The US Says Congo and Rwanda Submit a Draft Peace Proposal
Congo and Rwanda have submitted a draft peace proposal as part of a U.S.-led process that could end fighting in resource-rich eastern Congo, a U.S. official said Monday. U.S. President Donald Trump’s senior adviser for Africa and the Middle East, Massad Boulos, said on social media that he welcomed the draft text “received from both (Congo) and Rwanda,” calling it “an important step.” …Monday’s draft peace proposal comes after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio last month oversaw the signing by Congo and Rwanda of a pledge to work toward a peace deal. Rwanda’s foreign minister, Olivier J.P. Nduhungirehe, told the Rwanda Broadcasting Agency on Monday that he would meet Congo’s foreign minister in the third week of May to negotiate a final peace agreement. He said he hoped the presidents of Rwanda and Congo would sign the agreement by mid-June at the White House in the presence of Trump and heads of state from the region. AP
Returning Congo Farmers Struggle to Revive Rebel-held Fields
Farmers in a breadbasket town in eastern Congo who previously fled heavy fighting are facing new challenges as they return to tend fields now under rebel control, a phenomenon playing out across the war-hit region. The unprecedented advance by Rwandan-backed M23 rebels…has forced 1.2 million people from their homes in North and South Kivu provinces since January, according to the International Organization for Migration. During the same period, some 1.8 million people – more than 350,000 households – have returned to homes they had earlier vacated, the U.N. agency says. Many had little choice after M23 dismantled displacement camps upon seizing Goma, eastern Congo’s largest city, in late January…Some told Reuters their homes had been destroyed by bombs and they lacked seeds to replant their fields. Reuters
Sudan’s Port Sudan Hit by Drone Strikes for Third Time; Airport, Oil Depots Targeted
A squadron of alleged Rapid Support Forces (RSF) drones bombed vital facilities in Port Sudan, the temporary capital, for the third time on Tuesday, hitting areas around the port and airport and causing significant fires and smoke plumes over the city. The attacks targeted the vicinity of Port Sudan’s main port and international airport. Flames erupted intensely from oil depots near the southern port facility on the Red Sea coast. Following the initial strikes, two further explosions were heard: one near the Marina Hotel in central Port Sudan, inflicting limited damage on the hotel which is situated near the Guest Palace headquarters, and another in the area of the Flamingo military base, north of the city. Sources informed Sudan Tribune that a drone specifically targeted a fuel depot within the grounds of Port Sudan International Airport, causing a major explosion and fire…This incident represents the third drone attack targeting the city in recent days. Sudan Tribune
ICJ Throws Out Sudan Genocide Case against UAE over Jurisdiction
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Monday dismissed Sudan’s request for emergency measures against the United Arab Emirates and threw out the underlying case, finding it lacked jurisdiction because of a prior UAE reservation to the Genocide Convention. Sudan filed the case at the world court on March 5, accusing the UAE of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention by providing support to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) allegedly committing atrocities against the Masalit ethnic group in Sudan’s West Darfur region amid the country’s ongoing conflict. Khartoum had asked the court, also known as the World Court, to order the UAE to stop assisting the RSF, arguing the UAE’s actions amounted to complicity in genocide. However, the UAE argued the court had no jurisdiction because the UAE had filed a reservation against Article IX of the Genocide Convention, the clause that allows states to bring disputes before the court. Sudan Tribune
South Sudan: Targeting of Old Fangak MSF Hospital, a War Crime – UN Commission
The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan on Tuesday strongly condemned the deliberate aerial bombardment of a Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) hospital in Old Fangak, Jonglei State. A statement extended to Radio Tamazuj said the act is an atrocity crime that may constitute a grave breach of international humanitarian law and a war crime…According to the Commission, credible reports confirm further aerial bombardments in the Phom area of New Fangak in the early hours of 5 May 2025, where bombs reportedly fell between an INGO compound and the County Commissioner’s office…The MSF hospital was the only major medical facility serving more than 40,000 people in the Old Fangak area. MSF confirmed the complete destruction of the hospital and medical supplies in the attack, which has deprived an already vulnerable population—displaced and traumatized by conflict—of emergency care, maternal health services. “The targeting of medical facilities is not only unlawful – it is inhumane,” said Commissioner Carlos Castresana Fernández. Radio Tamazuj
South Sudan: AUC Chief Meets Kiir, but No Sign of Talks with Machar
A high-level delegation from the African Union Commission and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) met with South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir and his cabinet Monday, but there was no indication they would be allowed to meet with detained First Vice President Riek Machar. Previous requests by senior officials, including representatives from Kenya, the AU Panel of the Wise and the European Union, to meet with Machar have been denied. The delegation, led by African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, arrived in Juba on Monday for a two-day visit amid heightened political and security tensions following Machar’s detention on March 26. The group included Mohamed Abdi Ware, the deputy executive secretary of IGAD, which brokered South Sudan’s stalled 2018 peace agreement. The delegation held talks with several senior government officials, including Kiir and key ministers such as Information Minister Michael Makuei, Cabinet Minister Martin Elia and Foreign Minister Monday Semaya. Also present were two ministers representing a faction of the SPLM-IO, formed by senior party officials after Machar’s detention. Radio Tamazuj
Hundreds of Activists Stage Mali’s First Pro-democracy Rally in Years since Coups
Hundreds of activists defied threats from Mali ’s military government and demonstrated over the weekend in the first pro-democracy rally since soldiers took power by force almost four years ago. The demonstrators in the capital, Bamako, protested a new bill initiated by Mali’s transitional government to dissolve political parties in the west African nation. It was the latest decision to restrict political activities…The rally’s organizers said in a statement they “strongly condemn any attempt to limit, suspend or dissolve political parties, which is a direct attack on the constitution and the sovereignty of the Malian people.” On Sunday, civil society figures, political parties and labor leaders held a press conference to call for “a rapid and credible return to constitutional order through the organization of transparent, inclusive and peaceful elections,” organizer Cheick Oumar Doumbia said. AP
Armed Bandits Kill 19, Rustle Livestock in Northeast Nigeria
At least 19 people were killed in a suspected bandit ambush and livestock rustling operation in Bauchi state, northeast Nigeria, the police and residents said on Monday. Bauchi police command said in a statement that the attack took place early on Sunday morning when a local security patrol in Gwana district was ambushed…Gangs of heavily armed men, known locally as bandits, have wreaked havoc across northwest Nigeria in recent years, kidnapping thousands, killing hundreds and making it unsafe to travel by road or farm in some areas. Ibrahim Hussaini, an eyewitness, said a gun battle ensued between the security team and the bandits which caused multiple fatalities among the vigilante team and some residents. The attackers rustled a large number of cattle and sheep from the district after overpowering the local security team, Mohammed Umar, a vigilante from the Alkaleri local government area that includes Gwana, told Reuters by phone. Reuters
Ugandan Opposition Denounces Brutal Crackdown Ahead of 2026 Elections
Uganda is set to hold a general election in January, with President Yoweri Museveni looking to extend his 40-year rule. The last election in 2021 was marred by widespread reports of irregularities and severe violence from the security forces, which Museveni blamed on “indiscipline” and “laziness”. The US-based Holocaust Memorial Museum recently warned of possible “mass atrocities” around the 2026 election. Last Friday, Bobi Wine, leader of the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) said the army had raided his party’s headquarters in the capital Kampala. The opposition was planning to use the HQ to launch a campaign to urge Ugandans to vote against the government in the general election and demonstrate to protect their democratic rights…The opposition has denounced a series of kidnappings in the country, more than 2,000 activists since 2021 – 18 of whom remain unaccounted for, according to the NUP. RFI
Ugandan Opposition Bodyguard Charged after Torture, Lawyer Says
A bodyguard for one of Uganda’s opposition leaders, Bobi Wine, has been charged with aggravated robbery, days after the head of the military said he had detained him. Last week Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is also President Yoweri Museveni’s son, confirmed that he had been holding Eddie Mutwe five days after his disappearance. The lawyer representing the bodyguard, whose real name is Edward Sebuufu, said his client had been tortured, telling the country’s Daily Monitor newspaper that he was beaten using “wires of electricity”. Magellan Kazibwe added that Mr Sebuufu was in “great pain” and had also faced the squeezing of his “private parts”. Mr Kazibwe told reporters that Mr Sebuufu had faced electrocution and that his team were planning to take him to hospital…As Mr Sebuufu was brought to court on Monday, security operatives tried to shield him to prevent the media from seeing him. But videos showed Bobi Wine’s bodyguard barefoot, and hardly able to walk…The detention comes as Uganda gears up for elections in 2026 where Museveni, who has been in power for nearly four decades, is expected to run against Bobi Wine…Civil society organisations have also warned that his detention is part of a systematic campaign to silence dissent and crush opposition ahead of the general election. BBC
Libya’s UN Mission’s Panel Finalizes Set of Options Aimed at Resolving Elections’ Issues
The U.N. Mission in Libya said on Friday its advisory committee finished its consultations and finalized a set of options to address contentious issues in Libya’s current electoral framework, adding that the Mission will start talks with Libyan stakeholders based on these options…A political process to resolve more than a decade of conflict in Libya has been stalled since an election scheduled for December 2021 collapsed amid disputes over the eligibility of the main candidates…Many Libyans have voiced scepticism that their political leaders are negotiating in good faith, believing them to be unwilling to bring forward elections that might remove them from their positions of power. Reuters
Ethiopia, Iran Police Chiefs Sign Security, Intelligence Collaboration MoU
Ethiopia and Iran have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) paving the way for security cooperation between their national police agencies. According to the Ethiopian Federal Police, the agreement, signed in Addis Abeba, outlines joint efforts to combat cross-border crime, share intelligence, and boost capacity through training and experience exchange. It marks a rare instance of formal collaboration between the two countries in the policing sector. The MoU was signed today by top commanders from both sides: Ethiopia’s police chief, Commissioner General Demelash Gebremichael and his Iranian counterpart, Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Radan. The federal police said the MoU includes mechanisms for periodic monitoring to ensure concrete implementation. Addis Standard
Burundi Orders New Rights Body To ‘Fight’ UN Envoy
Burundi’s parliament appointed a new human rights commission late Monday after its previous head fled into exile and said its mission was to “fight” the United Nations’s rights envoy. International rights groups have long accused Burundi’s government of suppressing civil society, political opposition and the media. The country’s own National Independent Human Rights Commission was considered close to the government, but it released a report in January detailing hundreds of violations. That led its president Sixte Vigny Nimuraba to flee into exile after he was criticised by the head of the National Assembly and then accused of corruption. After a long debate on Monday, the National Assembly approved an entirely new board of seven members for the commission, headed by a bishop, Martin Blaise Nyaboho, who has spoken out strongly against the opposition in the past. National Assembly president Gelase Daniel Ndabirabe used the occasion to criticise Fortune Gaetan Zongo, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Burundi. Zongo’s report from August detailed “widespread impunity enjoyed by perpetrators of human rights violations… the deteriorating security situation… and the increase in the number of cases of enforced disappearance and arbitrary arrest”. In a message to the new national rights commission, shared on social media, the National Assembly president said: “Your mission will be to fight and bring down Fortune Gaetan Zongo… and put an end to these unjust accusations of human rights violations.” AFP