South Sudan General among Dozens Killed in Attack on UN Helicopter
A South Sudanese general and dozens of soldiers have been killed after a United Nations helicopter trying to evacuate them from the northern town of Nasir came under attack, the government has said. The UN said Friday’s incident, which could deal a blow to an already fragile peace process, was “utterly abhorrent” and a possible war crime. A power-sharing agreement between President Salva Kiir and first vice-president Riek Machar has been threatened in recent weeks by clashes between their allied forces in the north-eastern Upper Nile state. The UN crew was trying to airlift soldiers after heavy clashes in Nasir between national forces and the so-called White Army, a militia that Kiir’s government has linked to forces loyal to Machar, his bitter rival…Machar’s spokesperson said earlier this week that security forces had arrested the petroleum minister, the peacebuilding minister, the deputy head of the army and other senior military officials allied with Machar, potentially jeopardising the 2018 peace deal that ended a civil war between Kiir’s and Machar’s forces. The Guardian with Reuters and AFP
Sudan Seeks Return to Regional Blocs, Djibouti Says
Sudan’s deputy head of the ruling Sovereign Council, Malik Agar, signalled Khartoum’s intention to rejoin the regional bloc IGAD and the African Union during a visit to Djibouti on Sunday, both Sudanese and Djiboutian officials said. Agar delivered a letter from Sovereign Council leader and army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan to Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh, who currently holds the rotating presidency of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). The letter addressed bilateral ties and, crucially, Sudan’s desire to reactivate its membership…Sudan suspended its IGAD membership on January 20, 2024, protesting the participation of Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as Hemetti, at an extraordinary summit in Uganda. The African Union suspended Sudan after a military coup on October 25, 2021, led by al-Burhan and with Hemetti’s involvement. Sudan Tribune
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: ‘Widespread Pattern of Detention, Torture, and Ill-treatment by both Sides in Sudan War’
A UN report published on Thursday highlights a widespread pattern of arbitrary detention, torture, and ill-treatment of detainees by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in Khartoum State, “mirroring* practices seen in other conflict-affected areas in Sudan”. The report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, underscores: “Tens of thousands of people, including women and children, have been held without charge, with limited or even no contact with their families, in squalid and overcrowded facilities, since the conflict broke out in April 2023…The report, which covers the period from the start of the conflict on 15 April 2023 through June 2024, is based on 34 interviews with former detainees, witnesses and family members, who recounted their experiences to UN Human Rights…In a previous report in January, the UN Human Rights Office laments: “Entrenched impunity is fuelling gross human rights violations and abuses in Sudan as fighting spreads to more parts of the country and involves additional armed actors. The report details attacks on densely populated areas, as well as camps for displaced people, health facilities, markets, and schools. It also documents ethnically motivated summary executions, and calls for “a broader international effort towards accountability and to stem the flow of arms”. Radio Dabanga
Clashes Continue in Eastern Congo Days after Attack on Civilians Left Many Dead
Fighting between M23 rebels and pro-Congo militias was underway on Sunday in Nyabiondo, about 100 km (62 miles) north of Goma in eastern Congo, residents said, days after a nearby attack left a heavy civilian death toll, according to the United Nations and an NGO. The Rwanda-backed rebel group M23 has seized swathes of mineral-rich eastern Congo since the start of the year…The fighting follows clashes last week between M23 and a pro-Congolese government militia in the village of Tambi, about 18 km northeast of the town of Masisi, which culminated in an attack overnight on March 5 leaving many civilian casualties, according to the head of a local NGO. An internal United Nations memo seen by Reuters on Sunday said between 40 and 70 civilians were believed to have been killed in that attack. Reuters
Congo Ex-President Kabila’s Allies to Be Questioned by Military Prosecutor
Officials from the party of Democratic Republic of Congo’s former President Joseph Kabila have been invited to appear before a military prosecutor on Monday in a sign of political tensions over Rwanda-backed rebels’ advances in the east. The exact reason for the invitations was not clear, said Jean Mbuyu, a lawyer for the officials and former security advisor to Kabila. But President Felix Tshisekedi, who once formed an awkward power-sharing deal with Kabila, has recently accused him of sponsoring the M23 rebels who have seized east Congo’s two biggest cities since January. Kabila has also reached out to opposition politicians and civil society members to discuss the country’s political future, amid criticism of Tshisekedi’s response to M23’s military campaign. Reuters
Gabon Junta Chief Faces Three Challengers in Presidential Vote
Gabon’s military leader Brice Oligui Nguema will face three challengers including a former prime minister in the west African country’s April 12 presidential election, according to the candidate list published Sunday. Alain-Claude Bilie By Nze, the last premier under ousted ex-president Ali Bongo Ondimba, is considered the strongest potential opponent to Oligui, who led the military coup that ended 55 years of Bongo family rule. Lawyer and tax inspector Joseph Lapensee Essingone and doctor Stephane Germain Iloko Boussengui round out the final candidates list. Interior Minister Hermann Immongault told reporters that 23 Gabonese had presented their candidacy, with only four “deemed admissible”. Immongault did not detail the reasons for the 19 rejections, which include leading trade unionist and senator Jean-Remy Yama. All those whose candidacies have been rejected have the right to appeal to the country’s constitutional court. Oligui, who announced on March 3 that he would run for president, had pledged to hand the reins of power in the oil-rich nation back to civilians. But a new electoral code rubber-stamped by the transitional parliament in late January allowed army officers to stand for election, paving the way for his presidential tilt. AFP
Chad Extends Detention of RFI Journalist, as Lawyers Denounce ‘Crackdown’
Following a further interrogation at the offices of the criminal investigation department on Saturday, journalist Olivier Monodji’s custody has been extended until at least this Monday, when he will be brought before the public prosecutor of N’djamena. Monodji, a correspondent for RFI and publication director of the newspaper Le Pays, has been detained in the Chadian capital, since Wednesday, 5 March…Alongside Monodji, Mahamat Saleh Alhissein, a journalist with the national television station Tele Chad, was also arrested. The exact reasons for Monodji’s detention remain unclear, but sources indicated to French news agency AFP that it may be linked to an article he wrote in September 2023 about the inauguration of the Russian House in N’Djamena. Alhissein, on the other hand, is accused of translating documents containing information on Russia’s proxy forces and the Sahel’s economic situation, according to Tele Chad. The Union of Chadian Journalists (UJT) has denounced the detentions as arbitrary, labelling them a “serious attack on the freedom of the press” and calling for the unconditional release of both journalists as well as the return of Monodji’s work equipment. RFI
France Begins Handing over Military Bases to Senegal
France handed control of two military facilities to Senegal on Friday, beginning the formal process of withdrawing its military presence from the West African country amid its waning influence in the region. The handover follows the declaration by Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye late last year that all foreign troops would leave the country…France set up a joint commission with Senegal last month to organize the withdrawal, and the French army recently announced it had dismissed 162 Senegalese who worked on military bases in Dakar…France has said it is planning to sharply reduce its presence at all its bases in Africa except Djibouti, including the 350 French troops in Senegal. It has said it could instead provide defense training or targeted military support, based on needs expressed by those countries. AP
Nigeria’s Anti-graft Agency Recovers Nearly $500 Million in One Year
Nigeria’s economic crimes commission said it recovered nearly $500 million in proceeds of crime last year and secured more than 4,000 criminal convictions, its highest since the agency’s inception more than two decades ago. Africa’s biggest energy producer, Nigeria has struggled for decades with endemic corruption, which many Nigerians say contributes to widespread poverty in the country. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which investigates and prosecutes corruption in Nigeria, said in a report on Monday that some of the recovered money was reinvested in government projects. Nigeria is ranked 140 out of 180 on Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perception Index. Besides cash, the EFCC said it also seized 931,052 metric tons of petroleum products, 975 real estate properties and company shares. Reuters
Vital Leprosy Drugs Due in Nigeria after Year Delay
People affected by leprosy in Nigeria should be able to get hold of vital drugs to treat the disease for the first time in a year…the World Health Organization has said. The country, which reports more than 2,000 new cases a year ran out of supplies partly because drugs were held up after new regulations were introduced…Leprosy is curable with a combination of different antibiotics, but if left untreated the patients’ health can deteriorate with sores and nerve damage that cause deformities. The treatment can last between six and 12 months. But because of the lack of drugs in Nigeria, patients have been sent home from hospitals. As the drugs suppress transmission this increases the risk of the disease spreading…Nigeria’s drug authority introduced new regulations for medicines aimed at tackling the importation of counterfeit and sub-standard drugs. In recent years, several medicines have been recalled for failing to meet safety standards. But the new measures have had an impact on the availability of crucial treatments, including those for leprosy. BBC
Internet Shutdowns at Record High in Africa as Access ‘Weaponised’
Digital blackouts reached a record high in 2024 in Africa as more governments sought to keep millions of citizens off the internet than in any other period over the last decade. A report released by the internet rights group Access Now and #KeepItOn, a coalition of hundreds of civil society organisations worldwide, found there were 21 shutdowns in 15 African countries, surpassing the existing record of 19 shutdowns in 2020 and 2021. Authorities in Comoros, Guinea-Bissau and Mauritius joined repeat offenders such as Burundi, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea and Kenya. Guinea, Nigeria, Senegal and Tanzania were also on the list. But perpetrators also included militias and other non-state actors…The details showed that most of the shutdowns were imposed as a response to conflicts, protests and political instability. There were also restrictions during elections…The increase in shutdowns led the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to pass a landmark resolution in March 2024 to help reverse the trend. The Guardian
Migrant Rescue NGO Saves 25 People Off Libyan Coast
French migrant rescue group SOS Mediterranee brought 25 people stranded off the Libyan coast aboard its Ocean Viking vessel on Sunday, the NGO said. Those rescued, including three women and seven minors, are “currently being cared for by the Red Cross and SOS Mediterranee teams” aboard the Ocean Viking, the Marseille-based group said in a statement. Five of the minors are unaccompanied while two of the children are aged under four, the statement added. The boat in distress was spotted thanks to an alert issued by Alarm Phone, a number used by migrants who run into trouble while attempting the perilous Mediterranean crossing in hope of a better life in Europe. Since the beginning of 2025, 247 people have disappeared or died in the Mediterranean Sea while trying to reach Europe, according to the latest figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM). AFP