Darfur’s Arab tribes to support paramilitaries against Sudan Army

Over a dozen dead, including children, in S Africa after gas leak

Police charge Derrick Chilundika, minister of Luapula Province, with mining without a license

Kenya has made the decision to postpone the reopening of its border with Somalia following a series of attacks attributed to the Al-Shabaab terror group.

Tunisians gathered in front of the municipal theater to protest against the Israel.

Twenty-one people, most of them members of the security forces, have been killed in Burkina Faso.

Outbreak reported near capital Lome has killed 1,450 of a flock of 1,500 birds, says World Organization for Animal Health

S Africa Women’s World Cup players given more money after pay dispute

South Africans outraged after security forces assault civilians

Tunisian city on edge as locals and migrants face off

South Sudan to hold first elections since gaining independence

Al-Shabaab terrorist group claims responsibility. At least two other people were wounded.

Police watchdog launches investigation after video of incident went viral.

Clashes between Sudan’s Army, RSF enter their 12th week

In a major development, Tanzania has officially lifted the ban on night-time upcountry bus travel.

Senegalese President Macky Sall on Monday ruled out seeking re-election in 2024, ending months of speculation that he would run for a third term. His announcement in a televised address came after a group of mayors signed a petition on Saturday urging Sall to seek reelection in the polls set for February. “My decision is not to be a candidate in the 2024 presidential election, even though the Constitution gives me the right to do so,” he said in a televised speech. Speculation about Sall’s intentions had fueled protests over the past year after the opposition said running for a third term would be unconstitutional. On Sunday, opposition leader Ousmane Sonko called on his supporters to take to the streets if the president announced his intention to seek a third term in office. Sonko was sentenced last month to two years in prison for “corrupting youth.” Thousands of angry demonstrators took to the streets in several cities and at least 16 were killed. Opposition leader denies all the charges, and his supporters say the charges and the trial was a political hit job to disqualify him from entering the presidential race. Sall, 61, assumed power in 2012 and won reelection in 2019. His supporters had argued that he remains legally eligible to contest elections again under a new Constitution revised in 2016.

Sierra Leone’s political landscape has been shaken by the outcome of the June 24 legislative elections.

The United Nations Security Council unanimously approved the complete withdrawal of UN peacekeeping forces in Mali on Friday. The UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), also known as the ‘blue helmets’, will take six months to depart. The decade-old UN mission plans to transfer the responsibilities to the country’s transitional Government, which has been in power since a coup in 2021. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for the “full cooperation of the transitional Government for an orderly and safe withdrawal of the mission’s personnel and assets in the coming months”, while also urging signatory parties to the ‘2015 Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali’ to continue honouring the ceasefire as the withdrawal takes place The UN chief also remains worried that the level and duration of the financial commitment authority required to facilitate the drawdown process have been significantly reduced during budget negotiations in the General Assembly’s Fifth Committee, and ‘this increases the complexities and risks of the drawdown operation’. The Secretary-General will reportedly continue to engage with the transitional Government on how best to serve the interests of the people of Mali in cooperation with the UN Country Team in Mali, the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) and other partners. Several Council members, including Ambassador Barbara Woodward of the United Kingdom, expressed caution about the withdrawal taking place during a time of vulnerability in the Sahel region. In line with those concerns, Ambassador for the US Jeffrey DeLaurentis emphasized the importance of addressing issues such as the presence of armed actors, including the Wagner Group, a private security contractor based in Russia that has reportedly been active in Mali. “Although we regret the decision of the transitional Government to abandon MINUSMA and the fact that this will harm the Malian population, we voted in favour of the resolution since we are satisfied with the withdrawal plan adopted,” he said.

“We as leaders on the continent must come up with policies that will enable our countries to collaborate and trade more, with leveraging on natural resources so that we can achieve the aspirations of the African Continental Free Trade Area, Agenda 2063, Vision-2030 and the SDGs,” he said. He made the remarks in Ndola, a city in Zambia’s Copperbelt Province, where he opened the 57th annual international trade fair with the theme of: “Stimulating economic development through partnership, trade and investment.”​​​​​​​ The week-long event has attracted hundreds of local and foreign exhibitors showcasing various products and services. Mswati visited exhibits. along with his host, Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema, before his address, and further called for the two southern African Development Community states to enhance trade and cooperation. He announced plans to reintroduce direct Eswatini flights to Zambia. Hichilema urged enhanced regional and continental peace to actualize the aspirations of the AfCTA. “We have said before and we want to say it again that instability anywhere, is instability everywhere. There can be no meaningful socio-economic development without peace and stability,” said Hichilema, who is also chairman of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa. Mswati concludes a three-day visit to Zambia on Sunday, in a program that included the signing of seven agreements Friday between the two countries.

Deadly truck accident in Western Kenya kills at least 52

Following Incumbent President Julius Maada Bio’s declared win, Sierra Leone’s main opposition party is demanding a re-run of the recent presidential election.

Botswana and controversial mining company De Beers have announced they agreed in principle on a new diamond sales deal and to extend mining licences for their venture. Friday’s deal comes after months of tense negotiations in which Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi pushed De Beers for a bigger share of Debswana’s output. The new deal covers a 10-year sales deal for rough diamond production and 25-year mining licences for their joint Debswana venture. It wasn’t immediately clear whether Botswana would get a bigger share of Debswana’s output from the deal as it had hoped for. Under the deal that ended on Friday, Debswana, sold 75% of its output to De Beers, with the balance taken up by state-owned Okavango Diamond Company. Masisi said on Friday that although De Beers had started to concede to some demands, Gaboron also had to make some concessions. An interim sales agreement is in place until the new deal is finalised, the two partners said in a statement. In March, Botswana announced it would take a 24% stake in Belgian gem processing firm HB Antwerp in a move seen as designed to loosen De Beers’ grip on the country’s gems. Botswana supplies 70% of De Beers’ rough diamonds. Debswana joint venture diamond sales nearly account for two-thirds of Botswana’s foreign currency receipts and a fifth of its GDP Debswana’s diamond sales increased by $1.1 billion in 2022 compared to 2021, with a record $4.6 billion total. De Beers has been criticised over the decades for being involved in the blood diamond trade. Most of the mining company’s shady exploits have been reported in South Africa. But its tendrils reach Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Botswana. It is accused of displacing, killing, incarcerating and working millions of Afrikaners to death. Under the leadership of Cecil Rhodes, De Beers and its many subsidiaries also justified this through the belief in white supremacy from the 1800s forward.

Washington “remains deeply concerned” about Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner PMC’s “destabilizing activities” in Africa, said the White House on Friday. US National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby speaking at an event said that since 2016 Wagner PMC infiltrated African countries such as the Central African Republic and more recently Mali, “undermining their sovereignty, stealing their natural resources and killing their people”. “We have no indication that Wagner is decreasing its intent to exploit African countries despite the events of last weekend,” said Kirby, referring to a revolt led by Prigozhin in response to an alleged Russian strike on his PMC. Kirby said Wagner is playing a “deadly and toxic” role in Mali, where it has operated since December 2021. “Our information indicates that the Malian transition government has paid $200 million to Wagner since late 2021,” said Kirby. “Despite these hundreds of millions of dollars, Wagner has not improved Mali’s security situation,” he said. “Wagner has instead brought more bloodshed, creating opportunities for terrorist exploitation”. Kirby said that Washington will continue to work with its allies to address the threats that Wagner poses in Africa and elsewhere. “We’re also going to keep open additional opportunities to hold Wagner accountable as appropriate there or anywhere else that we find them continuing to conduct these destabilizing activities,” he added.

Burkina Faso’s media regulatory body has imposed a three-month ban on a French TV news channel, alleging that it disseminated untrue details regarding extremist violence.