Rebels Pressure Mali’s Junta as It Struggles for Control
In the wake of fresh, coordinated attacks in Mali by jihadists and their Tuareg allies, the country’s junta appears more threatened and isolated than ever in the capital Bamako and the nearby garrison stronghold of Kati. Just over two months after launching a major offensive that weakened the military rulers, JNIM jihadists and Tuareg FLA separatists carried out a new wave of assaults Saturday, in localities that stretched across the country. The demonstration of their ability to harass the central government laid bare the junta’s difficulty in controlling the vast Sahel nation. The rebels attacked several key towns in the north and centre, as well as one of the country’s largest prisons, located a few dozen kilometres south of the capital. In the northern Kidal region, the FLA claimed control of the town of Anefis, where Russian paramilitaries remain entrenched in a military camp, with fighting continuing into Sunday. The FLA reported additional intense combat Sunday afternoon after it ambushed a convoy of Russian mercenaries and Malian soldiers that was travelling from Gao to Anefis. … Faced with what seems to be a strategy to wear down the central government, the junta is struggling to maintain control. AFP
Morocco Prevents Attacks by Cell Loyal to Islamic State in Sahel
Morocco’s counterterrorism agency said on Monday it had foiled attack plots targeting sensitive sites and public security by a cell loyal to Islamic State’s affiliate in the Sahel. Ten suspects were arrested in coordinated operations in the cities of Agadir, Taroudant, Casablanca, Hajeb, Tetouan, Fqih Ben Salah and Safi, the agency, known as the Central Bureau for Judicial Investigations (BCIJ), said in a statement. Preliminary investigations showed that the suspects had pledged allegiance to Islamic State and received direct instructions from the group’s Sahel branch to carry out attacks in Morocco, it said. The operation underscores the threat posed by jihadist groups operating in the Sahel, where jihadists have expanded their presence in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. … In recent years, IS branches in Africa have recruited more than 130 Moroccan fighters, BCIJ figures show. Since its establishment in 2015, the BCIJ has dismantled dozens of militant cells and arrested more than 1,000 suspected jihadists. The last jihadist attack in the country was in 2023, when three individuals loyal to IS killed a Moroccan policeman in Casablanca. Reuters
Why El-Obeid Matters as Sudan’s War Enters a New Phase
For much of Sudan’s three-year civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), international attention has centred on Khartoum and the Darfur region. In recent weeks, however, attention has increasingly shifted to el-Obeid as fighting has intensified across Kordofan, prompting warnings from UN officials and humanitarian organisations that another acute humanitarian emergency could be unfolding. El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, lies about 360 km southwest of Khartoum at the intersection of roads linking central Sudan with Darfur and the country’s southern states. That location has made it one of Sudan’s most important commercial centres and a key logistical hub for both military operations and humanitarian aid. The city has remained under the control of the SAF, making it one of the army’s most important positions in western Sudan. Military analysts say control of el-Obeid helps shape movement along key supply routes connecting central Sudan with Kordofan and Darfur, helping explain why both the SAF and the RSF consider it strategically important. The battle for el-Obeid reflects a broader shift in Sudan’s war. After the SAF regained territory in and around Khartoum earlier this year, fighting increasingly concentrated in western Sudan, particularly across the Kordofan and Darfur regions. Al Jazeera
Nigeria: Customs Deploys INTERPOL Data Centre to Strengthen Border Security
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has strengthened its border security and intelligence capabilities by deploying an INTERPOL Data Centre at its Headquarters in Abuja, giving officers access to one of the world’s largest criminal intelligence networks. The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, announced the development during a demonstration of the facility, describing it as a major milestone in the Service’s technology-driven transformation and intelligence-led enforcement strategy. Adeniyi said Customs enforcement has evolved beyond conventional compliance, with technology now playing a central role in combating transnational crime. He added that the planned signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with INTERPOL would further deepen cooperation between both organisations. … INTERPOL Consultant Chikwe Udensi said the facility is the eighth INTERPOL Data Centre in Africa and provides Customs officers with access to more than 152 global criminal databases covering stolen vehicles, vessels, cargo, parcels, and other transported assets. According to Udensi, the platform enables officers to instantly verify whether goods or transport assets have been reported stolen anywhere in the world, strengthening investigations, border security and revenue generation through real-time intelligence. PR Nigeria
Tanzanian Authorities Arrest Dozens Ahead of Anti-government Protests
Tanzanian authorities arrested dozens of people ahead of planned anti-government protests, part of a crackdown on calls demanding democratic reforms and the release of a key opposition figure. Sylvester Mangure, the army spokesperson, warned Sunday against any demonstrations, following last week’s government ban on political rallies. He also accused “some people,” whom he didn’t identify, of “recruiting youth” to join the protests as they claimed the country’s army supported the planned demonstrations. Young people have called for protests on Tuesday, coinciding with the 72nd anniversary of the ruling party’s establishment, to demand democratic changes and the release of opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who was arrested on treason charges after calling for electoral reforms ahead of last year’s general election. … More than 500 people were killed during three days of violent demonstrations challenging the electoral process, according to a government-appointed committee. Human rights groups and opposition leaders say the death toll was much higher. On Sunday, Mangure asked the public to report anyone recruiting or organizing protesters, while promising that the army would safeguard the country’s peace. AP
Ethiopia Faces Renewed Child Soldier Crisis in Tigray
Ethiopia is facing renewed concerns over the recruitment of child soldiers in Tigray, a development that could undermine fragile peace efforts in the northern region. The concerns were raised in a Human Rights Watch report released on Monday, following earlier accusations by Addis Ababa itself that the Tigray Defence Force had been forcing civilians to join its ranks. Human Rights Watch said children as young as 15 had been forced to fight since April, when the armed wing of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) resumed clashes with government forces. Those being forced into the fight include former combatants who laid down their arms after a peace deal in 2022. The campaign has also targeted men and boys on the street, in offices and during night-time house-to-house searches, as well as at gold-mining sites, the rights watchdog said. … Human Rights Watch said it documented six cases of forced recruitment, drawing on remote interviews with 18 people in June, including relatives of those conscripted, as well as those who escaped the net. Officials of the TDF had previously urged former combatants to re-enlist. The East African
Pakistan Mediating Libya Unity Push as Rival Camps Seek Deal, Pakistani Sources Say
Pakistan has quietly begun mediating between Libya’s rival eastern and western power centres, two Pakistani sources said, in a previously unreported Pakistani effort that would further raise its diplomatic profile if it succeeds. … Both Pakistani sources said the efforts began late last year and both Libyan sides requested its involvement. It was unclear to what extent Pakistan has been coordinating its efforts with other regional stakeholders. … Pakistani officials have pursued defence ties with the eastern-based LNA, as Reuters reported in December, including the possible sale of JF-17 fighter jets and Super Mushshak trainer aircraft, despite a U.N. arms embargo. But the rival western GNU also recently sought direct talks with Pakistan, according to an unreported document seen by Reuters. Qatar as well as Turkey, one of the GNU’s biggest backers, were among the parties that encouraged Pakistan to get involved in mediation, two Pakistani sources familiar with the matter said. Reuters
DR Congo Opposition Builds Against Presidential Third-term Bid
The opposition in the Democratic Republic of Congo has called demonstrations in the capital and other cities on Wednesday to demand the resignation of the president, who it says is trying to cling on to power by changing the constitution. Political tensions have grown recently, more than two years before the vast central African country, beset by decades-long conflict and an Ebola outbreak in its east, goes to the polls. … The dispute now focuses on a bill setting out the framework for a referendum on constitutional change, which was adopted last month in parliament, where the presidential bloc holds an overwhelming majority. … Examination by the Constitutional Court — whose independence has often been called into question — is the last step before the president decides on whether to enact the bill into law. … The bill has mobilised the opposition, which emerged weakened and scattered from the 2023 presidential election, won by Tshisekedi with 73 percent of the vote. In May, the C64 coalition was formed, its name a reference to an article in the constitution allowing citizens to oppose any seizure of power deemed unconstitutional. AFP
Guinea-Bissau to Hold Referendum on Expanding Presidential Power
A proposed change to the constitution of Guinea-Bissau giving more power to the president will be put to a referendum on August 30, the country’s military junta said in a decree on Monday. The army seized power of the country in November, just days after a presidential election, overthrowing the head of state and suspending the electoral process. The junta has since approved a constitutional amendment to abandon the parliamentary system and move to a presidential one. Under the proposal, the president could appoint the prime minister and members of government and dissolve parliament. New elections aimed at restoring civilian rule are scheduled for December 6 but voters will first be asked whether they agree with the amendment. Transitional leader General Horta N’Tam will not be allowed to run for president, the junta said in December. Guinea-Bissau has witnessed five military takeovers and a string of attempted coups since it gained independence from Portugal in 1974. Africanews with AFP
Senegal’s Faye Plans to Form His Own Political Party
Faye has instructed senior adviser Aminata Toure to establish a task force charged with creating the party, said a statement from the pro-Faye coalition issued late on Friday. Faye has until now been a member of the ruling Pastef party, led by Ousmane Sonko, who was prime minister until Faye ousted him in May, capping months of tensions between the two leaders. Sonko has since become speaker of the National Assembly, where he has been pushing for constitutional reforms that would, among other things, bar a sitting president from serving as leader of a political party. Lawmakers voted in favour of the changes last week, but Faye has decided to put them to a referendum. It is unclear when the referendum will take place. The political upheaval is unfolding as Senegal struggles to grapple with a crisis stemming from the revelation of misreported debt under the previous government. Both Faye and Sonko are preparing for local elections scheduled for 2027 that will show how much support each of them has across the country. Reuters
Ebola Deaths in Congo Top 500 as Health Workers Threaten to Strike
At least 500 people have died out of over 1,500 confirmed cases in Congo’s Ebola outbreak, authorities said, as frontline workers threatened to go on strike on Monday over unpaid benefits and poor working conditions. The outbreak has recorded 1,561 cases, including 506 deaths, since it was declared on May 15 as the spread continues to outpace response, Congo’s Ministry of Health said in its latest update on Sunday night. Frontline workers deployed in Ituri province, the epicenter of the outbreak, issued a 24-hour notice on Sunday threatening to strike if authorities fail to pay them and improve their working conditions. The workers include mostly health professionals who have been laboring with little rest as they battle attacks from angry residents and widespread skepticism about the virus. In the notice to the government, a copy of which was seen by The Associated Press, the workers both in and outside hospitals said they had not been paid benefits since the outbreak began and they do not have adequate supplies for their work. … The strike threats come just days after enrollment for clinical trials started, raising concerns in the epicenter about its possible impact. Any strike could also hamper efforts to slow the spread of the outbreak, which is now confirmed in three eastern provinces including North Kivu and South Kivu. AP