South Africa Closes Its Border Again with Mozambique, where Post-election Violence Worsens
South Africa closed its border with Mozambique shortly after opening it on Thursday as post-election violence in the neighboring country escalated, leading to clashes between protesters and the police. Authorities also warned South Africans to postpone non-essential visits to Mozambique…The border was closed this week and partially opened earlier on Thursday to allow limited movement of trucks and vehicles stuck there, but the decision was quickly reversed…South Africa’s Border Management Agency said it closed its side of the border after 15 employees from the Mozambican border post crossed over seeking refuge and protection…Human rights groups have describes the government’s handling of the protests as the worst crackdown in years. AP
Botswana to Legalise Undocumented Zimbabweans – President
Botswana’s new president has told the BBC that he wants undocumented Zimbabweans to be legalised by granting them temporary work and residence permits. “They do jobs that would otherwise not get done,” Duma Boko [said]. Botswana hosts the world’s second-largest community of Zimbabweans fleeing their country’s economic woes – and they are often resented, with deportations taking place daily…”They come in and are undocumented. Then their access to amenities is limited, if it is available at all, and what they then do is they live outside the law and they commit crimes – and this brings resentment,” he said. BBC
South Africa’s Radical Opposition Rocked by High-profile Defections
South Africa’s radical opposition party, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), appears to be on a downward spiral after another high-profile member defected to ex-President Jacob Zuma’s party. Dali Mpofu, an advocate and former EFF chairperson, told local media that after much “soul-searching” he had decided to join uMkhonto weSizwe (MK), or Spear of the Nation…Mpofu used to be part of the EFF’s top leadership, holding the post of chairperson from 2014 to 2019. He later focused on his legal career, representing the party, and more recently Zuma, in court battles with the government. BBC
Nigerian Military Warns of New Militia Threat from Niger and Mali
Nigeria’s military has warned of a new insurgent group, Lakurawas, infiltrating the country’s northwest region from neighbouring Niger and Mali, its spokesperson said on Thursday. Defense spokesperson Major-General Edward Buba said the group, an affiliate of militias operating in the Sahel region, has been active in northwest Sokoto and Kebbi states. The ideology of the group is not known. The influx of Lakurawas is linked to the July 2023 coup in Niger, which disrupted joint military patrols along the border between Nigeria and Niger…Nigeria has been grappling with a long-running insurgency in its northeast, primarily driven by the Islamist armed group Boko Haram and its offshoot, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). But the emergence of Lakurawas highlights a growing security threat in the country’s northwest, a region already prone to attacks by armed gangs and kidnappings for ransom. Reuters
11 Somali Soldiers Killed in Clash with Al-Shabab Militants
At least 11 Somali regional and federal government forces were killed in fierce fighting on Wednesday in the south of the country, officials said. The fighting occurred in the vicinity of Wayaanta, about 60 kilometers southwest of Kismayo, Jubaland state, after the government forces attacked a suspected gathering spot for the militants…An operation by the Somali forces last year in the same vicinity killed an al-Shabab commander who was said to be a deputy emir of the area, according to the regional officials. VOA
CAR Rebels Surrender as Chad Military Joins in Border Peace Efforts
The Central African Republic said Wednesday that several hundred rebels have surrendered and handed over their weapons over to government troops and U.N. forces. The rebels surrendered less than a month after the C.A.R reached an agreement with neighboring Chad to jointly protect the two countries’ 1,200-kilometer border…[Maxime Balalou, the C.A.R.’s communication minister and government spokesperson] said rebels who disarm voluntarily will be handed over to the C.A.R. Center for Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration, where they will be economically and socially reintegrated or trained to join the country’s troops. VOA
ICC Judges Unseal an Arrest Warrant for an Alleged Central African Republic Rebel
Judges at the International Criminal Court on Thursday unsealed an arrest warrant for an alleged rebel from the Central African Republic accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity including murder, extermination, rape and persecution more than a decade ago. According to his warrant, which was originally issued under seal in 2018, Edmond Beina commanded a group of about 100-400 fighters responsible for murdering Muslims in early 2014 in a village in the west of the impoverished nation…ICC judges said in a written ruling that they unsealed the warrant for Beina’s arrest after authorities in the Central African Republic challenged the admissibility of the case. The court did not reveal details of the challenge. AP
Dozens Die of Mysterious Illness in Besieged Sudan Town
At least 73 people have died of mysterious causes in the Sudanese town of al-Hilaliya, besieged by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, the Sudanese Doctors Union said late on Wednesday. It is one of dozens of villages that have come under attack in eastern El Gezira state since the defection of a top RSF commander to the army, which prompted revenge attacks that have displaced more than 135,000 people…While high death tolls in other parts of Gezira came as a result of RSF shelling and gunfire, in Hilaliya people have fallen ill with diarrhoea, overwhelming a local hospital according to the union and three people from the area. Reuters
New Sudan FA Minister Meets with Egyptian Counterpart
Less than a week after his appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Ali Yousef met with his Egyptian counterpart. Egypt will host a second forum for Sudanese political and civil society groups after the one that took place in July…The Egyptian FA minister said that President Abdel Fattah El Sisi issued directives to further develop relations between the two countries…“Sudan is going through a critical phase. Egypt’s position is clear, strong, and supportive of the Sudanese state institutions and army,” [he said]. Radio Dabanga
South Sudan: Postponing Long-awaited Elections ‘a Regrettable Development’
Nicholas Haysom updated ambassadors on developments in the world’s youngest country, which was due to hold its first-ever general elections next month. Since his last briefing in August, the transitional period was extended until February 2027, pushing back the timetable for the vote to December 2026. “This was inevitable but a regrettable development given the deep frustration and fatigue felt by the South Sudanese people at the apparent political paralysis and inaction of their leaders to implement the peace agreement and deliver the long awaited democratic transition,” he said…“This cannot be business as usual for the parties to the peace agreement, the political elite, the guarantors of the peace agreement, or the international community. We must take this opportunity to make this extension the last and deliver the peace and democracy that the people of South Sudan deserve.” UN News
Comoros Police Arrest Suspect over Capsized Migrant Boat, Coastguard Says
Authorities in Comoros have arrested a suspected people-smuggler in connection with an incident in which traffickers deliberately capsized a boat last week, killing at least 25 people on board, the coastguard said on Friday. The boat overturned in the night of Oct. 30, during the 70 km (43 mile) journey from the Comorian island of Anjouan to Mayotte, a French overseas department in the Indian Ocean, said Fahmy Husny El-nassib, the head of the Comorian coastguard. It was not immediately clear why the traffickers had capsized the boat, though El-nassib said the vessel had suffered engine trouble. Reuters
Africa Health Body Calls on Trump to Honour US Vaccine Pledges
Africa’s main public health body said it is seeking assurances that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s administration will provide the funding and mpox vaccines promised by his predecessor. In September, U.S. President Joe Biden pledged $500 million and 1 million vaccine doses to an mpox response plan led by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, which is battling an mpox outbreak on the continent. While mpox cases continue to spread on the African continent, donors have been slow to translate their promises into money and vaccines needed to accelerate the response, according to Africa CDC…Africa CDC Director John Kaseya said he would push the new administration to honour existing promises. Reuters