Sudan: Hemetti Grants RSF Commanders Autonomy to Launch Attacks after Kordofan Losses
Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo “Hemetti” said on Monday that field commanders will now have full autonomy to initiate offensive operations without waiting for central orders. The statement follows major military setbacks suffered by RSF troops in North Kordofan state, where the Sudanese army and allied forces cleared key areas and secured a strategic export highway linking the region to Khartoum. … The RSF leader also strictly prohibited filming during military operations, warning that anyone violating the ban would be treated as an enemy collaborator. Sudan Tribune
At Least 30 Killed in Village Attack in Nigeria’s Kaduna State, Residents Say
At least 30 people were killed when armed men attacked a village in Nigeria’s northwestern Kaduna state early on Monday, two residents said. Dogon Rana, secretary to the village head, said gunmen stormed the community shooting randomly and burning houses. Eight children were among the dead, while four other people sustained injuries. Violence by armed gangs and other criminal groups has become a major security challenge across parts of northwestern and north-central Nigeria, where communities are frequently targeted in deadly raids. … The northeast is battling a deadly insurgency by Islamist militants Boko Haram and splinter group ISWAP. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack in Kaduna state. Reuters
Nigeria: Troops Arrest Two Suspected Boko Haram Informants, Cattle Rustlers in Yobe Market
Troops of Operation HADIN KAI have arrested two suspected Boko Haram informants and cattle rustlers during a joint intelligence-led operation at the Buni Yadi Friday Market in Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State. … Preliminary investigations reportedly revealed that Muhammadu Sani confessed to serving as a logistics supplier and informant for Boko Haram for nearly seven years. … Military sources said the information provided by the suspect is expected to support ongoing intelligence operations aimed at dismantling terrorist support networks and disrupting logistics channels used by insurgents across the North-East. … Security officials described the arrests as another indication of the importance of intelligence sharing and collaboration between the military and community-based security groups in identifying and apprehending individuals suspected of supporting terrorist operations. PR Nigeria
Houthis Pushing to Model Iran’s Hormuz Control in Red Sea, Yemeni FM Says
Yemen’s Houthi Movement aims to replicate Iran’s Hormuz Strait strategy in the Red Sea by disrupting shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb and has been emboldened by an insufficient international response, Yemen’s top diplomat said on Monday. “The Houthis want to copy the Iranian model and this will shut down two main straits, the gateways into the Gulf and Red Sea,” Yemeni Foreign Minister-designate Afrah Al-Zouba said, speaking to a small group of journalists at the Yemeni embassy in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. The Red Sea has become a new front in the Iran war, with the Houthis taking an escalatory approach against Saudi Arabia by firing missiles and drones at the kingdom and declaring a blockade on Saudi shipping. Saudi Arabia has responded with airstrikes on what it said were Houthi military facilities and said it would protect commercial shipping, accusing the Houthis of serving foreign agendas. Reuters
Tanzania: 51 Officials Arrested and Charged with Terrorism over Planned July Protests, Opposition Says
Tanzania’s main opposition party on Saturday said 51 of its officials were arrested and charged with terrorism, accusing the government of using law enforcement to intimidate critics. Chadema deputy chairperson John Heche said the officials were arrested over planned protests this month that failed to materialize because of a heavy police presence. Tanzanians had planned to take to the streets on July 7, a date that commemorates the formation of the ruling party and is also associated with pro-democracy protests in neighboring Kenya. Protest organizers were calling for democratic reforms following the disputed October general election, in which President Samia Suluhu Hassan was declared the winner with 98% of the vote. Heche said Chadema chairman Tundu Lissu had been denied his basic rights and was facing the same terrorism charges, which are not eligible for bail. Terrorism charges in Tanzania carry severe penalties, with those convicted facing prison sentences ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment. AP
A Thin Rope Holds the Line Against Ebola on Uganda’s Border
The Ebola outbreak has particular resonance in Bundibugyo, a small Ugandan town near the Lamia. In 2007, scientists here discovered the first appearance of an unusual Ebola species and named it after the town. Much has changed in the town since then. Uganda has developed a global reputation for its efficiency in containing infectious diseases, including H.I.V., Covid-19 and Ebola. While the disease is raging through communities in Congo, Uganda appears to have it under control. … Since the initial Ebola outbreak nearly two decades ago, Bundibugyo has been changing. People are abandoning subsistence farming in favor of cocoa, residents said, driving more people into the cash economy. Cocoa trees, with their distinctive big leaves and bulbous pods, now dominate the landscape around Bundibugyo. … The shift may help explain why people have stopped eating wild animals in the town, including bats and monkeys, the residents said. In addition, the establishment of two nearby national parks has made it harder for people to hunt such wildlife. Scientists say that fruit bats are the likely reservoir host for Ebola viruses, which can then spread to other animals, including monkeys, and into the human population. The New York Times
South Africa’s Ramaphosa Calls For African Action On Migration
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called on Monday for African countries to work together to manage migration, as his government faces mounting pressure over attacks on foreign nationals. Ramaphosa’s appeal to the Pan-African Parliament follows weeks of anti-migrant protests in South Africa, where xenophobic activists and fringe groups have blamed undocumented migrants from elsewhere in Africa for crime, unemployment and strain on public services. He warned that unmanaged cross-border movement could undermine security and social order, and said no country could address the challenge alone. … South Africa, the continent’s wealthiest nation, has long been a magnet for migrants from elsewhere on the continent. But it has experienced periodic outbreaks of xenophobic violence for nearly two decades. AFP
As Zimbabwe’s Raw Lithium Ban Pays Off, Ambitions Grow
Zimbabwe’s first plant to process clean-energy metal lithium — of which it is Africa’s top producer — is up and running, a milestone in its expanding drive to stop the wholesale export of its raw mineral wealth. Buoyed by the development, the small southern African country is determined to go much further in its drive for local processing of its resources, even eyeing its own production of rechargeable lithium batteries. It is part of a push by the country — and others on the continent — to add value domestically to raw materials to create jobs and lift export earnings. … In February, Zimbabwe froze exports of raw minerals ahead of a full ban in 2027, announcing it would require “in-country value addition and beneficiation”. The focus was on raw concentrates of the rechargeable battery ingredient lithium, with most of its hundreds of thousands of tons of annual production shipped out to China, the world’s largest maker of electric vehicles. … The ban sent mining firms scrambling to build plants to process lithium sulfate, a step along the value chain towards battery‑grade materials. The first, and only one so far, was set up at Goromonzi, around 30 kilometres (20 miles) east of Harare, a $400-million facility built by Chinese-owned Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe (PLZ) that became fully operational in May. AFP
WHO Seeks Youth Input to Shape Africa’s Health Strategy through 2035
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called for greater involvement of young people in shaping health policies across Africa, saying their contributions are critical to developing a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable health system for the continent. The call was made on Monday at the Youth Consultative Forum on the WHO African Regional Strategic Plan 2026–2030 and Vision 2035 held at the United Nations Conference Room in Abuja. … [WHO Representative in Nigeria, Pavel Ursu], said the development of the strategy comes at a time when African countries continue to face communicable and non-communicable diseases, health emergencies, climate-related health risks and persistent inequalities in access to quality healthcare. He, however, noted that advances in technology, innovation and youth leadership present new opportunities to strengthen health systems across the continent. Premium Times
Coming “Super” El Niño Could Cost Africa $20 Billion, AfDB Says
Extreme weather events triggered by a particularly powerful El Niño weather pattern could cost African economies $10 billion to $20 billion and spark mass migration, the African Development Bank’s top climate expert said. Extreme droughts and flooding threaten food and water security, while government finances and banking are under threat if disasters damage infrastructure and leave cash-strapped countries struggling to repay loans. Food shortages could also prompt huge numbers of people to flee their homes. … Economies across Africa are already struggling as a result of fuel and fertilizer shortages caused by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and key industries such as cocoa and coffee are bracing for further woes. Semafor