the decree. But the official document did not specify whether embassies will also relocate. … The new capital is also known as Djibloho, taking the provincial name, or as Oyala. Le Monde with AFP
African Currencies among Best Performers in 2025
African currencies were among the world’s best performing in 2025, driven by soaring commodity prices and rising economic stability. South Africa’s rand is on track for its biggest annual jump in 16 years, as policy reforms compounded with a weakening dollar drew investors to Africa’s biggest economy. Meanwhile, soaring metal prices — gold, silver, and copper have all reached record highs this year — have boosted the currencies of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Zambia, and other major African metal producers. The commodities boom has in turn boosted sub-Saharan African growth prospects, as benefits spill over to the broader economy, while likely easing the fiscal strain on increasingly debt-burdened nations. Semafor