Mali Junta Puts €3m Bounty on JNIM Leader Ag Ghali
Mali’s military government has offered a €3 million reward for information that leads to the arrest or killing of Iyad Ag Ghali, head of the militant group that launched a major offensive in April. Ghaly, leader of the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) – the biggest jihadist force battling many of the Sahel states – is the region’s most wanted man. On 25 April, JNIM joined forces with Tuareg rebels to launch the largest attacks against the Malian junta in more than a decade. Several people were killed in the attacks, including Defence Minister Sadio Camara. … Ghali is a former Malian diplomat and Tuareg rebel. He is also on the US terrorist list and the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant. RFI
Somalia: AU ‘Deeply Concerned’ by Mogadishu clashes, Calls for Restraint
The African Union Commission on Thursday expressed deep concern over recent security developments in Mogadishu, including armed clashes in civilian areas, and urged all political actors to halt the violence. In a statement issued from its headquarters in Addis Ababa, the Commission called on “all parties to immediately stop the fighting and exercise maximum restraint, protect civilians, and refrain from actions that could further escalate tensions.” The appeal follows rising political friction in the country, marked by recent armed confrontations in the national capital that have drawn sharp condemnation from regional leaders and opposition figures. The bloc urged all Somali stakeholders to resolve their differences through dialogue and established constitutional processes, rather than through force. It further encouraged continuation of efforts by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and other political actors to promote national dialogue, reconciliation, and consensus-building to ensure long-term stability. The AU added that it would continue to monitor the situation on the ground closely. It reiterated the readiness of its Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) to “continue to render full support towards the restoration of peace and security” in the volatile Horn of Africa nation. Garowe Online
Gunmen Kidnap 7 Students from School in Northwestern Nigeria
Gunmen raided an off-campus residence in northwest Nigeria and kidnapped seven students, police said. The attack occurred early Wednesday in the Kaura Namoda area of conflict-battered Zamfara state, police spokesman Yazid Abubakar said in a statement. One of the students escaped and was in custody. The police spokesman said it wasn’t clear where the students were taken but efforts were underway to rescue the remaining six. Zamfara has been a hotspot for armed gangs that carry out kidnappings for ransom, with abductions of students increasing in recent years across the country. A tally by local news outlet Premium Times found that at least 1,900 students have been kidnapped from 20 schools since the 2014 mass abduction of over 200 schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno state. AP
Nigeria: UN OCHA, Park Service Partner Troops to Boost Security, Aid Delivery in North East
The Chad Basin National Park and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) have sought stronger collaboration with the Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), to enhance security operations and improve humanitarian service delivery across the North East region. The calls were made during separate courtesy visits to the Theatre Commander, Operation HADIN KAI, Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar, at the Headquarters of the Theatre Command in Maiduguri, Borno State. Leading the delegation from the Chad Basin National Park, the Conservator of Parks, Innocent Asuquo, stressed the need for sustained inter-agency synergy to tackle prevailing security challenges, particularly in national parks and forest reserves vulnerable to exploitation by terrorists and criminal groups. … [The Theatre Commander, Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar] highlighted the role of park services and forest guards in biodiversity management, environmental security and community development, stressing the need for effective monitoring and utilisation of park areas to promote tourism while denying criminal elements freedom of action. PR Nigeria
Congo Reports Attack on Ebola Burial Team as Cases Rise
Residents attacked an Ebola burial team in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s South Kivu province this week, forcing responders to abandon a coffin and raising fears of further transmission, the health ministry said. The assault took place on Monday in Katana, a town controlled by AFC/M23 rebels some 30 km (19 miles) north of the provincial capital Bukavu, according to the ministry and the head of a local hospital reached by Reuters. It targeted a “safe and dignified burial team” — specialised responders trained to handle highly infectious bodies under strict protocols to prevent contagion. The body was subsequently handled by members of the community, a high-risk practice that can fuel new chains of infection, according to a situation report published online on Wednesday. … The incident underscores mistrust and resistance that continue to hamper response efforts as officials try to control the spread of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. In recent weeks, burial teams and health workers have been targeted, including by relatives of victims who have questioned the cause of death. Reuters
As Ebola Spreads in Congo, a Radio Station Tries to Stop Health Misinformation
The rare Bundibugyo type of Ebola that Congo is battling took locals by surprise after weeks of spreading unnoticed. Hundreds of cases were suspected when the outbreak was declared in May, but many dismissed the news as a “Western conspiracy.” Congolese authorities announced the new Ebola outbreak on May 15. As of Wednesday, at least 62 people had died from 363 confirmed cases. Yet the outbreak has been challenged by skepticism, attacks on health workers and misinformation. Vérité Johnson, a journalist and editorial secretary at the Radio Télévision Mont Bleu station in Bunia, the eastern Ituri province capital where the outbreak is concentrated, decided to produce a new program to combat rumors. The radio show has emerged as a vital tool to win over some residents who have been unaware or skeptical about the facts of Bundibugyo. The 45-minute program runs daily at 10 a.m., reminding people of the dangers and regularly featuring health specialists providing updates and answering questions. The show’s jingles about the virus also play intermittently throughout the day and residents are able to call in with questions. AP
‘If They Find You, They Take You’: Rights Report Details Alleged Forced Recruitment Campaign across Tigray
Young men are sleeping in fields, abandoning their homes, and moving between relatives’ houses to avoid what a new rights report describes as a widening campaign of forced military recruitment across Tigray. A report released by Human Rights First Ethiopia (HRFE) alleges that authorities and local structures have carried out coercive recruitment drives in several parts of the region, including Axum, Adwa, Shire, Adigrat, Mekelle, Wukro, and rural districts in the Central and North Western zones, prompting fear among families still recovering from the devastating two-year war. “They come house to house looking for young men,” one resident quoted in the report said. “If they don’t find the son, they question the parents. People are living in fear.” According to HRFE, witnesses described young men being detained at checkpoints, markets, transport terminals, and neighborhood gatherings before being transferred to military training sites. … For many young people in the region, the immediate concern is more personal. “We survived one war,” a resident told HRFE. “People want to rebuild their lives, not prepare for another one.” Addis Standard
Ghana: Mahama Begins Four-day State Visit to Belarus, Eyes Stronger Economic and Agricultural Ties
President John Dramani Mahama has commenced a four-day state visit to the Republic of Belarus aimed at deepening diplomatic relations and expanding cooperation in key sectors, including agriculture, education and commerce. The visit, which began on Friday, June 5, follows an invitation from Belarusian President Aleksandr Grigorievich Lukashenko and is expected to culminate in the signing of at least four bilateral agreements. According to a statement issued by the Minister for Government Communications and Presidential Spokesperson, Felix Kwakye Otosu, the visit is designed to strengthen existing ties between Ghana and Belarus while exploring new opportunities in economic, agricultural and technical collaboration. … A key feature of the visit will be high-level bilateral discussions between President Mahama and President Lukashenko in Minsk. The two leaders are expected to hold private talks before leading an expanded diplomatic session involving ministers and senior government officials from both countries. Joy Online
Algerian Courts Clear Way for Possible Pardon of Detained French Journalist
An Algerian court cleared the way for a presidential pardon of a detained French journalist by rejecting an appeal from prosecutors for a tougher sentence and acknowledging the defendant’s withdrawal of his own appeal, his lawyers said on Wednesday, June 4. The lawyers for Christophe Gleizes, a French sports journalist detained in Algeria since 2024 on terror charges, announced the Court of Cassation’s decision in a statement on Facebook. “A decisive step has just been taken regarding the legal situation of Mr Christophe Gleizes,” lawyers Amirouche Bakouri and Emmanuel Daoud said in the joint statement. The court is Algeria’s highest court of appeal. The move is seen as opening the way for a pardon by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, with diplomatic relations between Paris and Algiers thawing in recent weeks following nearly two years of friction. “The future of Mr Christophe Gleizes now falls under the prerogatives of the president of the republic,” the lawyers said. Gleizes, 37, was arrested in May 2024 while travelling to northeastern Algeria’s Kabylia region to write about the country’s most decorated football club, Jeunesse Sportive de Kabylie. He was sentenced in June last year to seven years in jail for “glorifying terrorism” after being convicted of having contact with members of the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylie (MAK), a foreign-based group that Algiers has designated a terrorist organisation. Le Monde with AFP
South Africa to Dispatch Envoys to Africa and Other Continents after Xenophobic Attacks
South Africa will send envoys to other African countries and around the world after a spate of xenophobic attacks targeting immigrants from other nations on the continent, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday. Ramaphosa made the comments at a press conference after talks with his Kenyan counterpart William Ruto at the seat of South Africa’s government in Pretoria. “There will be envoys, yes, there will be people that we will send around not only on the continent but also around the world,” Ramaphosa said. Reuters