‘It’s a War of Attrition’: Drones Give No Military Edge in Sudan
The use of drones in Sudan’s bloody civil war is accelerating, the United Nations human rights chief, Volker Türk, said last month. The weapons have enabled the Sudanese military and its adversary, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, to reach far beyond the front lines and wreak havoc deep inside enemy territory. But analysts say the use of sophisticated drones has not given either side a decisive edge in the civil war. Instead, they have become the No. 1 killer of civilians this year, adding to famine and a drought that the United Nations says now covers half of Sudan. The main benefit of the drone war goes to the Turkish and Chinese companies making the drones, as well as the foreign powers who help to supply or fund them, analysts say. … The Sudanese military has acquired drones made by Iran and Turkey, several analysts said, while the R.S.F. has relied on powerful Chinese drones supplied or operated by the United Arab Emirates. The New York Times
Indian Airborne Commandos Recapture Ship off Somalia
Indian naval commandos parachuted onto a hijacked Iranian fishing vessel off Somalia to rescue all 20 crew members from armed pirates, the navy said Tuesday. Somali piracy has seen a resurgence, with at least 15 attacks reported since April, the highest number since 2013. The vessel, named Azini, was seized on Oct 29 off the Somali coast, between the coastal towns of Bandar Beyla and Xaafun in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland, according to an alert from the EU’s Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean (MSCIO). The vessel was feared to be used as a “mother ship” to launch further attacks on merchant shipping, the navy said in a statement. A warship and a maritime reconnaissance aircraft tracked the vessel before marine commandos were parachuted in to carry out the rescue, it said. … Azini was the third Iranian fishing boat to have been hijacked off the Somali coast since July. AFP
Peacekeepers Plan to Take over Bases near Somalia’s Capital as Ugandan Troops Withdraw
Peacekeepers plan to replace departing Ugandan troops at four bases near Somalia’s capital to prevent al-Shabab militants from exploiting a security vacuum, according to a letter from the African Union mission to the U.N. support office in Somalia obtained by The Associated Press. Uganda says all its troops will leave Somalia by the end of 2027, ending a 20-year deployment. Those leaving now were deployed under a bilateral agreement with Somalia’s government. Uganda also contributes troops to the African Union peacekeeping mission. … The peacekeepers will move from Barawe, a port town about 220 kilometers southwest of Mogadishu. It is unclear who will take over the bases they leave behind. AP
Uganda: Besigye Learning to Walk and Talk Again after ICU Stay, Reveals Doreen Nyanjura
Former Kampala Deputy Lord Mayor Doreen Nyanjura has revealed that jailed veteran opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye is undergoing speech and physical therapy to regain his mobility and voice, three months after he collapsed in court and was admitted to the intensive care unit. Ms Nyanjura, who currently serves as the Head of Special Interest Groups for the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), shared details of her emotional visit to the opposition figure in a statement posted on her official X account on Tuesday, October 20, 2026. Describing her first meeting with Dr Besigye since his sudden breakdown, Ms Nyanjura noted the stark reality of his health status compared to her initial expectations, recounting how a speech therapist was guiding the 70-year-old politician through basic exercises using simple word charts containing words like “dog” and “boy”. … Dr Besigye has been in custody since November 2024 after he and his aide, Obeid Lutale, were arrested in Kenya and returned to Uganda, where they were charged with treason alongside UPDF Capt Denis Oola. All accused persons have denied the charges, which their legal teams and political allies describe as politically motivated. Monitor
NGOs Urge Malian Authorities for Transparency on Abduction of Mountaga Tall
International NGOs have urged Malian authorities for transparency on the whereabouts of prominent lawyer and politician Mountaga Tall, six months after his abduction. On the night of May 3, armed and masked men abducted Mountaga Tall from his home in Bamako. His son Cheick Mamadou Tall went missing two weeks later and never returned. Six months on, their fates remain unknown. On Monday, Amnesty International demanded that Malian authorities investigate the disappearances and disclose what happened to the two men. … [Marceau Sivieude, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa] demanded proof that Tall and his son are alive. He said they should have access to their families, lawyers and doctors. … Mountaga Tall was the leader of the National Congress for Democratic Initiative, which was dissolved in 2025 alongside the rest of Mali’s political parties. Tall had become known as a vocal critic of the military junta in the country. Africanews
Authority Suspends Registration of Ethiopia’s Oldest Independent Newspaper Indefinitely
The Ethiopian Media Authority (EMA) has indefinitely suspended the registration certificate of Media and Communication Center PLC, publisher of the Amharic Reporter and English-language The Reporter newspapers, citing alleged repeated violations of the law and professional ethics. The suspension, effective Monday, November 2, applies to the newspapers’ print and broadcast operations, including their digital platforms, and will remain in force until the media organization fulfills what the Authority described as its legal and professional ethical obligations. Founded in 1995 by general manager Amare Aregawi, The Reporter is Ethiopia’s oldest privately owned independent newspaper. The publication operates under the motto “Free Press, Free Speech, Free Spirit” and has covered national politics, regional conflicts, economic developments and social issues for more than three decades. … The suspension comes amid broader concerns over the EMA’s use of its regulatory powers against independent media outlets. Addis Standard
The Lithium Rush: Nigeria’s Bid to Avoid the Resource Curse
Although it is not a top-10 producer, Nigeria’s lithium is exceptionally high-grade and the government is moving aggressively to expand its processing capacity to meet the roaring demand for lithium-ion batteries at the heart of the world’s clean energy transition. … Nigeria’s mining law sets clear provisions for community and environmental protection, however oversight is weak, and relevant government departments struggle with underfunding. … Nigeria’s mining sector is overwhelmingly informal. … [T]he process of registration to operate legally is complex and highly centralised. … It’s a level of digital and administrative savvy that’s beyond most rural miners. … The vast majority of miners are therefore effectively forced to operate informally, which makes them vulnerable to exploitation by so-called “bandits” – the armed criminal gangs that hold sway in much of Nigeria’s hinterland. “Bandits don’t do mining themselves, but they hide in the unregulated sector,” noted [Olasehinde Oladusi, deputy director in the Ministry of Solid Minerals and Development]. “They create insecurity, they create panic, and are entrenched.” The ore they steal or extort also becomes part of the formal value chain through middle men – or direct sales to licensed mines – and is then processed alongside regular lithium. The New Humanitarian/Premium Times
Nigeria Elections: EU, IPC Raise Alarm over Information Manipulation
The European Union (EU) and the International Press Centre (IPC) have warned against the growing threat of information manipulation, deepfakes, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) and generated political disinformation ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections. Speaking at the opening of a two-day Summit on Electoral Information Integrity in Abuja on Monday, with the theme “Beyond the Ballot: Safeguarding Electoral Information Integrity in the Age of AI”, the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot emphasised the need for protecting the integrity of electoral information so that citizens could freely make their choices. He urged stakeholders to build an electoral and information environment in which reliable information is available, institutions communicate credibly, independent journalism could flourish, and manipulation meets a prepared response. … [Executive Director of the International Press Centre (IPC), Lanre Arogundade] urged stakeholders to establish an Electoral Information Integrity Response Protocol and adopt the “Abuja Commitment” to establish an operational framework ahead of the 2027 elections. “Awareness alone is insufficient. Nigeria needs a trusted, coordinated, rights-respecting system enabling institutions to anticipate threats, verify evidence, escalate incidents, and communicate authoritatively,” Arogundade said. APA
Gambia: ECOWAS MPs Assessing ECOMIG Security Transition
A delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliamentary Oversight Committee completed a five-day field mission to The Gambia, focused on evaluating the operations of the ECOWAS Mission in The Gambia (ECOMIG) and preparing for the phased transfer of security responsibilities to national forces. Led by Senator Edwin Melvin Snowe Jr. from October 27 to 31, 2026, the parliamentary team examined the regional force’s mandate, its operational achievements, its resource management, and logistical challenges. The primary objective was to identify the conditions necessary to ensure a safe and sustainable security transition to the Gambian Defence and Security Forces (GDSF). … Deployed in 2017 following the post-election crisis, ECOMIG is thus taking a decisive step toward the full handover of security sovereignty to the authorities in Banjul. APA
Smuggling, Power, Profit: Irregular Migration Out of Eastern Libya
This year, almost 20,000 people have already tried to make the perilous crossing from Libya in north Africa to the Greek island of Crete. The route, which runs from the east coast of Libya to Greece, has become an increasingly significant corridor for irregular migration into Europe, Greek daily Kathimerini recently reported. … Many of the boats depart from areas around Tobruk, a port city on Libya’s eastern Mediterranean coast. According to Kathimerini, migrants pay as much as $4,000 for the crossing, which takes around a day and a half. This particular route is becoming more popular in part because of crackdowns on alternative passages. After eastern Libyan armed forces acted against people smugglers heading for Italy in 2023, the smuggling networks changed their methods, using smaller boats and sailing them towards Crete instead. DW
Approval of a Cheap Version of HIV-prevention Shot Lenacapavir Raises Hopes in Low-income Countries
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic version of the world’s only twice-a-year shot to prevent HIV — a big step toward making the drug available inexpensively and more quickly in 120 low- and middle-income countries. The announcement was made on Monday morning by the manufacturer and organizations that helped to speed up development of the medication, called lenacapavir. The drug is expected to cost $40 a year per person in the countries where it will be available, the same price as daily preventive pills available now. But the shots are much more convenient than the pills because they’re needed much less frequently and they nearly eliminated new infections in two groundbreaking studies of people at high risk. … The new generic was approved by the FDA under a longstanding practice designed to ensure the quality of HIV-related drugs provided to other countries by the U.S. government. AP
New Africa Credit Rating Agency in Talks with 15 Sovereign Borrowers
The Africa Credit Rating Agency (AfCRA), launched last month to challenge the dominance of the world’s three biggest ratings firms, is in talks with 15 African sovereigns and aims to publish its first ratings by March, its interim CEO said. Staff from the Mauritius-based agency, established following an African Union initiative in 2018, will conduct research in countries including Togo, Kenya, Seychelles, Burundi and Mauritius, Sifiso Falala told Reuters. … AfCRA says it aims to offer an additional perspective on African creditworthiness through its ratings approach. The agency will provide solicited sovereign ratings, under which governments pay for assessments and provide access to officials and financial data. It also plans to rate African multilateral lenders, including Afreximbank, and private financial institutions. Reuters