A Year after the Fall of El Fasher, Sudan’s War Has Left a Ghost Town in Its Wake
On 26 October, 2025, after 500 days of siege, El Fasher fell to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), an armed group that has been fighting Sudan’s army since April 2023. It marked one of the darkest chapters of the conflict. The paramilitaries pledged to “cleanse” the city and explicitly called for the elimination of non-Arab communities – notably the semi-nomadic Zaghawa and the Fur, Darfur’s largest ethnic group. International investigators have found evidence of widespread atrocities, including mass killings and sexual violence. … According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), nearly 100,000 people managed to flee. Thousands more civilians are missing, having died while trying to escape or been captured by the RSF. … Solidarités International, a French humanitarian organisation that has returned to work in El Fasher, estimates that between 40,000 and 60,000 people have either returned or come and go regularly, out of a pre-war population of at least 300,000. RFI
RSF Drone Strikes Knock Out Power Stations in Northern Sudan
Drones operated by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) bombed the Al Dabbah and Abu Hamad power stations in northern Sudan on Sunday, knocking them out of service. … The strikes also hit an old, out-of-service thermal station that previously supplied the city, causing widespread power outages in Abu Hamad and surrounding villages. In Northern State, local sources said an RSF drone bombed the Al Dabbah transformer station, cutting off electricity to the city and nearby rural areas. The attacks in Al Dabbah also targeted military headquarters and fuel stations in the Al-Multaqa area, located about 25 kilometres southeast of the city. … Over the past two weeks, RSF drones have bombed 14 power stations across Sudan, according to Sudan Tribune. Sudan Tribune
Nigerian Soldiers Kill Top ISWAP Commanders Including Foreign Fighters
Troops of Operation Hadin Kai, a joint task force in North-east Nigeria, have killed four high-profile commanders of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), including two “high ranking” Arab fighters in an offensive operation in Kukawa, Borno State, an official has said. In a statement on Sunday, Mohammed Goni, the task force’s spokesperson, said the offensive, launched on 31 October, targeted ISWAP leadership, identifying those killed as Abu Hajara, a member of the group’s Shura Council, and Abu Walid, a close associate of wanted ISWAP Wali (governor), Ba Shuwa. Mr Goni, a Nigerian Army captain, said several foot soldiers were also killed in the offensive, which combined air assets and on-the-ground gunfight. The military spokesperson said the troops recovered many weapons and communication devices. Premium Times
Ethiopian PM Puts Ministers through Military Training
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has put his cabinet ministers and other senior government officials through military training, saying armed forces discipline can help build stronger leaders and advance the country’s development. Photos shared by him on social media show him taking part in military exercises alongside ministers, deputy ministers and heads of government institutions at the Hurso military training centre. The move is unusual in Ethiopia, where senior civilian government officials are rarely seen undergoing military training. Those taking part include Speaker of the House of Federation Muferiat Kamil, Finance Minister Fitsum Assefa and Health Minister Mekdes Daba. It is unclear when the training began or how long it is expected to last. BBC
WHO Chief Warns Continued Violence in Amhara, Tigray Pushing Ethiopia’s Fragile Health System toward Collapse
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned that attacks on civilians in Ethiopia’s Amhara and Tigray regions are further straining an already fragile health system, following recent drone strikes that reportedly killed civilians, including children, at a displacement camp and in a town in northern Ethiopia. … He warned that continued violence was pushing Ethiopia’s already fragile health system closer to collapse, citing shortages of health workers, medicines and medical equipment, severely limited ambulance services and insecurity obstructing the delivery of life-saving supplies to affected areas. Addis Standard
Somali Pirates Seize Iranian Fishing Vessel, Raising Fears of Attacks on Cargo Ships
Somali pirates have seized an Iranian fishing vessel carrying 23 people, the Maritime Security Center Indian Ocean said, warning that the ship was approaching a commercial shipping lane and could become a floating base for further attacks. The Azini was hijacked Thursday between the coastal towns of Bandar Bayla and Hafun in northeastern Somalia, a maritime security officer with the Puntland Maritime Police Force said Sunday. The officer told The Associated Press that 12 pirates seized the vessel, which was carrying 21 Iranian crew members and two Somali security guards. … The seizure follows a resurgence of Somali piracy across the Gulf of Aden and western Indian Ocean. By August, pirates had hijacked six commercial vessels since April, with some attacks taking place far from Somalia’s coastline. The captures included the oil products tanker Sibu 1, seized about 136 nautical miles east of al-Mukalla, Yemen. AP
Western Sahara: UN ‘Stands Ready’ to Keep Supporting Peace Efforts as MINURSO Mission Ends
The UN remains committed to supporting a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution in Western Sahara that provides for the self-determination of its people, Secretary-General António Guterres said on Sunday, as the UN peacekeeping mission there began to wind down. The departure of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) “does not abrogate” the people’s “inalienable right to self-determination”, his statement said, delivered by his Spokesperson. It called on all parties “to respect and promote the rights of the people of Western Sahara.” The mission’s mandate expired at midnight on Saturday, after the Security Council failed on Friday to agree on its future. A draft resolution from the United States was vetoed by Russia, while a rival Russian text failed to win the nine votes needed for adoption. Although MINURSO’s operations have now ended, the UN will keep working towards a peaceful resolution through the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Staffan de Mistura. UN News
Uganda Begins Withdrawing Troops from Somalia after 20 Years
Uganda has begun withdrawing its troops from Somalia after nearly two decades of military involvement in the country. Uganda’s acting army spokesperson Chris Magezi on Monday said the first group of troops deployed to Somalia through a bilateral arrangement had already arrived back home and others would follow in a few days’ time. He said all forces, including those under the African Union (AU) mission, would exit by the end of 2027 in the phased withdrawal. Uganda was the first African country to deploy troops to Somalia under the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom), which was established in 2007 to help protect the country’s transitional government from attacks by Islamist militants. … The withdrawal comes after Somalia President Sheikh Mohamud met his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni in a visit to Kampala last week. The meeting was planned to discuss Somalia’s security situation as well as trade and economic ties between the two countries. … Uganda forces first deployed to the country in 2007 and played a key role in driving al-Shabab out of Mogadishu and other major towns. They fought alongside the Somali National Army to recapture strategic territory and secure key government installations. BBC
Russia Steps up Africa Nuclear Push
President Vladimir Putin hosted 48 country delegations, including 22 African leaders, at a Russia-Africa summit as he sought to deepen economic ties across the continent. The summit, now in its third edition, produced a series of nuclear announcements involving at least six countries, with Russia’s state-owned energy company Rosatom in advanced talks with Egypt, Togo, Namibia, and Tanzania over floating nuclear power plants, as Moscow seeks to become the world’s first commercial exporter of the technology. … Floating plants are attracting growing interest from African governments seeking faster ways to meet electricity demand, as conventional power plants are relatively costly and take a long time to build. … Experts have long warned that floating power deals can leave African governments dependent on costly contracts with foreign suppliers. In Sierra Leone, Turkey’s Karpowership cut electricity to Freetown in 2023 and sharply reduced supplies again in 2024 over unpaid bills, forcing the government to pay $17 million toward a $48 million debt to restore full power. Semafor
South Africans to Vote in Key Local Elections Seen as a Tough Test for Ruling ANC
South Africans are preparing to vote in local government elections that will determine control of the country’s largest cities and test whether the African National Congress continues its electoral decline. Voters on Wednesday will elect councilors, who will then choose mayors to oversee municipal services, including water, sanitation and rubbish collection. But politicians campaigning this year have also faced questions about national issues, including illegal immigration, high unemployment and crime. … The ANC lost its parliamentary majority in 2024 and formed a unity government with the Democratic Alliance (DA), the second-largest party, and smaller parties. In the last municipal elections in 2021, the ANC lost control of several major cities. It governs others through coalitions. AP
Malawi’s Fuel Shortages, Record Prices Deepen Economic Crisis
After years of chronic fuel shortages, [Malawi] has the highest petrol prices on the continent, disrupting livelihoods and straining an economy starved of foreign currency. … As the war in the Middle East pushes up fuel prices, the cost of petrol in the largely poor country has risen to $3.24 a litre. … The government, elected into office last year on a pledge to revive the struggling economy, blames the fuel crisis on a shortage of foreign currency needed to pay for imports. Officials say international supply disruptions linked to the Iran war have compounded the problem, with banks struggling to honour letters of credit and some overseas suppliers demanding upfront payment. … The government has sought emergency financing, including through the sale of gold reserves, to pay suppliers. … Economist Milward Tobias warned that the lack of supply threatened food security by disrupting the delivery of fertiliser and other essentials to farmers in the largely agricultural economy. AFP
To Understand African Politics, just Listen to the Music
[O]n a continent teeming with disaffected youth, music remains a lively political battleground. In many countries, musicians have emerged as the most authentic—and at times the most dangerous—voices of dissent. … Little unites Africa’s “generation hustle” apart from a deep sense of disaffection. But nearly all disaffected young Africans listen to music, and a generation of musicians has given form to their spirit of revolt. Singing mostly in local languages, many are heavily influenced by reggae and hip-hop, drawing on those genres’ emotive themes of poverty, defiance and black liberation. Their music often transcends ethnic and occupational divides. It has sometimes transformed amorphous anger into co-ordinated political action. The most famous example is Robert Kyagulanyi—better known by his stage name, Bobi Wine. Mr Wine rose to prominence as a self-styled “ghetto president”, singing songs about life in the slums of Kampala, Uganda’s capital. He has since run twice to be the country’s actual president, making him one of the few serious challengers to Yoweri Museveni in his 40 years in power. The Economist