Russia Is Said to Widen Military Recruitment Drive in Africa
Russia is stepping up the number of Africans it recruits to counter a personnel shortage in its military and is targeting some of the continent’s most dysfunctional states for manpower, a presentation obtained from people familiar with Ukraine’s intelligence service showed. The countries included Zimbabwe, Burundi and Sierra Leone in the first nine months of this year after Kenya and South Africa sought to stop men leaving to join Russia’s war against Ukraine, the presentation seen by Bloomberg showed. The program is aimed at “offsetting massive losses and a shortage of people to mobilise,” the presentation reads. Russia has never publicly acknowledged using foreigners to fight Ukraine. … The Kenyan and Ghanaian governments directly asked Russia to stop the activity. … Russia has now turned its attention to countries with poor democratic credentials, limited press freedom and a weak judiciary… Bloomberg
Congo’s Ebola Outbreak Tops 10,000 Cases as Authorities Race to Slow the Spread in African Countries
The fast-moving Ebola outbreak in Congo has reached 10,000 confirmed cases, government data showed Tuesday, as health authorities race to slow the spread of the disease in multiple African countries. It is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history and nearly half of the 10,060 confirmed to have the virus have died, according to data from Congo’s Ministry of Health. That also makes it the deadliest outbreak of the disease in the country’s history. The outbreak declared in May is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment. Response teams are battling armed conflict, poor roads and violence from residents fueled by mistrust and misinformation. Those obstacles compound the challenge of persuading people to report symptoms and accept care in communities that have endured years of violence and repeated epidemics. … “Ebola is crossing borders. Our response must move faster, with stronger coordination, greater solidarity and decisive political leadership,” Dr. Jean Kaseya, head of Africa CDC, has said. AP
US, EU and 30 Countries Warn of Famine Risk in Sudan, Call for Aid
The United States, the European Union and 30 countries have warned of an “alarming deterioration” in food security in Sudan, calling for “urgent action” to prevent famine in the African country. In a joint statement released by the US State Department on Monday, the signatories called on the groups fighting Sudan’s civil war “to lift all impediments on humanitarian assistance.” “Sudan is experiencing an alarming deterioration in its food security. The risk of famine in the coming months, as warned by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, needs urgent action,” the statement said. “The parties to the conflict bear primary responsibility for alleviating the suffering of the Sudanese people.” Al Jazeera
UK Sanctions Sudanese Military Leaders Implicated in El Fasher ‘Campaign of Rape’
Senior Sudanese commanders implicated in a “campaign of rape” have been targeted by the UK on the first anniversary of a mass atrocity that saw tens of thousands of civilians killed over several days. A year after the fall of El Fasher, the British government said it had sanctioned military leaders from both sides in the country’s ongoing conflict whom it suspected of sexual violence during the siege of the city. A total of 15 commanders from the military groups – the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) – have been subjected to a travel ban and an asset freeze. The Foreign Office said it hoped the action would ensure “the horrors that took place at El Fasher will be known to the world.” During the RSF’s takeover of the city, up to 10,000 men, women and children are believed to have been slaughtered over two days – the fastest and largest massacre of civilians this century. Guardian
Sudan: ‘Atrocities Persist in El Fasher One Year After RSF Takeover’
Civilians in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, continue to face arbitrary detention, torture, unlawful killings and restricted humanitarian access one year after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized the city, Amnesty International said on Friday. In a statement by Amnesty International, published ahead of the first anniversary of the takeover on 26 October 2025, the human rights organisation said schools had been turned into detention centres, residents faced constant surveillance and children remained at risk of malnutrition. Amnesty interviewed 25 civilians, including 19 residents and six humanitarian workers, in August and September 2026. Of the 19 residents interviewed, 17 said they had been detained by the RSF, often for months. “The RSF’s claims that El Fasher is safe for civilians to return to after the horrific massacres that took place one year ago could not be further from the truth,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General. Radio Dabanga
Sixty Christians Killed in Ethiopia’s Oromia Region
At least 60 Orthodox Christians were killed in separate attacks on October 20 and 24 in Ethiopia’s Oromia region, church officials reported. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church’s holy synod on Monday described the killings as “extremely tragic cruelty and suffering inflicted on our citizens”. More than 20 people were seriously injured and 20 homes burned down in the attacks, it added. The holy synod condemned the killings, saying the attacks violated constitutional protections for life and religious freedom, and threatened Ethiopia’s tradition of peaceful coexistence among different faiths. It called on government institutions to publicly condemn the attacks, strengthen civilian protection and ensure those responsible are brought to justice. … According to media reports, a local official accused a newly formed rebel alliance that includes the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) of carrying out the attacks. Al Jazeera
Dozens of Somali Soldiers Killed in Battle With al Shabaab, Soldiers Say
Somalia’s defence ministry said about 75 militants were killed and another 56 were wounded in the fighting in the Jameeco area of Buurhakaba district. he defence ministry said the militants had attacked the national army using vehicles packed with explosives and that some army vehicles were damaged. Two soldiers told Reuters that dozens of soldiers were killed in the battle. Another soldier called Farah said al Shabaab car bombs had ruined five military vehicles and estimated that dozens of soldiers were killed in the explosions. Reuters
Jailed Tanzanian Opposition Leader Begins Hunger Strike
anzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who was charged with treason last year, has started a hunger strike to protest his inability to access his lawyers, his party said. Lissu, who leads the CHADEMA opposition party and came second in the 2020 presidential election, began refusing food on Monday after his lawyers were denied entry to the prison where he is being held, party spokesperson Brenda Rupia wrote on X. … Lissu was charged with treason over what prosecutors said was a speech calling on the public to rebel and disrupt last year’s general election. He pleaded not guilty to the charges, which his lawyer has said are politically motivated. Tanzania’s electoral commission had barred CHADEMA from participating in the polls after it failed to sign a code of conduct document. Reuters
Tanzanian Activist Reportedly Abducted in Kenya Still Missing after 24 Hours
Tanzanian opposition activist and Chadema youth organiser Twaha Salim Mwaipaya remained missing on Monday, October 26, 2026, more than 24 hours after he was reportedly seized in Kamulu, Machakos county, Kenya. Mwaipaya was reportedly abducted at approximately 2pm on Sunday, October 25, while travelling in a taxi to visit friends. Eyewitnesses reported that his abductors arrived in three vehicles, one of which was a Toyota Land Cruiser hardtop. … According to Mukasa, Mwaipaya had sought refuge in Kenya after being abducted and tortured by Tanzanian police in an earlier incident. Meanwhile, Kenya’s Linda Mwananchi Movement, led by Nairobi senator Edwin Sifuna, also issued a statement condemning the abduction, calling it part of a troubling pattern of cross-border targeting of dissidents on Kenyan soil. The movement pointed to the November 2024 abduction of Ugandan opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye, who was seized in Nairobi and transferred to Uganda, where he appeared before a military court and remains detained. Tuko
Niger Accuses Chad of Deadly Drone Attack in Which Two Civilians Died
As their relations continue to deteriorate, Niger’s military government on Monday accused Chad of carrying out a deadly drone strike in which two civilians were killed and others wounded. In a statement by the authorities read on national television, it said it had summoned the Chadian ambassador following the incident. Niamey also demanded an immediate end to “hostile actions” and compensation for the damage caused. The government said the attack hit the Salvador Pass early on Saturday in the mountainous Emi Lulu area of northern Niger. The pass is located in a remote mining region near the borders with Algeria and Libya and is a key route for smuggling and militant activity. Africanews with AFP
Investigators Deliver Report on Why Iranian Warships Took Part in Naval Drills off South Africa
A report into why Iranian warships took part in naval drills off South Africa’s coast this year against the instructions of the country’s president has been finalized, his office said Tuesday. The report has been received by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa but will remain confidential while he reviews it, his office said in a statement. … The drills took place during mass protests in Iran and a crackdown that killed more than 7,000 people. Ramaphosa ordered the investigation, led by a retired judge, in February, saying there was a “failure to heed the instruction” that Iranian vessels that had already traveled to South Africa for the planned exercises not take part. The investigation looked at whether Ramaphosa’s order was ignored by high-ranking members of the South African armed forces or officials at the Defense Ministry. The president ordered that the investigation report to him and not the Defense Ministry to ensure it was independent, his office said at the time. AP
Libya Says International Aviation Restrictions Lifted After 11 Years
Libya’s Ministry of Transport said on Monday that airspace restrictions issued by the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization in 2015 during the country’s civil war have been removed. The ministry said the decision, which was formally issued on October 23, was announced by ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar at the opening of a meeting of civil aviation officials from the Middle East in Doha. “This measure comes as a result of the notable progress made and the confidence placed in the capabilities of the Libyan civil aviation sector in recent times,” the Tripoli-based Ministry of Transport said in a statement on its verified Facebook page. The ministry, in a separate statement, said the North African country has received requests for permits to transit Libyan airspace that it characterized as “unprecedented demand from international airlines.” Reuters
How Beijing’s Africa Ambitions, Financed by China’s Mega Banks, Triggered a Crisis in Zambia
Beholden to Chinese creditors, the power utility mirrored Zambia, one of the world’s most indebted countries and the first in Africa to default on its sovereign debt during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the country’s largest state-owned company, ZESCO was a significant contributor to Zambia’s overall debt. Now, newly revealed documents show how Chinese lenders, working with Chinese contractors in Zambia, piled loans onto the country and its ailing state-owned enterprises. When it came time for ZESCO to pay, ICBC adopted what analysts see as a hardball stance to recover debt from a struggling borrower. … Chinese lenders like ICBC were willing to make onerous and high-risk loans to a country that could not afford them. ICIJ