Sudan: Thousands Flee North Kordofan Town as Sudan Army Advances, RSF Raids Gold Mine
Thousands of civilians fled a town in Sudan’s North Kordofan state on Sunday as the military and allied forces advanced toward the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces’ final strongholds in the region, rights monitors and local sources said. The mass displacement from Hamrat al-Sheikh follows the launch of a major government counter-offensive in the middle of last week, the largest military push in North Kordofan in months. The offensive, carried out alongside allied Joint Force factions, has recaptured dozens of villages and severed key RSF supply corridors linking the central state to the Darfur region. Faced with heavy ground assaults, RSF units have retreated westward into towns including Sodari, Al-Mazrub, Umm Bader and Hamrat al-Sheikh. … Meanwhile, local sources told Sudan Tribune that an RSF convoy arriving from Darfur attacked an artisanal gold mine in Umm Bader, beating workers and looting machinery, equipment and cash before driving miners away. Sudan Tribune
Seven Ethiopian Rebel Groups Form New Alliance
Several of the rebel groups which have been fighting the Ethiopian authorities in different parts of the country have announced they have formed an alliance to remove the government in Addis Ababa. The alliance brings together the Fano militia in Amhara, the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and four other smaller groupings in a coalition named Alliance for Survival. … Ethiopia has faced years of armed conflict in Oromia and Amhara, the most populous states in the country. There have also been renewed tensions in the northern Tigray region, where a two-year civil war left hundreds of thousands dead and displaced millions. … Besides Oromia, Amhara and Tigray, the new alliance also includes groups based in three other regions – Somali, Afar and Benishangul-Gumuz – making up a half of Ethiopia’s 12 regional states. … The announcement of the Alliance for Survival coalition comes months after reports of an alleged alliance between TPLF and neighbouring Eritrea. BBC
Somalia Steps up Defence Ties with Pakistan and Egypt
Somalia has stepped up defence cooperation with Pakistan and Egypt, holding separate high-level military talks in Mogadishu as the government works to strengthen its armed forces and expand capabilities ranging from air defence to counter-terrorism. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Sunday received a senior delegation from the Pakistan Air Force led by Air Marshal Muhammad Sarfraz, commander of air defence and deputy chief of the air staff, according to Somalia’s Defence Ministry. The talks focused on accelerating the development of the Somali Air Force, including training, military capacity and broader defence cooperation between the two countries. … The latest engagement with Pakistan came as Somalia also held fresh defence talks with Egypt, which has significantly expanded its military relationship with Mogadishu in recent years. On Sunday, Fiqi received Egyptian Ambassador Mohamed Salah Keshtah and a visiting delegation of Egyptian military officers. The talks covered bilateral relations, defence cooperation and security issues of mutual interest, according to Somali authorities. Somalia Today
Uganda Suspends Military Ties with Turkey over Extradition of Museveni Critic
Fred Lumbuye, a Ugandan dissident and blogger who lives in Turkey, faces 15 criminal charges in Uganda, including incitement to violence, spreading false information and computer misuse. Army chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is Museveni’s son and widely seen as his father’s likely successor, has repeatedly clashed with Turkish authorities over efforts to extradite the dissident. “The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has with immediate effect suspended all and any Defence and Military cooperation with the Republic of Türkiye,” army spokesman Chris Magezi said in a statement on Saturday. … In July 2022, a Turkish court ruled against Uganda’s formal request to extradite Lumbuye. His status in Turkey is unclear. But his posts and YouTube channel about Ugandan politics are viewed by thousands, giving him a unique platform and influence not available to critics at home. Uganda and Turkey have maintained close defence ties for nearly a decade. In June 2016 they signed a defence-industries cooperation agreement, which was broadened under another military training agreement in 2022. The areas of cooperation include military training, arms and surveillance equipment, technology transfers and cooperation on counter-terrorism and security. RFI
Otunnu Takes UN Campaign to Capitals that Matter Most in a Divided Security Council
Olara Otunnu’s campaign for United Nations Secretary-General is increasingly taking him to the capitals that will matter most in determining whether he can move from late entrant to serious contender in a selection process dominated by the five permanent members of the Security Council. After launching his campaign in New York, the Ugandan veteran diplomat has travelled to Islamabad, Riyadh, Paris and London. This week, he visited Athens and Riga, following a high-profile trip to Moscow where he met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. With the exception of Riyadh, each of those capitals belongs to a Security Council member, including three of the Council’s five permanent, veto-wielding powers. Otunnu is yet to visit Washington and Beijing. … The itinerary—that includes a meeting in Paris with Bahrain’s Foreign Affairs minister Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani—matters because the Security Council is deeply divided over conflicts that directly test the authority and role of the United Nations, notably Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan. … One analyst described Otunnu’s appeal as an effort to present himself neither as a narrowly Western candidate nor simply as an African diplomatic project, but as a non-aligned candidate capable of building bridges across competing blocs. The East African
Tanzania, Uganda to Start First Crude Oil Shipment in February as EACOP Nears Completion
The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) has reached 92.7 percent completion, with crude oil filling expected to begin in December ahead of Tanzania’s first export cargo from Tanga in February 2027. Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) Managing Director Mussa Makame said on Monday, September 21, 2026 that line filling would begin in December, marking a major step towards commissioning the $5 billion pipeline. The 1,443-kilometre pipeline is designed to transport crude oil from Uganda’s oilfields to the Chongoleani Marine Terminal in Tanga for export. The project has an operational lifespan of 25 years. Mr Makame said the original timelines had been adjusted because of delays in the shipment of specialised equipment and spare parts linked to disruptions caused by conflict in the Middle East. Once line filling begins, crude oil will move through the pipeline to Tanga, where it will be stored before being loaded onto export vessels. The Citizen
Retired Anglican Bishop Arrested in Crackdown on Opposition in Zambia
A retired Anglican bishop has been caught up in an alleged crackdown on Zambia’s opposition that has raised fears for one of Africa’s most stable democracies. Bishop Trevor Mwamba, 68, is being held in a high-security prison on treason charges alongside other opposition figures following last month’s contested election. His family told The Telegraph they feared for his health, while church leaders have expressed deep concern over his detention. Eighteen opposition figures have been charged with treason, including Brian Mundubile, who lost to Hakainde Hichilema in the Aug 13 presidential election. Mr Hichilema was once held up as a model of democratic reform in Africa. But allegations of serious irregularities during the vote count, followed by the treason charges, have raised fears that democratic freedoms are being eroded in the mineral-rich southern African nation. … In 2021, [Bishop Mwamba] was elected president of the United National Independence Party in Zambia. The Telegraph
Congo Begins Ebola Vaccinations for Health Workers in the Epicenter of the Outbreak
Congo on Saturday began vaccinating healthcare staff against Ebola in Bunia, the epicenter of the fastest-growing outbreak of the disease in history as they are “particularly exposed and deeply involved in the response,” the provincial governor said. Health workers and other front-line workers in the Ebola response are being prioritized to receive the Ervebo vaccine that was effective in past Ebola outbreaks caused by a different, more common type of virus. Clinical trials are ongoing to find a licensed vaccine for the current outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, which has no licensed vaccine or treatment. The rollout is targeting the Bunia and Mongbwalu zones in Ituri province, health authorities said Saturday. Both areas are among the hardest-hit by the virus. The campaign in Ituri and North Kivu is expected to cover 20,000 front-line workers over a period of six to nine months. AP
West African Scientists Warn of Weakening Health Systems and Urge Stronger Outbreak Detection
West African laboratory scientists called on governments Friday to strengthen capacity to detect disease outbreaks to avoid another major outbreak, saying health systems across the region are becoming weaker. The scientists issued their warning in Togo’s capital, Lome, where they [gathered last week] to discuss the region’s level of preparation for disease outbreaks and dependence on vaccines from Western countries. They said governments in the region have to cooperate to strengthen disease detection and invest in diagnostic capacities, citing lessons from Ebola and COVID-19 outbreaks that the region has grappled with in the past decade. … Scientists are worried that in the absence of a major outbreak threatening the region, maintenance of the health systems has waned, leaving them unprepared for potential future epidemics. AP
South Africa’s ANC Fails to Register 181 Local Election Candidates
For weeks, South Africans have watched a chaotic electoral saga unfold: the African National Congress, long capable of mobilising millions of voters across the country, has struggled with one of the most basic tasks in an election — submitting its own candidates for the ballot. A bungled candidate-registration process means 181 ANC candidates will be unable to contest crucial local elections on November 4, after the Electoral Commission of South Africa rejected their nominations and finalised the candidate lists this week. … The former liberation party lost its national majority for the first time in the 2024 general election, having ruled South Africa since the end of white minority rule three decades ago. … The party said a technical failure in the electoral commission’s online system prevented it from uploading details of dozens of candidates ahead of a deadline last month, setting off a weeks-long legal battle over who would appear on the ballot. But the commission denied there was a technical problem. Financial Times
Top SA Investigative Journalist Who Went Missing in Djibouti, Believed to Be in Custody
South African investigative journalist Micah Reddy and his local “fixer” Kooki Mahmoud have gone missing while on assignment in the tiny African state of Djibouti on the Red Sea, causing alarm to their colleagues and families. … Daily Maverick understands they may have been arrested. Johannesburg-based Reddy is Africa coordinator at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), a collective of international media houses which has conducted several global exposés of corruption. His Washington-based ICIJ editor, Fergus Shiel, told Daily Maverick that Reddy was not in Djibouti to report about the country. He had arrived in Djibouti on a flight from Johannesburg on Thursday at about 6:30 pm after a stopover in Addis Ababa. … Shiel said that at 1pm local time on Saturday Reddy was to meet Kooki. “And he texted to say that everything was fine and Kooki was arriving, and we haven’t heard from him since.” … Reddy is known for his investigative work on governance, corruption and regional affairs. … Djibouti is considered a repressive country, both for media and more broadly. Daily Maverick
Nigeria’s Onion Dispute with Ghana Tests West African Free Trade
Ghana is a crucial market for Nigeria’s onion industry, importing nearly 100,000 tonnes every year. When hundreds of tonnes of Nigerian onions were seized at Kotoka market in Accra earlier this year, tensions rose quickly. Several onion seizures took place from April onwards, prompting traders in northern Nigeria to suspend onion deliveries to Ghana. … Nigerian traders were selling their onions at prices they had set themselves, which angered Ghanaian traders, said David Olujinmi, an economic analyst at SBM Intelligence in Lagos. “They believe the Nigerians are coming in with their products and driving down prices because the onions they sell are offered at a much lower price,” Olujinmi said. “Onions produced in Ghana are therefore not competitive with those that Nigerians bring onto the Ghanaian market.” A tacit agreement was reached on 19 August when Nigeria’s National Onion Producers, Processors and Marketers Association (NOPPMAN) announced it was lifting its suspension of onion exports to Ghana with immediate effect. It followed consultations with the two governments, the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) and other stakeholders. But the dispute raises wider questions about the limits of free trade within Africa, Olujinmi noted, since Nigeria has a huge trade surplus with West Africa. … Trade needs to work both ways, Olujinmi said, as countries such as Ghana come under political pressure to protect their own producers. RFI