Why New War in Ethiopia’s Tigray Threatens to Trigger Wider Conflict
Regional forces in northern Ethiopia’s Tigray on Wednesday seized control of three airports and clashed in multiple locations with federal troops, signalling the start of a major offensive after months of growing tensions. The move shatters a peace deal that ended the 2020-2022 conflict between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and federal forces, and comes amid a backdrop of deteriorating ties between Ethiopia and Eritrea, Sudan’s civil war, tensions over Red Sea access, and the Horn of Africa being dragged into Middle East conflicts. … Diplomats warn that a renewed Tigray war would no longer be a largely isolated Ethiopian conflict. Instead, it would unfold as the Horn of Africa faces its most volatile security environment in years, with war raging in Sudan, persistent instability in Somalia, tensions over the Nile and expanding war and geopolitics from the Middle East spilling into the region. Reuters
Thousands of Displaced in Southwest Somalia Could Be in Famine by Year-end, IPC Says
Thousands of displaced people in Somalia’s southwest could experience famine between October and December if El Nino causes worse-than-expected flooding and humanitarian aid remains insufficient, a global hunger monitor said on Wednesday. Baidoa, one of Somalia’s biggest cities, is home to hundreds of thousands displaced by conflict and hunger. A report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), an initiative of UN agencies, regional bodies and aid groups, said that 5% of displaced people in Baidoa, or about 26,000, were likely to face starvation and a collapse in livelihoods in October to December. More than 5 million Somalis, 26% of the analysed population, are already suffering crisis-level food insecurity or worse due to repeated droughts, conflict and aid shortfalls, the report said. … Somalia last experienced famine in 2011, when around 250,000 people died, and came close in 2017 and 2022. Reuters
Inside Somalia’s Arms Smuggling Network
[Video] Somalia is not a major arms producer but has become an important transit point in regional weapons trafficking. Weapons are smuggled from Yemen to Somalia, with recent reports documenting Houthi-linked arms transfers and growing links between the Houthis and Al-Shabab. DW
Nigeria 2027: Insecurity Threatens Free, Fair Elections, INEC Warns
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned that insecurity remains a major threat to the conduct of free, fair and credible elections in the 2027 general elections. Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, gave the warning on Wednesday in Owerri, Imo State, at the sixth Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers, which focused on developing a roadmap for effective management of security during elections. … The INEC chairman said security challenges, electoral violence, vote-buying and other forms of malpractice remained major concerns ahead of the polls. According to him, the challenges facing the electoral process “not only affect the outcome of our elections but also pose significant risks to our national security.” … He stressed the need for security agencies to adopt proactive measures, conduct comprehensive risk assessments and identify potential flashpoints ahead of the elections. Leadership
Defence Minister Reaffirms Nigeria’s Commitment to Global Peacekeeping at 81st UNGA
The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening its participation in international peacekeeping operations and contributing to global peace and security. Musa made this commitment on Tuesday during an operational visit to the Defence Section at Nigeria’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, United States, following his attendance at the opening session of the 81st United Nations General Assembly. … He reiterated the Federal Government’s determination, under President Bola Tinubu, to restore and expand Nigeria’s active role in international peace and security efforts. Musa emphasised that the administration remained committed to reinvigorating Nigeria’s participation in peacekeeping operations across the globe as part of efforts to promote stability and security. The minister’s visit underscored the strategic importance of Nigeria’s diplomatic and military engagement within the United Nations peace and security framework. PR Nigeria
West African Anti-money Laundering Body Flags Extractive Sector’s Illicit Financial Flows
The Inter Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) has pointed out the extractive sector as a major source of illicit financial flows in the region, warning that high level corruption, misuse of virtual assets, drug trafficking and weak regulatory oversight are worsening money laundering risks. Director General of GIABA, Mam Cherno Jallow, speaking at a regional training of journalists on investigative reporting of economic and financial crimes in Ghana said the West Africa region continues to face evolving threats linked to money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing, with the extractive sector among the key areas of vulnerability. … On virtual assets, Jallow identified their misuse as part of the evolving threats confronting the region, while drug trafficking was also listed among activities contributing to the financial crime challenge. He also raised concern over weak regulatory oversight of Designated Non Financial Businesses and Professions, identifying the sector as another area of vulnerability in the fight against money laundering. Leadership
South Sudan: Opposition Groups Call for Review of Peace Deal
Eight South Sudanese opposition groups and civil society organisations have called on regional bloc IGAD to review the country’s peace agreement and convene an inclusive national political dialogue. In a joint letter dated 23 September … [t]hey said the transitional arrangements had reached 22 September without an agreed successor framework, creating what they described as a constitutional and political crisis. The groups also criticised recent changes to the 2018 peace agreement and electoral laws. They said amendments to the R-ARCSS in July had removed the link between elections and completion of a permanent constitution and national census. They further said President Salva Kiir Mayardit had assented on 21 September to amendments to the National Elections Act that would keep the president in office during the electoral period while allowing for the removal of the first vice-president and other vice-presidents. The signatories argued that the changes undermined the power-sharing structure established under the peace agreement, which provides for a president, first vice-president and other vice-presidents. Radio Tamazuj
PAM Party Wins Most Seats in Morocco’s Parliamentary Election
The Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) won the largest number of seats in Morocco’s legislative election, followed by its partners in the outgoing government, RNI, and the Istiqlal party, according to official preliminary results on Thursday. The close vote in Wednesday’s poll will shape the next coalition government which will oversee the final stages of a $20 billion push to prepare for the 2030 World Cup, and initiatives aimed at reducing inequalities and addressing youth discontent, highlighted by a mass border rush on the Spanish enclave of Ceuta and deadly Gen-Z-led protests last year. … PAM was created in 2008 by an advisor to the king and has since positioned itself as a counterweight to the Islamist PJD by advocating social modernisation and secular-leaning views. … Turnout stood at 38.02%, down from 50% in the 2021 election, according to official data. About 27 million Moroccans are of voting age, but only 15.8 million are registered to vote, a drop of about 12% from 2021 election. Reuters
Kenya: Lamu Showcases Community-led Peacebuilding Model at UN General Assembly
Lamu County has taken its peacebuilding experience to the United Nations General Assembly, with Governor Issa Timamy calling for stronger partnerships between local governments, communities and international actors to prevent conflict and promote development. Timamy said lasting peace is built at the community level, where people experience security, access to services, trust in institutions and social cohesion. … Timamy noted that Lamu’s experience showed that peacebuilding works best when communities are involved and when governance is built around trust, resilience and partnerships. He also linked the county’s improved peace and stability to its economic prospects, saying investors were increasingly able to view Lamu as a place where they can plan for the long term rather than one defined by security risks. The Standard
Mexican Cartels Target Australia With Their African Meth
The Mexican “tourists” told immigration officers in Johannesburg they had come to see the “Big Five” of South Africa’s game parks — the elephants, rhinos, lions, leopards and buffaloes that draw millions every year. But police believe they were really chemists sent by the Mexican Sinaloa crime cartel to set up an industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory on a game farm near the country town of Swartruggens, one of at least seven discovered across southern Africa in the last two years, AFP has learned. Investigators say the crystal meth lab is one of a network established by the Sinaloa cartel to supply Australia and New Zealand, the most lucrative meth markets on the planet, where prices are 65 to 100 times higher than in the United States. The Swartruggens lab was capable of producing five tonnes of the highly addictive drug a month — worth around $1 billion wholesale in Australia and much more on the streets — when it was busted in May, they added. AFP
Congo Is Running Short of Health Workers as Ebola Remains Out of Control, WHO Says
Congo is running short of health workers to staff treatment centers for history’s fastest-growing Ebola outbreak, particularly in the eastern province of North Kivu where cases have surged 73% over three weeks, the World Health Organization said Wednesday. The warning came despite signs of improvement in other provinces, including Ituri, the outbreak’s epicenter. The outbreak has spread to seven provinces, with 7,773 confirmed cases and 3,759 deaths, according to the latest government figures. Between Aug. 31 and Sept. 20, cases fell 26% in Ituri province and 15% in Haut-Uele, said Marie Roseline Belizaire, the WHO’s regional emergency director for Africa. But transmission patterns vary widely and the outbreak remains uncontrolled, she said. … WHO representative in Congo Anne Ancia said one Ebola treatment center requires about 300 health professionals, including anesthetists, hygienists, nurses and general practitioners. “We are building Ebola treatment centers but do not always have the human resources needed to operate them,” Ancia said. “Those health workers must be paid.” AP