Nigeria: Gunmen Abduct 39 Zamfara Elders on Reconciliation Mission
Gunmen have kidnapped 39 elderly residents of Magamin Diddi village in Magami/Faru ward of Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State while on a reconciliation mission. The victims were reportedly kidnapped on Sunday by Jammo, a notorious bandit kingpin said to be in control of the Muntsira Forest in Maradun LGA. The Chairman of Maradun Local Government Area, Bello Dosara, confirmed the incident to Daily Trust on Monday, but said the villagers embarked on the reconciliation mission without the approval of the government. … He explained that the bandit leader had previously blocked the community’s access to the market, but the local government consistently provided security escorts to enable residents to travel to the market and return safely. … Dosara further disclosed that a 50-member committee had met with the bandit leader for reconciliation talks, but the bandit kingpin allegedly betrayed the group, releasing only 11 members while holding the remaining 39 captive. Daily Trust
Nigeria Pushes for Real-Time Intelligence Sharing at INTERPOL West Africa Meeting
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, on Monday presided over the 11th Meeting of Heads of INTERPOL National Central Bureaus (NCBs) for West Africa, calling for deeper regional coordination to combat transnational organised crime. The meeting, held at Johnwood Hotel in Abuja, brought together heads of NCBs from 16 West African countries, alongside senior officials from the INTERPOL General Secretariat and other regional security institutions. In his address, Disu delivered a detailed assessment of the evolving security environment in West Africa, warning that criminal networks across the sub-region are increasingly interconnected and borderless. He identified human trafficking syndicates, arms dealers, narcotics networks, cyber fraud groups, money launderers, terrorist financiers, and violent extremist organisations as part of a converging ecosystem of transnational crime operating beyond national jurisdictions. … Looking ahead, the IGP outlined three priority areas for Nigeria within the regional framework: universal access to INTERPOL databases across border security architecture, rapid joint operational coordination capable of responding within hours, and sustained investment in trust-building mechanisms among NCBs to enhance intelligence-sharing. PR Nigeria
The Gold Mines at the Heart of This Ebola Outbreak
For over a century, gold has been the lifeblood of Mongbwalu, a remote hill town in Ituri province that draws people looking for work from across Congo and beyond. But now Mongbwalu is at the epicenter of the devastating Ebola outbreak sweeping this region, and gold is helping to drive it. Experts now believe that the outbreak, already the third largest on record, began in Mongbwalu as early as February. Yet the authorities failed to detect it until May 15, in part because it was caused by a lesser-known virus, Bundibugyo, for which there is no treatment. By the time a crisis was declared, the Bundibugyo virus had already been spreading for weeks through Mongbwalu’s gold mines, among men who work cheek by jowl in rough conditions, trading gold that often crosses nearby borders. Now, they are falling sick and dying. … The gold economy fuels a flow of workers, traders, prostitutes and smugglers from Congo and neighboring countries. Town authorities now believe that more than 80 people died from Ebola in the weeks before the outbreak was detected, and things have only gotten worse. … [T]he head start the virus enjoyed as it spread undetected through Mongbwalu this spring means the true extent of the outbreak remains unknown. And with gold prices hovering near historic highs, the incentive to keep mining is powerful. The New York Times
Congo’s Ebola Outbreak Rises to 100 Deaths Out of 550 Cases as Conflict Slows Response
At least 100 people have died from Ebola less than a month after authorities declared an outbreak of the disease in eastern Congo, authorities said, a grim toll as officials intensify efforts to slow the disease discovered weeks late. … Out of the 550 cases of the disease confirmed as of Sunday, there have been 101 deaths and 19 recoveries, according to the latest situation report late Monday. The outbreak is concentrated in Congo’s eastern province of Ituri, which accounts for more than 90% of the cases. Cases have also been recorded in the North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, and has spread across the border to Uganda. … Front line health workers, with little pay or rest, have been attacked multiple times by angry residents and have not been able to reach some communities due conflict involving armed rebel groups. Eastern Congo has for years seen attacks by dozens of separate rebel and militant groups. Conflict is “constraining access for the response, disrupting surveillance and response activities, and increasing the risk of undetected transmission,” the World Health Organization said Monday. “Such incidents underline the challenges of the context and the importance of working closely with local leaders and communities,” WHO added. AP
Sudan: More than 13k Displaced by Renewed Tribal Clashes in South Darfur
More than 13,000 people have fled their homes in South Darfur in the past week as fighting between the Beni Halba and Salamat tribes continues to spread across the region. In a recent International Organization for Migration (IOM) report, they state that 11,630 people were displaced between 4 and 6 June alone following clashes in Kubum locality. The displaced fled the areas of Kubum, Markondi and Umm Basa and sought refuge elsewhere in Kubum locality as well as in North Nyala, South Nyala, Ed El Fursan, Reheid El Bardi and Shattaya. The latest wave of displacement follows the flight of around 350 people on 30 May and a further 1,520 on 4 June, bringing the total number of people uprooted by the violence to more than 13,000 within a week. Fighting between the Beni Halba and Salamat erupted in late May, leaving an unspecified number of people dead and forcing thousands to abandon their homes. Community leaders and other parties have repeatedly appealed for calm and urged both sides to halt the violence. The latest unrest marks the third major flare-up between the two tribes since the outbreak of Sudan’s war more than three years ago. Previous attempts to end the conflict have failed to secure lasting peace. Dabanga
Guinea President’s Coalition Has Legislative Majority
Political parties backing Guinea’s coup-leader-turned-President Mamady Doumbouya have a majority in the bauxite-rich West African country’s legislative elections, the electoral authority said on Friday, tightening his grip on power. … No major opposition parties were allowed to participate in Sunday’s vote. The parties of former President Alpha Conde and opposition leaders Cellou Dalein Diallo and Sidya Toure have been dissolved. Diallo, who is in exile, in March called for “direct resistance” to Doumbouya after the government consolidated its position by dissolving those parties and 37 others. A government decree at the time said the parties had failed to meet legal obligations such as filing financial statements. Reuters
Egypt/Eritrea: Isaias, El-Sisi Agree to Launch ‘Concrete Programs’ on Ports, Maritime Transport, and Regional Security during Cairo Talks
Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi held extensive talks in Cairo on bilateral relations as well as regional and international developments, with the two leaders agreeing to strengthen cooperation in strategic sectors including port infrastructure, maritime transport, and marine resources. … The announcement comes amid growing geopolitical competition in the Red Sea corridor and heightened regional attention to maritime trade routes, port access, and security arrangements in the Horn of Africa. … The visit builds on a series of high-level engagements between the two countries over the past year. … In March, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty traveled to Asmara carrying a message from President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to President Isaias Afwerki. Discussions focused on consolidating bilateral ties and advancing a tripartite coordination mechanism involving Egypt, Eritrea, and Somalia. The framework, first launched in Cairo in January 2025, seeks to “harmonize positions” on regional security issues, including developments in the Red Sea, Libya, and the Sahel. The initiative has drawn attention in Addis Abeba amid growing tensions between Ethiopia and Egypt over regional geopolitics and security alignments. Addis Standard
Senegal’s Ousted PM Sonko Re-elected Head of His Political Party
The speaker of Senegal’s National Assembly, Ousmane Sonko, a powerful mentor-turned-rival to President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, won re-election Saturday as head of their party amid a political crisis sparked by their falling-out. Sonko, who was sacked as Faye’s prime minister on May 22, easily won a leadership vote at a congress of their Pan-African Pastef party in Diamniadio, outside the capital Dakar, according to a text read out at the gathering. Faye won the presidency after widely popular Sonko was barred from standing in Senegal’s 2024 election. Sonko anointed Faye to run in his place, then served as his premier. But after months of mounting tension between them, Faye dismissed Sonko as prime minister. Sonko promptly won election to his current post as speaker of the National Assembly. The rift has triggered political upheaval for the heavily indebted west African country and uncertainty for their party, the biggest in parliament. Faye urged against further dividing the nation in a speech on Thursday. France 24
Blow for Kenya’s Ex-deputy President as Court Upholds His Impeachment
A Kenyan court has upheld the 2024 impeachment of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, barring him from holding public office. Three High Court judges dismissed Gachagua’s claims, including that the impeachment process was politically biased against him. The court however found that the Senate violated Gachagua’s rights when it failed to adjourn after he had fallen ill during the proceedings. It said this did not invalidate the impeachment, but it awarded him 50m shillings ($386,000; £290,000) in compensation. Gachagua has turned into a fierce critic of President William Ruto. … His dramatic removal from office followed his fallout with Ruto. An overwhelming majority of lawmakers voted for his impeachment, accusing him of corruption, inciting ethnic divisions and undermining the government. He challenged the impeachment, arguing that the charges were “baseless”, politically motivated and that he had been denied a fair hearing. Besides upholding Gachagua’s removal from office, the court on Monday affirmed the appointment of Kithure Kindiki to replace him. … Ruto and Gachagua were elected on a joint ticket in 2022 – and the partnership helped Ruto win by marshalling support in Mount Kenya, the heartland of the Kikuyu people who are the largest voting bloc in Kenya. BBC
Mozambique Mining Law Looks to Tighten State Control
Mozambique will take a 15% stake in domestic mining ventures and push for minerals to be processed locally by prohibiting companies from exporting non-processed resources. The southern African nation is the latest on the continent to pursue more government ownership of minerals, especially for elements critical to the global energy transition. It is the world’s third largest producer of graphite, a mineral used to make batteries, and has significant quantities of gold, copper, titanium, and tantalum, another mineral of high demand by electronics makers. Several African nations have imposed new rules in recent years to benefit from their mineral resources. Last week, DR Congo added lithium to a list of strategic minerals that are subject to increased royalties, as part of the government’s drive to boost revenues and Zimbabwe banned exports of all raw minerals last year to favour “in-country value addition.” But some mining experts point out that this is not necessarily a good strategy because smelting and refining is arguably the most volatile part of the minerals value chain. In situations where mined materials are in short supply, for example, processors must pay for their feedstock. Semafor
Arrests of Critics in Ghana Provokes Alarm over Free Speech under Mahama
Ghana has recorded 14 arrests linked to false news and offensive speech in less than 16 months, nearly double the number documented during the previous administration’s entire eight-year tenure, according to the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA). The rise has triggered a sharp debate in one of West Africa’s most stable democracies over whether authorities are simply enforcing long-standing laws in a new digital environment, or edging into a more restrictive approach to public speech. The controversy carries added political weight because President John Mahama, while in opposition in 2022, warned that using state power to intimidate dissent was a “dangerous blueprint” for democracy. … At the centre of the debate are long-standing provisions in Ghana’s Criminal Code and Electronic Communications Act, which authorities say are now being applied to a fast-moving digital landscape. Government supporters argue the increase in arrests reflects the explosion of anonymous and unregulated online content. Critics say the problem is not the laws themselves, but how they are being used. … Veteran journalist Ben Ephson said Ghana needs clearer guidance on where free expression ends and harm begins. “The government must properly explain the arrests so people can draw the line between press freedom and responsible journalism,” he said. … Ghana remains one of West Africa’s more open democracies, with a competitive political system and active media landscape. Al Jazeera
Rwanda Wins Basketball Africa League Championship
Rwanda’s RSSB Tigers were crowned winners of this year’s Basketball Africa League Championship, capping off a record-setting season that looks set to buoy investor interest. Basketball, which for years has languished in football’s shadow, has gained a foothold on the continent since the NBA-backed BAL was founded in 2019. Matches drew record crowds this year and a whopping 1.1 billion views on social media, according to the league. Investors are responding accordingly, banking on Africa’s young population and growing incomes. The International Finance Corporation and Proparco have announced plans to invest $50 million in Helios Sports and Entertainment, an African private equity fund focused on sports and entertainment. Industry leaders are hoping that interest will grow: Sport “constitutes a strategic industry, a growth accelerator, and a tremendous lever of opportunities for African youth,” Côte d’Ivoire’s minister of state said last month at a BAL investor event. Semafor