Egypt Says Ready to Back Saudi Arabia in War against Iran-allied Houthis
Regional military power Egypt is ready to provide Saudi Arabia with the support it needs to defend its security and stability, the presidency said on Sunday, potentially raising the stakes in the Middle East war as Yemen’s Iran-allied Houthis intensify their attacks on the kingdom. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi requested an urgent parliament session to authorise the military, one of the Arab world’s largest, to help defend its Gulf Arab ally if the kingdom requested its support. A parliamentary vote had been expected on Sunday, but discussions were due to continue on Monday, two lawmakers and local media reports said. … Egypt and Saudi Arabia are close strategic and economic partners. Saudi Arabia and other oil-rich Gulf states including the United Arab Emirates provided Egypt with billions of dollars in aid, central-bank deposits and investments after the military ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in 2013. Sisi became president a year later. Egypt had previously joined the Saudi-led coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support the government against the Houthis, but played a limited combat role in the civil war. Reuters
Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali Resume Talks with ECOWAS after Withdrawal from Regional Bloc
Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali have resumed formal discussions with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), agreeing to work towards establishing a framework for cooperation despite their withdrawal from the regional bloc. The three Sahel countries officially left ECOWAS in January 2025 after forming the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), amid growing disagreements with the bloc. Saturday’s meeting, held in Dakar, is believed to be the first official ministerial-level engagement between the two sides, although discussions had been ongoing since January 2025. In a joint statement issued on Saturday evening, both sides welcomed the discussions, citing fraternity, mutual respect and openness as guiding principles. Premium Times
Somalia’s Opposition Alliance to Hold Key Political Talks in Nairobi, Kenya
Members of Somalia’s Future Council, an alliance bringing together opposition leaders, the Puntland and Jubbaland regional administrations and federal lawmakers, are expected to hold a crucial meeting in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, in the coming days. The talks are expected to focus on Somalia’s political situation, particularly a dispute over the federal election timetable recently announced by the National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission. The timetable outlines plans for elections to both chambers of the federal parliament and the presidency, but the opposition alliance has rejected the government’s approach, arguing that the proposed process was not based on a political agreement reached through consultations among the country’s key stakeholders. The Future Council is expected to discuss possible steps in response to the federal government’s election plans, amid growing disagreements over the country’s electoral process and the need for an inclusive political settlement. Garowe Online
DR Congo Bans Activities of 13 Political Parties Linked to Joseph Kabila as Opposition Cries Repression
The political standoff between Kinshasa and supporters of Joseph Kabila has taken a new turn. On Thursday, October 15, Interior Minister Jacquemain Shabani announced a ban on the activities of 13 political parties, including the People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD), which governed the country under Kabila’s presidency. The measure also targets the Leadership and Governance for Development (LGD), led by Matata Ponyo; Seth Kikuni’s PISTE-E; and Claudel Lubaya’s Union for African Democracy (UDA). Provincial governors are responsible for enforcing the ban. The decision comes amid heightened political tensions, particularly following the creation in Goma, in eastern DR Congo, of the National Refoundation Front (FRN), a politico-military movement led by former president Joseph Kabila. Against this backdrop, the government says it intends to prevent the activities of the parties concerned, while several opposition figures view the move as a restriction of political space. Africanews
A Rwandan Dissident Has Been Found Beheaded in Neighboring Uganda
A Rwandan dissident who fled to Uganda was beheaded and his body found in a district outside the capital, Kampala, police said Monday. The remains of Sgt. Maj. Robert Kabera, who served in the Rwandan army before he fled in 2020, were discovered on Saturday in a bush in the Kamengo area of the Ugandan district of Mpigi, Superintendent of Police Lydia Tumushabe told The Associated Press on Monday. “The head, up to now, is still missing,” Tumushabe said. After he crossed the border to Uganda, Kabera became an outspoken critic of Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who has been his country’s de facto leader or president since the end of the 1994 genocide. Kabera’s body was identified by residents as well as his brother, Tumushabe said, adding that detectives don’t yet have firm clues on a possible motive. National police spokesperson Rusoke Kituuma said Kabera’s previous service in the Rwandan military had been brought to the attention of detectives. … Rwanda’s government denies targeting its opponents, even as Kagame’s critics say his authoritarian stance leaves no room for internal dissent. Many senior army officers have fallen out with Kagame, with some fleeing into exile because they believed their lives had been threatened. Some of them have died in prison. AP
Madagascar Marks One Year since Uprising as Russia’s Influence Grows
An investigation published last month by All Eyes On Wagner, a project that tracks Russian influence and security operations, traced the development of military, political and economic networks in Madagascar in the months after Randrianirina’s inauguration. … On 20 December 2025, two months after Randrianirina took office, a flight carrying 40 men led by Russian intelligence general Andrey Averyanov landed in Madagascar. … Averyanov is described by the researchers as the suspected supervisor of Africa Corps, the Russian paramilitary organisation that succeeded the Wagner group. Malagasy authorities confirmed that same month that Africa Corps instructors were in the country training its military. Then came the equipment. Helicopters, tanks, trucks, drones and rifles arrived in multiple shipments presented as donations, with deliveries continuing until April, the researchers said. … Alongside Africa Corps, the researchers point to African Initiative, a Russian news agency with links to the state, as a key part of Moscow’s influence campaign in Madagascar. … Russia has also developed ties with senior Malagasy figures, including members of the political establishment who have remained influential despite last year’s change of power, the investigation found. RFI
Nigeria: NAF Trains 149 Army Personnel to Strengthen Joint Combat Operations
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has graduated 149 Nigerian Army personnel from a specialised combat training course aimed at strengthening inter-service cooperation and operational effectiveness across the Armed Forces of Nigeria. The personnel, comprising five officers and 144 soldiers, completed Combat Manoeuvre and Tactical Course 1/2026 at the NAF Regiment Training Centre Annex (RTCA), Bauchi, on October 16, 2026. The intensive training covered tactical proficiency, combat leadership, physical resilience and operational skills required to address Nigeria’s evolving security challenges. … The graduation underscores the Nigerian Air Force’s contribution to specialised training for sister Services and efforts to strengthen jointness and interoperability among the Armed Forces. The initiative is expected to enhance the capacity of military personnel to coordinate operations, respond effectively to complex security threats and improve mission effectiveness across different operational environments. PR Nigeria
Macky Sall Withdraws from UN Secretary-General Race
Former Senegalese President Macky Sall has withdrawn his candidacy for the position of United Nations secretary-general following opposition to his nomination and controversy over the African Union’s endorsement process. In a post on X on Saturday, Mr Sall said his decision followed an informal vote held on 16 October and consultations with Burundi’s President, Évariste Ndayishimiye, the current chairperson of the African Union (AU), and Senegalese President Bassirou Faye, the current chairperson of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). … Mr Sall’s candidacy had faced opposition over the procedure used to secure continental backing, with several countries, including Nigeria, questioning the process and the circumstances surrounding his nomination. … AU procedures require candidacies to be submitted and reviewed by the Committee of Permanent Representatives and the Ministerial Committee before being presented to the Executive Council for a decision by consensus or a two-thirds majority. The process is designed to allow collective scrutiny and consultation among member states. However, Mr Sall’s name was absent from the list of African candidacies presented to the Executive Council at the February AU summit and was not formally discussed by heads of state, according to a report by Jeune Afrique. Premium Times
Tunisians Stage Biggest Protest in Years against President Saied
Thousands of Tunisians joined the largest protest against President Kais Saied in years on Saturday, accusing him of undermining democracy and mishandling the economy in a growing challenge to his rule. The demonstration, led by the powerful UGTT labour union and civil society groups, comes as Tunisia grapples with an economic crisis, worsening public services, recurring water and power cuts, and shortages of medicines and essential goods. In 2021, Saied seized broad powers, dissolved parliament, dismissed dozens of judges and began ruling by decree, moves opponents described as a coup. Rights groups say he has intensified a crackdown on civil society, journalists and opposition figures. … In a rare show of unity, opposition parties from across the political spectrum joined lawyers, doctors, journalists, unemployed people and civil society groups in marching along Habib Bourguiba Avenue, a focal point of the 2011 protests that helped trigger the Arab Spring uprisings. They called for the release of Saied’s critics and demanded an end to what they described as attacks on trade union rights. Reuters
Congo Basin Deforestation Nears Amazon Levels
Forest clearing in the Congo Basin nearly matched losses in the Amazon for the first time in a decade of monitoring, even as deforestation slowed worldwide, a new study found. The destruction releases vast stores of carbon, adding to climate change that is already contributing to drought and forest fires across the tropics. Expanding farming, timber, and mining activities are driving the clearances in the basin, which is home to the world’s second-largest tropical rainforest, the Forest Declaration Assessment group said. In DR Congo, where most of the forest is situated, decades of conflict — along with poor oversight — have fueled uncontrolled logging, driving up the rate of tree loss in central Africa this decade. Meanwhile, there has been a steep decline in deforestation in Latin America and the Caribbean, leaving the two regions almost on a par. Semafor
Kenya’s Ebola Cases Hit 8, with No Community Transmission Yet
Ebola cases in Kenya rose to eight on Sunday after another person tested positive while in quarantine, having been identified as a contact of the first patient. Health Ministry Director-General Dr. Patrick Amoth said the eighth case involved a 49-year-old patient attendant who had attended to the first Ebola patient, who died at Nairobi Hospital two days after arriving in the country from Congo via Uganda. Amoth said people in quarantine were being tested after developing symptoms. He added that the other six patients were stable after receiving supportive treatment. Some 130 contacts, including health workers, were listed after the first patient died on Oct. 5, with 128 remaining in quarantine. … Kenya’s first case exposed gaps in screening measures at border points. The country has since strengthened screening and established an emergency hotline for anyone who suspects they may have been in contact with an Ebola patient or develops symptoms. AP
Ghana Set to Overtake Ethiopia as Africa’s Eighth-largest Economy, Leading by $1.49 Billion in Latest IMF Projections
According to the IMF’s latest projections, Ghana’s economy is expected to expand by 5.7% in real terms in 2026, reflecting continued growth despite external economic pressures. The country’s economy also benefits from gold production, cocoa exports, oil and gas, financial services and an expanding consumer market. Gold remains particularly important to Ghana’s export earnings, while higher international prices have helped support foreign-exchange inflows. The latest rankings place Ghana slightly ahead of Ethiopia, although the two countries have different economic growth prospects. Ethiopia’s economy is projected to expand by 9.2% in 2026, outpacing Ghana’s expected growth of 5.7%. However, the depreciation of the Ethiopian birr following exchange-rate reforms in 2024 has reduced the country’s GDP when measured in US dollars, despite strong domestic economic growth. Ghana, meanwhile, has benefited from improving macroeconomic conditions, strengthening its position among Africa’s largest economies. Business Insider Africa