UN Probe Says Mass Killings, Rapes, Abductions, Starvation by Sudan Force Amount to Genocide
Sudan’s RSF forces carried out mass killings, abductions of women and girls, mass gang rapes and forced starvation in a city they besieged and captured last year, as part of an intentional policy amounting to genocide, a U.N. probe said on Wednesday. The Rapid Support Forces, which are battling the Sudanese army in a civil war, committed the crimes in al-Fashir in north Darfur, which they captured last year after a long siege, the U.N. Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan found. Survivors described to the mission being raped in rooms where bodies of recently killed civilians, including their own family members, were still lying on the ground. The report found that the RSF and allies committed the war crime of starvation by imposing a prolonged siege on the city, impeding relief supplies, and shelling food production systems. … The fact-finding mission had already concluded in a previous report in February that mass killings of non‑Arab communities when the RSF captured al-Fashir bore hallmarks of genocide. Its new report said it found additional evidence that the widespread and systematic pattern of conduct of the RSF, including large-scale killings, mass-scale rape and deliberate starvation, was part of an intended policy. Reuters
Sudanese Army Recaptures Strategic Border Town of Kurmuk
The Sudanese army on Wednesday recaptured the strategic town of Kurmuk in the Blue Nile region following fierce battles against an alliance of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and a faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-N) led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu. The RSF, backed by fighters from the SPLM-N Al-Hilu, had seized control of Kurmuk on March 24 during a large-scale military operation in the border region near Ethiopia. The Sudanese government previously accused Ethiopia of backing the March assault by allowing drones to launch from Bahir Dar airport in the neighbouring Amhara region. Addis Ababa has rejected those allegations. … Kurmuk has long been a major theatre of military operations, frequently changing hands during the decades-long civil war between Khartoum and the SPLM under its late leader, John Garang. Sudan Tribune
South Sudan’s 15 Years of Independence
South Sudan became the world’s newest country in July 2011 after nearly 99 percent of voters chose independence from Sudan. Fifteen years later, most of the major promises that came with independence remain unfulfilled. South Sudan remains one of the world’s most fragile states. Oil finances nearly 90 percent of the government’s revenue, but the country remains wracked by deep inequality and violence: 82 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, and political jostling between rival groups has left the young nation in a perpetual state of conflict. Elections have never been held since independence, millions remain displaced, and the country’s economy depends on pipelines running through Sudan, the very nation it fought to leave. The country is technically governed by a transitional unity government created under the 2018 peace agreement. But that peace remains fragile. Violence continues across Jonglei, Upper Nile, Unity and Equatoria states with clashes involving government forces, opposition fighters and other armed groups. Elections scheduled several times since independence have again been delayed, with the latest vote planned for late 2026. Al Jazeera
Burkina Faso’s Army Accused of Preventing Civilians from Leaving Jihadist-besieged Towns
Civilians in Burkina Faso have accused the national army of preventing them from leaving government-held towns blockaded by jihadist rebels, forcing them to remain in life-threatening conditions where there is a lack of food and other basic essentials. For years, insurgent groups have surrounded towns across the West African country, particularly those with military bases or hosting pro-government volunteer groups, cutting off most supplies. Yet more than a dozen civilians and aid workers told The New Humanitarian that, in some of these places, soldiers are also preventing people from leaving, hoping to maintain an appearance that their fight against the rebels is succeeding. …[T]he expansion of military operations by the state has been accompanied by an increase in army attacks on civilians that rights groups say amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. The government’s drive to demonstrate progress – even as jihadists step up attacks in response to military operations – has also made it increasingly intolerant of dissent, and in some cases, hostile to those trying to flee their homes. The New Humanitarian
Nigeria: ISWAP Attacks Army Base, Burns Police Post, Public Facilities
Suspected fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have attacked a Forward Operating Base in Logomani, Ngala Local Government Area of Borno State, killing a soldier before burning a police outpost, a primary healthcare centre and two classrooms, according to the military and local residents. The attack occurred late Tuesday night and comes amid ongoing military operations against insurgents across the North-east. In a statement issued Thursday, the Acting Military Information Officer of Operation HADIN KAI, Mohammed Goni, said troops deployed at the Forward Operating Base successfully repelled what he described as a coordinated attack. Although the attackers briefly breached part of the base’s defensive perimeter during the fighting, troops regrouped and forced them to retreat after inflicting casualties, Mr Goni, a lieutenant-colonel, said. … The latest attack highlights the continued vulnerability of frontline communities in northern Borno despite sustained military offensives against insurgent groups. Premium Times
Nigeria Government Orders Agencies to Harmonise Rules for Internet Platforms
Federal Government has directed agencies under the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy to align their regulation of internet platforms and online intermediaries as it moves to eliminate overlapping rules in Nigeria’s digital ecosystem. The directive, announced yesterday by the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, requires regulators to maintain the current regulatory arrangement and suspend the implementation of new cross-cutting regulations pending the development of a harmonised national policy and governance framework. … According to the minister, the rapid evolution of the digital economy has created areas where the statutory responsibilities of the three agencies increasingly overlap, particularly in the regulation of internet platforms, online intermediaries, artificial intelligence, online safety and data governance. The Guardian Nigeria
Turkey to Use Somalia Spaceport for Hypersonic Missile Tests
Turkey plans to use its proposed space launch facility in Somalia to test domestically developed hypersonic missiles capable of striking targets up to 2,000 kilometres away, French newspaper Le Monde has reported. According to the report, Ankara views Somalia’s Indian Ocean coastline as an ideal location for missile and space launch activities, expanding the strategic role of the facility beyond its publicly announced purpose as a satellite launch centre. The newspaper said the spaceport, initially presented as a civilian project for launching satellites, would also serve as a testing ground for long-range missile systems, including hypersonic weapons under development by Turkey. … If confirmed, the project would further transform Somalia into a strategic arena where foreign powers compete for influence, intensifying concerns over external involvement in the country’s politics and security. Garowe Online
Sierra Leone to Host Historic 69th ECOWAS Summit
Press Secretary Yusuf Keketoma Sandi Esq. has announced that Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio will host the 69th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in Freetown on July 19, 2026. Describing the upcoming event as a major milestone, Sandi emphasized that hosting the high-level summit reflects Sierra Leone’s growing international stature, technical expertise, and institutional readiness to successfully manage prestigious international engagements. In the days leading up to the main summit, Freetown will serve as the hub for a series of critical preparatory meetings. … [Minister of Foreign Affairs Alhaji Musa Timothy Kabba] noted that the collective decision by member states to bring the summit to Freetown reflects widespread regional confidence in Sierra Leone’s current stability, leadership, and operational capacity. APA
Ebola Death Toll in Congo Reaches 600, as New Cases Suspected in Previously Unaffected Province
New suspected cases of Ebola have been reported in parts of Congo that were previously unaffected, the government said, as the death toll in the country’s latest Ebola outbreak reached 600. The Congolese government’s latest report, published late Wednesday, said two new cases were suspected in Kisangani in the Tshopo province, where cases had not been previously recorded. The total number of confirmed cases across the country has now reached 1,759. According to the report, one of the two suspected cases was linked to the Nia-Nia health zone in Ituri province, where the first cases were reported, while the other case “has no apparent geographical connection to known outbreaks.” … Last week, clinical trials for treatment began after researchers launched a highly anticipated study in the hope of fighting the virus. AP
Five Charged in Liberia after More than 200kg of Cocaine Seized in Drug Bust
Authorities in Liberia have charged five suspects over one of the largest drug seizures in the country’s history, after police found more than 200kg of cocaine falsely declared as Maggi seasoning cubes. The shipment, with an estimated value of $19m, was discovered at the international airport in Monrovia on 8 June, but the suspects were not named until a press briefing at the weekend. “This was a serious transnational cocaine trafficking operation using Liberia’s aviation and logistics system as a channel for organised crime,” said Insp Gen Gregory Coleman late on Saturday. He added that his team had found evidence linking the shipment to a similar one processed in May. News of the drug bust caused uproar in Liberia, and prompted President Joseph Boakai to order a combined investigation by the police and national anti-drug agency. … The bust has reinforced reports that west Africa, a region with porous land and sea borders, has become a major staging post for the movement of narcotics between South America and Europe. The Guardian
Inside Morocco’s Mission to Become a Powerhouse
[The Atlas Lions] are now bidding to make history once more as they face Les Bleus again on Thursday for a place in the last four. … There has been sustained investment in the game, which has been backed by King Mohammed VI. Significant sums have been pumped into a state-of-the-art training facility, a national academy, regional training centres, stadium redevelopments and thousands of amateur pitches. … Morocco have sought to identify and reach out to promising players with such roots at an early stage by deploying full-time scouts in France, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Norway, Sweden and Denmark. … The next step for Morocco is to bring more senior internationals through the domestic production line. … “They are building stadiums, but they are also building the structure from the down up,” added [Chris van Puyvelde, former technical director at the Royal Moroccan Football Federation]. BBC