Five Humanitarians Killed in ‘Horrendous’ Attack on Aid Convoy in Sudan
An aid convoy carrying life-saving assistance for the famine-affected area of North Darfur, Sudan, was attacked on Monday night, killing five humanitarian workers, injuring many more and damaging critical humanitarian supplies. The World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)…reminded the international community that under humanitarian law, aid must be able to move securely…The five aid workers killed were all Sudanese contractors working for WFP and UNICEF. The convoy had travelled over 1,800 kilometres from the city of Port Sudan, located on the Red Sea coast, which has itself endured ongoing drone strikes. The 15 trucks were carrying vital nutritional supplies to North Darfur, a region in which hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people are at high risk of malnutrition and starvation. The agencies noted that all parties on the ground had been notified about the convoy and its movements. “They were 80 kilometres from El Fasher, parked on the side of the road, waiting for clearance, and they were attacked,” said Mr. Dujarric. This would have been the first convoy to reach El Fasher in over a year…Famine has been declared in multiple places, including in El Fasher, and many more regions remain at risk. UN News
165,000 Displaced by S. Sudan Violence in Three Months: UN
More than 165,000 people have been displaced by violence in South Sudan in the last three months, with around 100,000 fleeing abroad, the United Nations said Tuesday. South Sudan has been beset by political instability and ethnic violence since it gained independence from Sudan in 2011…Of those, around 100,000 have sought safety in the neighbouring countries of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Sudan and Uganda…Fighting and movement restrictions in Upper Nile state and other areas have hindered aid access to an estimated 65,000 newly internally displaced people, UNHCR said. The flow of aid, including medicine and material to tackle surging cholera cases, “has ground to a halt”, with looming rains likely to exacerbate the situation, the agency said. AFP
DRC, Liberia to Sit on UN Security Council
The Democratic Republic of Congo and Liberia were on Tuesday elected to sit on the UN Security Council, securing non-permanent seats on the world’s most powerful body responsible for peace and security. The DRC got 183 out of 194 votes, while Liberia received 181. They will take their places on the Council in January next year, serving a two-year term. As the African representatives, often known as A3, they will replace Mozambique and Sierra Leone, whose terms end in December 2025…For the DRC, this election represents a significant vote of confidence from the international community, particularly given the ongoing internal conflict in the east of the country…This will be the third time that the DRC will be sitting as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. It has previously served on this supreme UN body during the 1982-1983 and 1990-1991 terms…Serving on the Council also means representing the interests of the African Union, including pushing for reforms to make the Council more representative. The East African
Benue Killings: Nigerian Army Chief, Other Senior Officers Move to Benue
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Olufemi Oluyede, on Tuesday, moved to Benue, in a strategic move to address the incessant killing of innocent villagers by suspected herders and militia groups in the state. A source at the Army Headquarters told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday that the COAS was concerned about the killings of innocent citizens and the displacement of families from their homes in the state. NAN learnt that Mr Oluyede, an army general, accompanied by Principal Staff Officers (PSOs) and other top officers at the army headquarters, is moving to the state for assessment of the security situation. The source disclosed that the COAS had also ordered more deployment of troops and logistics to the state to hunt down the armed groups terrorising the people of Benue. News Agency of Nigeria
Nigeria: Court Jails Eight Filipinos for Cyber-terrorism, Internet Fraud
The Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Tuesday, sentenced eight Filipino nationals to one year in prison each for cyber-terrorism and internet fraud. The judge, Alexander Owoeye, gave the verdict after the defendants pleaded guilty to separate one-count charges filed by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The charges bordered on possession of fraudulent documents and involvement in cybercrime…According to the EFCC, the defendants were found to possess electronic messages and documents containing false identities and fraudulent claims…The eight Filipinos were among 792 suspects, including 158 foreign nationals, arrested during a massive EFCC raid on 10 December 2024 at No. 7 Oyin Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. The anti-graft agency described it as the largest single-day cybercrime operation in history. The suspects were allegedly involved in cryptocurrency investment scams, romance fraud, and identity theft, targeting both Nigerians and foreign victims. Premium Times
Africans are Building Putin’s Suicide Drones
Alabuga began producing drones shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. At first, the bulk of the workers it recruited—some allegedly forcibly—were local students. But soon war-induced labour shortages prompted the factory’s owners to look for cheap foreign labour to plug the gap. They established “Alabuga Start”, which they advertised as an exciting work-study programme for fields such as catering and hospitality. Though ostensibly open to “talented people from all over the world”, in reality most of those targeted by the scheme were in Africa…Most troublingly, the recruiters had one specific demographic in mind: women between the ages of 18 and 22…The vast majority of those recruited from overseas are involved in manufacturing drones, according to a report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime, a non-profit organisation…Adverts distributed on social media and Telegram, a popular messaging app, are so deceptive that the UN says the scheme could constitute human trafficking. Ukrainian officials have pressed their African counterparts to put a stop to recruitment in their countries—to little effect…The probable—and tragic—consequence, says a Ukrainian diplomat, is that “at some stage an African woman will be a legitimate target for a Ukrainian missile.” The Economist
Outrage over Arrest of Kenyan Software Developer as Regional Repression Grows
Rose Njeri was on Tuesday accused of violating the country’s computer misuse and cybercrime law. Prosecutors said on the charge sheet that her tool enabled users to automatically send emails to the national assembly’s finance committee, “thereby interfering with the normal functioning of the systems”. Njeri published a post on X on 19 May announcing her new tool. “I wrote a simple program that lets you reject the Finance Bill 2025 with just one click. Click below to send your objection,” she said. She was arrested at her home in Nairobi on Friday, and police confiscated her electronic devices. Her arrest sparked outrage in the country, with politicians, civil society members and Kenyans at large condemning it and calling for her release. Njeri’s tool related to a finance bill that proposes a wide range of tax changes to increase government revenue. Experts say it may increase tax burdens and reduce Kenyans’ disposable income…Njeri’s arrest is in line with what observers say is a wave of repression by east African governments cracking down on dissent. The former Kenyan chief justice Willy Mutunga and activists Hanifa Adan and Hussein Khalid were deported from Tanzania two weeks ago. They had travelled to the country to attend a hearing in a treason case against the opposition politician Tundu Lissu. Two other people who had also gone there for the case – Mwangi and the Ugandan lawyer Agather Atuhaire – said on Monday that Tanzanian security officers had sexually assaulted them…In Uganda, where the opposition politician Kizza Besigye has been in jail for six months over alleged treason charges, lawmakers passed a bill last month to allow civilians to be tried in military court. The Guardian
Tanzanian Lawmaker’s Church Shut down after He Accuses Government of Human Rights Abuses
Tanzanian authorities deregistered a church owned by a ruling party lawmaker after he accused the government of human rights violations ahead of October elections. Parliament member Josephat Gwajima’s Glory of Christ church in the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, was cordoned off by police Tuesday after hundreds of congregants turned up to protest the closure announcement. Tanzania’s registrar of societies wrote a letter deregistering Gwajima’s church, saying his sermons contravened acceptable conduct of religious organizations. Gwajima last Sunday called out the government for what he called detentions and enforced disappearances, warning his congregants to be wary…Gwajima was elected in 2020 after he was endorsed by then-President John Magufuli. His popularity has risen over the years and he is seen as an outspoken critic of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who is serving out Magufuli’s term after he died in office. AP
Uganda: Churches Demand Quick Reforms, Peaceful Polls
Religious leaders from both the Catholic and Anglican faiths yesterday united to issue calls for free, fair, and peaceful elections ahead of the 2026 General Elections, set for between January and February. The clerics, who spoke at separate venues to celebrate the Uganda Martyrs Day in Namugongo in Wakiso District, criticised what they described as injustices being meted out to Ugandans, especially those with opposing political views. Kampala Catholic Archbishop Paul Ssemogerere called for the fast-tracking of the pending political reforms and the observance of the rule of law to guarantee a peaceful election. “As Uganda goes into the general election next year, we have witnessed a period of political tension, fears, silence of the oppressed, and this should not be repeated. We want to see a situation where elections do not become an unrest, and where leadership is not by power but service,” Archbishop Ssemogerere said. Monitor
ICC Appeals Judges Greenlight First in Absentia Hearing over Ugandan Rebel Leader Kony
Appeals judges at the International Criminal Court gave a final greenlight Tuesday for the tribunal’s first in absentia hearing by allowing the next step in proceedings against notorious fugitive Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony. The Hague-based court has scheduled a so-called confirmation of charges hearing at which prosecutors will present evidence in September to back up charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity against Kony, despite his whereabouts being unknown. Kony, the leader of the brutal Lord’s Resistance Army, faces dozens of counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes, including murder, sexual enslavement and rape. The ICC’s rules do not allow trials entirely in absentia but can in some circumstances move forward with a confirmation of charges even if the suspect is not in custody. AP
Four Ivory Coast Opposition Figures Barred from October Presidential Election
Four prominent opposition figures in Ivory Coast have been excluded from the final voter list and are ineligible to contest the October presidential election, the electoral commission announced Wednesday. Tidjane Thiam, the leader of Ivory Coast’s main opposition party, the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI), was struck from the voter roll in April after a court ruling cast doubt on his Ivorian nationality at the time of registration…Former president Laurent Gbagbo, his former right-hand man Charles Blé Goudé and exiled former prime minister Guillaume Soro have been barred for years over past convictions and were not reinstated. None of the four will be allowed to contest the presidential race or vote. Electoral commission head Ibrahime Kuibiert Coulibaly said Monday the voter list would not be revised before the 25 October election. France 24 with AFP
African Governments Eye Potential in Gold Price Surge
African economies could be in for a bumper year with gold prices hitting record highs, a prospect that is driving some governments to shore up their control of mines. Gold prices have risen in recent months as investors have flocked to the metal amid uncertainty around US trade policies. The price of gold stood at $3,344.49 an ounce during early trading on Monday…In Ghana, Africa’s top gold producer, production could increase by around 6.25% year-on-year to approximately 5.1 million ounces in 2025, a Chamber of Mines representative told reporters on Friday. High output is being driven by strong production from artisanal mines and the launch of new large-scale operations. Meanwhile, Canada’s Barrick Mining has asked the World Bank’s arbitration tribunal to intervene in legal proceedings in Mali, where it faces the possibility of its Loulo-Gounkoto mine falling under the military government’s control. Semafor
Ethiopia: Over 8,000 Displaced Due to Flooding in South Omo, Dasenech; Officials Warn Omorate Town ‘at Risk of Submersion’
More than 8,000 people have been displaced by flooding caused by the overflow of Lake Turkana and the Omo River in Dasenech district, South Omo Zone of the South Ethiopia Region, according to Umer Nakuwe, Deputy Administrator of the district and Head of the Peace and Security Administration Office. Speaking to Addis Standard, Umer said the flooding began on Sunday, 02 June 2025, affecting five kebeles around Omorate town. He said the displaced residents “are currently sheltered in a highland area known as Bufbuf.” Umer recalled that in previous years, the Omo River “used to overflow only once a year,” but since 2020, “it has been overflowing up to three times annually,” changing its course and causing repeated disasters…The displacement by flooding is the latest to impact a community that is already reeling from conflict-related crises. Addis Standard