Translating Botswana’s Concept of Botho into a Culture of Military Professionalism
Since its creation, the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) has demonstrated an enduring commitment to a culture of military professionalism. This culture has contributed to the BDF consistently being recognized as one of the most capable, trusted, and respected militaries in Africa. Grounded in constitutional provisions and the Botswana Defence Act of 1977, this culture is reinforced through professional military education institutions, alignment with Batswana cultural values, robust civilian oversight structures, and international security partnerships. Botswana’s ongoing efforts to inculcate such a culture of professionalism, while unique, may hold lessons applicable in other contexts. To better understand how this culture has been created and sustained, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies spoke with several Botswana officers who shared their views on how Botswana’s culture of military professionalism emerged. … The officers explained that the values that underpin military professionalism are taught not only at professional military education (PME) institutions, but throughout Botswana’s educational system. … As General Peke observed, “within our military setup, we teach civil-military relations and good governance. We really emphasize this with our NCOs [noncommissioned officers], our junior officers, including what it means to respect civilian authority and what good governance means.” Africa Center for Strategic Studies
Child Soldiers of Sudan’s Civil War Go Viral on TikTok
Both sides in Sudan’s civil war are using TikTok to glamorise child soldiers, turning young fighters into viral online personalities celebrated as “lion cubs”. Children linked to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have amassed huge followings on the platform, with some accounts attracting hundreds of thousands of followers and individual videos receiving millions of views, an investigation by Bellingcat has found. In footage now removed from the site, young boys could be seen in camouflage uniforms alongside armed fighters and senior commanders, sometimes near active frontlines and carrying weapons. They also celebrated battlefield victories, delivered impassioned speeches, and made violent threats. Experts warn that the online glorification of child soldiers risks normalising violence and turning minors into tools of propaganda for armed groups. The Telegraph
European Nations to Form Atrocity Prevention Coalition for Sudan after UN Report
A group of western nations intend to form an atrocity prevention coalition for Sudan following a scathing UN report that concluded the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary committed genocide during hostilities in Darfur late last year. On Thursday, the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Norway appeared to endorse the conclusions of the UN fact-finding mission on Sudan, which accused the RSF of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide primarily targeting non-Arab communities in the North Darfur capital el-Fasher during its 18-month siege and capture of the city in October. The five European states are members of the Sudan Core Group at the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council, an informal coalition of states that leads on drafting and advancing resolutions addressing the human rights situation in Sudan. In their statement, the countries noted the UN report’s warning of the risk of further genocidal conduct in the absence of preventive measures and accountability. … The report by the UN fact-finding mission for Sudan marked the first time UN investigators concluded that the RSF had committed the crime of genocide. Middle East Eye
South Sudan: UN Convoy Ambushed on Jonglei-Pibor Border
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) on Monday condemned an ambush by unidentified armed men on its peacekeeping convoy along the border between Jonglei state and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area. The mission said the attack occurred Sunday as an engineering contingent, escorted by military peacekeepers, was traveling from Akobo in Jonglei to Pibor in the Greater Pibor area. The convoy was stopped at an unauthorized roadblock and later came under fire. Peacekeepers returned fire in self-defense in line with their mandate and rules of engagement, the mission said. No U.N. personnel were injured. … The mission reiterated that attacks targeting U.N. peacekeepers may constitute a war crime under international law. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the ambush. South Sudan is currently facing a volatile mix of escalating armed conflict, a stalled political transition, and a deepening humanitarian crisis that observers warn could tip the country back into full-scale war. Radio Tamazuj
US Slaps Sanctions on Rwanda Military over DR Congo ‘Violation’
The United States said Monday that it was imposing sanctions on Rwanda’s military, taking action against a longtime partner it accused of violating a peace agreement in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The mineral-rich east of DRC has seen decades of conflict, but violence flared last year when the Rwandan-backed M23 group made huge gains, capturing strategic mines and towns and displacing thousands of people. … The United States said it was imposing sanctions against the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) and four officers including the army chief of staff, Vincent Nyakarundi, saying they were critical to M23 gains. “M23, a US- and UN-sanctioned entity, is responsible for horrific human rights abuses, including summary executions and violence against civilians, including women and children,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement. “The continued backing from the RDF and its senior leadership has enabled M23 to capture DRC sovereign territory and continue these grave abuses,” he said. AFP
Benin Police Offer €30,000 Reward for Information Leading to Alleged Coup Plotters
Benin’s Republican Police issue wanted notice for suspected coup leaders and hefty reward for information to help locate them. Almost three months after an attempted coup in Benin, the alleged ringleaders now have a price on their head. Beninese authorities have issued a wanted notice for nine people, including the operation’s suspected mastermind. Information that leads to their location carries a reward of more than €30,000. … The coup failed after Nigeria sent fighter jets to force the mutineers out of a military base and state broadcast facilities at the request of President Talon. Heading the wanted list is Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri, a former commander of an elite military unit. Beninese officials have said he is in hiding in Lome, capital of neighbouring Togo. Togo’s government has not commented on the allegation. Africanews
China Spent Big on an African Media Empire, But No One’s Watching
China has spent nearly two decades assembling a media empire in Africa. Its broadcasters, newswires and print publications have hired hundreds of journalists, opened dozens of bureaus, built state-of-the-art studios and engaged high-profile local anchors to spread Beijing’s message across the continent. It has one big problem: Few people watch. Bureaucratic dysfunction, leadership churn and tightening political controls have left China’s African media experiment struggling to find relevance in a region that will be home to more than a quarter of the world’s population by 2050. Africans watch the BBC, Al Jazeera and CNN, but even China’s marquee media brands barely figure in public debate in most countries on the continent. “Audiences are more attuned to news from the West than from China, which generates distrust,” says Confidence MacHarry, an analyst at SBM Intelligence, a political risk consulting firm in Lagos. … Today the country spends billions of dollars annually on its global media efforts, the US State Department estimates. … Despite the slow progress—or perhaps because of it—Chinese media appear to have decided they would rather reach African elites than mass audiences. … One CGTN staffer who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly put it bluntly: The target audience is no longer the African public, but the continent’s governments. Bloomberg
Somalia: Puntland Rejects Federal Constitutional Amendments, Cites Lack of Consensus
Puntland state on Monday formally rejected unilateral attempts by the Somali federal government to amend the country’s provisional constitution, warning that such moves threaten national unity and political stability. Following a high-level consultative meeting in the regional capital of Garowe, Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni and federal lawmakers representing the region issued a joint statement condemning the reform process led by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. … The standoff centers on a suite of constitutional overhauls proposed by the central government in Mogadishu, which include shifting Somalia from a parliamentary system to a presidential one and introducing a direct “one-person, one-vote” electoral model for the 2026 elections. Critics, including opposition blocs and regional leaders, argue that these reforms centralize power in the presidency and were drafted without sufficient input from federal member states. … Puntland, which established its own autonomy in 1998, has historically been a vocal advocate for a decentralized federal structure. This latest declaration further isolates the federal government as it nears the end of its term, raising questions about the feasibility of national elections scheduled for April 2026. Garowe Online
Zimbabwe Releases over 4,000 Prisoners under Presidential Amnesty
Zimbabwe on Monday began releasing nearly 4,000 inmates under a presidential amnesty in a bid to ease overcrowding in the country’s prisons. It was announced by the cabinet in February on the same day it approved changes to the constitution as part of a plan to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term till 2030. The order grants a general amnesty to specific categories of convicted inmates, as authorised by the president. … Zimbabwe’s prisons held just over 24,000 inmates in the second quarter of 2025, according to recent available national data. The scheme also did not include those of contravening “the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act”, a charge that has been used in the past against protesters and political opposition. There has been much anger in Zimbabwe over the proposed constitutional changes to allow Mnangagwa to extend his term in office by two years. The move has been described by opposition figures as a constitutional “coup”. Africanews with AFP
Former Senegalese President Enters UN Secretary-General Race
Former Senegalese president, Macky Sall, has officially entered the race to become the United Nations’ new Secretary-General. The world body on Monday confirmed that Sall, who led the country from 2012 to 2024, was nominated for the top job by Burundi. Despite achievements during his tenure as president, he continues to face criticism at home, notably accusations that his administration hid the true extent of the country’s fiscal problems. The world body will elect a new Secretary-General, to replace outgoing chief Antonio Guterres, this year for a five-year term starting on 1 January 2027. Traditionally the job rotates among regions, but when Guterres, who is Portuguese, was elected in 2016, it was supposed to be Eastern Europe’s turn. The next on the list is Latin America. Sall joins two other formally nominated candidates: former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet and Argentine diplomat Rafael Grossi, who currently heads the International Atomic Energy Agency. Costa Rica has also put forward its former vice president Rebeca Grynspan, but the letter of candidacy has not yet been officially submitted to the UN. Africanews
Senegal PM Says Party Could Quit Government if President Diverges from Vision
Senegal’s Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko said he was willing to take his party out of the government and return to opposition if President Bassirou Diomaye Faye breaks from its vision amid rumours of a power struggle between the two party colleagues. Tensions have been high in the West African country following violence at universities and long drawn-out talks with the International Monetary Fund as Senegal battles to raise cash and negotiate a new lending programme with the IMF. … “If the president is not aligned with his party, even though we all govern together, we’re in what I call a ‘soft power-sharing’ situation,” he said. “We would manage our differences accordingly, and we would also seek common ground to move forward together.” … Sonko was a popular opponent under the previous administration. He was barred from running in the 2024 presidential election due to a legal conviction and chose little-known Faye, a longtime aide and Pastef member, as his replacement candidate. Faye then appointed Sonko as prime minister. Since then, signs of dissension have begun to appear between the two men. In November, their camps issued conflicting statements over the leadership of the ruling coalition. Reuters
Tanzania, Ghana Agree to Deepen Resource-based Economic Cooperation
Tanzania and Ghana have agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation to better harness their natural resources to accelerate economic growth, expand value addition, and create jobs for their youthful populations. The commitment was reached on Monday, March 2, 2026, during bilateral talks in Arusha between Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan and her Ghanaian counterpart, President John Dramani Mahama. President Mahama arrived in Tanzania on Monday, March 2, 2026, to officiate the opening of the legal year of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights. … The two leaders identified priority areas for enhanced cooperation, including mining and natural resource governance, agricultural value chains, digitalisation and fintech, cybersecurity, and improved air connectivity between West and East Africa to facilitate trade and investment flows. Both presidents reaffirmed that the historic ties between Tanzania and Ghana, shaped by the Pan-African vision of founding leaders Julius Nyerere and Kwame Nkrumah, continue to inspire a shared commitment to economic self-reliance and continental solidarity. The Citizen