As Security Deteriorates, Sahelian Juntas Further Stifle Civilians
Since Mali’s military coup in 2020, the Sahel has become the deadliest theater of militant Islamist violence in Africa. … The deterioration has been particularly striking given that the military juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger justified their seizures of power on the grounds that elected governments had failed to address growing insecurity. … The threat, moreover, has become increasingly regional in scope. Jama’at Nusrat al Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), a coalition of militant Islamist groups, now operates across a theater spanning more than 1,200 kilometers and has expanded southward and westward into more densely populated regions of the three Sahelian countries—as well as previously unaffected areas of coastal West Africa. Coordinated attacks launched across Mali in April and July have exposed the growing threat. … The arrests, detentions, sanctions, citizenship revocations, and restrictions documented across Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger further inhibit a public dialogue on [security] questions. Political leaders, journalists, religious figures, magistrates, civil society actors, and other independent voices often draw attention to emerging problems, challenge assumptions, and identify policy failures. … The evidence from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, however, suggests that the consolidation of political power has taken precedence over the reassessment and adaptation demanded by a rapidly evolving security environment. Africa Center for Strategic Studies
Sudan’s Warring Parties Deliberately Target Civilians in Darfur Airstrikes, Report Says
A devastating pattern of systematic aerial bombardment and drone strikes targeting civilians has consumed the Darfur region of Sudan, according to a comprehensive report published by an international rights group. The report by The Reckoning Project, documents 17 separate air and drone strikes between October 2024 and April 2026 that have struck marketplaces, hospitals, weddings, and displacement shelters, killing and wounding hundreds of innocent people. Evidence compiled by investigators shows that both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have repeatedly failed to uphold basic principles of international humanitarian law. … Belligerents have increasingly utilized a “double tap” tactic, where an initial bombing is quickly followed by a second strike on the exact same location, intentionally targeting first responders and civilians rushing to aid victims. Sudan Tribune
EU Announces Restrictions on Trading Sudanese Gold
The European Union announced on Monday new sanctions against Sudan by targeting the country’s gold trade, which it said was being used to finance the military conflict in the country. “The decision introduces a ban on the purchase, import or transfer of gold originating in Sudan. It also bans the sale, supply, transfer or export of mercury and cyanide to Sudan,” said a statement by the Council of the European Union. The conflict between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces began more than three years ago, and it has caused a vast humanitarian crisis. Reuters
Nigeria: Army General Recounts Oyo Teachers, Pupils Rescue Operation, as Survivor Relives Captivity Ordeals
The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 2 Division of the Nigerian Army, Chinedu Ralph-Nnebeife, a major-general, on Monday, recounted the recent rescue operation freeing 44 schoolchildren and teachers abducted in May by kidnappers in Oyo State . One of the victims, Rachael Alamu, who is the the principal of Community High School, Ahoro-Esiele, where part of the survivors were abducted, also told touchingstories of the ordeals they went through during their 56-day-long captivity. They spoke at a ceremony for the handover of the 44 schoolchildren and teachers by the Nigerian military to the Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde on Monday. …Military authorities described the rescue as the outcome of weeks of coordinated intelligence gathering and joint operations involving the Armed Forces, intelligence agencies, the Air Force, Amotekun Corps, local hunters and vigilantes. … The coordinated operation, he said, involved blocking escape routes including in Kwara State, dismantling the kidnappers’ logistics network and identifying those providing intelligence and support to the criminal gang. … He explained that the operation went beyond rescuing the victims. “It focused on identifying the terrorist kingpins, dismantling their network and cutting off their logistics.” Premium Times
Mali and Algeria Reopen Airspace and Reinstate Ambassadors, Ending a Yearlong Rift
Mali and Algeria reopened their airspace and reinstated their ambassadors, ending a diplomatic rift that started over a year ago after Algeria shot down a Malian armed drone near the shared border. Mali’s military junta said in a statement late Friday it would restore the Algerian ambassador to Bamako and open its airspace to “all civilian and military aircraft operating flights to or from the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria.” Algerian media also confirmed the restoration of diplomatic relations. The two nations recalled their ambassadors and closed their airspace in April 2025 after the drone shooting, with Algeria accusing Mali of repeatedly violating its airspace. Mali denied the claim. Relations between the Malian military junta and Algeria began to deteriorate two years ago, when Mali ended a crucial 2015 peace deal with local Azawad separatists, mainly mediated by Algeria. The rebels have long sought to create an independent state in northern Mali, which has thrown the West African nation into a violent conflict for over a decade. AP
Kenyan Forces Kill 11 Suspected Al-Shabaab Militants in Border Raid
Kenyan security forces killed at least 11 suspected Al-Shabaab militants during an intelligence-led operation near the Kenya-Somalia border on Sunday, police said. The operation was carried out by the elite Special Operations Group with aerial support after intelligence indicated that about 30 suspected militants had gathered at a makeshift camp in Mandera County to plan an attack on villages along the border, according to security officials. … Security forces recovered three PKM machine guns, about 409 rounds of ammunition, and several documents believed to belong to Al-Shabaab. Among the documents were what authorities described as receipts for mandatory religious taxes allegedly collected by the militant group. Officials said the records could provide valuable intelligence into how Al-Shabaab finances its operations and administers areas under its control through taxation and checkpoint collections. The operation was aimed at disrupting the planned attack before it could be carried out and preventing another cross-border assault in Kenya’s northeastern region, police said. The raid is part of an intensified campaign by Kenyan security agencies targeting militant networks operating along the porous Kenya-Somalia border, where authorities have stepped up intelligence-led operations to prevent attacks. Garowe Online
AFRICOM Links Security, Economic Development and Innovation in Africa Strategy Shift
The African Chiefs of Defense Conference (ACHOD) 2026 has concluded in Luanda, Angola, but U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) said the security priorities discussed during the summit will remain central to its engagement with African partners in the coming months and years. Held from 1 July, the conference brought together African and U.S. defense officials to discuss a range of regional security challenges. This year’s agenda placed new emphasis on the link between defense and economic development, exploring how partnerships, industry, and innovation can support security solutions both on and beyond the battlefield. A new feature of this year’s conference was a dedicated discussion on defense economics, including an industry roundtable that brought together senior U.S. officials and African and American private-sector leaders to address barriers to defense-industrial cooperation. … Participants identified capital risk, bureaucratic hurdles, limited defense budgets, and competition as key obstacles, while highlighting the U.S.-backed Lobito Corridor railway linking Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a model for combining infrastructure investment with regional stability. Addis Standard
Uganda Opposition Leader Treason Trial Starts Without Lawyers
The treason trial of Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye opened on Monday but without his main defence lawyers after they were arrested or barred from the country. Uganda has seen mounting political repression in recent months, with the army arresting opposition figures, lawyers and shutting down a major media group. … Besigye, who ran multiple times for the presidency against Museveni, was kidnapped in Kenya in late 2024 and smuggled back to face treason charges, which he says are politically motivated. His main lawyer, Erias Lukwago, is in jail after being seized by the army last month. Besigye’s other lead lawyer, Kenya’s Martha Karua, was barred from entering the country when she flew in to represent him last month. “We know this trial won’t be fair. Our rights have been abused and laws are not followed. We no longer wish to be part of it,” Besigye told the court. AFP
Blow to South African Corruption Case as Key Suspect Pulls Out of Plea Deal
Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala, a key figure in an ongoing police corruption inquiry in South Africa, has withdrawn from a controversial plea deal, serving a blow to prosecutors. The business tycoon pulled out of the agreement after a South African court recommended a higher jail sentence – 12 years instead of the agreed eight. Matlala was accused of bribing top police officials to win a 360m rand ($22m; £16.5m) tender for his health company Medicare24 in 2024. He pleaded guilty last month, as part of a deal that could have seen Matlala giving key evidence against senior officials. … Last week, however, a magistrate said an eight-year sentence would be a miscarriage of justice and recommended Matlala serve a 12-year term instead. On Monday, Matlala’s legal team informed the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crime Court that he was pulling out of the deal. Prosecutors will now not be able to use evidence from Matlala’s affidavit, Kganyago told reporters. Matlala reportedly implicated high-ranking police officials in his statement. BBC
De Beers to Pause Work at South Africa’s Largest Diamond Mine
De Beers announced Monday it will pause production at South Africa’s largest diamond mine for two years to reduce costs while trading conditions remained tough. De Beers is majority-owned by British mining giant Anglo American, which is seeking to offload its stake as the natural diamond market faces intense pressure from laboratory-grown gems. It said “rough diamond trading conditions are expected to remain challenging in the near-term” with production decreasing and several producers closing mines. … Venetia, which lies near the borders with Botswana and Zimbabwe, has been run by the De Beers group for more than 30 years. It accounts for more than 40 percent of the country’s annual diamond production and is the largest producer by value. It employs about 4,400 staff. AFP
Nigeria Oil Output Hits Six-year High, Above OPEC Target
Nigeria’s crude production reached a 74-month high last month, authorities said over the weekend, hitting an average of 1.56 million barrels per day, or 104 percent of its OPEC quota. Africa’s largest oil producer has increased production in recent years in part by cracking down on theft while also hiring former militants who sabotaged pipelines to act as security. As foreign oil majors — dogged by pollution scandals in the Niger Delta — have left many onshore projects to focus on offshore extraction, local firms have stepped in. … Though the west African country’s oil production has historically been hampered by pipeline theft and allegations of state corruption and mismanagement, the June numbers mark the highest recorded crude production since April 2020. AFP
Record El Niño threatens to unleash floods across East Africa and Asia
A rapidly intensifying El Niño weather pattern is threatening to bring severe flooding, disease and drought to some of the world’s most vulnerable communities across East Africa and Asia, a humanitarian organisation has warned. On Monday, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) said Kenya, Uganda, Somalia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan were among the countries most at risk, some of which have already been struggling with ongoing humanitarian emergencies. … The US Climate Prediction Center said on July 9 that El Niño is strengthening rapidly, with an 81 percent chance of becoming one of the most powerful events since 1950, likely peaking between October and December. … El Niño is a natural shift in Pacific Ocean temperatures that recurs every two to seven years, as the trade winds that normally push warm water westward weaken and the heat spreads back across the ocean. The effects ripple worldwide, often bringing heavier rain to some regions while reducing it in others. In East Africa, the pattern typically means a drier midyear followed by a wetter October to December, an effect forecasters say will be sharpened this year by a related warming pattern in the Indian Ocean. In Somalia, heavy rains have already repeatedly flooded parts of the capital, Mogadishu, this year. Al Jazeera