A Look at how Ethiopia’s Wars, Sea Ambitions and Nile Dam Fuel Fears of Wider Conflict
A wider struggle over power, seaports and Nile waters links Ethiopia’s internal conflicts with rivalries stretching from the Red Sea to Egypt. … Ethiopian authorities accuse the TPLF of seeking an alliance with Eritrea to destabilize Ethiopia, potentially bringing together enemies from the previous war. … Eritrea accuses Ethiopia of seeking to secure access to the sea by force. … Abiy’s search for [sea access] alternatives has also heightened tensions with Somalia. In 2024, Ethiopia signed an agreement with Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, proposing a coastal lease for an Ethiopian naval base. Somaliland authorities said Ethiopia would recognize its independence in return. … The dispute helped draw Somalia closer to Egypt. The leaders of Somalia, Egypt and Eritrea pledged regional security cooperation in October 2024, linking Somalia’s sovereignty concerns, Eritrea’s fears over its ports and Egypt’s dispute with Ethiopia over Nile waters. … Egypt relies almost entirely on the Nile as a source of water for its population and agriculture and has called Ethiopia’s upstream dam an existential threat. … The danger is that Ethiopia’s internal fighting, its confrontation with Eritrea and regional disputes over ports and water could fuel one another. AP
Ethiopia PM Warns Eritrea of ‘Severe Consequences’ If Supports Enemies
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed warned Eritrea on Monday that it faces “severe consequences” if it continues to support rebels in his country. Rebels in the northern Tigray state of Ethiopia launched an offensive against the federal government last month, but were ultimately forced to retreat and lost control of the state. The fighting raised fears of a regional war, as the rebels had the backing of neighbouring Eritrea, which deployed thousands of troops in Ethiopian territory. But they were also forced to retreat after being pounded by drone attacks. Abiy has largely refused to comment on the weeks of conflict in the north of the country, but gave a speech in the local language, Tigrinya, on Monday in which he warned Eritrea against further interference. … The rebels of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), who had controlled the northern state for decades, have abandoned its cities, and a new federally-appointed administration was put in place on Friday. AFP
Kinship and Surveillance: The Return of Somali Piracy
The fishing town of Bander Beyla, on Somalia’s Puntland coast, has become a focal point of the renewed piracy crisis. But beyond the hijackings and international security operations, residents are struggling to protect their livelihoods as fishing restrictions, arrests and surveillance reshape daily life. … Several seized vessels have been held near Bander Beyla, bringing the crisis close to the town’s fishing community. In late August, local authorities restricted fishermen from going to sea amid concerns that pirates were disguising themselves as fishermen. … Jethro Norman, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS), said that piracy cannot be understood solely as a criminal activity at sea. It also depends on networks on land that can provide money, equipment, manpower and protection. … The renewed attacks have emerged amid wider regional instability and competing demands on maritime security forces. Abdinur Abdella, a Somali political and security analyst, said international naval attention shifted after Houthi attacks began in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in late 2023. Al Jazeera
Gulf Crisis Could Be a Blessing in Disguise for EA Ports
Since February, the region has endured the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, through which most countries in East Africa imported their fuel. More recently, the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabian installations, as well as warnings to vessels in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, have added to the uncertainty. Yet that could also be a blessing in disguise, especially for the region’s seaports. Policymakers think ports such as Mombasa, Lamu, Dar es Salaam and Tanga could reap greater benefits if countries strengthen regional trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), according to the UN Trade and Development (Unctad). Mark Assaf, chief of Unctad’s Human Resources Development, said African governments would have to invest in modern port infrastructure, digital systems and workforce development to reduce the continent’s dependence on imports and expand intra-trade. They also need to address congestion and the attendant bureaucracy, which often combine to slow the movement of goods. The East African
Unregulated Gold Boom Triggers Toxic Crisis in Northern Sudan Safe Havens
An unprecedented expansion of artisanal gold mining in northern Sudan’s River Nile and Northern states has unleashed severe environmental and health hazards, as hundreds of thousands displaced by the war turn to hazardous extraction methods. Driven from their homes by fighting across Sudan, displaced civilians flocked to relatively secure northern regions, where an unregulated gold rush reliant on mercury and cyanide has expanded rapidly. Official reports indicate the sector generates over 80% of Sudan’s gold, accounts for more than 58% of national exports, and generates over $1.5 billion annually. With the war halting agriculture, industry, and trade, gold prospecting has become one of the few available livelihoods, drawing between two and five million people into direct or indirect roles in an informal mining economy that largely operates outside state oversight. … Laboratory analyses of samples obtained by Sudan Tribune from “Village 3” in River Nile state revealed extreme mercury contamination levels in soil and water systems. … Tests also confirmed alarming mercury levels in human biological samples, with positive readings among young children aged four to 11. Sudan Tribune
Sudan Drone Attacks Kill 3 Children in Khartoum, Dozens of Civilians in Kordofan
A rare drone attack on Sudan’s capital killed three children Monday, a rights group said, as both sides in the country’s war step up airstrikes that have killed dozens of civilians in the Kordofan region in recent days. The strike, which the group blamed on Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, killed children ages two, four and six in Imtidad Nasser, a neighborhood east of Khartoum’s airport. … Emergency Lawyers, a group that tracks violence against civilians in Sudan’s war, condemned the attack, calling it a humanitarian tragedy and a “serious violation” that requires investigation and accountability. … Sudan’s war began in April 2023, when simmering tensions between the military and the RSF exploded into open fighting in Khartoum and spread across the country. The conflict has killed at least 59,000 people, according to conflict monitor ACLED, though aid groups say the true toll is likely higher. AP
The Son of Wagner Group’s Late Founder Hangs on to an African Stronghold, Making a Fortune from Guns, Drugs and Gold
Yevgeny Prigozhin ‘s very public death, following his very public falling-out with President Vladimir Putin, left his son, Pavel, in charge of the world’s most notorious mercenary force . At age 25, he inherited Wagner Group, an empire of gunfighters, gold smugglers, opioid dealers, brewers and vodka distillers. … Pavel Prigozhin, now 28, not only salvaged but expanded operations in Wagner’s African stronghold, the Central African Republic, according to former Wagner associates, government officials, business people and researchers in Bangui, the capital city. … From a base in Bangui, Pavel Prigozhin and 500 or so mercenaries under his command have seized control of gold mines, according to the Global Initiative. They provide personal security to the president, Faustin-Archange Touadéra, and battle insurgent groups, making Prigozhin and his men indispensable. … After his [father’s] death, the Kremlin seized control of Wagner’s enterprises in Russia and created the Africa Corps to fold Wagner operations into the Russian Ministry of Defense. … Pavel Prigozhin took quick steps to secure the Central African Republic from Putin’s reach. … Touadéra helped Prigozhin cement his position, integrating Wagner mercenaries into local police, the army and intelligence units. The Wall Street Journal
Russia’s Escalating Information War in Africa
In February Sergei Lavrov, [Russia’s] foreign minister, said 90% of the Russian officials expelled from Europe had been reassigned to [Africa]. That shift has been accompanied by intensifying attempts to sway African hearts and minds through cultural diplomacy, the Orthodox Church, higher education, professional groups, media ventures and disinformation. … [Justin Arenstein, founder of Code for Africa,] compares the impact of Russia’s campaign to termites gradually eroding the organic structures of African societies. The Kremlin, he argues, is unusual among disinformation merchants in that it deliberately tries to weaken social cohesion where it operates, rather than only promoting its own agenda. The Economist
Banditry in Nigeria: Zamfara Seeks More FG Intervention as Attacks Escalate
The Zamfara State Government has called for more federal government intervention to tackle escalating bandit attacks on communities. The State Commissioner for Information and Culture, Mahmud Dantawasa, made the appeal while addressing reporters in Gusau on Monday. … He noted that the attacks were escalating in spite of measures taken by both the state and federal governments to tackle banditry and kidnappings in the state. Mr Dantawasa expressed concern over the hardship experienced by families, farmers, traders and other residents, particularly those in rural communities whose daily activities have been disrupted by escalating insecurity. … According to him, to strengthen security operations, the Zamfara government has provided 25 armoured vehicles and 150 Toyota Hilux vehicles to support security agencies across the state. The commissioner called for sustained cooperation between the two levels of government, particularly in intelligence sharing, operational coordination and the provision of adequate logistical support to security agencies. News Agency of Nigeria
Uganda: Lukwago Rushed to Hospital, Lawyers Push for Urgent Bail Hearing
Lawyers representing former Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago have mounted a fresh push to secure an urgent bail hearing date following a sharp deterioration in his health. Led by former Busiro East Member of Parliament Medard Lubega Sseggona, the legal team confirmed that the opposition politician was recently rushed to the hospital after his condition worsened in custody. … He noted that the defence team’s efforts to get a hearing date before the High Court have so far been unsuccessful, despite the urgency of the situation. … This marks Mr Lukwago’s fourth attempt to secure release on bail since his arrest at his home in Wakaliga, Rubaga Division, Kampala, on June 15, 2026. He was subsequently remanded to Luzira Prison and charged with misprision of treason over an alleged plot to overthrow the government alongside veteran opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye and others. Monitor
Phase-1 Trial of Ebola Vaccine Gets Underway in Uganda
As the world’s worst-ever Ebola outbreak continues to spread through eastern DR Congo, scientists in neighboring Uganda are fighting back. They’re conducting a small scale trial of a candidate vaccine against the deadly Bundibugyo strain of the virus driving the DRC outbreak. “The stage that we are at now is called phase one,” says Eugene Rizagira, an Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. “… And in a phase one vaccine trial, what we are looking out for is whether the vaccine is safe, first and foremost and secondly, whether it enlists an appropriate immune response.” This candidate vaccine was developed at the University of Oxford. The US-based Moderna group is working on a separate jab that uses mRNA technology. The Uganda trial is aiming to recruit 110 volunteers for the study. “We hope we’ll complete enrollment by November this year, each person will be in the study for 12 months,” Rizagira says. “So, each person will be followed up for 12 months.”Africanews with AFP