Lessons from Africa’s Drone Wars
The rapid diffusion and growing use of inexpensive, attritable unmanned systems by Africa’s armed nonstate actors is reducing governments’ longstanding advantage in airpower. Armed nonstate actors across Africa are rapidly expanding their employment of commercially modified small unmanned systems, giving them an advantage over government forces. African military drone capabilities remain concentrated on imported long-endurance platforms and possess limited counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) capabilities. African governments should adopt a risk-based doctrine for countering the armed nonstate actor drone threat that combines layered C-UAS defenses, efforts to restrict illicit drone supply chains, and the integration of small unmanned systems into force structures optimized for irregular warfare. Africa Center for Strategic Studies
Drone Attacks Hit Sudan’s Um Dabaker Power Station, Cutting Electricity to Two States
Drone strikes hit the Um Dabaker thermal power station in Rabak early on Thursday, cutting electricity to Sudan’s White Nile and North Kordofan states. The strike is part of an escalating series of attacks on energy facilities in areas controlled by the Sudanese army. … The attacks targeted the main feeders and the station’s control room, knocking the facility offline, local sources said. … The escalation represents a continued targeting of civilian infrastructure that threatens basic services, including water, health facilities, and food supplies, the legal group said. … About 13 power stations have been targeted in October, worsening the humanitarian crisis, the group noted. Sudan Tribune
Sudan: Strike on Darfur Market Killed Civilians Selling Food to Fighters, Witnesses Say
Multiple civilian vendors were among the dozens reportedly killed in an attack on a market earlier this week in a poverty-stricken Darfur city in southwestern Sudan, where they had gathered to sell goods to paramilitary fighters, witnesses said Wednesday. More than 100 people were killed and 113 others were wounded on Monday in a Sudanese military drone strike on a busy market in Nyala, the capital of the South Darfur province, said Emergency Lawyers, a rights group tracking violence. The group said many of those killed and wounded were women and children. … [A] witness, who also spoke on condition of anonymity in fear of reprisals, said that civilians in Nyala often gather wherever fighters congregate to sell food and tea to earn a living amid widespread unemployment and few sources of income. … The war has pushed some parts of the country into famine. In RSF-controlled Nyala, the share of children seeking treatment for severe acute malnutrition more than doubled between January and August, from five to 11%, according to the latest figures by the United Nations released earlier this month. AP
Ethiopia Acquires Russian Fighter Jets and Air Defence Systems amid War in Tigray
Ethiopia has received 12 Su-35 fighter jets from Russia, as fighting intensified in the northern Tigray region neighbouring Eritrea. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who is attending the Russia-Africa summit in Moscow, described the acquisition as a “milestone” that would boost Ethiopia’s defence capacity. He said Ethiopia and Russia agreed on the deal several years ago and the warplanes had come ahead of schedule. He also said that Ethiopia had plans to acquire four S-400 air defence systems from Moscow. … Ethiopia has extensively used military drones, including those sourced from Turkey and China, in recent conflicts. BBC
Uganda Says 27 Citizens Killed or Presumed Dead Fighting for Russia in Ukraine
Twenty-seven Ugandans who were enlisted to fight for Russia’s army in Ukraine have been killed or are presumed dead, a letter from Uganda’s embassy in Moscow to its foreign ministry showed. The letter, seen by Reuters on Thursday, gave the names of 11 Ugandans confirmed dead and 16 whose bodies could not be located anywhere, including among prisoners of war. Uganda’s embassy said it had received the information from Russia’s foreign ministry through a ‘note verbale’, a diplomatic communication. … Reports of African men being lured to Russia with promises of jobs and ending up on Ukraine’s front lines have become frequent, triggering anger in countries like Kenya, Ghana and South Africa. Ukraine said last year that more than 1,400 citizens from three dozen African countries were fighting alongside Russian forces on its territory, with some recruited through deception. Reuters
Ghana Says Russia Has Backed Its Bid to Join BRICS as a Partner Country
Russia has reportedly pledged support for Ghana’s bid to join the BRICS bloc as a partner country. In posts on social media, Ghana’s foreign minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said it has promised to seek consensus support from the group’s founding members. His statement comes following a meeting on Wednesday with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow. … Ghana is pursuing partner status in the bloc of emerging economies, hoping to attract investment, expand trade, and strengthen its economy. Accra said its application was not intended to replace its relationships with Western institutions or traditional development partners. Africanews
A Year On, Tanzanians Mourn Election Massacres in ‘State of Terror’
A year after Tanzania’s bloody election, many remain traumatised by the violence, while government critics live in fear of abduction and arbitrary arrest, or facing treason and terrorism charges. The October 29 election, in which President Samia Suluhu Hassan won with 98 percent of the vote after most of the opposition was excluded, triggered days of protests that security forces brutally suppressed. Rights groups and the opposition say thousands were killed, while a government-appointed commission put the death toll at 518. … Tanzania is “tense”, multiple analysts told AFP, with arbitrary arrests on the rise. Another potential flashpoint is the treason trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu, whose verdict is due on November 6. … Tanzania formed a presidential commission to investigate the election violence. But critics say it was established in “bad faith” to help the government “clean Tanzania’s image” internationally. AFP
AU Accredits Nigeria’s NCTC as Regional Counter-Terrorism Center for West Africa, Sahel
The African Union (AU) has accredited Nigeria’s National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), under the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), as a Regional Centre of Excellence in Counter Terrorism for West Africa and the Sahel. The accreditation recognises Nigeria’s role in coordinating regional counter-terrorism efforts and strengthening cooperation against security threats across the continent. The announcement was made on Tuesday by the Acting Director of the AU Counter-Terrorism Centre, Dr Idriss Mounir Lallali, at the conclusion of the African Lessons Learned Forum in Abuja. The development follows President Bola Tinubu’s declaration at the High-Level African Counter-Terrorism Meeting held in Abuja in April 2024. The declaration was subsequently reflected in the Abuja Declaration, which outlined commitments to strengthen collective action against terrorism in Africa. PR Nigeria
Tunisian Journalist Sentenced to Four Years in Jail on Terrorism Charges
A court in Tunisia has sentenced jailed independent journalist Zied el-Heni to four more years in prison, this time on terrorism-related charges. A vocal critic of President Kais Saied, he was given a year in jail in May over remarks he made about press freedom. The latest case relates to his request to verify leaked audio recordings attributed to politician Mondher Lounissi, a former interim leader of the Ennahdha opposition movement. His lawyer said the charges include claims he had formed a terrorist organisation and failed to report a terrorist offence. El-Heni had refused to hand over his mobile phone to the authorities in the absence of a warrant, in order to protect his sources. Africanews with AFP
UN Political Mission Ends in Somalia with No Agreed Replacement to Handle Election Dispute
The United Nations’ political mission in Somalia ends Saturday, closing more than three decades of successive U.N. missions that helped rebuild a country shattered by civil war and leaving no agreed replacement to help rival leaders resolve disputes. The government calls the closure a milestone in Somalia’s ability to manage its own affairs. But opposition figures and analysts warn that it comes at a time when the president’s right to remain in office is contested, militants fight on and drought deepens humanitarian needs. Somalia’s government asked the U.N. to close the mission in 2024. The Security Council approved a two-year handover of its work to Somali institutions and other U.N. bodies. The departing United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia has advised Somali leaders and helped resolve political disputes. African Union troops will continue supporting Somali forces fighting militants, and U.N. aid agencies will remain in the country. A separate U.N. office will continue providing supplies, transport and other support to African Union troops and some Somali security units. AP
US Imposes Sanctions on Rwandan Defense Ministry over Involvement in Eastern Congo Conflict
The U.S. imposed sanctions on Rwanda ‘s defense ministry on Wednesday over the country’s involvement in mineral-rich eastern Congo, where fighting continues between the Congolese government and Rwandan-backed M23 rebels despite peace efforts from the Trump administration. The sanctions come after a U.S.-mediated peace agreement was signed late last year by Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Washington, alongside U.S. President Donald Trump. … The U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement on Wednesday it was imposing sanctions on the Rwandan ministry of defense, which it said “deployed thousands of troops across eastern DRC’s North and South Kivu provinces, where they conduct operations alongside M23 and provide the armed group with military equipment, supplies, logistical support, and training.” … On Wednesday, the U.S. also announced sanctions on Zigama Credit and Savings Society, a Rwandan financial institution which it said has “played a key role in facilitating Rwanda’s support” to M23 and its political wing, the Congo River Alliance. Earlier this year, the U.S. imposed sanctions on the Rwandan Defense Forces and four of its senior officials for supporting M23. AP