Islamist Fighters Attack Two Nigerian Military Bases, Security Sources SayAt least four Nigerian soldiers were killed when suspected Islamist fighters launched coordinated attacks on two military bases in northeastern Borno State, security sources told Reuters. Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters have mainly operated in the northeast of Nigeria, attacking security forces and civilians, in the process killing and displacing tens of thousands of people. In the latest assault, Boko Haram insurgents and ISWAP fighters attacked an army base in the Wajiroko area of Borno State at about 2100 GMT on Monday and set military equipment on fire. One of the soldiers in the Wajiroko brigade said by phone that at least four soldiers had been killed and several others injured, including the brigade commander. Around the same time militants attacked a separate army formation in the town of Wulgo on the border with Cameroon…Although weakened by military assaults and internal fighting over the years, Boko Haram and ISWAP have stepped up attacks on military and civilian targets in Borno since the turn of the year. Reuters
Boko Haram Fighters Kill 20 Cameroonian Troops: Sources
Boko Haram fighters disguised as herders killed at least 20 Cameroonian troops in a Tuesday morning raid on the Nigerian border town of Wulgo, local security sources and residents told AFP. Cameroonian troops are commonly stationed across the border in Nigeria as part of anti-jihadist operations around Wulgo, which is near the volatile Lake Chad — home to both Islamic State and Boko Haram fighters. The militants had disguised themselves as herders and traders in a nearby city and then infiltrated Wulgo to attack its surrounding military positions, said two intelligence sources. The sources were assisting troops in the long-running fight against the militants and requested anonymity to speak freely…Soviet-made Shilka guns — lightly armoured, radar-guided anti-aircraft weapons — were among the cache seized by the Boko Haram fighters, said the second source, who offered the same death toll. On Monday, the fighters had blended among herders at the weekly market in the town of Gamboru, a commercial hub 15 kilometres (nine miles) away, the sources said. They then moved into Wulgo under the cover of night to launch a “surprise attack”, said the second security source…Since losing its Sambisa stronghold in Nigeria in 2021 to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a rival offshoot, Boko Haram has shifted its presence to areas around Lake Chad as well as Wulgo, Waza, Gwoza, Pulka the Mandara mountains on the border with Cameroon. AFP
Burkina Junta Shuts Down Journalists’ Association
Burkina Faso’s military rulers said Tuesday that they had dissolved a journalists’ association after it reported that two of its leaders who criticised the junta were taken away by police. Interior Minister Emile Zerbo accused the Burkina Journalists’ Association (AJB) of breaching a 2015 administrative regulation…Burkina has seen numerous abductions of people viewed as critical of the junta under its chief Ibrahim Traore since he took over in a coup in 2022. The association’s president Guezouma Sanogo criticised “attacks on the freedom of expression and the press” in an address to the AJB’s congress on Friday. He also branded the country’s national television channel and news agency “tools of propaganda”. The AJB later said Sanogo and his deputy president Boukari Ouoba were detained Monday and taken to an unknown destination. A third journalist, Luc Pagbelguem, was also taken in for questioning, said the private channel that he worked for, BF1. “Anyone who in any way… seeks to support a disbanded organisation, is at risk of sanctions,” Zerbo said…The AJB says seven colleagues were abducted last year, some of them still missing. Last week, political group SENS said five of its members including a journalist had been abducted after it denounced civilian massacres blamed on the army and allied militias. AFP
Niger: Mosque Attack Which Killed 44 Should Be ‘Wake-up Call’, Says Rights Chief
On 21 March, assailants from the so-called Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) surrounded Fambita Mosque and randomly shot at worshippers, according to a statement from Niger’s defence ministry. They then reportedly set a market and several homes on fire…Mr. Türk said the “calculated assault” on Fambita Mosque should be a wake-up call to all – including the international community – “as to the seriousness of the situation and the widening risks faced by civilians in Niger.” …The High Commissioner called on the Nigerien authorities to take “concrete and meaningful steps” to improve security for civilians and called on them to take effective measures to uphold human rights and the rule of law. He said it was essential that authorities involve the affected communities in efforts towards finding a durable solution to the ongoing human rights crisis in the country. UN News
Ethiopia: PM Abiy Confirms Getachew’s Departure as Tigray Interim President with Call for Replacement
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has officially confirmed the departure of Getachew Reda from his position as the interim president of Tigray regional state…PM Abiy first hinted at a replacement during his address to parliament last week, and said that the mandate of the Tigray Interim Administration has recently expired, and will be extended for another year. “There may be changes” in its leadership. he told MPs. Getachew’s confirmed replacement in today’s announcement follows months of internal disagreements within the TPLF party. The leadership change is seen as a response to escalating divisions that came to a dramatic escalation this week. The TPLF’s internal rift, which surfaced after its 14th Congress in August last year, divided the party into factions led by Debretsion Gebremichael, TPLF’s chairman, and Getachew Reda. Debretsion’s group had previously announced the removal of Getachew and others from their roles, while the interim administration under Getachew repeatedly accused Debretsion’s faction of attempting to “destabilize” the region through a “coup d’état.”…Getachew Reda, who was appointed two years ago in March following the Pretoria peace agreement, has faced criticisms from within the TPLF over allegations of ineffective governance and perceived favoritism in administrative appointments. Addis Standard
Foreign Flower Firms Flee Ethiopia as Amhara Conflict Intensifies
International flower companies are fleeing Ethiopia because of a worsening conflict in the northwestern Amhara region, a key flower-growing hub, dealing a blow to one of the country’s major exports…Ethiopia’s cut-flower industry, which generated more than $500 million in revenues last year, is the country’s second-biggest export after the top-earning $900 million coffee sector, according to central bank figures. It has made strong inroads into the global flower trade in recent years, securing a 5.5% stake of market share, while still behind Kenya’s roughly 16% stake…Many companies have reported hijackings of staff truck drivers for ransom…This is not the first time conflict has hit flower growers in the volatile Amhara region. In 2016, several flower farms belonging to multinational companies were razed to the ground by armed militias. Many also saw attacks on their employees. Semafor
India to Hold Naval Drills with African Nations to Counter China
India will hold naval drills with several African nations, the first maritime exercise of this kind, as it tries to counter China’s assertive presence in the Indian Ocean region. As many as 10 countries — including Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Mozambique and Madagascar — will participate in the drills, which start from April 11, Tarun Sobti, India’s deputy chief of naval staff, told reporters in New Delhi on Monday. The exercise is divided into several phases, including live fire drills, he added. New Delhi is hoping to shore up its influence in Africa at a time when China’s financial links with the continent keep strengthening. The South Asian nation is also alarmed by Beijing’s growing military presence in the Indian Ocean region, where China has been sending warships on training and anti-piracy missions while winning access to key naval bases. By partnering with countries such as Mozambique and Madagascar — home to crucial shipping lanes — India hopes to counter some of China’s dramatic advances in the region in the last decade. Increasing interaction and engagement with Africa is part of India’s foreign policy, said Sobti. Countries from Africa’s west coast will be invited in the next edition of the biannual naval exercise, he added. Bloomberg
Sudan’s RSF Squeezing Relief Supplies as Famine Spreads, Aid Workers Say
A dozen aid workers, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said since late last year the RSF has begun demanding higher fees and oversight of operational processes like recruitment of local staff and security, mirroring practices used by army-aligned authorities and further choking off access…In December, the Sudan Agency for Relief and Humanitarian Operations (SARHO), which administers aid for the RSF, issued directives, copies of which were seen by Reuters, demanding that humanitarian organisations register via a “cooperation agreement” and set up independent country operations in RSF territory. Though SARHO agreed last month to suspend the directives until April, aid groups say the restrictions continue. The tightening of bureaucratic controls is driven partly by the RSF’s quest for international legitimacy, but also offers a way to raise funds for a faction facing military setbacks while still controlling swathes of the country including almost all of Darfur, the aid workers said…Aid workers say failure to register with SARHO results in arbitrary delays and rejection of travel permits, but that compliance could lead to expulsion by the army and the Port Sudan-based government that is aligned with it…Aid workers say the restrictions have had the biggest impact in the famine-stricken areas around the city of al-Fashir, the army’s besieged final holdout in Darfur, as well as in nearby Tawila, where tens of thousands have sought refuge…Aid workers said that in addition to seeking oversight, the RSF was increasing fees for various aid operations including hiring local staff and transport of supplies. Reuters
UN Fears War as Barrel Bombs Dropped in South Sudan
President Salva Kiir and his rival Vice-President Riek Machar agreed in August 2018 to end a five-year civil war that killed nearly 400,000 people. But over the last seven years their relationship has become increasingly strained amid ethnic tensions and sporadic violence. In early March, several of Machar’s most senior allies were arrested by security forces, which his allies called a “grave violation” of the peace deal. This followed the clashes between the military and the White Army, which fought alongside Machar during the civil war that erupted in 2013 – not long after the country had gained its independence from Sudan. “In retaliation, communities across Upper Nile are being subjected to persistent aerial bombardment using devices, barrel bombs, allegedly containing a highly flammable liquid that acts as an accelerant on explosion,” [Nicholas Haysom, head of the UN mission in South Sudan] said. “These indiscriminate attacks on civilians are causing significant casualties and horrific injuries, especially burns.” Such allegations were first made last week by local leaders in Upper Nile…He added that such violence was escalating as the country drew closer to elections, expected next year. “Rampant misinformation, disinformation and hate speech is also ratcheting up tensions and driving ethnic divisions, and fear,” he said. BBC
Zimbabwe Moves Army Chief to Sports Docket
Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Tuesday reassigned the head of the country’s army to the sports ministry, the presidency said, without elaborating on the reasons for the move. The sports vacancy became available this month after Kirsty Coventry became the first woman elected president of the International Olympic Committee…But it was not immediately clear what prompted the portfolio reshuffle for army chief Anselem Nhamo Sanyatwe, which comes at a time of increased political sparring ahead of general elections set for 2028…Sanyatwe was redeployed as minister of sport, recreation, arts and culture, he added. A former commander of the presidential guard, the 69-year-old has also served as Zimbabwe’s ambassador to Tanzania…Sanyatwe’s removal from the army comes at a period mounting repression in the southern African country amid an economic crisis blamed by many on government-led corruption and incompetence…Political analyst Eldred Masunungure said Sanyatwe’s ouster served to protect the Mnangagwa from a mutiny. “It’s part of the coup-proofing,” he told AFP, saying the purge would target people within the army suspected to be sympathetic to [Blessed] Geza, a veteran of Zimbabwe’s fight for independence. AFP
African Billionaire Set to Build the Continent’s First AI Factory Powered by Nvidia
Cassava Technologies, founded by Zimbabwean telecoms mogul Strive Masiyiwa, has partnered with Nvidia Corp. to establish Africa’s first artificial intelligence (AI) factory. According to a statement on Cassava’s website, the company will integrate Nvidia’s cutting-edge computing and AI software into its data centres in South Africa by June 2025, with further expansion planned for Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, and Nigeria…Masiyiwa stressed that developing AI infrastructure is crucial for Africa to fully harness the opportunities of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, positioning the continent for technological and economic transformation…Cassava Technologies is set to become the first company to introduce accelerated computing to Africa as an Nvidia cloud partner. Meanwhile, global tech firms are also eyeing Africa’s digital future. Last year, Microsoft Corp. and G42, the UAE’s leading AI company, announced plans to invest $1 billion in a geothermal-powered data centre in Kenya. Business Insider Africa
Comoros’ Prized Muslim Headgear Undercut by Chinese Copies
In the markets of the Comoros, the hand-embroidered kofia that is essential headwear for men and boys at Eid celebrations this month is facing fierce competition from much cheaper Chinese versions. The authentic kofia — which often feature delicately embroidered Arabic calligraphy in silk thread — can cost up to 400 euros ($432) each. A “made in China” version goes for about 12 euros…In the Comoros, kofia are only worn by males but almost exclusively embroidered by women in work that is slow and painstaking…[A]nthropologist Abderemane Wadjih…believes “the Chinese invasion represents a cultural threat” to an item that is precious to the Comoros identity. The Comoros has to nurture the age-old mother to daughter transfer of the art and craft of creating kofia while also considering how to make more affordable versions, says the government’s director of culture, Wahida Hassani.