Sudan’s Paramilitary RSF Accused of Killing Almost 300 People in Village Raids
Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) killed nearly 300 people in attacks in North Kordofan state that began on Saturday, according to Sudanese activists. The RSF has been fighting the Sudanese army in that area, one of the key frontlines of a civil war in Sudan that has raged since April 2023. The Emergency Lawyers human rights group said on Monday that the RSF had attacked several villages on Saturday around the city of Bara, which the paramilitary controls. In one village, Shag Alnom, more than 200 people were killed via arson or gunshot. Looting raids of the other villages killed 38 civilians, it said, while dozens of others had gone missing. The next day, the group said in its statement, the RSF attacked the village of Hilat Hamid, killing 46 people, including pregnant women and children. More than 3,400 people were forced to flee, according to the UN. “It has been proven that these targeted villages were completely empty of any military objectives, which makes clear the criminal nature of these crimes carried out in complete disregard of international humanitarian law,” Emergency Lawyers said, placing the responsibility with RSF leadership. The Guardian
War Shows Another Face as Sudanese Die of Cholera
As Sudan’s healthcare system witnesses an almost complete collapse as a result of more than two years of war, cholera is spreading at an accelerated pace, exacerbating the suffering of civilians stricken by the country’s bloody fighting. Tens of thousands of infections and hundreds of deaths have been recorded since late 2024. The cholera outbreak coincides with the lack of clean water, disruption of sanitation services and the collapse of basic health care, prompting international organisations to warn of a large-scale humanitarian catastrophe if urgent measures are not taken…Famine and malnutrition have also contributed to rapid transmission, overcrowded shelters and shortages of medical staff and supplies, [Adeeba Ibrahim El Sayed, an internal medicine and epidemiologist and member of the Sudanese Doctors Committee] said. Adeeba warned of the recent outbreak in the Darfur region, describing the situation there as dangerous due to the difficulty of access to the affected areas as a result of the siege imposed by the Rapid Support Forces, which makes a humanitarian response almost impossible. Dabanga
Ethiopian Militias Raid Sudan Border Villages: Farmers, Activists
Sudanese farmers and activists said Monday that Ethiopian militias had conducted cross-border raids on agricultural villages, disrupting the sowing season in a country already at war and suffering a dire hunger crisis. For decades, both Ethiopia and its neighbour Sudan have claimed the fertile border region of Al-Fashaga, and in recent days several villages in the contested area have come under attack. Farmers told AFP that militias entered villages along the border, opened fire with automatic weapons, and looted livestock and farming equipment before retreating back into Ethiopian territory…The local resistance committee, one of hundreds of volunteer civilian groups coordinating aid across Sudan, said Monday that three villages across Gedaref state had “witnessed repeated and dangerous violations” by Ethiopian militias. No casualties were immediately reported from the attacks on Wad Kouli, Wad Aroud and Barakat Nourain. But the volunteer group said the attacks were “devastating for food security and the livelihoods of people in the region”. Residents told AFP they were now unable to work their fields during the crucial sowing season, which coincides with the rainy season from July to September. AFP
Ukraine Ready to Help Ghana Secure Its Borders – Zelenskyy
Ukraine is prepared to extend its hard-earned expertise and advanced technologies to help Ghana bolster its border security, a critical need for the West African nation facing regional instability. This commitment emerged from a significant conversation between President John Dramani Mahama and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday, July 11…This offer of support comes at a crucial time for Ghana, which shares over 2,000 kilometres of land borders with Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, and Burkina Faso. The northern frontier with Burkina Faso, in particular, has become a significant security concern. The Sahel region, bordering Ghana to the north, has witnessed a severe escalation of extremist violence and instability since 2020, with jihadist groups expanding their influence southward. Countries like Benin and Togo have already experienced spillover attacks, increasing Ghana’s vulnerability…Ukraine’s offer of assistance, particularly in drone technology, is highly relevant to Ghana’s security challenges…This combat-proven technology could significantly enhance Ghana’s border surveillance capabilities, enabling real-time monitoring of remote areas and rapid response to illicit activities or incursions…In June 2025, officials from both countries also agreed to deepen cooperation in cybersecurity, digitalisation, and information technologies. Joy News
Togo’s Security Forces Cast Early Votes Ahead of High-stakes Municipal Elections
The atmosphere was calm and disciplined on Monday, July 14, 2025, in Lomé, as Togo’s security and defense forces, including paramilitary units and members of the operational reserve, cast their ballots in early voting ahead of the municipal elections…This early vote marks the official kickoff of a highly anticipated municipal election, watched closely by both the political class and a public caught between hope and caution. On the ground, the campaign is in full swing. Political parties and independent candidates are making rounds to win over voters. Supporters of the ruling party, UNIR, are focused on consolidating progress…Still, the apparent calm masks underlying tensions. Civil society groups have called for days of mourning on July 14 and 15, while web activists from the M66 movement have announced protests for July 16 and 17, the day of the vote. With just hours left before polls open for the general public, the streets are watching, uncertain. Togo’s democracy is facing another major test, under close watch. Africanews
Uganda Military Denies Extrajudicial Killings, But Deaths Keep Coming
While there is limited data about the frequency of extrajudicial killings in Uganda, human rights observers say they occur regularly, in violation of law and Uganda’s Constitution. Henry Byansi, a human rights lawyer with Chapter Four, a local nonprofit, and others believe there have been hundreds of extrajudicial killings in Uganda, usually by members of the army but at times by the police. There are seemingly endless delays in the criminal justice system, leaving the people alleged to have conducted these killings unaccountable for their actions…Though advocates say extrajudicial killings are ongoing, recent data is scarce. During the two-year period between 2016 and 2018, 133 such killings were carried out by the army and the police, according to a 2019 study by the Human Rights and Peace Center at Makerere University School of Law…[Zahara Nampewo, deputy dean at the School of Law at Makerere University and former executive director of its Human Rights and Peace Center,] says the country’s growing militarization — with the military involved in everything from land deals to fisheries — has threatened the rule of law and caused the public to have less trust in security forces…The government and its law officers are not committed to ensuring that extrajudicial killings come to an end, says Byansi, the human rights lawyer. Instead, he says, they substitute their own actions for a court decision. Global Press Journal
Rebel Groups in CAR Lay down Their Arms as New Peace Deal Begins
General Sembé Bobo, head of the Union for Peace (UPC), and Ali Darassa of Return, Reclamation and Rehabilitation (3R), confirmed the disbanding of their political and military wings during [a ceremony in Bangui] on Thursday…The laying down of arms follows a ceasefire agreement signed between Bangui, UPC and 3R on 19 April in N’Djamena, with Chadian mediation…In February 2019 Bangui signed the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in the Central African Republic (APPR-RCA) in Khartoum with 14 armed groups, but attempts at integrating rebel factions into state structures failed and the main ones withdrew. The agreement was revived after lengthy negotiations between Bangui, the 3R and UPC, brokered by Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, and signed on 19 April. It sets out a detailed process to incorporate rebel fighters into the army and security forces. Fighters from the UPC and 3R have already been relocated to five cantonment sites in rebel strongholds in the east and north-west of the country, and registered. They will then be disarmed. Former rebels deemed fit for service will begin training, with a view to joining the Central African Armed Forces (FACA) or one of the other branches of the country’s defence and security forces, as pledged by the government. Fighters deemed unfit will benefit from the country’s Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration programme (DDR). RFI
More than 100 Migrants Freed in Libya after Being Held Captive by Gang, Officials Say
More than 100 migrants, including five women, have been freed from captivity after being held for ransom by a gang in eastern Libya, the country’s attorney general said on Monday. “A criminal group involved in organising the smuggling of migrants, depriving them of their freedom, trafficking them, and torturing them to force their families to pay ransoms for their release,” a statement from the attorney general said. Libya has become a transit route for migrants fleeing conflict and poverty to Europe via the dangerous route across the desert and over the Mediterranean following the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011. Many migrants desperate to make the crossing have fallen into the hands of traffickers. The freed migrants had been held in Ajdabiya, some 160 km from Libya’s second city Benghazi. Five suspected traffickers from Libya, Sudan and Egypt, have been arrested, officials said. Reuters
UN Experts Accuse Tunisia of Targeting Lawyers
UN-appointed experts accused Tunisian authorities on Monday of wrongly jailing lawyers in the country to silence dissent. The special rapporteurs cited several cases of lawyers who they said had been prosecuted and even imprisoned over cases they had pleaded or statements they had made…They cited the case of lawyer Ahmed Souab, who was detained on terrorism-related charges in April after claiming that judges were under political pressure to hand opposition figures hefty sentences in a recent mass trial. The experts said this and several other cases they detailed “appear designed to ensure critics of the executive are silenced”. President Kais Saied, elected in 2019, has ruled Tunisia by decree since a 2021 power grab. AFP
Nigeria: Dangote Files to Build Seaport in Next Phase of Empire Expansion
Africa’s richest person has applied to begin work on a seaport near his fertilizer and oil refinery plants to make it easier to export goods — including liquefied natural gas — and support the rapid growth of his industrial empire. Aliko Dangote’s plan “to build the biggest, deepest port in Nigeria,” took wings after he sent in the paperwork for permission in late June, he said in an interview in Lagos. The proposed Atlantic seaport in Olokola, Ogun state, lies about 100 kilometers (62 miles) by road from the billionaire’s fertilizer plant and petrochemicals refinery in Lagos. Dangote currently exports urea and fertilizer through an on-site jetty he built, that also receives heavy equipment for the refinery. Once completed, the port will link the conglomerate’s logistics and export operations and rival facilities in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, including the Chinese-funded Lekki Deep Sea Port opened in 2023…The port marks the billionaire’s return to the same site where he had previously abandoned plans to build his giant refinery and fertilizer complex after wrangling with local authorities. Bloomberg
Mother of Jailed Egyptian-UK Activist Ends Hunger Strike: Family
Egyptian academic Laila Soueif has ended a 10-month hunger strike protesting the ongoing imprisonment of her son, activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, her family said on Monday. Soueif, 69, began the strike in September 2024 when Abdel Fattah, an Egyptian-British dual national, was due to be freed after serving five years in prison for “spreading false news” but was never released. Her daughter, Mona Seif, said Soueif was now in hospital beginning a medically supervised process to reintroduce her to nutrition…Abdel Fattah, 43, was a prominent figure in Egypt’s 2011 uprising, and has spent most of the past decade behind bars under successive governments. He was most recently arrested in 2019 and sentenced to five years after reposting a Facebook post about police brutality. Abdel Fattah began a partial hunger strike in March in solidarity with his mother after she was hospitalised with dangerously low blood sugar. He is currently consuming only herbal tea, black coffee and rehydration salts…Since 2022, [Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi]’s administration has released hundreds of detainees and pardoned several high-profile dissidents, including Abdel-Fattah’s lawyer, but the activist himself has been repeatedly excluded. AFP
Guinea Bissau’s Bijagos Archipelago Added to UNESCO World Heritage List
The Bijagos Archipelago off the coast of west Africa was declared a World Heritage site by the UN’s cultural agency on Sunday, in recognition of its exceptional biodiversity and rich local traditions. The string of islands in Guinea-Bissau and surrounding turquoise waters are home to endangered green and leatherback sea turtles, manatees, dolphins and more than 870,000 migratory birds, a UNESCO spokesperson told AFP…The continuous network of coastal and marine ecosystems in the west African archipelago includes mangroves, mudflats and intertidal zones which are fundamental to aquatic life…UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay hailed the region as a “rare coastal and marine ecosystem, where local communities have kept their traditions alive” as she congratulated the country on its first World Heritage site. Rare plant species and diverse fish and bird populations also call the islands home. The archipelago is additionally home to several sacred sites as well as artisanal fisheries. After failing to make the World Heritage list on its first attempt in 2012, an application was resubmitted following extensive scientific research and the involvement of local populations. AFP