Beyond M23: Addressing the Underlying Drivers of the DRC Conflict
Ongoing fighting between the March 23 Movement (M23) and the Congolese government highlights the persistent obstacles to sustainable peace in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). … The persistence of this conflict reinforces the importance of understanding its underlying drivers. … A durable settlement requires a broader political process centered on rebuilding trust with communities in eastern DRC, protecting citizenship rights for all Congolese, strengthening the capacity and accountability of Congolese security actors, and establishing greater transparency of the mineral sector. … Congo’s complicated political history shows that military solutions alone are unlikely to produce durable peace. An internationally supported African-led process that combines immediate conflict management with a broader national dialogue offers the most promising path toward long-term stability. Africa Center for Strategic Studies
Ebola Cases in Congo Top 3,200, Nearing Record of the Country’s Worst Outbreak
Confirmed cases in Congo’s ongoing Ebola outbreak have reached 3,262, its Ministry of Health said in an overnight update, nearly the same as the 2018-2020 outbreak that is the largest ever recorded in the country. Data from the Congolese health ministry showed that 1,437 patients have died out of the 3,262 cases, in what officials have said is the fastest Ebola outbreak on record, concentrated in the eastern Ituri province. The 2018-2020 outbreak that was recorded in Congo and neighboring Uganda lasted roughly two years, with more than 3,400 reported cases, including over 2,200 deaths, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Only the 2014-2016 outbreak across West Africa, considered the worst in history, had a higher toll with 28,000 cases and more than 11,000 deaths. … Despite distrust between communities and health workers mostly seen at the early stages of the outbreak, signs of progress have emerged. AP
Uganda Declares End to Latest Ebola Outbreak
Authorities in Uganda declared the East Africa nation free of Ebola on Tuesday following the discharge of the country’s last patient in mid-June, a delicate milestone as the virus continues to plague neighboring Congo. Uganda has maintained since the outset that its cases were linked to the larger outbreak in eastern Congo’s remote province of Ituri, which borders Uganda. The first cases in Uganda were Congolese who crossed the border to seek treatment for an unknown illness before it was known they had Ebola, health authorities have said. … While a total of 20 cases were reported in Uganda, health authorities say there is currently no indication of further spread within the country. The last patient was released June 16, and Ugandan authorities have waited the World Health Organization-recommended 42 days – or two incubation cycles for Ebola – to declare the country free of the disease. AP
Sudan: Somoud to Boycott African Union-led Consultations in Addis Ababa
The Democratic Civil Alliance, known as Somoud and led by former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, has decided to boycott upcoming Sudanese political consultations facilitated by the quintet mechanism in Addis Ababa. The quintet mechanism, comprising the United Nations, African Union, European Union, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and the Arab League, seeks to bridge deep divisions among Sudanese political and civic factions regarding the structure, venue, and participating parties of a proposed peace process. Bakry Eljack, spokesman for Somoud, told Sudan Tribune on Tuesday that the coalition sent a letter to the mechanism outlining critical observations on the current mediation methodology and proposing a Sudanese-led process that prioritizes an immediate humanitarian truce. Somoud advocated for forming a joint preparatory committee representing key anti-war coalitions to manage preliminary consultations and reach genuine consensus on the dialogue agenda, rather than attending broad meetings in Ethiopia featuring more than 30 individual invitees. Sudan Tribune
South African Army Chief Visits Moscow, Agrees to Strengthen Military Ties
Lieutenant General Lawrence Mbatha, the chief of the South African Army, held talks with Russian counterparts on Tuesday during a visit to Moscow which his hosts said resulted in an agreement to beef up ties between the two nations’ land forces. Mbatha, on his second official visit to Russia, was part of a military delegation which Russia’s Defence Ministry said would visit military academies and defence companies after holding talks in the capital. … South Africa has sought to maintain a non-aligned stance on the conflict in Ukraine, while preserving strong ties with Moscow as a fellow member of the BRICS group of emerging economies. Reuters
Nation Media Group Says It Has Resumed Uganda Operations
Nation Media Group said on Tuesday it had resumed operations in Uganda after being ordered to shut down in late June by Uganda’s military chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the son of President Yoweri Museveni. The reopening of the Kenya-based media group’s newspapers, television channels and radio stations followed talks between its majority shareholder, Tanzanian businessman Rostam Azizi, and Kainerugaba. … Kainerugaba ordered the closure of NMG’s Ugandan operations, including the Daily Monitor newspaper and NTV Uganda, in late June without providing a reason. The move heightened international concern about restrictions on media freedom and dissent in Uganda, where Museveni has ruled for four decades. Kainerugaba, who is widely seen as a potential successor to his ageing father, is known for provocative social media posts, including threats to behead opposition leader Bobi Wine. Museveni’s government previously shut down the Daily Monitor for 10 days in 2013 over reports about who would succeed him. Reuters
South Sudan: Leaders Call for Peaceful Elections as NEC Launches Voter Education
Government officials, election stakeholders and international partners on Monday rallied behind South Sudan’s electoral process, calling for peaceful participation as the National Elections Commission (NEC) launched a nationwide civic and voter education campaign ahead of the 22 December General Elections. The campaign aims to educate eligible voters on their electoral rights and responsibilities, voter registration procedures, voting processes and the importance of participating in democratic governance. The initiative will be implemented nationwide through partnerships with civil society organizations, political parties, faith-based institutions, traditional leaders and the media. Launching the campaign in Juba, NEC Chairperson Prof. Abednego Akok Kacuol said the exercise marks a critical step in preparing citizens to participate in South Sudan’s first general elections since independence. … Vice President James Wani Igga called on South Sudanese to register and participate peacefully in the elections, saying a credible voter register is the foundation of a free and fair vote. “An accurate voter register promotes transparency, strengthens public confidence, reduces disputes and contributes to peaceful, credible elections,” he said. Radio Tamazuj
Criminal Gangs Increasingly Lure People to Work in Online Scam Centers, UN Migration Agency Warns
The U.N.’s migration agency is warning that criminal networks have been trafficking hundreds of thousands of people — many of them educated English speakers — to work in online scam centers, and the caseload is growing. The International Organization for Migration says victims are often lured by fake job advertisements — mostly through social media — promising work abroad, only to get locked up, have their identity documents seized, and forced through violence, threats and “debt bondage” to participate in the online scams. … The migration agency cited estimates from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime that losses across east Asia, Australia, and New Zealand reached as much as $114 billion last year, and “scam compounds” across the region could hold hundreds of thousands of trafficked workers. IOM said it had assisted over 3,500 such victims of forced criminality between 2022 and 2025, people who originated from nearly 40 countries: people from Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Bangladesh were most affected. AP
West Africa Has Become a Huge Cocaine-trading Hub
In a few years, west Africa has become one of the biggest hubs sending cocaine to Europe. … The region has long been a convenient waypoint about halfway between South America, where most of the world’s cocaine is made, and Europe, where much of it is consumed. … Yet in recent years a boom in cocaine production, increased policing in Europe of shipments from South America and technological innovations by traffickers have increased both the amount of cocaine routed through the region and the number of countries implicated in the trade. Traffickers now bulk-ship cocaine from South America to west Africa, where port controls are relatively weak. There, shipments are repackaged and loaded onto large “mother vessels”, before being moved to smaller high-speed boats known as “go-fasts” that hover around north Africa and the Canary Islands or on the high seas. The boats are too fast for most navies to intercept safely. They bypass European ports for beaches and makeshift jetties. Though the increasing number of successful drug busts suggests authorities have got better at intercepting the traffic, much still slips through the net. The Economist
Protesters Storm Key Energy Complex in Libya during Demonstrations over Power Outages
Protesters demonstrating against ongoing power outages in Libya stormed a key energy complex overnight and closed gas lines that fuel power plants, which officials warned could trigger a nationwide power blackout. Demonstrators in the capital Tripoli, Zawiya, Misrata and other locations across western Libya have protested for several days over hourslong power outages. They demand better electrical services and have called for the resignation of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah. As part of the ongoing protests, a group stormed the General Electricity Company’s Mellitah Oil & Gas complex about 90 kilometers west of Tripoli. The disruption could cause a complete blackout in multiple areas and ultimately collapse the electricity network, the company warned in a statement Tuesday. The Mellitah complex is a strategic energy supplier. Gas from the complex is compressed and sent to Sicily through a subsea pipeline, according to Bonatti, an international contractor that provides services to global energy sectors. … The complex’s workers union condemned the closure of the gas lines, warning that the action had created serious technical and operational risks and endangered the lives of workers. … Dbeibah’s Government of Unity said Tuesday that the defense ministry secured the Mellitah complex, ensuring the safety of staffers and allowing the resumption of gas supplies, which gradually restored electricity and stabilized the national grid. AP
UK to Resume Military Training in Kenya after Delay over Human Rights Concerns
Kenya and Britain on Tuesday agreed to resume military training in the East African nation after a delay in signing a new defense cooperation agreement that were largely attributed to Kenyan legislators’ concerns about protecting nearby communities. Neither government commented on allegations of human rights violations involving British soldiers during previous training exercises. Kenya’s foreign affairs minister, Musalia Mudavadi, said the government welcomed the decision to proceed with the training after a partnership “built over decades on mutual respect, constructive engagement, and a shared commitment to peace and security.” … Britain has about 200 military personnel permanently based in Kenya who train more than 1,000 Kenyan soldiers each year before deployment to neighboring Somalia to combat al-Shabab. AP
Ghana Launches National Urban Policy and Slum Upgrading Strategy to Tackle Flooding and Housing Challenges
The government has launched a new 10-year National Urban Policy and a National Slum Upgrading and Prevention Strategy, acknowledging that Ghana’s previous urban development policy achieved only about half of its intended objectives as cities continue to grapple with flooding, housing shortages, congestion and unplanned settlements. The National Urban Policy (2026–2035) and the National Slum Upgrading and Prevention Strategy (2026–2035) were launched on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, during the opening of the 9th Ghana Urban Forum in Accra under the theme, “Resetting Ghana’s Urban Future: Thinking Nationally and Taking Local Actions for Inclusive, Resilient and Sustainable Cities.” … The new policy seeks to promote sustainable urban growth, effective land use planning, climate resilience, improved infrastructure financing, affordable housing, digital governance and equitable access to essential services. Joy Online