Mali Troops Re-enter Strategic Northern Town after Separatists Withdraw
A separatist movement in northern Mali announced on Tuesday it was carrying out “a controlled withdrawal” from a strategic town in the north, a symbolic boost to Mali’s army and its Russian backers in their years-long fight against insurgents. … The Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) took control of Kidal town six months ago in nationwide attacks that also killed Mali’s defence minister. It had joined forces in those attacks with Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, known as JNIM, posing the biggest test yet to Mali’s military leaders who seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021. The FLA’s decision to leave Kidal came in response to airstrikes by Mali’s military backed by Russian fighters, the FLA said in a statement. Reuters
Sudan’s Al-Burhan Rejects Talks, Vows to Retake All Territory from RSF
Sudan’s military chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has promised to seize “every inch” of territory under the control of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), rejecting negotiations to end three and a half years of war. Al-Burhan made the comments on Tuesday while addressing a gathering in Village 5, located in the northern Sudanese locality of Merowe, according to the Sudan News Agency. He said the “military option” would continue until the RSF was removed from Sudan. … The RSF has been massing in West Kordofan as Sudan’s army advances towards the cities of En Nahud and Al Khuway after gains in neighbouring North Kordofan. In Sudan’s Blue Nile state, more than 5,500 people were displaced from villages over three days amid deteriorating security, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday. Al Jazeera
Eritrean Troops Reportedly Deploy in Tigray as Tension with Ethiopia Escalate
Eritrean troops have reportedly entered parts of Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, with local officials and residents telling Agence France-Presse (AFP) that soldiers in Eritrean military uniforms have been seen in and around Adigrat and moving south toward Mekelle. A local official in Adigrat told AFP that Eritrean soldiers had been present in the city for about four days, saying the development had caused concern among residents. An eyewitness reported seeing troops in Eritrean military uniforms moving south along the main road, while another said Eritrean forces transported in large trucks and patrol vehicles were heading toward Idaga Hamus, about 20 kilometers south of Adigrat, carrying heavy weaponry. The reported deployment comes as fighting in Tigray has intensified since 23 September, reviving fears that the renewed conflict could develop into a broader Ethiopia-Eritrea confrontation. Pro-government forces retook Mekelle, Tigray’s regional capital, on 4 October after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and allied forces withdrew from the city. Addis Standard
Nigeria: Tinubu Receives Defence Minister, Reviews Counter-Insurgency, Anti-Banditry Operations
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has received the Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Gwabin Musa (Rtd), at the Presidential Residence in Lagos, where they reviewed ongoing counter-insurgency and anti-banditry operations across the country. The meeting also focused on Nigeria’s national defence framework and strategies for strengthening inter-agency security coordination. According to a statement by the Special Adviser, Media to the Minister of Defence, Leah Katung-Babatunde, the President expressed satisfaction with the steady progress recorded in efforts to secure vulnerable communities. Tinubu reaffirmed his administration’s full support for the Ministry of Defence and ongoing efforts to strengthen the country’s security architecture. The Defence Minister briefed the President on key defence initiatives, including frontline operational logistics and proposed reforms aimed at improving troop morale, modernising military hardware and strengthening military infrastructure. PR Nigeria
ECOWAS Court Swears In Five New Judges in Abuja
The Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States has sworn in five new judges for a four-year, non-renewable term. The new judges are Justice Désiré Henri Aihou of Benin, Justice Awa Bah of The Gambia, Justice Charlyne M. Brumskine of Liberia, Justice Henrietta Uzoamaka Didigu of Nigeria and Dr Yaouza Ouro-Sama of Togo. They took the oath of office on Tuesday in Abuja before the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government and President of Senegal, Bassirou Diomaye Faye. The judges were appointed by the ECOWAS Authority at its 69th Ordinary Session in Lungi, Sierra Leone, on July 19, 2026, pursuant to the Supplementary Act on the Community Court of Justice adopted in December 2025. Under the new framework, the court comprises five independent judges drawn from nationals of ECOWAS member states who meet the professional qualifications required for appointment to a Supreme Court or equivalent judicial institution, or who are experienced legal practitioners with recognised expertise in international law, particularly community or regional integration law. PR Nigeria
Somaliland Says It Wants Israeli Support against Turkey
Somalia’s breakaway region Somaliland wants Israeli military support to counter Turkey’s growing presence in Somalia, including air-defence systems, a senior adviser to its president has said. Mohamed Osman Fadal, a senior foreign affairs adviser to Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, said Hargeisa viewed closer security ties with Israel as a way to counter Turkey’s expanding military partnership with Somalia. “We need air defence systems,” Fadal told Middle East Eye in an interview published this week. “We want Israel to support us against Turkey,” he said. Fadal pointed to Turkish F-16 fighter jets in Somalia and Ankara’s expanding drone capabilities as reasons for Somaliland to strengthen its defences. Turkey deployed military aircraft to Somalia earlier this year, with three Turkish F-16s taking part in a flypast over Mogadishu during celebrations marking the Somali National Army’s anniversary in April. The comments offer one of the clearest indications yet of how Somaliland views its developing relationship with Israel after Israel recognised the breakaway region as an independent state in December 2025. Somalia Today
When Streets Become Pharmacies: Booming Illicit Markets in Central Africa
When medicines are scarce, unaffordable or simply too far away, illicit sellers have proved adept at filling the void. That is the dynamic described in a new report released Tuesday by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The illicit trade extends far beyond falsified drugs. It includes genuine medicines diverted from legitimate supply chains, unapproved products and drugs smuggled across borders. … Annual seizures rose from about five tonnes in 2020 to nearly 116 tonnes in 2024, before exceeding 97 tonnes in 2025. The United Nations cautioned against interpreting the increase as a straightforward measure of the trade’s growth. Larger seizures can reflect both greater trafficking and more aggressive enforcement, and the available data vary considerably among countries and from year to year. … The products intercepted across the region range from antibiotics, antimalarial and anti-inflammatory drugs to painkillers and such psychoactive substances as tramadol and pregabalin. “The report outlines a multimodal trafficking system that uses maritime, riverine, air and road routes and involves a broad range of actors,” said Sylvie Bertrand, UNODC’s regional representative for West and Central Africa. UN News
Kenya: 10 Quarantined, 57 Contacts Identified as Health Ministry Steps up Ebola Response
The Ministry of Health says it has intensified its response to Ebola after Kenya reported its first case. Speaking on Wednesday, October 7, Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni said 10 people had been quarantined so far, while 57 contacts had been identified through contact tracing. The number is expected to rise as health officials continue following up on people identified as having come into contact with the patient or their relatives. Muthoni said despite the confirmed case, Kenya was not experiencing an outbreak, describing it as an imported case that was under management. She said the ministry is working closely with county governments and faith-based health facilities to prepare for a possible increase in cases. The Standard
Congo Launches Geological Survey in Push to Unlock Mineral Potential
Democratic Republic of Congo has launched a nationwide airborne geological mapping programme aimed at improving knowledge of its vast mineral reserves to reduce exploration risk and attract investment into underexplored regions, its geological agency said. Congo is the world’s largest cobalt producer and Africa’s top copper producer, but authorities say less than 10% of the country’s territory has been thoroughly explored. The government has been tightening its grip over the mining sector, seeking a larger share of revenues from existing operations and extending control to geological information that underpins future discoveries. The mapping project, known as PC2G-RDC, will use high-resolution airborne geophysical surveys to improve geological knowledge of Congo’s subsurface to help identify areas with mineral potential and expand scientific understanding of its subsurface resources, the National Geological Service of the Congo (SGNC) said in a statement on Monday. SGNC is implementing the programme with technical support from Spanish geophysics firm Xcalibur. Reuters
Africa Launches Own Credit Agency in Bid for Cheaper Borrowing
Africa will launch its own credit rating agency on Wednesday, aimed at countering what many see as unfair assessments by global institutions that make it more expensive for African nations to borrow money. The Africa Credit Ratings Agency (AfCRA), backed by the African Union after nearly a decade of talks, will judge the creditworthiness of countries, businesses and institutions. The Indian Ocean island of Mauritius was chosen as the agency’s home, partly due to its established financial services industry. It aims to offer an alternative viewpoint to the “big three” global credit ratings — Fitch, Moody’s and S&P — which have been accused in the past of unfairly playing down African economies. The African Peer Review Mechanism, the institution behind AfCRA, says 23 countries on the continent are not rated at all by the traditional agencies. They can also overlook Africa’s huge informal sectors, which do not easily show up in official data, analysts say. “We are asking for fair ratings, grounded in our fundamentals and in the reforms our economies are actually carrying out.” Low credit ratings have real-world effects as investors charge more interest to lend money. AFP