DRC’s M23 Rebels Pull Out of Planned Peace Talks in Angola
The Rwanda-backed rebels who captured key areas of Congo’s mineral-rich east said Monday, March 17, that they were withdrawing from peace talks this week with the Congolese government, saying that international sanctions on the group’s members have undermined such dialogue…Congo’s government, after initially rejecting such talks, said Monday that it would participate in the dialogue in Angola. A delegation representing Congo has already traveled to Luanda for the talks, Tina Salama, the spokesperson for President Felix Tshisekedi, told The Associated Press. Tshisekedi had earlier refused direct negotiations with the rebels…Peace talks between Congo and Rwanda were unexpectedly canceled in December after Rwanda made the signing of a peace agreement conditional on a direct dialogue between Congo and the M23 rebels, which Congo refused. “A dialogue with a terrorist group like the M23 is a red line that we will never cross,” Tshisekedi said during a speech to the diplomatic corps on Jan. 18. Le Monde with AP
Rwanda Severs Diplomatic Ties with Belgium
Rwanda says it has cut diplomatic ties with Belgium and ordered all of their country’s diplomats to leave the country within 48 hours, drawing a swift response from Brussels. In a statement on Monday, the Rwandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation accused Belgium of “consistently” undermining Kigali “during the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo” (DRC)…In turn, Belgium said Rwandan diplomats were no longer welcome in the country…Rwanda’s move came a day after President Paul Kagame accused Belgium of advocating for international sanctions against his country over the conflict in eastern DRC. Al Jazeera
‘Relentless’ Rights Abuses Since 2023 Niger Coup: Amnesty
Rights abuses and breaches of civil liberties have been “relentless” since Niger’s junta took power two years ago pledging to uphold them while fighting jihadists, Amnesty International said on Tuesday. Niger’s deposed president Mohamed Bazoum has been detained in the west African country with his wife since his ouster in a July 2023 military coup…”Arbitrary detentions have become common and court rulings are not respected,” [Marceau Sivieude, Amnesty International’s interim regional director for west and central Africa, said.] Amnesty said the constitution had been suspended, the activities of political parties and journalists severely curtailed and prison sentences for defamation reinstated….”If you criticise the government, be sure that you risk being arrested,” the rights monitor said, quoting a civil society member. Amnesty said it had shared the findings with the Niger government on February 13 but there had been no response so far. AFP
Stench Of Death As Sudan Army, Paramilitaries Battle for Capital
In a war-ravaged neighbourhood of Sudan’s capital Khartoum, the stench from a gaping sewage pit is unbearable as Red Crescent workers pull a bloated body from deep underground. The volunteers say 14 more remain below. “They were shot in the head, some have crushed skulls,” Hisham Zein al-Abdeen, head of forensic medicine at Sudan’s health ministry, told AFP at the scene. The victims, he said, were either shot or beaten to death before being thrown in. Behind him, a truck idles, its flatbed already filling with bodies retrieved from the sewer well in East Nile, an eastern district of Khartoum now reduced to ruins…Once a bustling metropolis, Khartoum has seen well over 3.5 million of its people flee since the war began, according to the United Nations…The RSF initially seized the streets of Khartoum, but in recent months, the army has clawed back territory, regaining control of Bahri — also known as Khartoum North — and East Nile to its east. Now, less than a kilometre separates army units in central Khartoum from the presidential palace, overtaken by RSF troops at the start of the war. Despite these advances, [RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo] remains defiant, vowing that his forces will not withdraw from the capital. AFP
UN Warns of Deepening Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan, Cites Famine, Disease
United Nations warned on Monday of a worsening humanitarian crisis in Sudan, citing a deepening famine, widespread malnutrition, and increasing disease outbreaks amid ongoing fighting and severe aid restrictions. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the siege on Zamzam camp, outside El Fasher in North Darfur, was exacerbating the suffering of hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians. Food shortages have become more severe during Ramadan, with prices of essential goods soaring beyond the reach of most families, OCHA said…There are also growing concerns about improvised explosive devices (IEDs) inside the camp, a partner at Zamzam warned. Sudan Tribune
South Sudan Acknowledges UPDF Deployment after Initial Denial
Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth told reporters in Juba that Ugandan People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) “technical and support units” are currently operating in South Sudan under a military agreement between the two nations, originally forged to combat the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). The announcement follows a week of government denials after Uganda’s military publicly acknowledged its deployment in Juba to “protect” President Salva Kiir amid rising insecurity. The UPDF’s presence in South Sudan revives memories of Uganda’s controversial military intervention during the 2013-2016 conflict, which drew international scrutiny…“Any civilian in a military zone refusing to leave will be treated accordingly,” [Lueth] said, confirming government airstrikes on Nasir County but denying civilian targeting. Radio Tamazuj
Civilians Reported Killed in New Attacks in Northern Mozambique
Insurgents have carried out new attacks in a gas-rich area of northern Mozambique plagued for years by jihadist violence, killing several villagers and causing others to flee, locals said Monday. Insurgents raided a village in the Meluco district of the Cabo Delgado province early Monday and killed at least one person, they said…A military source confirmed the attack, also on condition of anonymity, and said it caused locals to flee to nearby areas. In another strike blamed on insurgents, three villagers were killed on March 14 in the nearby district of Macomia, a local said. The attackers, who burned down houses and stole supplies, were confronted by a local militia and around five militants were reportedly killed, the villager said. AFP
Somali Army with Foreign Forces Strike Al-Shabaab Headquarters, Destroys Bases
The Somali National Army (SNA) destroyed several bases occupied by the Al-Shabaab militants within Jilib town — the official headquarters of the group, and perhaps the only remaining stronghold within Middle Jubba. State media reports that the SNA, with the help of international partners, launched strategic airstrikes within Middle Jubba, targeting the group’s fighters. The region is partially under the control of the Al-Shabaab with minimal government control. “The operation targeted critical sites, including the district headquarters, a guerrilla command center, training camps, an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) manufacturing facility, and the residences of senior leaders Hassan Yaqub and Amin,” the statement read. Amin and Hassan Yakub are believed to be senior coordinators of the al-Shabaab activities and have been on the run for several years…In the last two months, the local forces with the help of the international partners, have targeted militants in central and southern regions, killing dozens in the process. Garowe Online
Suspected Pirates Hijack Yemeni Fishing Boat off Somali Waters, EU Naval Force Says
Suspected Somali pirates have hijacked a Yemeni-flagged fishing boat off the semi-autonomous Puntland region in northeast Somalia, the European Union’s anti-piracy naval force said, the second such incident in as many months. Seven pirates boarded the vessel, which was carrying eight Somali crew members, EU NAVFOR said in a statement on Monday…In February, another Yemeni-flagged fishing vessel was hijacked in the same waters, the naval force said, before it was abandoned by alleged pirates. Somali pirates caused havoc in the waters off the Horn of Africa nation’s long coastline between 2008 and 2018. They had been dormant until late 2023, when pirate activity started to pick up again. Reuters
How Russia Turned Immigrants into Weapons
Vladimir Putin is accused of using migration as part of his “hybrid warfare” against the West…There is evidence that Russia is fuelling migration in a number of ways, including physically moving people toward the EU’s borders, supporting smugglers, and increasing instability and violence in certain regions including Syria and parts of Africa. Putin’s cronies are also accused of spreading “fake news” about migration in order to “disrupt European unity”…In recent years Putin and his mercenaries have also been increasing their stronghold in key migration routes through sub-Saharan Africa and into Libya – the smugglers’ route through the central Mediterranean…Kilian Kleinschmidt, a humanitarian and consultant…said he had been “warning about weaponisation of migration for a long time”. “We discovered, for instance, in 2019, just before the European elections, that there was a deliberate attempt to push a new wave of mass migration from Turkey, Greece and so on, in the direction of northern Europe,” Mr Kleinschmidt told The Telegraph. “The wrong information was being spread by certain people, who we suspect are Iranian and Russian agent provocateurs…We have seen a very deliberate manipulation of migration flows. We see that at the border to Poland. We have seen that at the borders to Hungary as well as, of course, from Africa. We also saw a rise in arrivals with boats from eastern Libya prior to the last Italian elections..Mr Kleinschmidt explained: “You turn on and turn off the tap as you want, and you put European politics under pressure. The Telegraph
Ethiopia, Russia Agree to Jointly Explore Naval Cooperation
[Ethiopian and Russian navies discussed potential cooperation] during a Russian delegation visit to Ethiopian naval facilities in Bishoftu, 45 km south of the capital Addis Abeba. The delegation was led by Russian Navy Deputy Commander Admiral Vladimir Vorobyev, according to the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF)…ENDF quoted Ethiopian Navy Deputy Commander for Operations, Commodore Jemal Tufisa, as saying that the cooperation focused on training and capacity building. He further emphasized the Russian navy “commitment to strengthening Ethiopia’s naval development and safeguarding the country’s interests in international waters.”…A Russian navy delegation first visited the Ethiopian Navy General Directorate and held discussions with Ethiopian officials in February 2022. Addis Standard
Algerian Diplomat Selma Haddadi Takes Over as AUC Deputy Chair
Selma Haddadi, a seasoned Algerian diplomat, has officially assumed office as Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), succeeding Rwanda’s Monique Nsanzabaganwa, whose tenure ended on Thursday. Elected during the February 2025 AU Summit, Haddadi now serves as Mahmoud Ali Youssouf’s second-in-command, tasked with overseeing the commission’s administrative and financial machinery—a role that positions her at the heart of the AU’s operational framework. Haddadi’s ascent was far from routine. She secured the position after a tightly contested race, edging out five other contenders from North Africa, including a Moroccan candidate. Her victory cements Algeria’s growing influence within the AU at a time of significant geopolitical recalibration across the continent. For Algiers, this win consolidates its strategic positioning within African diplomacy, reinforcing its role as a key player in shaping AU policy and continental governance. Kenyan Foreign Policy
Nigeria Finally Buys into Africa Free Trade, Seeing Windfall for Seaports
The AfCTA is touted as world’s largest free trade zone, when fully implemented, designed to open robust economic growth through facilitation of trade among the 55 countries in Africa. But Nigeria is a late entrant, initially reserved about the idea of collapsing barriers to trade, which it saw as potentially killing local industries. Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, the managing director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), says the country now sees itself as a future maritime logistics hub for sustainable port services under AfCFTA. At the Nigerian British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) maritime and logistics sector forum in Lagos on March 4, Dantsoho said AfCFTA was viewed by many as a threat to Nigerian ports because it sought to collapse all trade barriers within the continent. He, however, stated [last] week that for a seaport to maintain its market position, it should improve its competitive edge to stay ahead of its rivals and should respond to new requirements of shipping lines and adapt to the dynamics of port operations. The EastAfrican
Nigeria Readies $40M Startup Seed Fund Backed by Japan
The Nigerian government is set to establish a $40 million fund investing in early-stage technology startups, as Abuja moves to bolster support for entrepreneurs who have long relied on private investors. Half of the fund will come from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the Japanese government’s overseas development assistance arm, with the remainder covered by a matching sum from the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), according to Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi who heads the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)…The fund is part of Abuja’s commitment to invest in the country’s startup ecosystem under the 2022 Nigeria Startup Act…The new fund will be a major step towards fully implementing the startup law that was designed by local investors, entrepreneurs, government agencies and international advisers. Semafor