East Congo Ceasefire in Trouble as Rebels Stay in Strategic Town
A de facto ceasefire between Congolese forces and Rwandan-backed rebels in the eastern Congo town of Walikale appeared to have broken down on Monday, with the rebels going back on a pledge to withdraw and accusing the army of violating its own commitments. The prospect of a ceasefire in the strategic town of Walikale, which the M23 rebels captured last week, had briefly fuelled hopes of reviving stalled diplomatic efforts to resolve eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s biggest conflict in decades…Lawrence Kanyuka, the spokesperson for M23’s Congo River Alliance (AFC) rebel coalition, accused the army and allied militias of not withdrawing their attack drones from Walikale…Residents of Walikale, which marked the farthest west M23 had reached since escalating their offensive in January, said rebel fighters were still in town on Monday morning. Reuters
Angola Ends East Congo Conflict Mediation Role
Angola will step down from its position as a mediator between parties involved in an escalating Rwanda-backed rebel offensive in eastern Congo, the presidency said on Monday, with another African state set to lead efforts to get peace talks back on track…As the current rotating African Union (AU) chairperson, Angola’s President Joao Lourenco had been trying to mediate a lasting ceasefire and lower tensions between Congo and neighbouring Rwanda, which has been accused of backing M23…Congo and M23 were scheduled to hold direct talks for the first time in Angola’s capital Luanda last week after Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi, who had long refused dialogue with the rebels, agreed to send a delegation. M23 pulled out at the last minute, following European Union sanctions against M23 and Rwandan officials. “Angola considers the need to free itself from the responsibility of the mediator of this conflict” to “devote itself more” to the AU’s overall priorities, the presidency said in a statement that mentioned the “aborted” meeting in Luanda. Another head of state will be appointed to the task in coming days, the statement said. Reuters
Sudan: Dozens Killed in North Darfur amid Accusations of RSF Ethnic Attacks
At least 48 people were killed and dozens injured in what doctors and activists described on Saturday as ethnically motivated attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the town of Al-Maliha, North Darfur state. The Sudan Doctors Network said in a statement that the RSF had “carried out mass killings” of 48 people in Al-Maliha “on an ethnic basis,” injuring 63 others…It said the RSF was targeting communities in the region under the pretext they were supporting the army, leading to displacement and threatening social peace…[Sharaf al-Din Mahmoud, an activist from Al-Maliha] said the RSF had killed leaders of the Meidob tribe’s traditional administration, as well as local government employees, teachers, doctors, emergency room activists, and civil society leaders. He also said the attacking forces had confiscated Starlink satellite internet devices and were preventing civilians from leaving, effectively using them as human shields amid attacks by a joint force seeking to retake the area. The main market was also looted and burned, he added. Al-Maliha hosts more than 100,000 displaced people who have arrived from various parts of Darfur, some of whom are living in shelters, aid groups say. Sudan Tribune
Sudanese Army General Threatens to Attack Chadian Airport
A senior Sudanese army commander said on Sunday that airports in neighbouring Chad would be considered military targets, accusing the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of supporting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan’s ongoing conflict. Yasir al-Atta, a member of Sudan’s Sovereign Council and assistant commander-in-chief of the army, made the comments at a condolence ceremony in Gadaref, eastern Sudan, for a military media officer, Lieutenant Colonel Hassan Ibrahim. Sudan’s defence ministry said in December last year that the UAE had supplied the RSF with strategic drones equipped with guided missiles and that attacks had been launched from within Chad… “We will take retaliatory action against the UAE, the corrupt centres of influence in South Sudan, and we will take retaliatory action against Mohamed Kaka, the President of Chad,” al-Atta said. “And we warn him that the airports of N’Djamena and Amdjarass are legitimate targets for the Sudanese Armed Forces.”…“We will pursue everyone who fought against our nation from West Africa, South Sudan, and Libya, as well as the main supporter of this war, which is the UAE, led by Mohammed bin Zayed, the devil of the Arabs,” he continued. Sudanese army and government leaders have repeatedly accused the UAE of providing military support to the RSF, which has been fighting the Sudanese army since April 2023. Sudan Tribune
South Sudan: Unity State Minister Arrested in Juba
South Sudan’s National Security Service (NSS) on Friday arrested Tot Jock Chieng, Unity State’s Minister of General Education, at Juba Airport as he prepared to board a UN aircraft to return to Bentiu, the state capital. Chieng, a member of the opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO), was traveling with Unity State’s Deputy Governor Tor Tungwar Kueiguong when NSS agents blocked the delegation from boarding the flight. Eyewitnesses said the officials were instructed to return to their residences, but Chieng was arrested and taken to an undisclosed location…The arrest of the state minister comes amid escalating tensions between South Sudan’s government and opposition forces led by First Vice President Riek Machar. Recent clashes between the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and SPLM-IO fighters in Nasir County have heightened instability. The conflict, rooted in political and security disputes, intensified after President Salva Kiir Mayardit dismissed several SPLM-IO officials in early February. Radio Tamazuj
Germany Closes Its Embassy in South Sudan Amid War Fears
Germany has announced the temporary closure of its embassy in South Sudan, citing escalating tensions and the risk of a return to civil war in the country…Germany is one of the largest bilateral donors of humanitarian assistance to South Sudan, including through development cooperation projects in the country. The German foreign minister also called on South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir and his rival, First Vice President Riek Machar, to take immediate steps to de-escalate tensions…The closure of the German embassy underscores growing international concern over the stability of South Sudan…The U.S. State Department issued [a travel advisory urging non-emergency staff to leave] on 8 March, citing political tensions and the widespread availability of weapons in South Sudan. Radio Tamazuj
At Least 44 Killed in Niger Jihadist Attack, Authorities Say
Islamist militants killed at least 44 civilians and severely injured 13 others during an attack on a mosque in southwest Niger on Friday, the country’s defence ministry said. The attack occurred during afternoon prayers in the village of Fombita in the rural commune of Kokorou, which is near the tri-border region of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali known as the epicentre of a jihadist insurgency in West Africa…Heavily armed jihadists encircled a mosque, where people had gathered for prayers during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, and carried out a “massacre of rare cruelty”, it said. The attackers then set fire to a market and houses before retreating, the ministry said. Troops deployed to the scene provided a provisional death toll of 44 civilians, with 13 severely injured. Three days of national mourning have been declared. Reuters
Nigeria: Bandits Kill 10 Zamfara Security Guards
Bandits have killed at least 10 members of the Zamfara State Community Protection Guards (CPG) during an ambush on Saturday in the Anka Local Government Area. Fourteen other security guards were injured in the attack. The state’s governor, Dauda Lawal, confirmed the attack in a Facebook post on Sunday. Mr Lawal said the attack followed a raid led by soldiers on the bandits’ hideout in Sunke forest. He said many of the bandits were killed in the attack and arms recovered. The governor said two members of the community protection guard and a vigilante member were still missing following the incident. Premium Times
Nigerian Traders Angry after Niger Restricts Border Entry
[VIDEO] Nigerian traders at the Niger border are expressing their concerns about officials in Niamey rejecting ECOWAS passports. They fear that the decision could disrupt decades of essential cross-border trade. The development also increases tensions between Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso and other West African countries. DW
Mozambique Leader Meets Opposition Chief to Reset Relations
Mozambican President Daniel Chapo met main opposition figure Venancio Mondlane for talks in an effort to ease tensions, following months of violent clashes between protesters and security forces, the president’s office said late on Sunday. The gas-rich southern Africa nation has been gripped by political turmoil since October’s disputed general election. The election, which several international observer missions said was tainted by irregularities, was followed by more than two months of demonstrations and blockades, during which more than 360 people died, according to a local civil society group. Chapo and Mondlane met in the capital, Maputo, to “discuss solutions to the challenges facing the country”, the presidency said…Mondlane confirmed the meeting in a social media post, saying it had been aimed at “embarking on a mutual process in answer to the calls and desires of the Mozambican people”…It was not immediately clear if a political deal was in the offing for Mondlane, who recently split with the opposition Podemos party, which had supported his presidential candidacy…Chapo’s overture comes nearly two weeks after Mondlane said he had been questioned for 10 hours by prosecutors and placed under judicial supervision. AFP
Gabon Junta Chief to Face 7 Challengers in Presidential Vote
Gabon’s military leader Brice Oligui Nguema will face seven challengers in elections set for April 12 in the West African country, state television said Friday. The accepted rivals, up from three announced earlier this month, include former prime minister Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze, the last under ousted ex-president Ali Bongo Ondimba. He is considered the strongest opponent to Oligui, who led the August 2023 military coup that ended 55 years of Bongo family rule…Lawyer and tax inspector Joseph Lapensee Essingone and doctor Stephane Germain Iloko Boussengui were also among the first three initially deemed admissible by the authorities. But four others who contested their exclusion before the country’s constitutional court saw their candidacies accepted, including Zenaba Gninga Chaning, the only woman who will challenge Oligui. Campaigning is scheduled to begin on March 29. AFP
Zimbabwe Court Keeps Journalist in Jail for Critical Interview
A Zimbabwe High Court denied bail Friday to a journalist arrested 25 days ago after he interviewed a former ruling party veteran who said President Emmerson Mnangagwa should step down. The February 24 arrest of Blessed Mhlanga adds to claims of mounting repression in the southern African country bowed by an economic crisis blamed on government-led corruption and incompetence. Rejecting an appeal against a lower court’s refusal to release Mhlanga on bail, High Court judge Justice Gibson Mandaza said he agreed that the journalist could interfere with the investigation and witnesses…Mhlanga was arrested after speaking with a veteran of Zimbabwe’s fight for independence, Blessed Geza, who has become the public face of opposition to attempts to keep Mnangagwa in power after the end of his term in 2028…The journalist said in a message read out by his lawyer, Doug Coltart, that he did not take sides in his work and only wanted to “inform a nation, to equip it with information that builds a stronger and better Zimbabwe”. AFP
Tunisia Quits African Union Rights Court
Tunisia announced in a declaration circulated by activists since Thursday “the withdrawal of its recognition of the competence of the (African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights) to accept cases from individuals and non-governmental organisations”…Tunisia had granted its citizens and NGOs the right to petition the court in 2017 after it emerged as the only surviving democracy from the Arab Spring of 2011. Kais Saied was elected president in 2019 but in 2021 he staged a sweeping power grab and human rights groups have since raised concerns over a rollback on freedoms. A number of his leading critics are currently behind bars. Some are being prosecuted in an ongoing mass trial on charges of plotting against the state. Human rights groups have denounced the case as politically motivated. AFP
Migrants Deported from Mauritania Recount Police Beatings
For several weeks now, Mauritania has been throwing out migrants, mostly from neighbouring countries in west Africa like Senegal, Mali, Ivory Coast and Guinea…The vast, arid country on the Atlantic seaboard, serves as a departure point for many African migrants seeking to reach Europe by sea. The authorities say their “routine” deportations target undocumented individuals. They have not provided information on the number of people expelled. None of the migrants AFP spoke to said they intended to take to the sea…Government spokesperson Houssein Ould Meddou said migrants were returned to the border crossings through which they had entered the country. NGOs, however, have condemned the “inhumane” deportations and the Senegalese government has voiced outrage at the treatment of its nationals. A few metres (yards) from the Rosso crossing, about 30 migrants — mostly Guinean men, women and children — squatted in a dilapidated building littered with rubbish, each trying to carve out a space of their own in the narrow edifice…The most fortunate end up at the nearby Red Cross premises, where they are looked after. But Mbaye Diop, the head of the Red Cross branch in Rosso, said there had been such a large influx of migrants in recent days that his organisation no longer had space to accommodate everyone. AFP
UN Raises Alarm Over Wave of ‘Arbitrary’ Arrests in Libya
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya expressed concern over what it said were arbitrary arrests, including of lawyers and members of the judiciary, calling for their immediate release…Libya has struggled to recover from the chaos that followed the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that overthrew longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi. It remains split between a UN-recognised government in Tripoli and a rival authority in the east backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar. UNSMIL also expressed concern about the use of filmed confessions, “where individuals are detained and coerced into ‘confessing’ to alleged crimes with videos published online.” It said the practice was used to “intimidate and humiliate” the individuals, and must be deemed inadmissible. Among those arrested was Judge Ali al-Sharif, who was subjected to violence during his arrest in Tripoli on March 10, as well as lawyer Mounir al-Orfi, detained in Benghazi since March 12, said the UN. Two military prosecutors, Mansour Daoub and Mohammed al-Mabrouk al-Kar, have also been held in Tripoli since 2022, UNSMIL said. AFP
Cameroon Takes Measures to Stop Soldiers from Deserting to Ukraine-Russia War Fronts
Many Cameroonian soldiers have gone AWOL (absent without leave) in the past months, most of them ending up on the war front between Russia and Ukraine. The soldiers were allegedly deceived into thinking they were going to greener pastures by signing less-than-honest contracts with middlemen who promised them better lives in Europe. By the time they realised what they were getting into, it was too late, with many returning in black bags. At a time when soldiers are needed most at three war fronts in the Northwest and Southwest regions, Cameroon’s Ministry of Defense has taken measures to ensure that soldiers do not desert the country to fight in Eastern Europe, where a war is raging between Russia and Ukraine. In a statement addressed to officers in charge of the defence and security units, the Minister of Defense, Joseph Beti Assomo…instructed senior Cameroonian army officers to prohibit all outings from the national territory by elements of the defence and security forces who do not have authorisations duly signed by him after vetting by the chain of command and military security. HumAngle
Kenya: Ruto Expands Government, Appoints More Raila Allies to Key Positions
Kenyan President William Ruto has appointed more political allies of opposition leader Raila Odinga to senior government positions, days after their parties – the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and the main opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) – formalised a political pact. According to Ruto, these changes aim to accelerate the implementation of his bottom-up economic transformation agenda…Political analyst Paul Musingi tells The Africa Report that the new appointments signal Raila’s growing influence within the government…Beyond the newly appointed officials, several of Raila’s close allies already hold key cabinet positions in Ruto’s government…Meanwhile, Raila has declined an invitation from former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua and other opposition leaders to join their newly formed anti-Ruto coalition. Raila, a five-time presidential candidate, reaffirmed his commitment to supporting Ruto’s broad-based government, dismissing calls to abandon the pact…Gachagua, who was impeached earlier this year, has been leading efforts to unite opposition figures including Kalonzo Musyoka, Raila’s two-time running mate, in a new political front against Ruto. The Africa Report
Tanzania: Global Metal Giants Eye Dar Port as Key Africa Trade Hub
Three of the world’s leading metal giants have expressed interest in using the Dar es Salaam Port as a hub for African trade, citing improved efficiency and productivity at Tanzania’s main sea gateway. The companies—China Metal Storage and Transport Company (CMST), Mercuria, and their jointly owned subsidiary, Henry Bath & Son Ltd—visited Tanzania at the invitation of DP World and the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) to explore potential partnerships…Speaking during a media briefing at the weekend, DP World Tanzania’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Martin Jacob, said the visit underscores Dar es Salaam Port’s growing significance in global trade. He noted that the companies’ interest would benefit the port and its stakeholders by enhancing the logistics chain—not only within Tanzania but also for landlocked countries and consumers across the region…CMST is a global leader in metal storage, while Mercuria is among the top five global metal trading companies, with an annual turnover exceeding $180 billion and operations spanning five continents—although Africa remains an untapped market for them…As these global metal giants consider expansion into Africa, Dar es Salaam Port’s role as a vital trade hub is set to grow, reinforcing Tanzania’s position in the continent’s economic future. The Citizen