RSF Storms Cattle Market and Prison in ‘Death Trap’ Sudanese City
The Sudanese paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) stormed the besieged city of El-Fasher on Friday in a battle that raged for seven hours, witnesses told the BBC. RSF fighters managed to capture a cattle market, a prison and a military base while broadcasting videos of themselves walking around empty stockyards. It was the first time RSF fighters had entered the city in large numbers since the siege of El-Fasher – an ongoing battle for control of the western Darfur city – began 15 months ago. On Saturday morning, the army retaliated and succeeded in pushing the RSF back beyond El-Fasher’s limits. But Mathilde Vu, from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), described the city as a “death trap”. “What we’re hearing is stories of horror and terror and weekly shelling, attacks on civilian infrastructure,” Ms Vu [said]…The latest RSF offensive followed weeks of artillery and drone attacks…This weekend’s attack comes three months after the RSF overran Zamzam camp on the outskirts of El-Fasher. It had been the largest displacement camp in the country and many of its residents either escaped into El-Fasher or tried to make it to Tawila, 60km away…Nearly 379,000 people have now fled to Tawila, where they are facing an outbreak of cholera and expected heavy rain is likely to destroy makeshift shelters. BBC
Malnutrition Crisis Deepens for Sudan’s Children as War Rages On
Across the five states that make up Darfur, UNICEF data revealed a 46 per cent increase in the number of children treated for [severe acute malnutrition (SAM)] in January to May 2025 compared to the same period last year. The rate of acute malnutrition has surpassed emergency levels set by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 9 of the 13 localities across Darfur. In North Darfur alone, over 40,000 children were admitted for SAM treatment in the first five months of the year – double the number from the same period last year. This malnutrition surge comes amid intensifying conflict in North Darfur since April. Entire neighborhoods have been besieged, hospitals targeted by airstrikes, roads rendered impassable while aid convoys have faced looting and violent attacks. The situation is particularly catastrophic in El Fasher, where humanitarian access has been nearly completely severed since the RSF militia besieged the city – the last held by Government forces in the region – and cut off assistance in April of 2023. UNICEF successfully delivered a batch of supplies to El Fasher earlier this year, but efforts to send additional aid have been blocked…SAM is the deadliest form of malnutrition, and children suffering from it are highly vulnerable to life-threatening complications and face a high risk of death without proper treatment…Compounding the crisis is Sudan’s lean season – a period of food scarcity between harvests – which is rapidly increasing the risk of mass child mortality, particularly in areas already nearing famine thresholds. UN News
Nigeria Says Jailed 44 for Terrorism Financing
Nigeria on Saturday slapped 44 Boko Haram jihadists with jail terms of up to 30 years for funding terrorist activities, a spokesman for a counterterrorism agency said. The convicted were among 54 suspects arraigned in four specially-constituted civilian courts set up at a military base in the town of Kainji in central Niger state, Abu Michael, a spokesman for Nigeria’s counterterrorism centre said in a statement. On Wednesday, Nigeria resumed trials of the suspects seven years after it suspended prosecution of over 1,000 people suspected of ties with the jihadist group that has been waging an insurgency since 2009 to establish a caliphate…”With the latest convictions, Nigeria has now secured a total of 785 cases involving terrorism financing and other terrorism-related offences,” said the statement…Nigeria is listed as a “grey list country” by international monitors alongside South Sudan, South Africa, Monaco and Croatia due to deficiencies in preventing money laundering and terrorism financing. AFP
Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s Former President, Dies at 82
Muhammadu Buhari, an austere soldier and politician who led Nigeria as a feared military strongman in the 1980s and, three decades later, as a democratically elected president, died on Sunday at a hospital in London…Both as a military ruler and as president, Mr. Buhari cast himself as a champion of order and discipline, fighting corruption and mismanagement, and attempting to instill a sense of restraint in Nigeria’s rambunctious public life. And in the run-up to his election in 2015, he also presented himself as a general who could bring to heel the violent Islamist group Boko Haram, which has ravaged the country’s northeast. But by the end of his eight-year tenure in 2023, corruption, security and Nigeria’s economy had all worsened, and youth protests against police violence had been brutally put down, bitterly disappointing the young Nigerians who had helped bring him back to power…But the election of Mr. Buhari, a Sunni Muslim from the Islamic north, who trained as a soldier in Britain, India and the United States, represented a significant milestone: When he easily outpolled President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015, Mr. Buhari became the first opposition leader to unseat an incumbent president since independence. The New York Times
Cameroon: World’s Oldest President to Seek Eighth Term
The world’s oldest head of state, Cameroon’s President Paul Biya, 92, has said he will run once more for re-election in October aiming to extend his 43 years in power…Biya’s administration has faced criticism over corruption, embezzlement, bad governance and failure to tackle security challenges. There have also been concerns about his health and ability to govern…His candidacy was expected but not formally confirmed until Sunday’s social media post…There have been growing calls from inside and outside Cameroon for him to step aside and give way for fresh leadership in the central African nation. His candidacy follows a recent political divorce from key allies from the northern regions, who had been crucial in helping secure votes in previous elections from that part of the country…Biya abolished term limits in 2008, enabling him to seek the presidency indefinitely. BBC
Cameroon Sets Presidential Election Date for October 12
Cameroon will vote in a presidential election on October 12, according to a decree issued by President Paul Biya on Friday…Several longstanding supporters of Biya appear to be distancing themselves from the 92-year-old head of state, who has ruled the west African country with an iron fist for nearly 43 years. But the opposition is deeply divided and is struggling to unite behind a single candidate. There have been two high-profile defections from Biya’s camp in recent weeks. Employment Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary resigned from government in June to stand in the election for his Front for the National Salvation of Cameroon (FSNC). Former prime minister Bello Bouba Maigari, an ally of Biya’s for nearly 30 years, said he was standing for National Union for Democracy and Progress (NUDP)…Also in the running are Maurice Kamto, who came second in the 2018 presidential election and is Biya’s fiercest critic, and prominent opposition figure Cabral Libii of the Cameroonian Party for National Reconciliation (CPNR). Candidates have until July 21 to declare that they intend to run for office. AFP
Rwanda and Russia Look to Lock in Influence as CAR President Eyes Third Term
When Central African Republic (CAR) goes to the polls in December for its first election since a referendum paved the way for Faustin-Archange Touadéra to run for president an unlimited number of times, the likelihood of him winning another term will not be the only thing on the minds of opposition leaders. Concerns are also mounting that the Russian and Rwandan interests that have swelled under Touadéra’s presidency will be further entrenched. Touadéra came to power in the chronically unstable country in 2016 against a backdrop of three years of unrest spearheaded by rebel groups that had left thousands dead. In 2018, the Russian mercenary outfit Wagner arrived and has since become so embedded that sources in CAR say it and its 36-year-old head of civilian operations, Dimitri Sytyi, operate independently of Africa Corps, Moscow’s newly centralised apparatus for managing its military footprint across Africa. Since 2014, Rwandan troops have been stationed in CAR as part of the UN peacekeeping force Minusca…Initially, tensions ran high between the Russians and Rwandans owing to unclear mandates and overlapping zones of operation in the economic and security sectors…Things are clearer these days, observers say: Wagner handles the president’s personal security and is in charge of military operations in areas where rebels are active; Rwandan troops train special forces and operate in relatively calmer areas – the capital, Bangui, and along the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo – where Rwanda has economic interests. The Guardian
Inside the Congolese Mine Vital to Mobile Phones, as Rebels Give BBC Rare Access
M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo recently allowed the BBC to visit a huge mining site under their control which is vital to the production of the world’s mobile phones – and over its vast expanse not one person was idle…”We usually have more than 10,000 or more people working here daily,” Patrice Musafiri, who has supervised the Rubaya mining site since the rebels took control of it in April last year, told the BBC…The swathe of golden scarred earth they mine is found in the sprawling, lush Masisi Hills of North Kivu province – around 60km north-west of the city of Goma – and holds 15% of the world’s coltan supply and half of the DR Congo’s total deposits…It has provided immense wealth over the years to the various armed groups that have overseen it at different times, including the army…In Washington [the DRC and Rwanda] committed on 27 June to disarm and disengage their alleged proxies (despite denying having any). The M23 was not party to the deal…During our brief visit – we were allowed access for around 45 minutes – there was no hint that the chain of command was about to change…In December, a UN experts’ report detailed how the M23 makes hundreds of thousands of dollars each month from taxing coltan, much of it was sent directly to Rwanda. AFP
Lithium Smuggling Rampant as Zimbabwe Fails to End Corruption
Zimbabwe, which boasts Africa’s largest lithium reserves, is poised to help meet global demand in the race to secure green energy and develop advanced technology. Its production pales in comparison to powerhouses like Australia and Chile, but the country is still among the top-eight producers of the mineral, producing 1,200 tons in 2021 alone. But as demand grows, so does illegal trading. In Zimbabwe, some companies mislabel shipments or underreport the quality and quantity of lithium exports. Border officials — either unaware or complicit — allow the shipments to slip through, undermining efforts to regulate one of Zimbabwe’s most valuable exports...Most of the product ends up in China, which controls 90% of Zimbabwe’s mining sector. Exporters exploit the regulatory gaps, Gorden Moyo [director of the Public Policy and Research Institute of Zimbabwe] says. “While corruption is punishable by law in China, when they operate abroad, they act with impunity.” The government hasn’t helped. Contracts between the state and investors are not accessible to the public, according to a report by the Africa Policy Research Institute. It erodes public trust, says Tafara Chiremba, an environmentalist at the Zimbabwe Environmental Lawyers Association. Because of the smuggling, Chiremba says, it’s China, not Zimbabwe, that benefits from the country’s wealth of lithium. Global Press Journal
DP World Plans Logistics Parks across Africa to Cut Transport Costs
Dubai-based giant DP World is exploring the development of logistics parks across Africa as part of a strategy to reduce transport costs and unlock growth, Mohammed Mahomedy, head of infrastructure and rail for sub-Saharan Africa, tells The Africa Report in an exclusive interview…DP World, one of the world’s largest port operators, has signalled plans to establish an industrial park in Nigeria. The announcement followed a visit by DP World’s chairman, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, to Minister of Marine and Blue Economy Adegboyega Oyetola in March. The company has footprints in 48 sub-Saharan African countries, including Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, the Horn of Africa, Kenya, Senegal, Angola, the DRC, and the Copperbelt…Africa’s logistics ecosystem has witnessed rapid expansion in recent years on the back of a rapidly rising population, fast-growing consumer markets and expanding manufacturing industries, but it is faced with significant challenges, particularly inadequate infrastructure…[DP World] said in May that it would invest $2.5bn this year on major infrastructure projects, including three in Africa, to expand its global logistics network. The Africa Report
Tunisia President’s Far-reaching Clampdown Targets Opponents
The latest mass trial in Tunis’ primary court has ensured that President Kais Saied won’t have to worry about dissent from 21 of his fiercest political opponents for many years to come. On Tuesday, politicians and officials, including opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi, were variously sentenced to 12 to 35 years in prison. Ten of those convicted for charges of terrorism, violence, or attempts to overthrow the government are already in jail. The other 11 convicted politicians have already left the country. Among them are Tunisia’s former Prime Minister Youssef Chahed, former Foreign Minister Rafik Abdessalem, Nadia Akacha, Saied’s former chief of staff, and Tasnim and Mouadh Ghannouchi, the children of Rached Ghannouchi. However, as they would be arrested upon return, the verdicts essentially bar them from entering the country or becoming politically active in Tunisia for decades. AFP
Tunisian Jailed After Refusing to Watch President On TV: Lawyer
A Tunisian inmate was sentenced to six months in prison after he was reported to authorities for refusing to watch a TV news segment about President Kais Saied, his lawyer and an NGO said Friday. The inmate’s lawyer, Adel Sghaier, said his client was initially prosecuted under Article 67 of the penal code, which covers crimes against the head of state, but the charge was later revised to violating public decency to avoid giving the case a “political” dimension. The local branch of the Tunisian League for Human Rights in the central town of Gafsa said that the inmate had “expressed his refusal to watch (coverage of) presidential activities” during a news broadcast that was playing on TV in his cell. He was reported by a cellmate, investigated and later sentenced to six months behind bars, the NGO said, condemning what it called a “policy of gagging voices that even extends to prisoners in their cells”. DW
South Sudan: Ongoing Politically Motivated Violence Is Not Justified; It Is a Betrayal – Catholic Bishops
The Catholic Bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province of South Sudan have said that the ongoing violence across the country is indefensible because it is politically driven and a betrayal by the leaders…“It is with heavy hearts of grief that we are now conveying our dismay about what we have been confronting on daily basis: reports of aerial bombardments and shelling, armed ambushes on roads, rivers and highways, military confrontations, shrinking of civic space and media restrictions, deadly clashes at cantonment sites and villages, abductions and rapes, devastating raids at community levels, detentions and alarming hostilities and insecurity across South Sudan,” [the Bishops said in a written message]… They urged South Sudan’s leaders to remember the words of late Pope Francis during his historic pilgrimage of peace to South Sudan in February 2023, when he pleaded with them: “Brothers and sisters, it is time for peace! … No more bloodshed, no more conflicts, no more violence and mutual recriminations about who is responsible for it; no more leaving your people athirst for peace…. it is time to turn the page.” Radio Tamazuj
South African Police Minister Suspended over Organised Crime Allegations
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has placed Police Minister Senzo Mchunu on an immediate “leave of absence” after allegations of links to organised crime groups were made against him. In Sunday’s live televised speech to the nation, Ramaphosa also announced a judicial commission would investigate the claims, which he said undermined the constitution and threatened national security. He added that law professor Firoz Cachalia had been appointed as interim police minister…The commission will also investigate current and former police officials, as well as members of the national executive, Ramaphosa said. Ramaphosa has been under growing public pressure to act swiftly over the high-profile case. Mchunu, 67, is an influential figure in Ramaphosa’s African National Congress (ANC) party…The allegations were first made public by KwaZulu-Natal provincial police boss Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi last Sunday. Gen Mkhwanazi also detailed a sequence of events he claimed led to the “orchestrated” disbandment of a task force that was set up in 2018 to investigate the killing of politicians, mainly in KwaZulu-Natal. He said the team’s investigations had uncovered links to high-profile individuals – including politicians, police officials, and businesspeople tied to a drug cartel- and this is why the team was disbanded. BBC
UNESCO Adds Cameroon, Malawi Sites to Heritage List
Two cultural sites, in Cameroon and Malawi, were added Friday to the UNESCO World Heritage List, said the organisation, which has made boosting Africa’s representation a priority. The Diy-Gid-Biy landscape of the Mandara Mountains, in the far north of Cameroon, consists of archaeological sites, probably created between the 12th and 17th centuries, surrounded by agricultural terraces and sites of worship. Malawi’s choice is a mountain range dominated by Mount Mulanje, in the south of the country, considered a sacred place inhabited by gods, spirits and ancestors…UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay has presented Africa as a priority during her two terms in office, although the continent remains underrepresented in the list. Making the UNESCO heritage list often sparks a lucrative tourism drive, and can unlock funding for the preservation of sites that can face threats including pollution, war and negligence. AFP