Seychelles: Democratic Resiliency Advancing Economic Progress and Security
President Wavel Ramkalawan of the Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS) party will be contesting for his second term as this 115-island archipelago nation in the Western Indian Ocean heads to the polls in 2025. A former Anglican priest, Ramkalawan’s victory in the 2020 elections (his sixth try for the presidency) was a watershed moment for the country of 122,000. The United Seychelles party and its predecessor, the Seychelles People’s Progressive Front, had dominated political institutions in Seychelles since a coup by Albert René in 1977 (1 year after independence from Britain). … Ramkalawan will be facing Dr. Patrick Herminie, this year’s standard bearer of United Seychelles. Herminie served as the Speaker of the National Assembly from 2007 to 2016, and previously was Director General of Primary Health Care at the Ministry of Health. A focus for both candidates will be on reducing the country’s 23-percent poverty rate and expanding the middle class in a country with a per capita income of over $17,000, the highest in Africa. … While René died in 2019, Seychelles continues to grapple with reverberations from his long stranglehold on power. … This includes elevating standards of transparency. … Given its location in the Western Indian Ocean, Seychelles plays a vital role in maintaining open sea-lanes and protecting the marine environment. This also places it in the nexus of competing geostrategic interests between China and India. … As Seychelles prepares for a competitive 2025 election, how the country continues its push for transparency, expands benefits to all citizens, and manages its evolving security threats will be key issues to watch. Africa Center for Strategic Studies
Malawi Re-Elects Mutharika after Five Years of Economic Crisis under Chakwera
Malawi’s former president Peter Mutharika won this month’s presidential election, as voters rejected incumbent Lazarus Chakwera after five years of a worsening economic crisis in one of the world’s poorest countries. Mutharika secured more than 56% of valid votes, enough to win in a first round of voting, compared to 33% for Chakwera, the electoral commission said on Wednesday. Earlier in the day Chakwera conceded defeat and said he was committed to a peaceful transfer of power. … The September 16 election was the fourth showdown between Mutharika, 85, and Chakwera, 70. Mutharika has now won three of those contests, though his 2019 election victory was annulled by the constitutional court because of irregularities including the use of correction fluid on results sheets. Political analysts said the latest election’s outcome reflected widespread disillusionment with Chakwera’s economic management. Turnout was high, at about 76% of registered voters. “This election result is less about Mutharika, but more of a protest vote against Chakwera, especially in regards to his government’s handling of the economy,” said Boniface Dulani, a politics expert at the University of Malawi. Malawi has faced economic stagnation since former pastor Chakwera was elected in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Reuters
Guinea Opposition Claims Irregularities in Constitutional Referendum
Guinea’s opposition on Wednesday denounced alleged irregularities in a constitutional referendum that could allow the country’s junta leader to run for president. … The Directorate General of Elections is a newly created body that oversees the voting and counting. Its two heads were selected by junta leader Gen. Mamadi Doumbouya, who took power by force four years ago. … Cellou Dalein Diallo, one of the country’s main opposition leaders and the head of the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea party said Wednesday the results were “prepared in advance” and aimed at making Doumbouya eligible for the presidential election. “This is only the first step in a process designed to give a veneer of legitimacy and legality to a power seized and maintained by force of arms,” he said in a statement on social media. Diallo has been in exile since 2022. Doumbouya initially said he would not run for the presidency. But the draft constitution would allow junta members to run for office, and extends the presidential mandate from 5 to 7 years, renewable twice. It also creates a Senate in which one-third of the members would be appointed by the president. … Rights organizations have accused the military regime of disappearing its opponents and silencing critical media voices ahead of the vote after dissolving more than 50 political parties. Weeks before the referendum, it suspended the three main opposition parties. AP
Congo, Rwanda Eye October Start to Security Measures under Trump-backed Peace Deal
Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda agreed to start implementing security measures under a U.S.-mediated deal next month, the countries said in a joint statement on Wednesday, in what would be a key step toward carrying out the peace agreement amid concerns over lack of progress. The agreement, reached in a meeting in Washington on September 17-18 and first reported by Reuters, would see implementation begin on October 1, according to the joint statement, which was also issued by the United States, Qatar, Togo and the African Union Commission. The countries agreed to complete the measures by the end of the year, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Operations to eliminate the threat from Congo-based armed group Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and facilitate the withdrawal of Rwandan troops will begin between October 21 and 31, according to the sources. The timeline offers specific dates for Rwanda and Congo to carry out the peace plan amid concerns it has faced headwinds. … Congo is also participating in direct peace talks with M23 hosted by Qatar, though the two sides missed an August 18 deadline to reach a peace agreement. Reuters
Uganda Opposition Leader Bobi Wine Cleared to Run against Museveni in 2026
Ugandan opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has been cleared to run in the presidential election scheduled in January, the Electoral Commission has confirmed a week after rejecting his initial submission. After Wednesday’s decision, Wine, a pop star-turned-politician, can once again challenge President Yoweri Museveni, who is seeking a record seventh term in office. The 81-year-old has ruled the country since 1986. During the last election in 2021, Wine secured 35 percent of the vote while Museveni won with 58 percent – his poorest margin of victory since taking power. After the result, Wine accused Museveni of ballot stuffing and fraud, and at least 54 people were killed while protesting against the outcome. Wine was placed under house arrest in the aftermath. Wine’s National Unity Platform (NUP) party now has the largest number of seats among the opposition in parliament with much of its support coming from working-class communities in urban areas. … Another prominent opposition figure, Kizza Besigye, 68, remains in jail in Kampala on treason charges after being seized from neighbouring Kenya in November. He has denied any wrongdoing. Besigye has challenged Museveni in four elections without success. Al Jazeera
Sudan, Russia Sign Economic Cooperation Deals Targeting Post-War Reconstruction
Sudan and Russia signed an economic and trade cooperation protocol on Wednesday in Moscow, alongside two memoranda of understanding in the fields of transport and infrastructure. The eighth session of the Sudanese-Russian Joint Ministerial Committee for Economic Cooperation concluded in the Russian capital on Wednesday. The Sudanese side was headed by Minister of Minerals Nur al-Daim Taha, while the Russian side was led by Minister of Natural Resources Alexander Kozlov. … According to the statement, the two sides affirmed the necessity of creating a strategic partnership between Sudan and Russia, working to open all investment fields to the Russian side, and establishing a clear vision to benefit from Russian capabilities, especially in minerals, energy, oil, roads, and bridges. Sudan Tribune
Global Powers Urge Sudan Ceasefire, Condemn Foreign Military Involvement
A coalition of global and regional powers, including the African Union and the European Union, on Thursday issued a strong call for Sudan’s warring parties to resume direct ceasefire negotiations and condemned the military involvement of foreign actors in the protracted conflict. In a joint statement following a high-level meeting in New York, the group described the situation in Sudan as the “most devastating humanitarian and displacement crisis in the world,” noting that over 30 million people are in need of assistance and 24 million face acute food insecurity after two and a half years of fighting. The meeting, co-chaired by the African Union, the European Union, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, brought together representatives from key regional and international partners. Participants included Canada, Chad, Denmark, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Norway, Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, South Sudan, Switzerland, Türkiye, Uganda, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States, as well as the United Nations, IGAD, and the League of Arab States. “We strongly condemn the military involvement of foreign state and non-state actors in the conflict,” the statement read. “We urge them to refrain from fueling the conflict, notably through the provision of military equipment and financial support, and to comply with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1556.” Sudan Tribune
Burkinabes Mute After 3 Years Under Captain Traore’s Boot
In the three years since Burkina Faso’s Captain Ibrahim Traore seized power, his junta has silenced critics by arresting dissidents or press-ganging them into fighting jihadists. … Burkinabes interviewed by AFP spoke of rising repression under Traore, as the west African nation battles a more than decade-long jihadist insurgency, but all requested anonymity out of fear for the consequences of speaking out. “You can only talk about sport, culture or trivia. As soon as you start talking about politics, everyone falls silent,” said a resident of the capital Ouagadougou. “Even within families, brothers have become wary of each other.” … Committees of civilian informants watch over Ouagadougou’s grand boulevards, ready to report dissidents. Their presence “shows that everyone spies on and fears everyone else”, [another] resident said. … Accused of being in league with “imperialists”, the international media has been run out of town, while local journalists have been forced to exercise ever greater caution. “Today it’s difficult to interview people on the street. No one wants to risk being sent to the front for talking about trivial matters,” a local journalist said. “The few people willing to do so praise the government,” he added. … Social media is awash with testaments to the captain’s glory from an online army of pro-junta influencers, some with more than one million followers. With a reach spanning far beyond Burkina Faso’s borders, the posts mix broadsides against the West with disinformation and AI-generated videos in the service of Traore’s cult of personality. AFP
French Navy Seizes Nearly 10 Tonnes of Cocaine off West Africa
The French navy has seized nearly 10 tonnes of cocaine worth close to €519 million from a fishing vessel off the coast of West Africa, French authorities said on Thursday, September 25. The seizure by two navy ships on Monday followed a tip-off by anti-drug and maritime intelligence authorities and British police, authorities in France’s northwestern Atlantic Maritime region said. The operation was part of France’s Corymbe naval mission, which has been deployed in the Gulf of Guinea since 1990 to ensure security in an area where piracy is fairly common. “In total, 9.6 tonnes of cocaine with a market value of nearly €519 million was seized from a boat,” the Atlantic Maritime prefecture said, adding that the vessel was not registered in any country. By the end of August, the French navy had already seized nearly 6 tonnes of cocaine off the coast of West Africa. With more than 45 tonnes of drugs intercepted by the French navy, seizures made in 2025 have already reached a record, Admiral Nicolas Vaujour, Chief of Naval Staff, said at the time. Le Monde with AFP
Guinea Bissau Top Court Bars Opposition Coalition from Legislative Vote
Guinea-Bissau’s main opposition coalition said Wednesday it had been notified by the Supreme Court that its candidates cannot run in upcoming legislative elections due to late applications. The Pai Terra Ranka coalition is comprised of around 10 political parties and led by Domingos Simoes Pereira, who is separately running for president of the west African country. Pereira is an ex-prime minster and the leader of the PAIGC party, which led the former Portuguese colony to independence and is part of Pai Terra Ranka. … A senior PAIGC party official told AFP it would “follow up with political action”, but did not provide further detail. Pai Terra Ranka submitted its legislative candidacy Tuesday along with the presidential candidacy of Pereira. Pereira returned to Guinea-Bissau last Friday after spending nine months abroad because of a perceived threat to his life as well as legal issues. Before returning, Pereira had told supporters in Portugal that he was coming home to lead a “democratic fight”. AFP
Ethiopia, Kenya Sign 2nd Defense Cooperation Agreement in History Covering Intelligence Sharing, Joint Exercises
Ethiopia and Kenya have signed a new Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA), more than six decades after the first such pact was concluded in 1963, the year Kenya gained independence. The Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) announced on 24 September that the agreement was signed at the Ministry of National Defense Headquarters in Addis Abeba, following a bilateral meeting between Field Marshal Birhanu Jula, Chief of General Staff of the Ethiopian Armed Forces, and General Charles Muriu Kahariri, Kenya’s Chief of Defense. According to the ENDF, the agreement builds on “longstanding defense ties” and provides a “strategic framework” for the two countries to cooperate on key security matters. … [Field Marshal Birhanu] said the new agreement will expand collaboration in “intelligence sharing, joint military exercises, training, defense industry development, counter-terrorism, border security, and related military matters”. “Beyond benefiting the two countries, the agreement will have a positive impact on regional peace and security,” Birhanu stated. … The signing of the DCA follows a series of military engagements between the two countries in recent years. … Both countries also express desires to play pivotal roles in regional counter-terrorism efforts, particularly in Somalia, where they have contributed troops to African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM). Addis Standard
Ethiopia: Sheger FM Journalists Released after More than 20 Days in Detention
Sheger FM Radio announced that its journalists, editor Tigist Zerihun and reporter Mintamer Tsegaw, were released on 24 September 2025 after spending more than 20 days in detention. Their release followed a ruling by the Federal Supreme Court’s Second Criminal Bench, which upheld an earlier decision of the Federal High Court, Lideta Division, granting the journalists bail set at 50,000 birr each. The court also dismissed an appeal by the Federal Police Crime Investigation Bureau that claimed the pair could tamper with evidence if freed. According to Sheger FM, the two journalists were released in the afternoon of 24 September. They had been detained since 29 August, four days after broadcasting a report citing a Ministry of Health circular and featuring healthcare professionals’ demands for improved pay and benefits The station said its Head of News and Programs, Eshete Assefa, was detained alongside Mintamer on 29 August but released the same day after giving his statement. Tigist was later arrested at her residence near Ferenesay Mazoria. As reported by Addis Standard on 5 September, the contested segment, which aired twice before being deleted from Sheger FM’s online platforms, included views of “movement coordinators” alongside commentary on the ministry’s directive to regional health bureaus. … Human Rights Watch described the arrests of Tigist, Mintamer, and Eshete as part of a broader crackdown on journalists that has escalated since August, warning that the trend threatens press freedom ahead of Ethiopia’s upcoming elections. Addis Standard