Mali Rebels Ambush an Army Convoy, Killing or Capturing Scores of Soldiers
Islamic militants and a separatist group ambushed a Malian army convoy in the country’s hard-hit north on Saturday, resulting in the killing or capture of scores of soldiers, the rebels said. The Malian army confirmed the attack, saying in a statement that armed groups ambushed the convoy of Malian soldiers and their partners in a remote part of the northern Gao region, and that it was launching counterattacks. It was the latest in a series of militant attacks against Malian security forces in recent months as armed groups compete for influence and territories in the Sahel region. … Both JNIM and the separatist Azawad Liberation Front, or FLA, separately claimed responsibility for the attack as a joint operation in statements that spoke about “great human losses” and “serious material damage” on the side of the Malian army. The groups said the convoy was made up of both the Malian army and Russia’s Africa Corps, whose forces have been supporting Mali’s military on the ground. It is the latest such partnership between the two groups that observers say poses great risks to Mali’s stability and its ruling junta. … The military convoy was leaving the northern town of Anefis and headed to Gao city when it was ambushed in the Sahara desert. The nature of the convoy wasn’t immediately clear, although fuel tankers could be seen as part of it, suggesting it could be a Malian logistics convoy. AP
ECOWAS Appoints Senegal’s Birame Diop to Drive Regional Reforms
West African leaders have appointed Senegal’s former defence minister, General Birame Diop, to lead the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, placing a military figure with extensive UN peacekeeping experience at the helm as the bloc seeks to recover from the departure of three member states. Meeting at Ecowas’s 69th ordinary summit in Freetown, Sierra Leone, leaders also approved the construction of a gas pipeline linking Nigeria and Morocco and adopted a long-term plan aimed at improving security, democracy and economic integration. … Diop, the only candidate for the post, succeeds Gambian diplomat Omar Alieu Touray as president of the commission – the body’s executive arm. A retired 2-star air force general, Diop served as Senegal’s defence minister from 2024 until June 2026. He previously headed Senegal’s armed forces and later became military adviser to the United Nations Department of Peace Operations. Earlier in his career, he served with the UN peacekeeping mission in Bunia, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Diop’s first tasks will include helping implement reforms within Ecowas and mobilising support for the regional bloc’s standby force (ESF). RFI
West Africa’s ECOWAS Bloc Signs Agreement Backing Nigeria-Morocco Atlantic Gas Pipeline, Statement Reports
Member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) signed an intergovernmental agreement on Sunday in Freetown backing the Nigeria-Morocco Atlantic gas pipeline, according to a Moroccan and Nigerian statement. The pipeline is designed to transport up to 30 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas a year from Nigeria and west Africa through 13 West African countries to Morocco, according to a joint statement by Morocco’s hydrocarbons and mining agency ONHYM and Nigeria’s state oil firm NNPC. Of that capacity, 15 bcm a year will be made available to Moroccan and European markets through an existing pipeline that links Morocco to Spain, the statement said. Agreed a decade ago, between the Moroccan King and the Nigerian president, the pipeline would run 6,900 km on a hybrid offshore-onshore route and is estimated to cost $25 billion. … The next step will be the signing of a deal between Morocco and gas-rich Mauritania at a later date in the presence of Nigeria’s president, the statement said. Reuters
Nigeria: Suspect Arrested as Troops Dismantle Kidnap Syndicate, Rescue Victim
The Nigerian Army says its troops have rescued a kidnap victim and recovered ransom money when they raided the hideout of a kidnap syndicate in Imo State, Nigeria’s South-east. Olabisi Ayeni, the spokesperson of the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday. Mr Ayeni, a lieutenant colonel, said a suspected kidnapper was arrested during the operation which was conducted on 17 July. He said troops of 34 Artillery Brigade operating under operation Udo Ka conducted the operation in Obinwanne Umuaka, Njaba Local Government Area of Imo State. … “During the operation, security forces recovered a bag used to transport ransom payments, abandoned in a nearby bush, indicating the proceeds had been shared among members of the criminal gang,” he stated. Premium Times
Sudan’s Democratic Bloc Backs Inclusive Dialogue to End War
Sudan’s Democratic Bloc coalition on Sunday renewed its welcome for an inclusive, intra-Sudanese dialogue aimed at ending the country’s crisis without excluding any party. The announcement follows a June agreement in Addis Ababa, where the Democratic Bloc and the Somoud coalition aligned on a joint vision for a peace process and political dialogue. Those consultative meetings were sponsored by an international mechanism comprising the U.N., the African Union, the European Union, the Arab League, and IGAD. … The bloc noted that its recent diplomatic engagements in Cairo, Addis Ababa, Brussels, and Oslo have successfully advanced its vision for ending the war. The coalition plans to sustain coordination with other political and national forces to build a broad consensus for a sustainable peace. The Democratic Bloc consists of pro-army political factions, including al-Mirghani’s faction of the Democratic Unionist Party, as well as armed movements that fight alongside the military, such as the Sudan Liberation Movement and JEM. Sudan Tribune
Tanzanian-flagged Tanker from Yemen Hijacked by Suspected Somali Pirates
A Tanzanian-flagged tanker was hijacked by suspected Somali pirates off Yemen’s coast, security sources and local officials familiar with the incident said Sunday. The commercial tanker has since been moved to waters off Somalia’s northeastern Bari region, according to local officials. The MT ASANA, a general tanker, was seized on Friday after departing from Mukalla, Yemen, according to the sources. The vessel is now being held off the coast of Caluula in the semiautonomous state of Puntland’s Bari region. According to sources who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the incident publicly, the ship was hijacked by seven armed Somali pirates. … The hijacking is the latest in a series of attacks attributed to Somali pirates, whose activities have resurfaced in the Gulf of Aden and the western Indian Ocean after years of relative inactivity. Maritime security analysts have warned that persistent maritime insecurity and reduced international naval patrols have contributed to the renewed threat. AP
Erdogan Submits Bill to Extend Turkish Military Mission in Somalia
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has asked parliament to approve a two-year extension of the mandate allowing Turkish troops to operate in Somalia, citing the need to sustain support for the Horn of Africa nation’s security and counterterrorism efforts. In a motion submitted to Turkey’s Grand National Assembly, Erdogan said Somalia’s security and stability were vital to regional peace and that extending the deployment would enable Turkish forces to continue providing military training, advisory services, and technical assistance under bilateral defence agreements. … It added that Ankara has continued to train Somali security forces and provide defence cooperation under agreements covering military training, technical collaboration, the defence industry, and financial support for Somalia’s armed forces. … It also said Somalia’s federal government had requested that Turkey maintain its military support under the two countries’ Defence and Economic Cooperation Agreement. Garowe Online
Ethiopians March against Alleged Forced Mobilisation in Tigray
Thousands rallied in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa to protest the alleged forced recruitment of civilians in the Tigray region by Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) forces, the breakaway region’s main political party, amid months of escalating tensions with Ethiopia’s federal government. Authorities in Ethiopia’s Tigray region have been abducting and forcibly recruiting children as young as 15 as it prepares for renewed conflict with the federal government, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Monday. Officials have been grabbing men and boys in nighttime house-to-house searches, from offices and other workplaces such as gold-mining sites, the rights group said. AFP has previously reported on the forced recruitment in the northern state, which fought a brutal civil war against the central government in 2020-2022 and again looks on the verge of conflict. Africanews
Vote-counting Underway following Sao Tome and Principe’s Presidential Election
Vote-counting was underway Sunday after people in the Atlantic archipelago of Sao Tome and Principe, regarded as a model of democracy in Africa, cast ballots Sunday in a presidential election. Outgoing President Carlos Vila Nova faces party rival Nito Viegas D’Abreu, a current member of parliament backed by former prime minister Patrice Trovoada, along with two independent candidates. If no candidate gains more than 50 percent of Sunday’s vote, there will be a second-round run-off on August 9. … The president has a largely ceremonial role, responsible for representation and the promulgation of laws, while most executive powers lie with the prime minister. … On the international stage, Sao Tome and Principe is a partner of the European Union and of former colonial power Portugal, whose slave and sugar trade it once served. It also has partnerships with China and Russia, having signed a military pact with the latter in 2024. Africanews
Botswana Says ‘Alarming Rise’ in Citizens Lured to Russia’s War
An “alarming” number of Botswana nationals are being forced into combat in Russia’s war against Ukraine after falling for deceptive recruitment schemes, the government said Saturday. Several African countries have in recent months reported that their citizens have been duped into fighting for the Russian army with many dying on the battlefield. “Recent reports indicate that the number of Batswana being misled into such arrangements is rising at an alarming rate,” the international relations ministry said. Once they arrive, “they are being forced into active combat,” it said. “The ministry continues to receive heartbreaking calls from Batswana already on the frontline, describing the perilous conditions they face.” The statement did not say how many Botswana nationals were in Russia. In December, the government said at least two Batswana youths may have been recruited. AFP
At Least 930 People Have Died in Congo’s Ebola Outbreak
At least 930 people have died in Congo’s Ebola outbreak, the country’s Ministry of Health said Monday, with 37 new deaths recorded in a 24-hour span Friday into Saturday, one of the highest totals. The deaths were recorded out of the 2,344 cases confirmed as of Saturday, the health ministry said. The Ebola outbreak that was declared in eastern Congo on May 15 is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record. The Bundibugyo virus responsible for the outbreak is less common than others that cause Ebola disease, and there is no approved vaccine or treatment. … The surge in deaths comes as safety fears have restricted the response in the worst-affected province of Ituri. A total of five provinces have been affected, all in the eastern region where rebel violence is rampant. AP
Safety Fears Limit Ebola Response in Congo, with More than 12 Attacks Recorded
At least a dozen attacks on health facilities and workers have been recorded during Congo’s Ebola outbreak as safety fears restrict the response in the worst-affected region, authorities said Saturday. Many health workers and other frontline workers in Ituri province have also gone on strike over unpaid salaries, further complicating response efforts in what’s been declared the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record. … Many of the attacks have been carried out by angry mobs who have stormed treatment centers or targeted response teams in the field, Pierre Akilimali, incident manager for the Ebola response, said at a press briefing in Bunia, the capital of Ituri. The attacks are not limited to healthcare teams and affect frontline workers like burial teams, according to Dr. Adelard Lufongola, operations manager for the Ebola response. … “The worsening security situation has forced several humanitarian partners involved in the Ebola response to temporarily relocate staff to Bunia which is relatively safer,” [U.N. spokesman Stéphane Dujarric] said. AP