Uganda’s Longtime President Sworn in for Another Term as His Son Emerges as De Facto Ruler
Forty years. That’s how long Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has been in power. The 81-year-old was sworn in Tuesday to extend his presidency over a further five-year term that may well be his last — although not necessarily the last for the Museveni family. … [The president’s son and presumptive heir, army chief Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba] looks poised to take over. He has declared his wish to succeed his father and said recently that the mission is unstoppable. Still, his path is narrow and could follow one of two ways: either a bloodless but unconstitutional takeover by Kainerugaba or a constitutional amendment that allows lawmakers with the ruling party — who have an overwhelming majority — to pick him as Museveni’s successor. An electoral win is seen as a hurdle too high for Kainerugaba, whose challengers would include opposition leader Bobi Wine, the popular entertainer who has twice run for president and rejected the outcome of the January election that gave Museveni his next term. … [M]any leaders have been scampering to show allegiance to Kainerugaba. While their moves display a quest for political survival, they also underscore Kainerugaba’s rise as Uganda’s de facto leader as his father ages and relies more on the army chief to exercise authority. AP
Uganda: Opposition Shun Museveni’s Swearing-in Fete, Warn of Tougher Times Ahead
Uganda’s major opposition political parties have said they will not attend President Yoweri Museveni’s swearing-in ceremony scheduled for Tuesday, despite receiving official invitations. … [T]he leaders said attending such a ceremony would be tantamount to legitimising what they described as a disputed and fraudulent electoral victory. They claim Museveni did not genuinely win the January 15 election and warned that his continued rule will deepen Ugandans’ suffering through controversial policies such as the recently passed Sovereignty Bill, increased government expenditure and growing authoritarianism. Sharing with the Monitor on Monday, the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party president, Mr Patrick Oboi Amuriat, said they are shunning President Museveni’s swearing-in, as this would legitimise a disputed election outcome. Mr Amuriat said they will instead attend the presidential swearing-in of their Members of Parliament, noting that opposition legislators had secured victory despite a difficult political environment. Monitor
Dozens Of Nigerian Fishermen Feared Dead After Chad Army Strikes Jihadists: Local Sources
Dozens of Nigerian fishermen are feared dead after a Chadian army attack against jihadists on Lake Chad, a civilian militia member and a union official told AFP on Sunday. The militia member said the number of dead was unknown, as the operation on the vast expanse of water and marshland between Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad was still ongoing. But a Lake Chad fishermen’s union official said: “Chadian fighter jets bombarded two islands. So far, 40 Nigerian fishermen have been missing and believed to have drowned from the strikes, according to fishermen who escaped.” The militia member said Chadian fighter jets had been bombing islands controlled by Boko Haram on the Nigerian side of the lake since Friday, following a recent attack on its troops. He said there were “huge casualties” among the fishermen, who pay tax to Boko Haram to allow them to fish in the area. The bombing was concentrated on the jihadist stronghold of Shuwa island, where Nigeria, Niger and Chad meet on the lake, he added. AFP
Nigeria: Tinubu Appoints Retired Army General as Special Adviser on Homeland Security
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed retired Major General Adeyinka A. Famadewa as Special Adviser on Homeland Security. … Major General Famadewa retired from military service after more than three decades in national security, intelligence operations, counter-terrorism and international security diplomacy. During his tenure as Principal General Staff Officer to the National Security Adviser between 2015 and 2021, he was instrumental in the establishment of the Intelligence Fusion Centre at the Office of the National Security Adviser. The centre brought together the Defence Intelligence Agency, National Intelligence Agency, Department of State Services, the Nigeria Police Force and the Armed Forces to improve intelligence sharing, threat assessment and coordinated national security responses. Following his retirement, Famadewa served as Senior Research Fellow at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Abuja, where he contributed to policy discussions on policing, civil-security relations and national security reforms. He is also the author of the monograph, “Policing and National Security in Nigeria,” which focuses on frameworks for strengthening cooperation between civil authorities and security institutions. PR Nigeria
Senior RSF Commander Defects from Sudanese Paramilitary Group
A prominent field commander in the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced his formal defection on Monday, the second high-profile departure from the paramilitary group in less than two months. Ali Rizq, widely known as “Al-Savanna,” declared his separation in a video circulated on social media, stating he no longer had any relationship with the group. … Within the paramilitary structure, he held the rank of brigadier general and was a key figure in East Darfur. The commander was known for his role in recruiting foreign fighters from neighbouring countries, including Chad and Niger. He also led RSF operations in the West Kordofan localities of En Nahud and Al-Khuwi. While Al-Savanna stated he has not yet joined another military entity, his defection follows that of Major General Al-Nour Al-Qubba, who left the RSF in April to join the Sudanese army. Analysts suggest the influence of tribal leader Musa Hilal has been instrumental in these shifts. Hilal has reportedly been working to neutralize members of the Mahameed clan serving within the RSF following clashes between his supporters and the paramilitary group in North Darfur earlier this year. Sudan Tribune
Congo Rebels Pull Back from Key Positions amid US Pressure
The Rwandan-backed AFC/M23 rebel group has withdrawn from several key positions in Congo’s eastern South Kivu province over the weekend, the Congolese army and a rebel official said on Monday, marking the first significant battlefield shift in months. The withdrawal followed military pressure from the Congolese army and diplomatic pressure from Washington, a spokesperson for Congo’s army told Reuters. It marks the first notable frontline movement since the rebels briefly took the city of Uvira in December before withdrawing under pressure from the United States. It comes two weeks after the U.S. imposed sanctions on former president Joseph Kabila over alleged links to AFC/M23, allegations he denies. The rebels pulled back from Kabunambo, some 35 kilometres north of Uvira, to Luvungi, roughly 30 kilometres further north towards the provincial capital Bukavu, where they were stationed before their advance on Uvira, the two sources said. Reuters
Niger Suspends Nine French Media Bodies: Watchdog Slams ‘Abusive’ Decision
Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned Niger’s suspension of nine French media publications as the military government continues to crack down on journalists. Niger announced the suspension on Friday. … The suspended organisations are France 24, RFI (Radio France Internationale), France Afrique Media, LSI Africa, AFP (Agence France-Presse), TV5 Monde, TF1 Info, Jeune Afrique and Mediapart, according to a TV statement from the National Communication Observatory (ONC). … Niger’s military seized power in July 2023, toppling the democratically elected government of President Mohamed Bazoum and detaining him. The government has since targeted local and foreign media outlets, particularly those critical of its policies, by issuing bans or suspensions. … Local journalists have also been affected. Two Nigerien journalists, Gazali Abdou, a correspondent for German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, and Hassane Zada, a regional newspaper editor, were released this week after being detained for months. Al Jazeera
Somali Security Forces Open Fire on Protesters in Mogadishu, Killing One
One person was killed and another injured on Sunday after Somali security forces opened fire to disperse an opposition‑led protest in the capital Mogadishu, according to opposition figures and witnesses, deepening tensions just days before President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s term expires. The demonstration, organised under the slogan Dareen Hiil Shacab (“Solidarity with the People”), was planned at around ten locations across the capital to denounce recent government‑ordered evictions that have displaced thousands. Opposition leaders said authorities restricted the protest to a single stadium and imposed sweeping movement controls, blocking major roads and surrounding the homes of key opposition figures. Despite the restrictions, dozens gathered in the Deyniile district, where witnesses say security forces opened fire to break up the crowd. … The violence comes at a sensitive moment: Mohamud’s term ends in five days, and elections are scheduled for June. The government continues to struggle to assert authority beyond Mogadishu as it battles al‑Shabaab, which has waged an insurgency for nearly 20 years. With tensions rising and political timelines tightening, Sunday’s deadly confrontation underscores the fragility of Somalia’s security and governance landscape. Africanews
Sierra Leone Opposition Raises Alarm over Alleged Drug Trafficking Links
The leader of Sierra Leone’s opposition voiced alarm on Monday over alleged links between the west African country and international drug trafficking and organised crime networks. In an open letter to President Julius Maada Bio, Abdulai Kargbo, leader of the main opposition APC party, pointed to a multi-million-dollar seizure last week of drugs on a ship that had left Sierra Leon’s capital, Freetown. On Thursday, Spanish police said they had seized firearms and 30 tonnes of cocaine worth $700 million from a Comoros-flagged vessel in the Atlantic Ocean. The ship had departed from the Sierra Leone capital Freetown and was en route to the Mediterranean Sea. … He highlighted “alarming and repeated international reports linking Sierra Leone, Sierra Leoneans, our territorial waters, our ports, our borders and persons associated with our country to international narcotics trafficking and organised criminal networks.” … The confirmed presence in Sierra Leone in recent months of Jos Leijdekkers, one of Europe’s most wanted drug traffickers, has raised questions about his potential links to the government. Images showing the Dutchman in the company of high-ranking officials, including Bio, suggest he has been cultivating ties with Freetown’s elite. Africanews with AFP
Deals and New Partnerships Lined up at Africa-France Summit
More than 30 African leaders gathered for a summit with French President Emmanuel Macron in Kenya on Monday, as Paris sought new deals and partnerships amid signs of fading influence in some of its former colonies on the continent. … Macron said Africa and France were equal partners with common objectives and announced that 23 billion euros of investments – 14 billion from French companies and 9 billion from African ones – had been mobilised through the summit. “A lot of solutions are made in the U.S. or made in China,” he said during a panel discussion on technology and artificial intelligence. “I think we have a common fight … which is to build our strategic autonomy for Europe and Africa. And if we build it together, we will be much stronger.” … Kenya hopes to use the summit to attract French investors looking to take advantage of the pan-African free trade area (AfCFTA) and to advance talks on making the global financial system fairer to heavily indebted African countries. Reuters
African Leaders Push Credit Reforms at Nairobi Summit with France
African leaders used the second day of a summit with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday to push for easier access to credit that could help fund major investments and boost economic growth. A years-long campaign by African governments for reforms to reduce their borrowing costs got a boost on Monday when Macron said he supported creating a first-loss guarantee mechanism to de-risk investments on the continent and would lobby for the idea at the G7 summit next month. African governments argue they suffer from an unduly high perception of risk among lenders, which can make credit prohibitively expensive. … Decrying what they say are biases against them that overstate the continent’s risk, African governments have called for changes to the methodologies used by credit ratings agencies. … Macron’s proposal of a first-loss guarantee mechanism would help boost capital flows into Africa. It is part of a broader push to mobilize private capital for African nations as rich governments cut back on development financing in favor of defense and other domestic priorities. Reuters
UN Expands Nairobi Hub as Guterres Pushes African Representation
The United Nations must be reformed to increase African representation, secretary-general António Guterres said on Monday when he broke ground on an expansion of the UN’s Kenyan campus. Guterres has repeatedly called over the years for change to give Africa and other regions better representation at the UN. But this request has made little progress since it requires the five permanent Security Council members — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — to agree to dilute their own power. … “We need deeper reforms of… global institutions that reflect the world as it is today, not as it was 80 years ago, and this includes the Security Council, where a historic injustice persists in denying Africa permanent seats,” Guterres told reporters. … Guterres was in Kenya to break ground on a $340-million expansion of the UN’s Nairobi campus — part of efforts to cut costs by moving staff from its New York and Geneva offices. … The campus began as a regional hub for the UN’s environmental and housing arms but has grown to house more than 80 of its offices and more than 4,000 staff. Africanews with AFP and AP