90 Days to Death: How a Nigerian Veteran Was Drawn into Russia’s War
He had worn Nigeria’s uniform once already. Ayebusiwa Olabode Victor, a 34-year-old former Navy man from Ilutitun in Ondo State, had done his service, come home, and gone looking for the next chapter of an ordinary life. What found him instead was a recruiter’s promise: a security job in Russia, decent pay, papers processed, nothing to worry about. He signed the contract in late February 2026, a week after Nigeria Foreign Ministry had quietly warned citizens against exactly this kind of enlistment. By May, Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence had confirmed what his family would learn not from the Federal Government in Nigeria, nor from any Nigerian embassy, but from a foreign bulletin. He was dead, killed in fighting near Hrafske in the Kharkiv region. The bulletin that carried his name belongs to a wider effort Kyiv set up specifically to break the pipeline that killed him. Ukrainian authorities and the Coordination Headquarters say 215 Nigerians have signed contracts with Russia’s Ministry of Defence, and at least 25 are now dead or missing. Guardian Nigeria
NDLEA Dismantles Industrial Meth Lab in Ebonyi, Nabs Fleeing Mexican Drug Baron
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled another industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory in Ebonyi State and arrested a Mexican drug kingpin allegedly linked to a network of transnational drug syndicates operating clandestine laboratories in Nigeria. The suspect, identified as Arturo Carrera Loaiza, was arrested on August 19, 2026, while attempting to flee the country through the Lagos airport, following months of investigation into a wider network involved in the establishment and operation of illicit methamphetamine laboratories. The NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.), disclosed the development at a media briefing in Lagos on Tuesday. He was represented at the briefing by the Agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi. Marwa said the latest breakthrough was the outcome of painstaking investigations by the Agency’s Special Operations Unit (SOU) into a series of clandestine drug laboratories uncovered in different parts of the country. PR Nigeria
At Least 60 Killed in Gold Mine Collapse in Sudan’s West Kordofan, Sources Say
At least 60 people were killed in a gold mine collapse in Sudan’s West Kordofan state on Sunday, three local sources told Reuters, while a local rights group said some miners could still be alive underground and appealed for urgent rescue efforts. The Kordofan Observatory monitoring group said on Wednesday that more than 70 artisanal miners were dead or missing after a series of adjoining mining shafts collapsed at the al-Zara mine in the Fouja area, northwest of al-Nuhud. … Sudan is one of Africa’s largest gold producers, but the vast majority of its gold is produced through dangerous artisanal mining and later smuggled out of the country. Gold mining is a key source of revenue for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, who control the state. Reuters
South Sudan: Kiir Fires Election Chief Three Months before Polls
South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit has removed the chairperson of the National Elections Commission (NEC), Professor Abednego Akok Kacuol, and appointed Gabriel Bol Deng Majok to replace him, three months before elections are due to be held. The changes were announced on state-owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC) on Tuesday evening. No reason was given for Professor Akok’s removal. The decision comes as electoral institutions face a tight timetable to prepare for presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for 22 December 2026. Political science professor Abraham Kuol Nyuon of the University of Juba told Radio Tamazuj that changes within state institutions are not unusual, but questioned the timing of the decision. “If the government is serious with the election, changes cannot be made at this critical time,” Professor Nyuon said. Professor Nyuon said the leadership change could affect the implementation of the electoral timetable, including preparations for voter registration. Radio Tamazuj
El Niño-linked Rainfall Deficits Threaten Ethiopia’s Main Harvest Season, Accounting for over 85% of National Crop Production
Historically poor rainfall linked to El Niño is threatening Ethiopia’s main harvest season (Meher), with below-average crop production expected after rainfall deficits exceeded 50% of average across much of the country, according to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET). … The poor rains delayed planting and damaged crop development, particularly in northern, central and eastern Ethiopia. The main harvest, known as meher, accounts for more than 85% of national crop production and is expected to be below average, reducing food stocks and income from agricultural labor. … Ethiopia is entering the 2026–2027 El Niño period amid already severe humanitarian pressures, with millions of people facing the combined effects of conflict, displacement, drought, economic difficulties and repeated disruptions to agricultural production. Addis Standard
Congo Police Break up Protests against Proposed Constitutional Changes
Police in Democratic Republic of Congo dispersed opposition protests in several cities on Tuesday against proposed constitutional changes that critics say could allow President Felix Tshisekedi to seek a third term, with Reuters witnesses reporting tear gas and warning shots in Kinshasa. The demonstrations were called by the opposition C64 coalition, linked to former presidential candidates Martin Fayulu, Moise Katumbi and Delly Sesanga. … The protests come three weeks after Tshisekedi announced plans for a national dialogue bringing together opposition parties, civil society groups and religious leaders, but excluding rebels who control parts of eastern Congo. He has presented the dialogue as a way to address the country’s political challenges. Opposition parties and the powerful Catholic Church have condemned proposed constitutional changes that could allow Tshisekedi to seek a third term. Congo’s constitution limits presidents to two five-year terms. Parliament adopted a bill in June allowing constitutional changes to be put to a referendum, and members of Tshisekedi’s coalition have backed changes that would allow him to remain in office. Reuters
Ebola Outbreak Slows in Parts of DR Congo but Crisis Remains Severe
Since the outbreak was officially declared on 15 May, 7,258 cases have been confirmed, including 3,510 deaths, while 1,726 people have recovered. The virus has now reached seven provinces. Congolese Health Minister Samuel Kamba said on Saturday that the epidemic had passed its peak, pointing to a gradual slowdown in transmission since mid-August. Daily infections have fallen from around 120 new cases to nearly 80. There are also signs of improvement in Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak, which accounts for 78 percent of confirmed cases. Three health zones – Adja, Kambala and Mahagi – have gone 41 days without recording a new case, health officials at the African Union said. But the WHO has stopped short of declaring that the outbreak has peaked, warning that improvements in some areas mask sharply different trends elsewhere. … Ebola is spreading at an “exponential” rate in North Kivu, particularly in the city of Butembo, the WHO said. The province accounted for around 45 percent of all cases reported last week. RFI
Gambia Bans Protests Without Permits
The Gambia banned protests without permits following days of unrest over persistent electricity blackouts. The crackdown — which included police firing tear gas at demonstrators — comes ahead of December’s general election in which President Adama Barrow will seek a controversial third term. The country’s electricity problems have surged in recent weeks, due to a shortage of imports from neighboring Senegal, reportedly over unpaid electricity bills, and Guinea, which is grappling with its own blackouts due to a drought affecting hydropower stations. A deal with Turkish floating power plant company Karpowership, which at one point supplied 40% of the country’s power, expired last year. Semafor
Korea Eximbank links Korean firms to African countries’ AI, digital push
The Export-Import Bank of Korea will step up economic cooperation with African countries while supporting domestic companies seeking to expand into local markets, the policy lender announced Friday. During the 8th Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation Ministerial Conference held [last week], Korea Eximbank held bilateral meetings with the Botswana Vice President Ndaba Nkosinathi Gaolathe and finance ministers from Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Ghana, Egypt, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Sierra Leone. This year’s conference focused on transformation through artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure in Africa, exploring ways to foster sustainable growth and expand economic cooperation. … KOAFEC was launched in 2006 as a platform to strengthen economic and development cooperation between Korea and Africa. It is jointly hosted by Korea’s Finance Ministry, Korea Eximbank and the African Development Bank. Korea Herald
Senegal and Eni Sign MoU to Evaluate Five Offshore Blocks
Senegal and Italian oil company Eni have signed a memorandum of understanding to conduct preliminary studies and evaluate the potential of five offshore blocks, the West African country’s energy minister said on Tuesday. The agreement is part of the government’s strategy to resume oil and gas exploration and promote its sedimentary basin, according to a statement from energy minister El Hadji Abdourahmane Diouf. … The statement said that Senegal’s national oil company Petrosen would play a central role in developing the basin. The minister said last week Senegal was planning to offer 109 oil and gas blocks to local and foreign investors. Reuters