Sudan Cuts UAE Ties, Declares It ‘State of Aggression’
Sudan’s government on Tuesday severed diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates and declared it a “state of aggression,” accusing the UAE of supplying strategic weapons to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to a government statement. The decision followed what the Sudanese government described as three days of bombardment in Port Sudan, the country’s temporary administrative capital, by strategic and suicide drones. The statement said these attacks targeted oil facilities, the southern port, the Osman Digna airbase, Port Sudan’s airport, a power station, and a hotel. The government said the attacks caused “heavy losses in property” and drew condemnation from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Djibouti, the African Union, and the United Nations. Sudan Tribune
At Least Six Killed, 20 Wounded in Shelling of Sudan’s El Fasher Camp
At least six people were killed and 20 others wounded on Tuesday when shells hit the Abushouk displacement camp in El Fasher, North Darfur, a local emergency group said, blaming the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The Abushouk camp, located north of El Fasher city, has endured almost daily artillery shelling attributed to the RSF, forcing many of its estimated 190,000 displaced residents to flee, community leaders said. The shelling has destroyed thousands of homes, damaged water sources and medical facilities, and worsened a humanitarian crisis that includes spreading famine, according to camp residents and local reports…Fighting has escalated around El Fasher, the Sudanese army’s last stronghold in the vast Darfur region, as the RSF has tightened its siege on the city in recent weeks. Residents in El Fasher face severe shortages of food, medicine, and drinking water amid continuous shelling by artillery and drones, local sources said. The siege reportedly intensified after the RSF took control of the Zamzam camp, another large displacement site southwest of El Fasher, on April 14. Sudan Tribune
Rwanda To Sign DR Congo Peace Deal in US in June: FM
Rwanda’s foreign minister on Tuesday said a final peace deal to end a crisis gripping the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo would be signed in mid-June in Washington. M23 fighters, who UN experts and the United States say have received military support from Rwanda, have made rapid advances in the eastern DRC since January, seizing key cities and vast areas of territory in fighting that has killed thousands. Last month, the DRC and Rwanda agreed at talks in the United States to reach a draft peace deal by May 2, raising hopes of an end to the crisis sparked by the M23’s lightning offensive. Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe told AFP there was still no agreement on the content of the deal but the next steps would involve “consolidation of the contributions of the parties into a single text”. This would be followed by the “finalisation of the draft peace agreement by foreign ministers in a meeting to take place in Washington during the third week of May”…It comes a day after US special envoy for Africa Massad Boulos said on X that he had received “draft text on a peace proposal” by the DRC and Rwanda. AFP
Jihadists Disrupt Crucial Wood Supplies in Niger Capital
Ninety percent of households in [Niamey] use wood for cooking or lighting, according to the department of water and forestry…The last remaining forests in the largely desert Sahel country are less than 100 kilometres from Niamey. But to reach them, the army said people faced “persistent terrorist threats”, in particular improvised explosive devices on the roads…”Timber traders are in disarray and total desolation, as 90 percent of their supply areas are seized by insecurity,” Mamane Seydou, secretary general of the National Association of Timber Harvesters of Niger (ANEB), told AFP. Local sources said the jihadists previously regulated logging through the collection of taxes but had now banned it altogether in areas where they have influence. “These areas are terrorist hideouts… they say we are destroying their refuges… they have warned us many times,” Seydou said. AFP
Mining Convoy Attacked in Mali on Road to Allied Gold’s Sadiola Mine, Sources Say
A convoy transporting heavy mining equipment from the Malian capital Bamako to Allied Gold’s Sadiola mine came under attack in the Kayes region over the weekend, two people familiar with the incident told Reuters late on Tuesday. The attack points to expanding security risks – and related additional costs – facing mining companies operating in military-led Sahel states that are struggling to contain Islamist militant groups. While government and military convoys more frequently come under attack in Mali, attacks on mining equipment have until now been rare…In Sunday’s attack, two large trucks were set alight, an excavator was damaged and two pick-up trucks were stolen, one of the sources familiar with the incident said. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack…Eight people present – all employees of Neemba – were unharmed in the attack, which the sources said was disrupted by soldiers from the Malian army who had been nearby. The incident took place between the towns of Diema and Sandare, the sources said. Reuters
Nigeria: Senate to Hold National Summit on Insecurity
The Senate on Tuesday resolved to organise a two-day national summit on insecurity with a view to proffering solutions to terrorism, insurgency and other security challenges in the country. The upper chamber made the decision after adopting a motion sponsored by Ondo South senator, Jimoh Ibrahim, during the plenary. The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the decision after a majority of the senators supported it through voice votes during the plenary. Mr Akpabio said the summit would involve the presidency, state governors, traditional leaders, student bodies and representatives from communities ravaged by insurgency. “The security summit will comprise delegates from the state, delegates from the traditional institutions, from student bodies, communities affected by the insurgency and also relevant committees. “And we will also invite security experts to talk to us, and also have the executive to participate so that we will have a holistic debate because security is everybody’s business,” Mr Akpabio said. Premium Times
Nigeria’s Defence Minister in China for Security Deal
The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, is participating in a security meeting with a Chinese manufacturer of advanced anti-terrorism and high-tech defence equipment. This was disclosed in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja by Jeff Promise, on behalf of the Director of Information and Public Relations, Ministry of Defence…According to [Mr Matawalle], the primary focus of the engagement is to formalise a partnership through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Chinese firm and the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria…The partnership includes the transfer of cutting-edge defence technology, the establishment of local manufacturing capabilities for advanced military equipment, and technical knowledge exchange to enhance the skills of Nigerian personnel. Mr Matawalle outlined key areas of collaboration, including the maintenance and upgrading of existing military hardware, the servicing of battle tanks, and the provision of military engineering services. He noted that the partnership aimed to extend its impact beyond Nigeria, offering military support services to neighbouring African countries and contributing to regional security and stability…The agreement also includes the construction of new production lines for various types of ammunition, such as 7.62×51mm ball cartridges, 7.62×51mm blank cartridges, 9×19mm pistol cartridges, and machine gun ammunition. Under the MoU, new manufacturing workshops and facilities will be established in Kaduna and Kachia, Kaduna State, for the production of brass casings, bullet jackets, and other essential defence components. News Agency of Nigeria
Tunisia Puts More Opposition Figures on Mass Trial
A new trial of nearly two dozen Tunisian opposition figures accused of plotting against the state opened on Tuesday, weeks after a separate mass trial jailed nearly 40 defendants on similar charges. The latest trial — known as the “conspiracy against state security II” — involved 22 defendants, including 83-year-old Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party leader Rached Ghannouchi, currently jailed in another case. Youssef Chahed, a former prime minister, and Nadia Akacha, once the head of the presidential office, were also among the defendants, according to court documents. The defendants were accused of terror-related charges, incitement to murder, and “plotting against state internal security”, among other charges, according to a court document. The majority of the defendants are being tried in absentia, having fled the country, lawyer Samir Dilou said…In this case, Ghannouchi as well as other Ennahdha officials stand accused of setting up a “secret security apparatus” in service of the party, which had dominated Tunisia’s post-revolution politics…Last month’s similar trial had drawn criticism from the United Nations, which said it was “marred by violations of fair trial and due process rights”…In a statement on Monday, Tunisia’s main opposition coalition, the National Salvation Front (FSN), called for “an end to sham and unfair trials”, demanding “the release of all political prisoners”. AFP
Zimbabwe Court Grants Bail to Detained Journalist
A Zimbabwe High Court on Tuesday granted bail to a journalist arrested over two months ago after he interviewed a former ruling party stalwart who called for President Emmerson Mnangagwa to step down. Blessed Mhlanga’s arrest on February 24 was sharply criticised by rights and media groups and added to fears of authoritarianism and rising repression in the southern African country. “The accused is… hereby granted bail” of $500, Justice Gibson Mandaza, who in March rejected Mhlanga’s bail application, ruled. He said the court had “misdirected itself” and circumstances had changed. Previous courts said that Mhlanga’s interview with Blessed Geza, a veteran of Zimbabwe’s fight for independence, would “incite violence” and the journalist’s release would “put the nation in unrest”. Geza, also known as “Bombshell”, was expelled from the ruling Zanu-PF party and has become the public face of opposition to attempts to keep Mnangagwa in power after the end of his term in 2028…Mhlanga, a high-profile journalist with the online Heart and Soul Television channel (HStv), is due to go on trial on May 14. HStv itself is also facing charges for broadcasting the interview. Press freedom campaign group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said Mhlanga was “wrongfully accused” and his case was indicative of the “growing crackdown on criticism of the authorities in Zimbabwe”. AFP
Malawi Arrests 6 Suspected Drug Traffickers Tied to Mexico Cartel
Police in Malawi said Tuesday they had arrested six suspected drug traffickers with links to a Mexican cartel in a joint operation with the United States. The bust at the weekend at Kamuzu International Airport in the capital Lilongwe nabbed six Mexican nationals, police spokesman Peter Kalaya said. The men, aged between 27 and 44, had been under US surveillance and were in transit to Mozambique, Kalaya told AFP. “One of them was found with some packets of drugs which have been sent to a lab for testing,” he said. A seventh suspect, a Nigerian national who was waiting for the Mexicans at the airport, was arrested for obstructing the police during the raid…”The US had provided us with information through Interpol that the Mexicans are suspected to be part of a syndicate which is involved in the production and distribution of drugs,” he added…Cannabis remains Africa’s most trafficked and used drug, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, but the continent is increasingly a key transit hub for cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine. Between 2019 and 2024, at least 126 tons of cocaine were seized in or en route to west Africa, the UN drugs agency said in a report last year. Local drug consumption has also increased in recent years, it said. AFP
Opioid Crisis Explodes in Ghana as Young People Fall Victim to ‘Red’
Ghanaian youth are increasingly abusing opioids, commonly used to treat pain but highly addictive and dangerous when misused. Social media videos have highlighted the alarming reality, showing many young people in a distressed state after using the drug, known as “Red”…Access to opioids has become easier due to their illegal importation into the country through ports and other unapproved routes. Regulation of their sale remains weak. Dr Richmond Adusa-Poku, an executive member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana, expressed alarm over the unchecked wholesaling of opioids. He warned that weak enforcement allows unauthorised sellers to acquire and distribute these potent drugs freely…He said that without urgent regulatory action, the country could face an escalating public health crisis. Meanwhile, the ministry of youth development and empowerment has launched the “Ghana Against Drugs – ‘Red Means Stop’” campaign, a national youth anti-drug initiative to combat the rising tide of substance abuse among the youth. The campaign aims to raise public awareness of the dangers of opioid abuse and engage policymakers in discussions to strengthen regulatory frameworks…Port officials have also intensified their operations to ensure that people who illegally import opioids into the country are arrested and prosecuted. RFI