Ethiopian Troops Enter Town on Border with Eritrea, Stoking War Fears
Ethiopian government troops have advanced to a town on the border with Eritrea previously controlled by Tigrayan rebels, people in touch with residents said on Tuesday, as diplomats scrambled to avert war between the Horn of Africa neighbours. Witnesses and a conflict monitor said Eritrean troops had crossed last week into Zalambessa, near Ethiopia’s northernmost point, in support of the rebels, but it was unclear if the Eritrean troops or rebels were still present on Tuesday. … With Addis Ababa and Asmara now on opposing sides again, conflicts raging elsewhere in the region and tensions high across the Red Sea, there are fears of broader contagion of violence this time around. The Ethiopian government’s counter-offensive has driven rebels from a string of towns, forcing them to retreat north. By Tuesday, the army had reached Zalambessa, a town with a population of around 15,000 on the Ethiopian side of the border with Eritrea, according to six sources. Reuters
Drone Strikes and Deadly Explosions Kill Scores of Civilians across Sudan
Drone strikes and explosions have killed scores of civilians and injured dozens across Sudan, as attacks on displacement shelters and residential neighbourhoods in Blue Nile and North Kordofan coincide with deadly mine blasts in West Kordofan and renewed armed violence in South Darfur. In Blue Nile, the regional government reported that 30 civilians were killed on Friday morning when the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched a drone attack on a displacement shelter in Abu Shandi, a village in Wad El Mahi locality. … In North Kordofan, an RSF drone attack on El Obeid on Friday morning injured six civilians, who were taken for treatment. … In West Kordofan, four displaced people were killed earlier this week when an unexploded landmine detonated in Babanusa, bringing the reported mine-related death toll in the city to about 35. … In a separate incident in South Darfur, 11 people were killed in armed clashes in Wad El Fursan on Thursday evening following a dispute between an RSF force and a motorcycle trader. Dabanga
France and Chad Sign ‘Renewed’ Defence Partnership following Two-Year Hiatus
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday hosted Chadian leader Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, as the two countries seek to rebuild ties two years after N’Djamena ordered French forces to leave its territory. The countries’ defence ministers signed a declaration of intent to structure their defence cooperation “on a renewed basis”. … Relations between France and its former colony nosedived in November 2024, when Chad ended a six-decade security arrangement with Paris by ordering French troops off its teritory. The move came alongside French military withdrawals from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger in the wake of military coups between 2020 and 2023, as the juntas in those countries drew closer to Russia. Tuesday’s bilateral meeting comes amid turmoil across Africa’s Sahel region, including a war in Sudan that has caused a million refugees to flee to neighbouring Chad as well as pressure from hostile armed groups in Niger and Libya. … French-Chadian relations have recently been on the mend, with both countries edging towards a discreet partnership with a stronger role for economic and business ties. … According to the Elysée, security cooperation was restored at the beginning of the year, notably for military training, equipment supplies and intelligence sharing. RFI
Nigeria: Terrorists Turn to AI, Crypto to Fund Attacks, Recruit Fighters — Ribadu, AU
The National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, and the African Union Counter-Terrorism Centre have raised the alarm over the growing use of social media, cryptocurrencies and emerging technologies by terrorist groups to recruit members, finance operations and coordinate attacks across West Africa and the Sahel. They issued the warning on Tuesday in Abuja at a three-day regional training conference focused on detecting and disrupting terrorists’ exploitation of information and communication technologies and emerging technologies. … [The Acting Director of the AU Counter-Terrorism Centre] added that the groups were acquiring weapons through darknet marketplaces, communicating through satellite links, deploying drones across borders and using artificial intelligence to customise propaganda and evade detection. … The AU official also called for stronger partnerships with social media companies, telecommunications operators and financial service providers, noting that much of the digital infrastructure exploited by terrorist organisations was owned and operated by private entities. PR Nigeria
Nigeria: Insecurity Exposes Zamfara Communities to Recurring Cholera Outbreaks
Zamfara is one of the states hardest hit by the insecurity that has spread across north-western Nigeria over the past decade. What began largely as cattle rustling has evolved into organised violence by armed groups commonly referred to as bandits. Communities have been attacked, residents killed or abducted and thousands forced from their homes. The armed groups have also imposed levies on some farming communities, stolen livestock and harvests and carried out kidnappings for ransom. … But deaths, abductions and displacement are only some of the consequences. In Bukkuyum LGA, residents and health workers [said] that insecurity has also weakened access to healthcare. Some communities have been deserted, while health workers have stopped providing services in areas they consider unsafe. Reports in 2025 indicated that only about 200 of Zamfara’s more than 700 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) were functional, with persistent insecurity blamed for the closure or abandonment of many facilities. For residents of affected rural communities, the closures mean illness can require travelling several kilometres, sometimes through unsafe areas, before reaching a health worker. For people displaced by violence, the risks are compounded by overcrowding, poor sanitation, poverty and limited access to safe water. Premium Times
Somalia: Supreme Court Accepts Case Challenging New Constitution
Somalia’s Supreme Court has accepted a lawsuit challenging the implementation of the country’s new constitution and legal measures arising from it, including extensions of government institutions’ terms, according to reports. The case was filed by a senior member of the Somali Salvation Council, an opposition grouping that has challenged the constitutional changes and the process through which they were adopted. … The lawsuit challenges the legality of the new constitution and decisions based on it. A central issue is the extension of the terms of government institutions, which opposition figures argue raises legal questions about the country’s governance and electoral timetable. Garowe Online
UN, IGAD Warn Hate Speech Could Threaten South Sudan Elections
As the December elections approach, the United Nations and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) have called on South Sudan to strengthen coordination and early response mechanisms to counter hate speech and disinformation, warning that harmful narratives could threaten peace, social cohesion and preparations for elections. The call was made on Tuesday during the launch of a three-day workshop to establish a national multi-agency coordination platform to address hate speech and disinformation in the country. Beleteze Foretia, representative of the United Nations Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Horn of Africa, said inflammatory rhetoric, rumors and deliberately misleading information could undermine trust between communities and contribute to political and security instability. … He said the proposed platform should prioritize early identification of harmful narratives, coordinated preventive action and stronger links with existing early warning and response mechanisms. Radio Tamazuj
Congo’s Confirmed Ebola Cases Exceed 9,000 as Containment Efforts Falter
Confirmed cases in Congo’s Ebola outbreak have surpassed 9,000, with more than 4,300 deaths, as health authorities struggle to contain an outbreak spreading across seven provinces, according to government figures released Tuesday. The Health Ministry reported 9,066 confirmed cases and 4,381 deaths, with the death toll approaching half the number of confirmed cases. The rising death toll has alarmed health workers and authorities, with a large share of recorded deaths occurring outside treatment centers. The latest report recorded 88 new cases and warned that “community transmission remains a concern.” The outbreak has created new hot spots as it spreads to more communities, with 65 health zones across seven provinces now affected. Officials say the confirmed cases account for only a third of all cases, with many going undetected. AP
As Ebola Spreads in Eastern Congo, Mothers and Children Shun Vital Care
The fear of Ebola is keeping women and children from seeking healthcare in eastern Congo, health workers and aid agencies say, contributing to soaring maternal deaths and falling childhood immunization rates that could strain the healthcare system for years to come. Health workers say that misplaced anxiety about contact with Ebola is the primary reason women are forgoing crucial prenatal care and opting to give birth at home, and dying more often in the event of complications. There is still limited data available but figures for Ituri province are raising alarm. UN figures show that maternal deaths in Ituri province soared nearly 70% between May and July compared with a year earlier, a troubling indicator of the impact of the Ebola outbreak — currently Congo’s worst on record — on the primary healthcare system. Reuters
Mali Hosts More than 322,000 Refugees and Asylum Seekers
Mali is facing mounting humanitarian pressure, with hundreds of thousands of people seeking safety inside its borders. As of September 30, 2026, the country was hosting 322,584 refugees and asylum seekers, alongside 414,524 internally displaced people. But that’s not all. Nearly 91,000 people have returned to Mali, while more than 343,000 Malians remain refugees abroad. The latest figures, presented at the UNHCR Executive Committee in Geneva, reveal a worsening regional crisis. Compared with August, the number of refugees and asylum seekers in Mali rose by more than 5,300. Across Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, nearly four million people have been displaced, according to the UN refugee agency. In central Mali, the Koro region alone was sheltering around 86,000 refugees from Burkina Faso at the end of July. Africanews with AP
Afcon 2027 Joint Visa to Maximise Regional Gains
Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania are pursuing a joint visa for Afcon 2027 supporters, in a move that could turn the continent’s biggest football showpiece into a wider tourism opportunity for East Africa. The proposal would allow fans to move between the three host countries during the tournament, opening up opportunities for hotels, tour operators, transport providers and other businesses beyond the cities staging matches. But the ambition will depend on more than football. Roads, accommodation and other supporting infrastructure must be ready to handle the movement of thousands of visitors, while the three governments must agree on an arrangement that works at their borders. … Afcon 2027, scheduled for June 19 to July 17, will be the first edition hosted across three countries. Its success will depend not only on ready venues, but on whether the region can turn that shared hosting into a lasting tourism opportunity. Monitor