Nigeria Sends State Police Amendment Bill to State Assemblies for Ratification
Nigeria’s parliament has sent a constitutional amendment bill that would establish state police forces to the country’s 36 state assemblies for ratification, advancing a key security overhaul by President Bola Tinubu as he faces mounting pressure over worsening insecurity ahead of January elections. …[National Assembly clerk Kamoru Ogunlana] said the National Assembly had asked states to return their resolutions within 30 days, but added that the timeframe was administrative and not constitutionally binding. The bill must be approved by at least two-thirds of state assemblies, or 24 of the 36 states, before it can become law. Supporters say state police would improve responses to local security threats by decentralising policing powers from the federal government. Other constitutional amendment proposals still awaiting final approval include local government autonomy, independent candidacy, reserved legislative seats for women and citizenship by investment. If ratified by the required number of state assemblies, it would be one of the most sweeping changes to Nigeria’s security and governance framework since the country returned to civilian rule in 1999. Reuters
UN Chief Calls for Accountability over Foreign Weapons Fuelling Sudan War
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday called for accountability for foreign nations supplying weapons to Sudan’s warring factions, warning that external interference is driving devastating assaults on civilians. Speaking to reporters, Guterres described the humanitarian crisis in the country as “devastating” and said the suffering endured by the Sudanese people has reached intolerable levels. The Secretary-General’s remarks came during his press conference ahead of the opening of the high-level week of the 81st session of the General Assembly, which he is convening for the final time in his capacity as UN Secretary-General. While acknowledging the core responsibility of rival Sudanese factions who remain divided and locked in combat, Guterres stressed that outside actors bear significant blame for perpetuating the bloodshed. Sudan Tribune
Rights Monitor Says 1,900 Sudanese Detained in Libya, Alleges Abuse and Extortion
Around 1,900 Sudanese migrants and refugees, including women and children, are being held in detention centres across Libya amid allegations of torture, extortion, and human trafficking, a Sudanese rights group said on Wednesday. Libya hosts an estimated 590,000 Sudanese displaced since conflict broke out in April 2023, while authorities in the divided North African country conduct periodic security sweeps against foreign nationals and undocumented migrants. … [The Gezira Observatory for Human Rights] documented what it described as degrading conditions at [the Qanfouda detention center in Benghazi], including severe shortages of food, drinking water, and medical care amid outbreaks of communicable diseases. It said detainees were subjected to prolonged confinement without legal basis or access to judicial authorities. Sudan Tribune
Guinea Media Regulator Warns France 24 over Description of President
Guinea’s media regulator has issued a formal warning to French broadcaster France 24, accusing it of using an inappropriate term to describe President Mamady Doumbouya. The High Authority for Communication said the channel had “deliberately” referred to Doumbouya as a “putschist president” during a September 14 broadcast. Doumbouya seized power in a 2021 military coup before being elected president in December 2025 in a vote that was held without significant opposition. The regulator said France 24 had ignored what it called the president’s legitimacy from the ballot box, and ordered the broadcaster to make editorial corrections across its digital platforms. The HAC warned it could impose sanctions if the channel repeats what it described as the offence. … Since Doumbouya took power, authorities have dissolved political parties, banned protests and restricted dissent, while internet and social media access has also been limited at times. Africanews
Ebola Response Making Progress in Congo, but Outbreak ‘Far from Over,’ WHO Says
The World Health Organization said on Wednesday there were encouraging signs measures to contain an Ebola epidemic in Democratic Republic of Congo were gaining ground, though it warned the outbreak was “far from over.” Transmission was declining in the most affected parts of Ituri province, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. … Congo had reported more than 7,000 confirmed Ebola cases as of September 11. … Improved surveillance could lead to an increase in detected cases, while contact-tracing efforts had also increased, said Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s acting director of epidemic and pandemic threat management. … More than 3,000 healthcare and frontline workers had already been vaccinated with Merck’s Ervebo, said Meg Doherty, WHO’s director of science, research, evidence and quality for health. Ervebo is licensed against Zaire ebolavirus, but its effectiveness against the Bundibugyo virus driving the current outbreak is not known. Reuters
African Lab Scientists Gather in Togo to Discuss Challenges amid Ebola Crisis
As Ebola threatens parts of Africa, the Federation of West African Medical Laboratory Science opened its first conference Wednesday, in Lomé, Togo, to discuss the challenges posed by epidemics in Africa. Over the course of three days, medical biologists from West Africa will address the theme: “Medical Biologists and Public Health in West Africa: Issues, Challenges, and Prospects.” Dr. Arthur Garber, president of the Sierra Leone Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists, recalled that when Ebola broke out in Sierra Leone in 2014, “we would have lost too many lives” without the work of medical laboratory scientists. Africanews with AP
Ghana’s BOST Cuts Fuel Exports to Burkina Faso and Mali to Protect Local Supply
Ghana’s state-owned fuel distributor BOST Energies has cut diesel and gasoline exports to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Mali since August, prioritising domestic demand, Managing Director Afetsi Awoonor said on Wednesday. Conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East has tightened oil and gas supplies globally, driving fuel prices to record highs in some countries ahead of peak harvest and winter demand. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger depend heavily on fuel imports from coastal neighbours including Ghana and Ivory Coast. The three Sahelian countries are ruled by military governments that seized power in coups and are battling Islamist insurgencies. Reuters
Gambian Businesses Struggle Under Prolonged Blackouts
Since June the tiny west African nation has been hobbled by prolonged blackouts, which have reached a fever pitch in recent weeks, right at the peak of the hot season. Two nights of chaotic, spontaneous protests broke out last week with demonstrators blocking roads and calling for President Adama Barrow to step down, just months before the Gambian leader runs for a third term. The outages which have sometimes lasted 12 to 48 hours have plunged those living in the deeply impoverished country into steaming darkness at night. Businesses have shuttered, hospitals have had to turn to generators that have occasionally faltered, and residents have been scrambling to charge phones and refrigerate food. In some locations, water supply has been cut for up to 24 hours. … The outages come just months ahead of The Gambia’s December 5 elections. As anger mounts, Barrow has promised the electricity situation will improve by the end of October. AFP
Egypt’s Wind Power Push, Tied to Manufacturing, Offers Lessons for Africa
Egypt is betting that building wind turbines at home can help it build a renewable-energy industry, positioning it as a template for Africa’s push for renewable-energy industrialization. The country signed a deal with China’s SANY Renewable Energy to develop a 2,000-megawatt wind project in the Gulf of Suez alongside Egypt’s first wind turbine manufacturing plant. The project is expected to connect to the national grid within 23 months of final agreements, while the factory is intended to supply Egypt and potentially export equipment across Africa and the Middle East. Even though Egypt’s project is still in its early stages, energy experts say its emphasis on scale, local manufacturing and technology transfer could offer lessons for other African countries struggling to turn renewable-energy ambitions into functioning infrastructure. AP
Morocco’s Political Parties Battle Youth Disenchantment Ahead of Election
Morocco’s political parties are trying to entice young voters to the polls next week with promises of jobs and affordable housing after violent protests last year and a border rush on the Spanish enclave of Ceuta highlighted widespread discontent. Uneven development and continuing economic hardship among young people were seen as drivers of both events, against a backdrop of recent progress in sectors such as manufacturing, ports and railways lifting living standards in major cities. The vote, due on September 23, is the country’s fourth since the 2011 Arab Spring protests led the monarchy to share more power with parliament before moving to reinforce its position. A moderate Islamist party ran the government for about a decade but suffered a crushing defeat in the last vote five years ago, ceding its place to two parties founded by men close to the palace. Those parties, the National Rally of Independents (RNI) and the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), have both put youth employment at the centre of their campaigns, pledging to create about one million jobs over the next parliamentary term. Reuters
South Sudan, Uganda Sign MoU to Strengthen Customs Cooperation
South Sudan and Uganda have signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen customs cooperation, facilitate cross-border trade and combat tax evasion along their shared border. The agreement, signed on Tuesday by the South Sudan Revenue Authority (SSRA) and Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), is the third between the two institutions. It introduces measures including digital interoperability, joint transit trade facilitation, information sharing and capacity building. URA Commissioner General John Musinguzi Rujoki said the agreement would strengthen enforcement of an electronic permit system and help prevent the diversion or rerouting of goods destined for South Sudan. … The two authorities said the agreement would also promote compliance among businesses and provide a more predictable environment for cross-border traders and transport operators. Radio Tamazuj