Nigeria’s Presidential Air Fleet receives first of two AW189 helicopters
The Nigerian Presidential Air Fleet has received the first of two new AW189 VIP helicopters from Italy’s Leonardo Helicopters. The AW189 is painted in the colours of the Nigerian Air Force’s Presidential Air Fleet. The second AW189, expected to be delivered soon, was also seen painted in the colours of...
Ecowas bloc suspends Guinea for ‘loss of faith in democracy, making military coups more likely
West Africa’s main political and economic bloc has suspended Guinea’s membership following a weekend military coup that ousted President Alpha Conde and dealt the latest in a flurry of setbacks to democracy in the region. During a virtual summit, leaders from the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas)...
Ex-Boko Haram fighters surrender: Nigeria torn between pardoning killers or bringing them to justice
A surge of surrenders by Boko Haram jihadists in north-eastern Nigeria has turned the spotlight onto how the government deals with fighters who claim to have repented and are now – controversially – looking to be reintegrated into a society scarred by 12 years of war. The New Humanitarian visited...
Undercover journalist exposes Swazi army commander plot to kill newspaper editor
Eswatini’s army commander, General Jeffrey Shabalala, abruptly resigned on Monday after a police sergeant friend of his released secret audio recordings of him allegedly plotting to kill a newspaper editor. In the recordings, Shabalala can also be heard revealing that King Mswati III had put pressure on security forces to...
Nigeria launches secret plan to lure top Boko Haram commanders out of the bush
Editor’s note: This story was based on six months of reporting and research. Government officials, former jihadists, analysts, journalists, displaced people, and civil society workers were interviewed, but nearly all asked to have their names withheld or altered due to security concerns. Malam Aliyu* lives in a neat, two-bedroom house...
Africa’s first youth games raise hopes the continent is getting ready to host Olympic Games
For decades, African athletes have travelled all over the world to take part in the Olympic Games. At the recent Tokyo Games, they took home gold, silver and bronze medals. And yet Africa has never hosted the Games, and some people are asking what it would take for the Olympics to be held on...
Terrorism: Taliban power grab in Afghanistan raises Islamist insurgency worries and fears in Africa
The return of the Taliban in Afghanistan has taken the world by surprise. In Africa, it compounds the worry and fear in countries struggling to crush Islamist insurgencies. For over a decade now, there’s been a surge in the activities of extremist groups in East and West Africa, the Sahel...
Fears al Shabab will attempt to replicate in Somalia what Taliban militia did in Afghanistan
The Taliban’s swift takeover of Afghanistan has raised concerns that it could encourage other Islamist militant groups around the world, such as al-Shabab in Somalia to attempt the same in countries where they have a foothold. Experts warn that when and if international forces there try to hand over security...
DRC and US counter-terror forces pursue Islamic militia that’s killed 6,000 in seven years
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Felix Tshisekedi has authorised US special forces to help the Congolese army battle the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an armed group linked to ISIL (ISIS). The ADF, which the United States has deemed a “terrorist” group, is considered the deadliest of dozens of armed...
Election win by Zambian opposition Hichilema sets stage for Lusaka to resume lending talks with IMF
Opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema has defeated incumbent Edgar Lungu in Zambia’s presidential election, the electoral commission declared when releasing the final results from 156 constituencies, barring one. The election was keenly followed by investors, who had temporarily suspended engagement with Africa’s second biggest copper producer, which made the continent’s first...
