Sudan Drone Attack Kills at Least 15 in Chad
A drone from Sudan killed at least 15 people on Wednesday, March 18 in the border town of Tine in Chad, according to local sources. … A military source also confirmed to AFP that 16 people were killed by a drone attributed to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that has been pitted against the Sudanese army since April 2023. The RSF denied involvement in a post on Telegram, blaming Sudan’s army, its rival in the three-year civil war. … A rocket launched from Sudan caused damage in Tine at the end of February, where 15 soldiers and eight civilians had already lost their lives as a result of the conflict since late December, according to an AFP tally. … Nearly 1,400 kilometers long and located in a desert region, the border between Chad and Sudan remains porous and difficult to control. Le Monde with AFP
Chad’s Deby Orders Military to Retaliate against Attacks from Sudanese Belligerents
Chad’s President Mahamat Idriss Deby ordered his military on Wednesday to retaliate against any Sudanese forces attacking Chadian territory after a drone strike killed at least 16 civilians in a border town. The strike targeted a gathering in the town of Mabrouka, in the Wadi Fira region near the frontier. Local sources said the drone, which originated from Sudan, struck while residents were gathered for a Ramadan Iftar meal. Deby, appearing in military fatigues, convened an emergency meeting of the Defence and Security Council at the Palais Toumaï following the attack. … The Chadian leader ordered the immediate and total closure of the 1,300-km border with Sudan. He also placed the national army on maximum alert, directing troops to respond to any further attacks from across the frontier. The presidency confirmed the standing order to retaliate applies to any Sudanese belligerents, specifically citing both General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. Sudan Tribune
Rwanda, Congo Agree on Steps to ‘De-escalate Tensions’ in Washington Meeting
The United States hosted representatives from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda in Washington on Tuesday and Wednesday, with talks centering on the stalled peace process in eastern Congo. It marked the first encounter between the parties since the US Treasury Department sanctioned the Rwanda Defence Force and four senior officers on March 2. … The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda “agreed to a series of coordinated steps to de-escalate tensions and advance progress on the ground,” according to a joint statement by the US, Congo and Rwanda released by the State Department on Wednesday. “These efforts include a mutual commitment to specific measures to support each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the scheduled disengagement of forces/lifting of defensive measures by Rwanda in defined areas in DRC territory, time-bound and intensified efforts by the DRC to neutralise the FDLR, and the protection of all civilians.” Reuters
Maiduguri Bombings Follow Surge of Jihadist Violence in Nigeria
Nigeria’s defence chiefs visited Maiduguri Wednesday after one of the deadliest attacks in the Borno state capital in years, in a show of defiance. But the triple suicide bombing Monday in the northeastern city, which killed 23 people, shows that Nigeria still has a way to go in defeating a long-running jihadist conflict. The 17-year-old insurgency is in flux, as suicide bombers once again target urban centres, gunmen launch coordinated raids on multiple military posts at once, and front lines shift from the war’s northeastern epicentre. In the countryside, where the violence has largely been contained to since its peak a decade ago, jihadist tactics are changing and new armed groups — including from the neighbouring Sahel region — are entering the fray. … In Borno state, the epicentre of Nigeria’s insurgency since Boko Haram’s 2009 uprising, attacks from Boko Haram and splinter Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) “significantly increased” last year, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, a US-based monitor. AFP
Nigerian President Meets Royals on ‘Historic’ UK State Visit
King Charles III ceremonially welcomed Nigerian President Bola Tinubu at Windsor Castle on Wednesday in the first state visit by the leader of Africa’s most populous nation in nearly four decades. Tinubu has made less formal visits to Britain several times in his tenure and the two countries remain major partners in trade, aid and defence. London is also home to a huge Nigerian diaspora. … On Thursday, Tinubu is expected to meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer as well as members of the Nigerian community abroad, according to the official schedule. First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, a Christian pastor, is set to preach at London’s Lambeth Palace — the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury — on Thursday and meet representatives of the Church of England. … The last Nigerian state visit to the UK took place in 1989, although Tinubu was received by Charles in September 2024. AFP
Russian Orthodox Church Makes Inroads in Africa
The Russian Orthodox Church is slowly but surely gaining a foothold in Africa. Experts say Russia is using its expansion as a form of ideological soft power. … Natallia Vasilevich, a Belarusian theologian and political scientist, told DW that the expansion of influence is primarily a personal concern of Leonid Gorbachev, who formerly led the Exarchate in Africa. “His rise was closely linked to the general Russian presence on the continent, including the networks surrounding Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the private military company Wagner,” Vasilevich said. “Against this backdrop, he sought to expand the influence of the Moscow Patriarchate in Africa under the guise of a church mission, as well as his own influence in Africa,” she said. The formal pretext for this intervention was the Patriarchate of Alexandria’s decision to recognize the Orthodox Church in Ukraine. Representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church chose the simpler, more aggressive path against the Church of Alexandria; they directed their efforts against the church itself and targeted its clergy, congregations and infrastructure, Vasilevich said. … Vasilevich said one thing was certain: “These activities of the Russian Orthodox Church on the continent are deeply destructive to African Orthodoxy. They exploit the financial weakness of African congregations and lure clergy and congregations away with material incentives, which actually leads to tensions within the congregations.” DW
Madagascar’s Interim Leadership Strengthens Cooperation with Russia
Following the military-led ouster of its previous government in October last year, Madagascar’s leadership is strengthening cooperation with Russia. President Michael Randrianirina travelled to Moscow in February, the first official visit by a Malagasy leader in nearly 50 years. … During his Russian visit, he highlighted the nation’s ambition to engage with a diverse array of nations, including the BRICS alliance. Security cooperation with Moscow has already begun. It’s supplying military equipment to the island nation and has sent a delegation to train armed forces in its use. Other targeted sectors include agriculture, with projects involving Russian fertilizers and seeds, as well as Madagascar’s mineral resources. Randrianirina has said a military committee will rule alongside a transitional government with new elections to take place within two years. Africanews with agencies
UN Mine Action Chiefs for Ethiopia and Sudan Call for More Funding
The heads of United Nations landmine action programmes in Ethiopia and Sudan have called for more funding and awareness of contamination by munitions. … Ethiopia, a country which over the last century has spent more than 30 years in a state of war, is among the world’s most contaminated by landmines. “Over the last five years, there have been at least 1,500 victims of explosive ordnance accidents of various sorts. Of these, well over 50 per cent have been children,” [Rob Syfret, chief of the Mine Action Programme in Ethiopia] said. His Sudan counterpart, Mohammad Sediq Rashid, called the scale of contamination in that country “alarming” because the war is being fought in cities. “In Khartoum, explosive hazards are widespread, found in homes, on roads, in schools and hospitals, across critical infrastructure, often mixed with rubble. In addition, a land mine threat has emerged, with seven minefields identified so far in the city,” he said. While the Sudanese capital has been re-taken by the army from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces that controlled the city for nearly two years, Rashid said reconstruction and restoration of services cannot begin without first dealing with these munitions. Africanews with agencies
Ethiopia, Italy Sign Bilateral Debt Restructuring Deal under G20 Common Framework
Ethiopia and Italy have signed a bilateral debt restructuring agreement under the G20 Common Framework, marking a key step in Ethiopia’s efforts to resolve its external debt burden and stabilize the economy. The agreement, signed on 18 March by Finance Minister Ahmed Shide and Italy’s Minister of Economy and Finance Giancarlo Giorgetti, forms part of the Official Creditor Committee (OCC) process and reinforces broader economic cooperation between the two countries. … [The] agreement with Italy is expected to add momentum to the official creditor track, which remains central to Ethiopia’s restructuring strategy. Italian officials indicated the deal also aligns with Rome’s “Mattei Plan for Africa,” positioning Ethiopia as a key partner in development cooperation and investment. Addis Standard
As Zambia Nears Election Season, Some Warn against the ‘Sextortion’ of Female Candidates
Politicians and women’s rights activists in Zambia warned Wednesday of a trend of female election candidates being asked for sexual favors by senior male party officials in exchange for an endorsement. The issue came under public scrutiny after a top official in a government gender equality department said this week that she had received 10 complaints of sexual harassment from women hoping for party backing to stand as candidates in Zambia’s national elections in August. Mainga Kabika, the permanent secretary of the government’s Gender Division, said Monday that the complaints she received alleged “various political party officials, including chairpersons, youth leaders and those holding senior positions, are asking for sexual favours” in exchange for endorsing women and supporting their campaigns. … Zambia’s elections on Aug. 13 will choose the president, but also lawmakers and local councilors. … Zambia passed a law last year reserving at least 20 seats in Parliament for women, while also aiming to increase the representation of young and disabled people. AP
‘How Do I Survive?’ Drought Plagues Kenya’s Turkana amid Surplus Elsewhere
Authorities say drought is once again taking place, with 23 of Kenya’s 47 counties affected. … In Turkana alone, 350,000 households are on the brink of starvation. … While families face acute water shortages and hunger – with boreholes broken down, and wells and streams dried up – Lake Turkana’s water levels have risen in recent years, displacing some shoreline communities. In other areas, sudden heavy rains trigger flash floods in normally dry riverbeds – known locally as luggas – yet the land remains largely barren. The water comes too fast, runs off too quickly and cannot sustain agriculture. … In parts of the North Rift – one of Kenya’s breadbaskets – farmers have recorded good harvests. But high prices and widespread poverty mean pastoralist families in Turkana cannot easily afford food transported from surplus regions. Security adds another layer of strain. Competition over water and pasture fuels tensions, cattle raids persist, armed bandits operate in remote areas, and security forces struggle to contain violence amid logistical and political challenges. Al Jazeera
Former UN Envoy to Somalia Nicholas Haysom Dies at 73
Nicholas Haysom, a veteran South African diplomat and senior United Nations envoy to Somalia, has died in New York at the age of 73, according to officials. Haysom most recently served as the UN Secretary-General’s special representative for South Sudan, capping a decades-long career in diplomacy, peacebuilding and constitutional law. … Haysom played a key role in South Africa’s transition to democracy, serving as chief legal and constitutional adviser to former president Nelson Mandela from 1994 to 1999. He later held several prominent roles in regional peace efforts, including chairing the committee on constitutional issues during the Burundi peace process under Mandela’s facilitation until 2002, and serving as principal adviser in the Sudan peace process until 2005. Haysom went on to hold a series of senior UN positions, including assignments in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia, as well as special envoy roles for Sudan and South Sudan. … In addition, he served as director for political, peacebuilding and humanitarian affairs in the executive office of former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Garowe Online