RSF Drones Hit Sudan Air Base, Flights Suspended at Port Sudan Airport
Drones belonging to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeted the Osman Digna air base in Port Sudan at dawn on Sunday, forcing the closure of the city’s nearby airport, the Sudanese army said. The attack marks the first time Port Sudan airport, located in eastern Sudan, has been hit by drones, Sudan Tribune reported. The city has served as Sudan’s temporary capital since the war between the army and the RSF erupted two years ago. The RSF also targeted Kassala airport in eastern Sudan with a drone on Saturday…The attack brings the conflict closer to army leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who also heads the ruling Sovereignty Council. He survived a drone assassination attempt on July 31, 2024, in Jibit, Red Sea state. Five people, including students and an officer, were killed in that attack during a military graduation ceremony. That incident was the first drone attack reported in Red Sea state since the war between the army and RSF began in April 2023. Sudan Tribune
At Least Seven Killed in South Sudan Hospital Bombing: MSF
At least seven people have been killed and another 20 injured in an attack on a town in South Sudan, the medical charity Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, has said, as fears grow that the world’s youngest nation will relapse into all-out civil war. MSF said in statement that it “strongly condemned the deliberate bombing of its hospital in Old Fangak” on Saturday and that the attack destroyed the last remaining functioning hospital and pharmacy there in the north of the country…Mamman Mustapha, Head of Mission with MSF in South Sudan, told Al Jazeera from the capital Juba that his team on the ground reported “two helicopter gunships attacking the hospital”…Additional attacks took place hours later near a market in Old Fangak, causing widespread panic and displacement of civilians, according to several witnesses. The United Nations has warned in recent weeks that South Sudan, plagued by instability since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, is on the brink of a renewed civil war. The country descended into conflict in recent months due to the collapse of a power-sharing agreement between rival generals, President Salva Kiir and First Vice-President Riek Machar. Kiir and Machar represent the two largest ethnic groups, the Dinka and Nuer, respectively, which fought a civil war between 2013 and 2018…Now, tensions between Kiir and Machar have boiled over again, the latter placed under house arrest since March for alleged subversion. Old Fangak, where the attack on the MSF hospital occurred, is one of several major towns in Fangak county, Jonglei State, an ethnically Nuer part of the country that is historically associated with Machar’s Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO) party. Al Jazeera and News Agencies
South Sudan Women’s Union Urges Ceasefire, Cites Conflict Abuses
A South Sudanese women’s union urged warring parties to cease hostilities, citing immense suffering caused by the ongoing conflict. The union’s general secretariat issued the statement following reports of renewed military confrontations between the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and fighters loyal to the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition (SPLA-IO). The statement also noted the involvement of the “White Army,” a coalition of armed civilian groups often aligned with tribal leadership. “As women leaders in South Sudan, we call on the parties to the conflict to cease hostilities and embrace dialogue. Armed confrontation is not the solution,” the statement read, in part…Rebecca Joshua Okwaci, a South Sudanese lawmaker and former information minister, echoed these concerns, calling the situation for women caught in the conflict “unfortunate, sad, and unbearable.” Okwaci recently returned from Malakal, capital of Upper Nile state, where she witnessed the impact of fierce fighting in nearby Ulang, Nasir, and Panyikang counties while launching a Special Olympics program…While in Upper Nile, Okwaci also witnessed the influx of civilians fleeing the separate conflict in Sudan, noting about 90% were women and children. She met with survivors of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) who fled Sudan. “Refugee women highlighted how sexual violence remains a prominent feature of the ongoing conflict in Sudan,” Okwaci reported, recounting stories of rape, often by multiple perpetrators. “Some courageous women said they had to choose between being raped at gunpoint… or being killed,” she quoted a survivor. Sudan Tribune
South Africa Exit from DRC To Be Completed This Month: General
South African troops withdrawing from the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have begun assembling in Tanzania and most should return home this month, the defence chief said on Sunday. Under the phased withdrawal that started on April 29, the troops are to exit the DRC via Rwanda by road before entering Tanzania, General Rudzani Maphwanya said. From there they will return to South Africa by sea and air by the end of May, he said. The soldiers are part of a regional Southern African Development Community (SADC) force that deployed to the eastern DRC in December 2023 during a resurgence of the M23 armed movement. The M23 now controls swathes of territory in the mineral-rich region. Thirteen trucks with 57 members of the SADC peacekeeping force (SAMIDRC) had already gathered at an assembly point in Tanzania, Maphwanya told reporters. The next group was scheduled for withdrawal next week, he said…SADC decided to end its SAMIDRC mission in mid-March after 17 of its soldiers — most of them South Africans — were killed in M23 offensives in January. They have been stranded there since. AFP
Mali: Junta Continues to Undermine Democracy
Mali’s military junta has been in power for five years — now it wants to extend its rule on a more permanent basis: The current interim president, General Assimi Goita, has won the backing of central allies to be declared president, without democratic elections, until 2030. This would be the equivalent to a five-year extension of his term. This was the outcome of a “national conference” that was organized by the regime in Mali’s capital Bamako, and boycotted by the opposition. More than 400 delegates voted in favor of a draft law that would dissolve the 2005 Political Parties Charter, which sets out the rules for the founding, funding and management of parties. The conference proposed limiting the number of parties permitted in Mali to five and tightening the conditions for founding new parties…The draft is supposed to be submitted soon to the National Transitional Council, which the junta set up after its 2020 and 2021 coups. Since then, the army has ruled the country, which was destabilized by several Islamist attacks, with an iron fist. In June 2022, the junta had announced a return to civilian rule by March 2024, but it then postponed the elections for “technical reasons.” In April of last year, all political activities were banned. Mali’s political parties have reacted with indignation to planned changes and denounced the junta’s repressive measures…Former minister Mohamed Salia Toure, who served in the first transitional government from September 2020 to May 2021, said that the abolition of the multi-party system would be a “historic mistake.” DW
New Post for Togo Leader Could See Him Rule for Life
The Togolese leader, Faure Gnassingbé, has been sworn in as “President of the Council of Ministers” – a new post which is the highest office in the government’s executive branch and has no official term limits. This follows constitutional reform that ended presidential elections, and introduced a parliamentary system. The opposition said the change was in order to allow President Gnassingbé to stay in power indefinitely. His family has ruled the country for 58 years – Faure Gnassingbé took over in 2005 from his father, Gnassingbé Eyadéma, who had ruled for almost four decades. This latest change results from a new constitution approved by lawmakers last year, labelled by critics and opposition figures as an “institutional coup d’état”. Gnassingbé’s government had paused some of the changes following huge backlash, but has moved ahead with his new role. Togo’s municipal elections in July will be the first under the new constitution, which has replaced the presidential system with a parliamentary one. In theory, the role of president of the republic is now only an honorary title, but analysts say Gnassingbé’s power is more entrenched than ever with his new post of council president. BBC
Jihadists Kill At Least 11 Soldiers in Nigeria: Military
Fighters from Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) raided a base in the town of Buni Gari late on Friday, killing 11 soldiers, two military sources said. They burned down the base after a fierce gun battle, they added..”The death toll may rise because many soldiers are missing and their whereabouts still unknown,” the military officer said. The attackers seized weapons before setting the base on fire, burning several military vehicles and buildings, said the second military source who gave the same toll…Videos of the aftermath of the raid viewed by an AFP reporter show the charred remains of an armoured military vehicle and some burning military trucks…The base in Buni Gari, 60 kilometres (37 miles) from Damaturu, Yobe state capital, has been repeatedly attacked by jihadists. Their 16-year insurgency has claimed more than 40,000 lives and forced around two million people in the northeast to flee their homes. The Buni Gari base was the eighth base to be attacked by jihadists in the last two months, according to an AFP tally. Since 2019, soldiers fighting the jihadists have shut down some smaller army bases and moved into larger, fortified garrisons known as “super camps” to better resist attacks. But critics say this strategy has allowed militants more freedom to move around in rural areas and left travellers more vulnerable to attacks and kidnapping…More than 100 civilians have died in attacks by the militants in April. AFP
Nigeria’s Tinubu Vows Advanced Intel, Materiel to Fight Insurgency
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu on Friday promised to better equip his troops to combat the insurgency in the country’s north, which has surged in recent weeks. In an address to the military during his first visit to northern Nigeria since a brutal uptick in jihadist attacks, which killed at least 100 people in April, Tinubu said “threats of terrorism, banditry and insurgency have persisted for too long”…He told soldiers in the northern state of Katsina that his government was taking “steps to equip you with advanced equipment, necessary technological advancement, superior intelligence and robust logistical support, not only to defend this nation, but to dominate and defeat every adversary”. Nigeria’s armed forces have been fighting Islamist militants since the conflict with Boko Haram started in 2009. They’ve achieved territorial gains and succeeded in neutralising key jihadist commanders, but 16 years later, Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province still demonstrate significant resilience, analysts say. There are also criminal gangs — locally called bandits — that terrorise communities in northwestern and central Nigeria by raiding villages, killing, kidnapping for ransom and burning homes after looting them. AFP
Uncertainty Looms Over Somalia’s NCC in Mogadishu Amid Delays and Boycotts
The National Consultative Forum [NCC], initially scheduled for May 1st and then postponed to May 5th, has now been delayed once again due to the absence of key delegates from the Federal States. Only the leaders of the SSC-Khaatumo state, Firdhiye and HirShabelle, are present in Mogadishu. The Presidents of Galmudug and South West States have not yet arrived in Mogadishu, with reports suggesting they will arrive by early tomorrow. However, the leaders of Puntland and Jubaland have confirmed they will not participate in the forum at all. The delay comes amid growing political tensions, particularly with Puntland and Jubaland, who have boycotted the forum in protest against the Somali federal government’s violation of the constitution. The two regional states have expressed concerns over the government’s lack of commitment to addressing contentious issues, including the country’s upcoming elections, security concerns, and the distribution of power. Despite efforts by James Swan, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, to persuade the Puntland and Jubaland leaders to join the discussions, these attempts have failed. The National Consultative Forum, which began in 2017, is a crucial platform for dialogue between the federal government and regional states, aiming to resolve key political and governance issues. However, relations between the federal government and certain regional leaders, especially those from Puntland and Jubaland, have been fraught with tensions. Garowe Online
Mass Arrests and Beatings: How Ethiopia Went from Celebrating Journalists to Jailing Them
[Ethiopia’s prime minister, Abiy Ahmed came to power] promising to end decades of repression and usher in an unprecedented era of freedom…But any hopes of a lasting press freedom were dashed in 2020 with the outbreak of war between Abiy’s military forces and local rulers in Tigray, Ethiopia’s northernmost region. Amid mounting allegations of atrocities, the government restricted journalists’ access to Tigray and imposed a communication blackout, cutting off the region’s phone and internet. Ethiopia clamped down on independent media, claiming it was protecting national security and describing the rebels in Tigray as terrorists…[More than 50] Ethiopian journalists and media workers exiled since the war began in 2020, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Since 2019, at least 200 journalists have been arrested, according to Ethiopia Press Freedom Defenders. Although the Tigray war is over, the restrictions on media have continued as conflict flares in other parts of the country, human rights groups say. The CPJ counts 12 journalists behind bars in Ethiopia, putting it among the worst countries in Africa for jailing journalists. The Guardian
Ivory Coast Opposition Rallies Behind Banned Candidate for Second Day
Around a thousand young supporters of Ivory Coast’s opposition candidate Tidjane Thiam gathered in Abidjan Sunday for a second day running to protest his exclusion from the presidential vote, an AFP reporter saw. A court in Abidjan struck Thiam off the electoral list on April 22, saying the 62-year-old politician had lost Ivorian nationality when he acquired French citizenship in 1987…On Saturday, Thiam’s party mobilised thousands of people in Abidjan to call for “national mobilisation” in protest at “injustice, tyranny, and fear”. A PDCI rally is also planned for Thursday in the Plateau business district. That day, an Abidjan court is scheduled to hear a case that could remove Thiam from his position as party president as a PDCI activist contests his legitimacy to stand for election on grounds of nationality…Other opposition figures have also been excluded from the presidential race, including former president Laurent Gbagbo due to court convictions. The definitive list of candidates is expected to be published on June 20. AFP
Former Tunisian PM Handed 34-year Sentence, Rejects ‘Terrorism’ Charges
A Tunisian court has sentenced former Prime Minister Ali Larayedh to 34 years in prison over accusations he facilitated the departure of fighters to Syria – a charge the opposition figure strongly denies. “I was neither sympathetic, nor complicit, nor neutral, nor lenient towards violence, terrorism,” Larayedh told the judge on Friday, rejecting what he and his Ennahdha party have called a politically motivated prosecution. The ruling is the latest blow to the Ennahdha party, a major opposition force to President Kais Saied. Larayedh, who served as prime minister from 2013 to 2014, has been in detention since 2022. His sentencing comes just a week after the arrest of vocal Saied critic Ahmed Souab and new prison terms handed down to political opponents, media figures and businesspeople on various conspiracy charges…Ennahdha denies all terrorism-related allegations, arguing that the case is part of a broader campaign against dissent that has intensified since Saied suspended parliament and assumed sweeping powers in 2021. Al Jazeera and News Agencies
Tanzanian Opposition Leader to Go on Hunger Strike: Lawyer
Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, on trial for treason since his arrest last month, will go on hunger strike, his lawyer said Saturday. The east African country is heading into elections in October but Lissu, head of the Chadema opposition party, faces a potential death penalty if convicted of treason. “Lissu will be on hunger strike until justice is done,” lawyer Peter Kibatala told reporters, adding it would start on Sunday or Monday. “He is ready for whatever will happen to him,” said Kibatala. Lissu, 57, is protesting a lack of access to his lawyers and family in jail and restrictions on people attending his court hearings, the lawyer said. On April 24, police beat Chadema supporters as they gathered outside a court in Dar es Salaam for Lissu’s first hearing since being charged. He refused to take part because the authorities had insisted he could only appear by video link. Lissu has been arrested multiple times over the years and narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in 2017. His Chadema party has accused President Samia Suluhu Hassan of returning to the repressive tactics of her predecessor, John Magufuli. AFP
Tanzania, Cuba Sign Malaria Control, Fertiliser Pact
Tanzania has formed a partnership with Cuba aimed at enhancing local production of biofertilisers and biolarvicides. This initiative is designed to reduce import dependency and strengthen the fight against malaria through the Tanzania Biotech Products Limited (TBPL) facility located in Kibaha. The agreement, signed between the National Development Corporation (NDC) and the Cuban firm Labiofam S.A., will facilitate technology transfer for the local manufacture of biofertilizers, malaria control products, and other biotech inputs, utilizing Cuban expertise and innovations. Currently, Tanzania imports up to 90 percent of its fertilisation needs. Under the new deal, the Kibaha-based TBPL facility is expected to produce 600 million liters of biofertilizer and six million liters of malaria biolarvicide annually, along with other related bioproducts. Dr Nicholas Shombe, the managing director of NDC, stated that this partnership is part of a broader plan to establish up to ten production sites under the TBPL brand…[Mr Julio Gomez Gonzales, the director of Labiofam S.A.] noted that the facility, being the first of its kind in collaboration with Cuba and only the third of its kind in Africa, would serve as a continental model while also boosting Tanzania’s capacity to locally manufacture vaccines and herbicides. Cuba’s Ambassador to Tanzania, Mr Yordeni Despaigne Vera, mentioned that the collaboration, which began in 2022, has already led to pesticide production at the Kibaha facility. The Citizen
Facing A Broken Economy, Ghana’s Tech-savvy Teens Turn to Fraud
[A growing number of Accra’s teenagers are] turning to cybercrime to survive in a country mired in economic crisis, battling both youth unemployment and broken dreams. From mobile money fraud to investment scams, a murky digital underworld is sucking in minors, many working from their bedrooms or small kiosks operating in plain sight — anywhere with a stable internet connection…Ghana’s Cyber Security Authority (CSA) has raised the alarm over a surge in cyberfraud, with financial losses tallying $282,776 between January and March 2025, nearly doubling the $154,241 recorded during the same period in 2024. Officials warn that youth-led scams, powered by social media and peer pressure, are driving the spike. Phishing scams, brand impersonation and fake online shops dominate the scene, with teenagers posing on Snapchat and TikTok as vendors with offers that are too good to be true…Experts say these crimes have become systemic in a country with a battered economy that is still recovering from a 2023 debt default. Inflation shot above 54 percent in 2022 and has remained above 20 percent into 2025…Abubakar Issaka, president of the Cyber Security Experts Association of Ghana, said the situation is only getting worse. “The regulations exist… but enforcement is weak. The number of professionals is not growing fast enough to match the fraud cases,” he said.” AFP
In Cameroon’s Civil War, Spoken-word Poets Speak the Unspeakable
[Boris Taleabong Alemnge] is among a group of artists using spoken-word poetry to denounce ongoing bloodshed in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions, where separatists are fighting government forces…Despite the linguistic divides deepened by the conflict, [Alemnge] has toured six of Cameroon’s eight Francophone regions to draw people’s attention to atrocities committed in English-speaking regions. There, he said, his poems found empathetic audiences and even turned some listeners into advocates for peace. International and local organizations have documented looting, killing and torture as well as mass rape and the burning of villages…The English-speaking population makes up about 20% of the country’s roughly 30 million people. They feel marginalized by the Francophone majority. Tensions spiked in 2016 when the government attempted to impose French in English-speaking regions’ schools and courts, igniting protests that security forces violently repressed. The clashes prompted some English-speaking separatists to take up arms against the government. Both sides have been accused of violence against civilians. The growing popularity of spoken-word events…reflects how people are becoming less afraid to express their outrage, said another spoken-word artist who goes by Camila. “Since we cannot pick guns to fight, we use the power of the spoken word to send across our message. Some find peace in it, others find healing, while some get educated,” she said. AP