Burkinabe Front Company Fuels UAE Military Supply Line to Sudan Paramilitaries, Le Monde
A front company registered in Burkina Faso is operating as a clandestine air bridge to funnel military equipment from the United Arab Emirates to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to an investigation by Le Monde. The airline, Batot Air, was established in Ouagadougou in August 2024 but only began flight operations in November 2025. Despite its official registration, the company’s fleet of Ilyushin and Antonov cargo planes has never landed at the Ouagadougou airport. Instead, the aircraft maintain a near-daily rotation between the UAE and the Horn of Africa, primarily targeting Ethiopia and Chad. … These flights frequently disable their transponders while over the Red Sea to avoid detection before landing at Addis Ababa’s Bole International Airport or the Bishoftu airbase. The logistical network supports a recently identified RSF base in Ethiopia’s Benishangul-Gumuz region. The facility, reportedly financed by the UAE, is used to train and equip Sudanese paramilitaries near the border with Sudan’s Blue Nile state. … The company is owned by Mohamed Omer Suleiman Idriss, a Sudanese businessman. Beyond moving military hardware, security sources told Le Monde that the airline is used to discreetly transport the RSF leader, Mohamed Hamdan “Hemetti” Daglo, and his brother, Abdelrahim Daglo. Sudan Tribune
South Sudan: Death Toll in Abiemnhom Attack Rises to 120, Officials Say
At least 120 people, including a county commissioner and executive director, were killed Sunday during a wave of violence in South Sudan’s Ruweng Administrative Area, local officials said. The attacks, which targeted Abiemnhom County, have displaced over 1,000 civilians who are now seeking refuge at a United Nations base. James Monyluak Mijok told Radio Tamazuj that armed youth from Mayom County in neighboring Unity State launched the assault early Sunday morning. According to Mijok, the dead include 80 civilians—among them women, children, and the elderly—and 40 members of the organized security forces. … Unity State Information Minister Nyakenya Johannes Keah Ruai confirmed the incident and condemned the killings. She noted that authorities had received prior intelligence regarding a potential threat to Abiemnhom County. … UNMISS reported that approximately 1,000 civilians sought protection outside its base as early as Feb. 28 as tensions began to simmer. Peacekeepers are currently providing emergency medical care to at least 23 people wounded in the latest clashes. The region has been plagued by a cycle of retaliatory violence. A similar incident in Abiemnhom County last year left more than 42 civilians dead. Radio Tamazuj
South Sudan Faces Turmoil as Former Officials Arrested in Wave of Detentions
A former South Sudan finance minister is the latest former government official arrested in a wave of detentions that analysts say shows cracks in the government of President Salva Kiir, who also faces an armed rebellion. The latest arrest came Friday when Bak Barnaba Chol was taken into custody while attempting to cross the border into Uganda. His arrest followed that of another former minister of finance and planning, Marial Dongrin Ater, who was fired in August. In the past week, a former central bank governor, a former undersecretary for the ministry of petroleum, and a general in the domestic intelligence agency previously posted to the same ministry have been detained. … Daniel Akech of the International Crisis Group said the arrests showed a narrowing of the president’s “big tent” coalition, which he has relied on for years to maintain control of a fractured political landscape. AP
Gunmen Kill at Least 15 People in Northern Nigeria, Amnesty Says
At least 15 people have been killed after gunmen attacked three communities in north-central Nigeria, Amnesty International said Sunday. The simultaneous attacks occurred on Saturday in Tashan Maje, Saduro, and Runtuwa villages located in the Borgu area of Niger state, the rights group said in a statement posted on X. “The gunmen invaded the villages … on dozens of motorcycles shooting in all directions. They also ransacked shops,” Amnesty said. The “horrific attack” is yet another indication that “people are constantly living on the edge and feeling helpless,” the statement said. It didn’t provide further details about the attackers. Northern Nigeria is in the grip of a complex security crisis featuring both Islamic militants operating in the northeast and armed criminal gangs kidnapping people for ransom who have wrecked havoc in the northwest and north-central regions. … Meanwhile, the Nigerian military said on Sunday that it has “recorded decisive operational successes” against militants over the last 24 hours. Twenty suspects were arrested and a significant cache of weapons, ammunition, logistics supplies, stolen crude oil, illicit drugs and rustled livestock were recovered in what the army described as “a relentless push to degrade terrorist networks and criminal syndicates nationwide,” the military said in a statement. AP
Nigerian Court Grant Former Justice Minister Bail in ‘Terrorism’ Case
A Federal High Court in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, on Friday adjourned the trial of former Attorney General Abubakar Malami and his son, Abdulaziz to 4 May. The two men were granted bail of about $147,000 each. They are both facing terrorism and illegal firearms charges filed by the Department of State Services (DSS), months after the financial crimes watchdog charged them for money laundering. “In respect of the second charge, the one filed by the DSS, that came up for our application for bail. The defendant had earlier been arraigned and they pleaded not guilty to all the counts,” said Malami’s lawyer, Adedayo Adedeji. Malami, his son, and his wife, are also facing a 16-count charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. This involves alleged money laundering and unlawful acquisition of assets worth over $6 million. Malami was attorney general and justice minister between November 2015 and May 2023. He is the latest top official of the administration of former president Muhammadu Buhari administration to face trial for fraud. Nigeria has for a decade and half been battling an insurgency that has left more than 40,000 people dead and driven nearly two million others from their homes. Africanews
At Least 55 Ghanaians Killed Fighting for Russia in Ukraine War, Minister Says
At least 55 Ghanaians have died fighting for Russia in Ukraine, Ghana’s foreign minister said Friday, one of the highest death tolls from among several African countries whose citizens are fighting in the war. Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said 272 Ghanaians have been lured into the battle since 2022, with two of them captured as prisoners of war, citing information from Ukrainian officials. “Ukrainian authorities revealed that from their credible intelligence gathering (that) they have documented 1,780 Africans from 36 countries who have been lured by criminal trafficking networks to join the war against Ukraine,” said Ablakwa, who is on a trip to Ukraine. Ghana adds to a growing list of African nations who have expressed concern about their citizens fighting in the war, many recruited through dubious strategies such as lucrative jobs or skills training. AP
Ghana Industrial Trawlers Association Demands Urgent Action on Maritime Security after Fishermen Were Attacked at Sea
The Ghana Industrial Trawlers Association (GITA) has sounded the alarm over rising threats to fishing communities and offshore vessels after more than 70 Ghanaian canoe fishermen were attacked and robbed at gunpoint while fishing off the Central Region coast. The group’s call comes amid concerns that inadequate maritime protection is endangering lives and livelihoods across the country’s fishing sector. In a press statement dated Friday, 27 February 2026, GITA expressed “heartfelt sympathy” to the victims and their families, as well as to the Ghana National Canoe Fishermen Council (GNCFC), after the incident occurred near Senya Bereku. The fishermen were reportedly assaulted by armed assailants who fired warning shots, seized outboard motors, generators and other equipment, and left them stranded at sea before being rescued by security forces. … GITA commended the swift and coordinated response of the Ghana Navy, Ghana Air Force, Marine Police, the Fisheries Enforcement Unit (FEU), the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, and the Chief Fisherman of Senya Breku, noting that their intervention saved lives and brought the surviving fishermen safely ashore. Joy Online
US Lifts Sanctions on Top Malian Officials as Ties Improve
The U.S. has lifted sanctions targeting three senior Malian officials for their relationship with Russia’s mercenary group Wagner, according to a notification from the Treasury Department, as bilateral relations improve. … The Malian officials delisted on Friday included Defense Minister Sadio Camara and senior military officials Alou Boi Diarra and Adama Bagayoko. All had been sanctioned for their connections to the now largely defunct Wagner mercenary group, which Russia has since folded into its Africa Corps. … The top U.S. envoy to Africa, Nick Checker, visited Mali last month to discuss the next steps for building closer ties, according to the State Department. Last year, Washington moved to resume intelligence sharing with Mali to support counterterrorism efforts. … Mali, along with its Sahel neighbours Burkina Faso and Niger, has struggled to beat back an expanding, decade-long jihadist insurgency. The violence has spread to coastal nations and is causing a growing number of casualties. Reuters
Tanzania: All Eyes on Samia as African Court Opens Judicial Year in Arusha
All eyes are on President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who is expected to officially open the 2026 judicial year of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR) in Arusha on Monday, March 2, 2026, amid renewed debate over whether Tanzania will return to a key protocol allowing individuals to sue the State directly before the continental tribunal. The ceremony will bring together judges, legal practitioners, diplomats, representatives of African Union member states, and human rights stakeholders. It will also mark the launch of activities commemorating 20 years since the Court became operational, two decades dedicated to advancing human rights protection across the continent. … Tanzania ratified the Court’s Protocol in 2006 and, in 2010, made the special declaration under Article 34(6), positioning itself among a small group of African states that broadened access to regional justice. However, in 2019, the government withdrew that declaration, citing legal and procedural concerns, including arguments that some applicants had bypassed domestic remedies before approaching the Court. The decision by Tanzania, the Court’s host nation, to revoke the declaration sparked considerable debate both domestically and internationally. The Pan-African Lawyers Union (PALU) chief executive officer, Mr John Deya, said the withdrawal significantly narrowed avenues for Tanzanian citizens seeking redress at the regional level. The Citizen
Guinea Releases 16 Soldiers and Police Officers from Sierra Leone after Border Dispute
Guinea on Friday released 16 soldiers and police officers from neighboring Sierra Leone who were arrested earlier this week in a border dispute, Sierra Leonean authorities said. “All security officers arrested by the Guinean authorities have been safely handed over to Sierra Leone,” Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Information said in a Facebook post. The release followed a visit to Guinea’s capital, Conakry, by a delegation led by Foreign Minister Alhaji Timothy Kabba, the ministry said. Several members of a security team, including an officer, were apprehended and transported across the border by members of Guinea’s military, Sierra Leone’s government said Tuesday. The Guinean military said in a statement the same day that the security team had entered Guinean territory without authorization and “set up a tent and raised their national flag” about a mile inside Guinea’s border. For more than two decades, the West African countries have been involved in a border dispute stemming from Sierra Leone’s civil war between 1991 and 2002. AP
Congo-Brazzaville President Vows to Keep Power as Campaign Kicks Off
Congo-Brazzaville’s 82-year-old President Denis Sassou Nguesso promised to extend his decades-long time in power on Saturday as campaigning kicked off for [this] month’s presidential election in the oil-rich central African nation. Thousands of supporters turned out to watch Sassou Nguesso parade in an open-topped convertible at a rally held by the president’s Congolese Labour Party (PCT) in the country’s economic and oil capital Pointe-Noire, on the Atlantic coast. Campaigning will end on March 13, with the first round of voting on March 15. Six opposition candidates have formally confirmed they will be standing, including first-time 34-year-old candidate Destin Gavin, from the Republican Movement (MR). But the fragmented and muzzled opposition stands little chance of winning, with the ruling party promising a “wave” in favour of its “patriarch”, according to roadside campaign posters. … Sassou Nguesso is one of Africa’s longest-ruling leaders after Paul Biya of Cameroon, who has been in office since 1982, and Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who took power in a 1979 coup. AFP
Guinea-Bissau’s Main Opposition Urges Dialogue with Military Rulers
In Guinea-Bissau, the country’s two principal opposition parties have made a public appeal for dialogue with the military junta that seized power in a coup in late November 2025, seeking a way out of the ongoing political crisis. The move comes amid deepening instability since the Haut commandement militaire pour la restauration de la sécurité nationale et de l’ordre public — the junta that ousted President Umaro Sissoco Embaló in November — took control of the government and suspended the electoral process. Opposition leaders, including figures from the main party coalition led by Domingos Simões Pereira, have sought to open channels of negotiation with the junta as tensions persist over the future of Guinea-Bissau’s constitutional order. This appeal follows recent events in which the junta offered positions in a transitional government to opposition politicians — an offer that was rejected by key leaders who viewed it as symbolic and insufficient in addressing the broader crisis. Regional actors, especially the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), have repeatedly urged restraint and a swift return to civilian rule, complicating the political landscape as Guinea-Bissau navigates one of its most volatile periods in recent history. Africanews
Vodafone Teams up with Amazon’s Satellites to Connect Masts in Europe and Africa
Mobile company Vodafone said on Monday it had signed a deal with Amazon Leo, the U.S. company’s low Earth orbit satellite network, to connect 4G and 5G mobile masts in remote areas in Europe and Africa. Amazon Leo will offer connections of up to 1 Gbps for download and 400 Mbps for upload to link Vodafone’s network to masts in hard-to-reach locations, saving the expense of installing fibre, Vodafone said. Vodafone will start using Amazon Leo to connect mobile base stations in Germany and other European countries this year before progressively rolling it out across Africa through its subsidiary Vodacom, it said. Amazon Leo has over 200 satellites in orbit and hundreds more built and ready for launch, Vodafone said. Vodafone separately plans to offer satellite connections to its customers using standard smartphones with its partner AST SpaceMobile, but has yet to set a date for services to begin. Reuters