Beyond Ports: China Embeds Itself in Africa’s Maritime Networks
China accounts for roughly 22 percent of all African trade, and Chinese firms now operate, finance, partner with, or hold stakes in roughly one-third of African ports. … Through its merchant fleet—the largest in the world—as well as state-owned shipping and construction firms, terminal operators, technology companies, and policy banks, China has become increasingly embedded in the systems that underpin African maritime activity. … China’s expanding military activity in dual-use ports that serve both commercial and naval purposes could also entangle African countries in geostrategic rivalries and undermine African efforts to diversify their security partnerships. … Africa faces a central tension from China’s deepening engagement in Africa’s port and trade corridors and maritime networks: expanded capacity may result in economic benefits, but it also comes with the risk of reduced autonomy over critical infrastructure as well as altered governance and regulatory norms. To maintain sovereign authority over this hard infrastructure and the software that operates these systems, African governments should enforce existing national laws that maintain sovereign control over their port and trade operations, pass new ones as necessary, and avoid agreements that undermine their policy autonomy or limit their ability to diversify external partnerships. Africa Center for Strategic Studies
How Nigerian Extremists Use TikTok, Exploit Country’s Digital Governance Gap
[Extremist groups are increasingly exploiting] digital platforms and weaknesses in digital governance systems to communicate, spread propaganda, recruit followers and project power far beyond the physical battlefield. At the centre of this challenge is Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), the foundational systems that enable governments and citizens to interact securely and efficiently through digital identity, payments, data exchange and trusted communications. While DPI is often discussed in the context of financial inclusion, service delivery and economic development, security experts increasingly argue that it is also becoming a critical component of national security. … “It started with bandits,” Bulama Bukarti, a lawyer and security analyst, said in an X post. “Now, Boko Haram members are hosting live TikTok shows—spreading propaganda, justifying their violence, and threatening anyone who dares speak against them.” Mr Bukarti said the insurgents engage with viewers in real time, fielding questions, responding to comments and cultivating a disturbing sense of virtual community. … Short-form videos are easy to consume and share, making them effective tools for shaping narratives. Over time, repeated exposure to such content, even in diluted or coded forms, can normalise extremist ideas or desensitise audiences to violence. … Unlike traditional recruitment, which often required physical networks, digital pathways are diffuse and harder to detect. A user may encounter a video, follow a handle, and gradually be drawn into more private or encrypted spaces where deeper engagement occurs. Premium Times
Rights Groups Denounce Arrest of 2 Malian Journalists, in Latest Crackdown on Press Freedom
Rights groups on Wednesday denounced the arrest of two prominent journalists in Mali in the past two days, the latest crackdown on freedom of expression by the West African country’s military leadership during a security crisis. The “Maison de La Presse,” the main press association in Mali, had said Tuesday that Abdramane Keita was arrested on charges of “undermining national unity and the credibility of the State” and “dissemination of false and misleading information.” Keita had said on his popular TV program “Grand Jury” that the JNIM group controls the town of Kidal, a northern town that was seized by JNIM and separatists during major coordinated attacks in April. In Mali, public statements suggesting that the military is losing ground to jihadist groups often lead to charges. His arrest comes a day after the arrest of Chahana Takiou, a well-known television presenter and editor-in-chief of the newspaper “22 Septembre.” According to the same press association he was arrested Monday on charges of “undermining the credibility of the State through the judicial system.” Takiou had recently criticized the authorities’ application of a cybercrime law, claiming it represents an attack on press freedom. AP
Congo’s Ebola Outbreak Spreads to New Health Zone
Congo’s Ebola outbreak has spread to a new health zone in the northeastern province of Ituri, authorities said on Wednesday, as fresh infections underline sustained transmission more than three weeks after the epidemic was declared. The health ministry said Tchomia, about 50 kilometres south of the provincial capital Bunia on the shores of Lake Albert, has become the latest affected health zone, bringing the total number of affected zones to 26 nationwide and 18 in Ituri province, which accounts for more than 94% of confirmed cases. A health zone in Congo’s healthcare system covers a defined area with a network of clinics and a referral hospital. The government’s latest situation report said 37 new confirmed cases, including 12 deaths, were reported in the previous 24 hours, all in Ituri. The outbreak has so far recorded 635 confirmed cases and 127 deaths across three eastern provinces. Reuters
Motorcycle Taxi Drivers in Congo Rally for Ebola Awareness as Attacks Hinder Response
Dozens of motorcycle taxi drivers spread messages about Ebola in an awareness caravan Tuesday in eastern Congo where community skepticism has led to attacks on health workers who are trying to contain a spreading outbreak of the illness. The drivers wore white “Stop Ebola” T-shirts and displayed public health messages and illustrations on how to prevent the disease as they rode through the streets of Bunia and Rwampara, two towns in Congo’s eastern province of Ituri at the heart of the outbreak. … [T]he outbreak has been met with skepticism and misinformation among communities where residents sometimes deny there is an outbreak or strongly oppose the strict measures imposed by health workers on burials of the bodies of victims to minimize the spread of the disease. … Taxi drivers can help spread the word that medical workers are just trying to stop the spread, said Jacques Maliro, the World Health Organization’s Risk Communication and Community Engagement Officer, one of the organizers of the caravan. AP
Sudan: Darfur Rights Group Records 470 Deaths in Air Strikes and Drone Attacks
A Darfur advocacy group says air strikes and drone attacks killed at least 470 people and injured 187 others across Sudan between March 2024 and January 2026, as civilians continue to bear the brunt of the war. In a report published on Monday, the Darfur Victims Advocacy Organisation documented 42 air raids and one drone attack during the period. The group said North Darfur accounted for about 61 per cent of the attacks, making it the hardest hit state. South Darfur followed with 16 per cent, while the remaining strikes occurred across Kordofan, El Gezira and Sennar. The organisation attributed 87 per cent of the attacks to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), while the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out the remaining 13 per cent, mainly using drones and artillery. Dabanga
Sudan: Rapid Support Forces Drone Attacks Kill Five in El Obeid
Five people were killed, and 12 others injured on Wednesday in drone attacks carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeting civil sites in North Kordofan State, the Sudan Doctors Network said. El Obeid has become a hub for advanced military operations for the army, targeting areas in South and West Kordofan as well as the Darfur region. The city has faced recurring drone attacks by the RSF, which have killed numerous civilians and caused extensive damage to markets and public facilities, including schools and hospitals. The Sudan Doctors Network said in a statement that one drone targeted the Dalil cemetery during a funeral procession, killing four people and injuring seven others. According to the network, another attack struck a fuel station inside the city, leaving five people with critical injuries. The statement noted growing fears that the casualty toll could rise, given the continued targeting of civilian areas and public facilities inside the city in recent days. Sudan Tribune
Ethiopia: Olusegun Obasanjo, International Envoys Arrive in Mekelle for Talks on Pretoria Agreement, Regional Security
Former Nigerian President and African Union High Representative for the Horn of Africa, Olusegun Obasanjo, has arrived in Mekelle alongside representatives from Australia and the United Kingdom for discussions with TPLF Chairman Debretsion Gebremichael. According to information obtained from the Tigray President Office Page, the envoys arrived in Mekelle on 11 June and are expected to hold talks focused on two key issues: preventing a return to war and assessing the implementation of the Pretoria peace agreement. The discussions will also review the current political and security situation in the region amid growing concerns over tensions in Tigray and recent allegations of military mobilization. The visit comes at a time when political divisions within Tigray and Ethiopia remain unresolved and concerns have been raised by regional and international actors over the need to preserve the gains made since the signing of the Pretoria Agreement in November 2022. Addis Standard
South Sudanese Man Abducted in Nairobi, Family Fears Rendition to Juba
The wife of a South Sudanese national reported missing in Kenya said on Wednesday that her husband was abducted by armed men in Nairobi, raising fears that he could be forcibly returned to South Sudan, where she believes his life may be at risk. … [S]he said she received a call from a relative informing her that a report had been filed at Nairobi’s Kilimani Police Station alleging that Gaddafi had been abducted at gunpoint. … Kenyan activist and presidential aspirant Boniface Mwangi told Radio Tamazuj that Gaddafi had approached him in April claiming his life was in danger. … Mwangi said Gaddafi alleged that money had been siphoned from South Sudan through a company called CapitalPay and that he had spoken to journalists and police about the matter. … Human rights groups and United Nations investigators have documented several cases involving South Sudanese activists, opposition figures and government critics who were deported, abducted or forcibly returned from Kenya over the past decade. Radio Tamazuj
East African Ministers to Unveil Budgets amid Iran Fuel Shock, Debt Strains
Finance ministers in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will present their 2026/27 budgets to their parliaments on Thursday, with investors focused on how they will shield their economies from cost shocks linked to the Iran war while keeping debt in check. East Africa is seen as highly vulnerable to the trade turmoil arising from conflict given its reliance on fuel and fertiliser imports – concerns which prompted the African Development Bank to cut the region’s growth forecast for this year by half a percentage point. … In Kenya, the biggest economy in the region, markets will be watching to see how Finance Minister John Mbadi balances high debt repayments, slowing growth, a temporary cut in petroleum taxes and a wide fiscal deficit. … In neighbouring Uganda, analysts cautioned that the Iran war shock on fuel prices could strain government spending plans. … In Tanzania, which said it expected the economy to grow at a faster rate of 6.3% this year from 5.9% last year, the government said the Iran war could present opportunities. “There is an opportunity to provide the services for transhipment of ships that have not been able to deliver parcels to the ports in the Middle East,” Planning Minister Kitila Mkumbo told parliament ahead of the budget. Reuters