Sudanese Victims Ask ICC to Investigate Emiratis over RSF Atrocities in El-Fasher
A group of Sudanese survivors has asked the International Criminal Court to investigate senior Emirati officials and business figures over their alleged backing of Rapid Support Forces (RSF) atrocities in Darfur. The submission, filed with the Office of the Prosecutor on [last week], names Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a vice president of the United Arab Emirates, among those alleged to maintain close ties to the RSF and to have contributed to its financing and logistical support. It asks prosecutors to examine the responsibility of intermediaries under Articles 25(3)(c) and 25(3)(d) of the Rome Statute, provisions covering those who aid, abet or knowingly contribute to crimes committed by a group acting with a common purpose. The UAE has repeatedly denied supplying the RSF with weapons or other support. However, since mid-2023, several investigations have concluded that weapons and materiel reached the RSF via an airbridge through Amdjarass in Chad, with the UAE repeatedly named as a suspected supplier. … The filing details allegations of murder, torture, rape, forced displacement and attacks on hospitals, and describes a pattern in which RSF fighters pursued fleeing civilians and deliberately ran them over with vehicles. Middle East Eye
Central Bank of Nigeria Orders Banks to Freeze Accounts Linked to Six Terrorism Financing Suspects
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has directed banks and other financial institutions to immediately freeze all accounts and assets linked to six individuals and four Bureau de Change (BDC) operators recently designated for terrorism and terrorism-financing-related activities. In a circular signed by Olubunmi Ayodele-Oni, the CBN’s Director of Compliance Department, on Thursday, the apex bank said the sanctions followed recent designations by the Nigeria Sanctions Committee (NIGSAC) and the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) under Executive Order 13224, as amended. … Financial institutions were directed to ensure that no funds, financial services, or economic resources are made available to the sanctioned persons or entities. … In addition, the CBN ordered financial institutions to intensify monitoring for terrorism financing indicators, including structured transactions, rapid movement of funds, the use of money service businesses and informal channels, and transactions involving high-risk jurisdictions. Premium Times
Nigeria, UN Deepen Human Rights Partnership, Seek Resolution of Liberia Legacy Cases
The Federal Government and the United Nations have reaffirmed their commitment to advancing human rights protection and victims’ rights advocacy, while intensifying efforts to resolve long-standing legacy cases linked to Nigeria’s past peacekeeping operations in Liberia. The Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Gwabin Musa (rtd), OFR, made the commitment during a diplomatic working visit by the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Victims’ Rights Advocate, Ms. Najla Nassif Palma, and her delegation at the Ship House in Abuja. … At the end of the meeting, both sides agreed to formalise a broader partnership that will include specialised training programmes, joint workshops and capacity-building initiatives aimed at further integrating human rights principles into the operational doctrine of the Armed Forces of Nigeria. PR Nigeria
Whereabouts of Nearly 300 People with Ebola Unknown in DR Congo
The whereabouts of almost 300 people who have tested positive for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is unknown, according to Africa’s top public health official. The humanitarian crisis amid the conflict in the affected areas means more than 1 million people are living in camps to which health workers have no access, Dr Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said on Thursday. His comments came as projections from the World Health Organization’s Africa regional office, published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, predicted there will be about 8,210 cases and 1,420 deaths by mid-September. … Figures on the number of patients who have recovered and those being treated, as well as deaths, indicate 297 people who tested positive are unaccounted for. “This is a concern that we have. Where are these people?” asked Kaseya. … Computer models were used by the WHO to simulate three trajectories – low, central or high transmissibility. There are signs that the DRC’s response is working to slow transmission, the authors said, and current figures are most in line with the central scenario, predicting between 6,636 and 10,287 cases by 16 September. The Guardian
South Sudan: Groundwork Laid for Inter-party Dialogue
Preparations are progressing through technical committees tasked with shaping the framework for an inter-party dialogue ahead of the country’s 2026 general elections, a senior official said on Thursday. Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro, Cabinet Affairs Minister and rapporteur of the Multi-Party Steering Committee, said key preparatory instruments had been completed to guide the process, including a work plan, concept note and methodology document. “In the last few weeks we have been doing a lot of work behind the scenes and now we have confirmed a number of things,” Lomuro said. “We have produced the work plan for the Inter-Party Dialogue, a concept note and a methodology document that will guide us towards the election.” He said five technical committees had been established to develop detailed proposals on core areas of the electoral process, including legal and constitutional affairs, governance, electoral and institutional preparedness, stakeholder engagement, and security and civic space. … The preparatory phase comes as South Sudan moves toward elections scheduled for December 2026, though questions remain over political consensus and institutional readiness. Uncertainty persists over the participation of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO), led by First Vice President Riek Machar, and holdout opposition groups, amid tensions surrounding the implementation of the 2018 peace agreement. Radio Tamazuj
Outrage as Woman Jailed for Three Years after Criticising Somali Government Online
A rickshaw driver in Somalia has been sentenced to three years in prison for comments she made on social media, in a case that has caught the public’s attention and provoked outrage in the country. Sadia Moalim Ali, a 27-year-old nursing graduate, was originally charged with insulting government institutions and incitement to commit a crime, but convicted only of the former. Her sentence, immediately condemned as “fundamentally unjust”, was handed down on 25 June. She had made critical comments on Facebook and TikTok about the federal government of Somalia, speaking out about the youth unemployment and high fuel prices gripping the country, as well as against alleged corruption, nepotism and forced evictions. The sentencing of the young mother has been condemned by former high-ranking government officials, including the former president of Somalia, Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, and human rights organisations. … Since 2022, Somali authorities have been accused of engaging in a systematic and escalating crackdown on human rights, using arbitrary arrests, detention, harassment, threats and intimidation to silence journalists, activists and other people who express dissenting views. The Guardian
Kenya: Activist Mwangi Warns of Unresolved Gen Z Protest Grievances
Human rights activist and Presidential aspirant Boniface Mwangi says the issues that sparked the Gen Z-led protests two years ago remain unresolved. Speaking on Spice FM Mwangi argued that public anger over the high cost of living, poor governance, corruption and economic hardship has not subsided. He added that the government’s response to the June 25 Gen Z demonstrations anniversary reflected continued fear of public dissatisfaction. “The anger that began two years ago is still there,” Mwangi said, adding that authorities anticipated widespread disruption despite declaring it a normal working day. The anniversary saw heavy police deployment, roadblocks across Nairobi and restrictions on movement into the city centre. … While no deaths were reported, he criticised the government’s handling of the protests, alleging that road barricades, masked police officers and the arrest of 355 demonstrators violated their constitutional rights to peaceful assembly and protest. The Standard
Libya’s Eastern Authorities Ban Entry for Citizens of Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia
Authorities based in the eastern part of divided Libya have banned entry for people from four nearby African countries, a move likely meant to stem the influx of migrants seeking to set off for Europe from the country’s northern coast. Libya’s coast is a key departure points for migrants from North Africa trying to reach European shores for a better life there. They are typically packed by smugglers into small and unsafe boats, with thousands dying during the perilous sea journey. The ban, announced late Tuesday, says citizens of Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia are “prohibited from entering Libyan territory through all land, sea, and air ports.” The government statement said exemptions will be made for diplomats and workers in health and education sectors. Separately, tensions have risen in the last few months in both eastern and western Libya against the resettlement of refugees from other countries. There have been mass crackdowns on refugees with thousands arrested, according to Amnesty International. AP
Why Immigrants Are Leaving South Africa and the Country Is on Edge Ahead of a June 30 ‘Deadline’
Thousands of African immigrants are leaving South Africa because of a rise in anti-migration anger that sparked attacks against foreigners. The attacks have coincided with a series of protests and marches in recent months by anti-immigration groups, who have set what they are calling a June 30 deadline for people in the country illegally to leave and the government to take action against what they say is a growing problem of illegal immigration in Africa’s biggest economy. … Meanwhile, thousands of immigrants have gathered in temporary shelters, near embassies and elsewhere citing fear of attacks. Some countries have begun repatriating citizens while criticizing South Africa for what they call a climate of xenophobia. … The protest groups have blamed immigrants without evidence for South Africa’s high unemployment, public service failures and crime. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa gave a speech on national television earlier this month in an attempt to defuse tensions. He has said some of the protest groups are exploiting the issue to advance their own political agendas and “illegal immigration is not the cause of our social and economic difficulties.” AP
African Mayors Endorse a Global Pact to Shape Data Center Development
Forty mayors from around the world have signed onto a pact announced Tuesday to try to shape how urban data centers are built and operated. … About half of participating mayors are from the U.S. … European cities in Greece, Spain, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom and Norway joined, as did Montreal in Canada. The pact includes African cities in Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Kenya, as well as Asia-Pacific cities in India and Australia, and Lebanon in the Middle East. … Mayors are limited in what they can do unilaterally, so they’ll need buy-in from other government officials, utilities and the private sector. The pact lists several standards for data center developments. Urban data centers should be built on abandoned or underutilized land in an area that minimizes negative impacts on noise, heat and air pollution. Developments should be fueled by renewable energy and battery storage, and data centers should reduce water use and emissions, as well as capture waste heat. And, the mayors want data centers that create jobs, buy local goods and services, pay for their own infrastructure upgrades and listen to community feedback. AP
Ivory Coast Reach World Cup Knockouts for First Time
Ivory Coast reached the knockout stages for the first time in World Cup history thanks to a Nicolas Pepe double as they eliminated minnows Curacao. The Ivorians needed just a point to reach the round of 32, having exited at the group stage in their three previous World Cup appearances. And they settled their nerves with a goal after just seven minutes as Curacao’s defenders were caught out at the back and dispossessed by Yan Diomande, who squared for Pepe to tap in. Then, in the 65th minute, former Arsenal forward Pepe – who was left out of the Ivory Coast squad for the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year – got his second as he slotted a left-footed strike into the top corner past Curacao keeper Eloy Room. It means Ivory Coast finish second in Group E with six points, winning two matches at a World Cup for the first time. BBC