Guinea Dissolves 40 Political Parties, Opposition Leader Cries Foul
Guinea’s main opposition leader said “direct resistance” to the country’s coup leader-turned-president was now the only way to bring about change after the government consolidated its position by dissolving 40 political parties. President Mamady Doumbouya, a former special forces commander, seized power in 2021 and won a seven-year term as president in December in a result contested by his opponents. Legislative elections are expected in May in the West African nation, which is rich in bauxite and iron ore. Guinea’s Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralization said in a decree late on Friday that 40 parties’ headquarters and local offices would be closed and use of their logos, acronyms “and other distinctive signs” would be prohibited. The decree said the parties had failed to meet legal obligations such as filing financial statements; several of the dissolved political parties have protested, maintaining they had fulfilled all legal requirements. In a video statement published on social media on Sunday, Guinea’s main opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo said “war has been openly declared” on Doumbouya’s challengers. He called on Guineans to engage in “direct resistance”, without specifying what exactly that should look like. And he said political change would not happen through dialogue or democratic processes. Reuters
Somalia: President Signs New Constitution Amid Growing Political Tensions
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud officially signed the country’s new constitution into law on Sunday, marking a controversial but significant milestone in the nation’s long-standing efforts to formalize its legal framework. The signing ceremony took place at the Presidential Palace in Mogadishu, attended by the speakers of both houses of the Federal Parliament. The move follows the parliament’s approval of the constitutional amendments on March 4. … While the presidency frames the signature as the final step in establishing a functional governing document, the move has ignited a fierce political firestorm. Several regional states and prominent opposition figures have vehemently rejected the changes. Critics argue that the amendments were pushed through without sufficient consensus and allege the new framework is a strategic maneuver by President Mohamud to consolidate power and extend his term in office. Despite the domestic pushback, the federal government maintains that the new constitution is essential for transitioning Somalia away from decades of provisional legal status toward a permanent federal system. Garowe Online
Islamist Militants Abduct More than 300 People in Northeastern Nigeria, Officials Say
Islamist militants attacked a town in northeastern Nigeria on Friday, abducting more than 300 people, including women and children, local officials said. The attack happened in the town of Ngoshe in Borno state, according to Bulama Sawa, an official from the Gwoza area. He told The Associated Press the attack was likely in retaliation for an operation by the military that killed three commanders of the militant Boko Haram group. No one immediately claimed responsibility for Friday’s attack. Nigeria is battling a complex security crisis from different armed groups. The United States has sent troops to the West African nation to help advise its military on the fight against insecurity. Separate attacks this week also took place in the communities of Konduga, Marte, Jakana, and Mainok between Wednesday and early Friday, according to a military spokesperson. AP
Insecurity: Ndume Urges Tinubu to Hire Helicopters for Nigerian Military
Borno South Senator, Ali Ndume, has urged President Bola Tinubu to consider hiring attack helicopters for the Nigerian military to strengthen its fight against insurgency if the government lacks the funds to procure them. Mr Ndume, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said the yearly budgetary allocation to the military should be significantly increased to enable the armed forces to acquire adequate equipment. The senator made the call in a statement on Sunday while sympathising with families of victims killed by suspected Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) militants in Ngoshe community, Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State. Several soldiers, the chief imam of the town and some community elders were reportedly killed in the incident, which occurred shortly after Muslims broke their fast on Wednesday. … [T]he Tinubu administration has introduced several security initiatives, including the reorganisation of the security architecture, the strengthening of forest guard operations and the recruitment of additional military personnel. Premium Times
Sudan to Integrate Allied Groups into Military, Al-Atta Says
Sudan’s army will activate mechanisms to organize and integrate allied irregular groups into the formal military and security services, a senior general said on Saturday, as the force seeks to consolidate its ranks in the ongoing war against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Yasir al-Atta, a member of the Sovereign Council and assistant commander-in-chief, told a military gathering in Omdurman that the army would launch an integration and discharge process. He said that those who met military standards could join the army, while others could opt for the police or security services. Since the conflict broke out in April 2023, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have relied on thousands of fighters from the Joint Forces of armed movements and the Sudan Shield forces, which draw heavily from central Sudan and the Butana plain. Battalions linked to the Islamic movement and thousands of civilians who joined popular mobilization calls have also fought alongside the army against the RSF. Sudan Tribune
UN Report Says Ugandan Troops Helped South Sudan with Deadly Airstrikes
Uganda helped South Sudan carry out airstrikes that killed and badly burned civilians a year ago, according to a U.N. inquiry. Joint aerial bombardments by South Sudan and Uganda “targeted civilian-populated areas predominantly affecting Nuer communities in opposition-affiliated areas,” said the report by the U.N. Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, referring to South Sudan’s second-largest ethnic group. Ugandan troops are deployed in South Sudan to help the government of President Salva Kiir against forces loyal to opposition figure Riek Machar, who was suspended as vice president in September after he faced criminal charges. Ugandan military authorities say troops are in South Sudan at the invitation of the South Sudan government and in accordance with a bilateral security agreement. While Machar is currently on trial for offenses including treason, fighting has intensified in areas seen as his strongholds, where government troops are trying to disperse the rebels. AP
Thousands of Civilians in South Sudan Flee Opposition-held Town after Army’s Evacuation Order
Thousands of civilians have fled an opposition-held town in eastern South Sudan following an evacuation order issued by the army to pave the way for a military operation, officials said Sunday. The exodus from Akobo, near the border with Ethiopia, began on Saturday night. “The town is now almost empty,” said Nhial Lew, a local official in charge of humanitarian affairs. “Women, children and the elderly have left and crossed into Ethiopia.” While the government’s deadline to evacuate was supposed to expire on Monday afternoon, fighting has been reported west of Akobo since Saturday. … The national army, called the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces, ordered the U.N. Mission in South Sudan, or UNMISS, to close its Akobo base on Friday. … Akobo is one of the last strongholds of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition, or SPLM-IO, led by Riek Machar, South Sudan’s detained vice president. A 2018 peace deal between Machar and President Salva Kiir has nearly collapsed since fighting resumed between their forces last year. Confrontations have dramatically increased in the northern part of Jonglei since December, when opposition forces captured government outposts. They were repelled by a government counteroffensive that displaced more than 280,000 people in a few weeks. AP
UNISFA Withdraws from Two Bases over Security Concerns
The United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) said it has completed the withdrawal of all peacekeepers and national monitors from its team sites in Tishwin and Abu Qussa/Wunkur after security conditions in the areas deteriorated. In a statement on Friday, UNISFA said the decision followed an assessment that the security situation had become increasingly volatile and unpredictable, limiting the mission’s ability to protect its personnel and sustain operations at the sites. The last convoy carrying peacekeepers, national monitors and equipment arrived in Abyei on March 6, marking the completion of the withdrawal. … The departure from the two team sites of the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism (JBVMM) follows last year’s evacuation of the mechanism’s logistics base in Kadugli after an attack on Bangladeshi peacekeepers. The JBVMM monitors the Safe Demilitarized Border Zone (SDBZ), which was established in 2012 after Sudan and South Sudan agreed to create the buffer zone with support from UNISFA. … The United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) was established by the United Nations Security Council in 2011 to monitor and maintain peace in the disputed Abyei region along the border of Sudan and South Sudan. The mission was created after the independence of South Sudan and amid tensions over the oil-rich Abyei area, which both countries claim. Radio Tamazuj
The US Imposes Visa Restrictions on Rwandan Officials after Sanctions Targeting the Military
The U.S. is imposing visa restrictions on “several senior Rwandan officials for fueling instability” in eastern Congo, the State Department said on Friday, intensifying pressure on the East African country after sanctions announced earlier this week. The unnamed officials are targeted for their support of Congo’s M23 rebel group, which the U.S. government says persists despite a U.S.-mediated peace agreement signed in December between the governments of Rwanda and Congo. “By continuing to support M23 and violating the Washington Accords, these individuals are driving violence and undermining the stability” in the region, said the statement attributed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The U.S. said it “expects all parties to the Washington Accords to fully honor their commitments,” which include expectations for Congo to immediately neutralize armed groups that threaten Rwanda as well as the withdrawal from Congo of Rwandan troops. [Last] Monday, the U.S. imposed sanctions on the Rwandan military and four of its senior officials for supporting M23, whose rebellion has caused the displacement of thousands of people in eastern Congo. The group is also blamed for human rights abuses there. AP
Uganda: Museveni Takes EAC Chair amid Regional Discord
President Museveni has assumed the chairpersonship of the East African Community (EAC) as member states continue to grapple with trade barriers, disunity, and regional insecurity. Mr Museveni took over the EAC chair from Kenyan President Dr William Ruto in Arusha, Tanzania, on Friday. He called for unity and strategic security in the region as top priorities. … The longest-serving head of state in the region will hold the EAC chair for one year. He urged African countries to avoid fragmenting markets, which he said keeps the continent poor. … In a joint communiqué by EAC heads of state, the instability in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was highlighted as a key challenge, despite the EAC-led Nairobi peace process aimed at ending the conflict. “[The heads of state] called on all parties to the conflict to cease hostilities and observe an immediate ceasefire while recommitting to peaceful resolution of their differences,” the communiqué read. … Financial constraints have also affected the EAC, with many member states struggling to pay contributions. To ease the burden, the heads of state waived 50 percent of all arrears for partner states, to be paid within two years from March 7, 2026, with richer states contributing more. The EAC also relieved itself of paying salaries for East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) members, who will now be paid by their respective national legislatures. … Finally, the heads of state resolved that anyone holding one of the top five senior EAC positions must come from a country that has ratified the EAC treaty and fulfilled all its requirements. Monitor
Tanzanian Bureaucrat Mbundi Named New EAC Secretary General
The East African Community (EAC) on Saturday named Tanzanian bureaucrat Stephen Patrick Mbundi as the new Secretary General of the bloc, skipping the tradition of rotation that would have gone to the non-paying member state, South Sudan. Mbundi is a former Permanent Secretary in charge of EAC affairs in Tanzania and will replace Kenya’s Veronica Nduva. … Overall, the Summit adopted a series of changes as it sought to save the bloc from collapsing under the mire of financial mess. And as such, the bloc adopted a new funding model effective July 1, 2026 in which all member states will contribute to the budget of the organisation, in the ratio of 50 percent based on their GDP size and another 50 percent based on the shared quotas. … This Summit came on the back of a serious financial mess that had seen staffers at the Arusha-based secretariat go for months without pay. Some members like Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan had lagged sorely behind on paying up membership fees. The East African
At Least 42 People Killed in Days of Floods across Kenya
At least 42 people have been killed in days of floods across Kenya, the government has said. Heavy rains have triggered flash floods across several regions of the country since Friday. Kenya’s Public Service and Special Programmes Minister Geoffrey Ruku told reporters on Sunday that police had documented 42 deaths since then, including 26 in the capital, Nairobi. Police said deaths were reported in multiple counties as torrential rains battered large parts of the country over the weekend, flooding roads and disrupting transport and daily activities in several towns. The floods had also done extensive damage to infrastructure and livelihoods. In Nairobi, floodwaters swept through low-lying neighbourhoods and informal settlements, submerging homes and carrying away vehicles as rivers overflowed their banks. Kenya Airways also said the rains had disrupted flights to Nairobi and forced some to divert to the coastal city of Mombasa. On Saturday, aid workers pulled bodies from floodwaters across the capital. … The Kenyan Red Cross said hundreds of households in neighbouring counties had also been affected, and vast swaths of farmland destroyed. Al Jazeera