New UN report says rape and sexual violence in Sudan’s ongoing conflict are war crimes
The report, which covers a period from the outbreak of the fighting up to December 15, documents abuses in a country that has been largely inaccessible to aid groups and rights monitors recently, clouding the impact of a conflict that been overshadowed by wars in places like Gaza and Ukraine.
Senegal President Sall pledges to leave office in April, but that’s likely to create a power vacuum
Senegal has been seen as one of West Africa’s most stable democracies, but disputes over the election have plunged the country into a political crisis that has sparked deadly protests. At least three people have been killed by security forces and dozens injured.
Nigeria’s defence chief slams US and leading weapons suppliers for withholding arms sales over abuses
Nigeria’s security forces for many years have faced allegations of extrajudicial killings and illegal arrests. The United States and other major arms suppliers at one point or another have withheld the sale of weapons over those accusations.
Ivory Coast Cup of Nations winning coach Fae honoured with permanent job as coach
“Emerse Fae was until now interim coach. He is now confirmed as a permanent coach,” said Ivorian Football Federation president Idriss Diallo at a function in Abidjan on Monday, the Ivorian media reported on Tuesday.
Aid agencies warn of deepening crisis in eastern Congo as Gaza, Ukraine wars get more attention
The new fighting could lead to an escalation of regional tensions and involve more countries. As the UN winds down its 25-year peacekeeping mission in eastern Congo, a multi-national force under the southern African regional bloc is set to step in. That force will include soldiers from regional power South Africa, Malawi and Tanzania. They will help the Congo army forces, but it might put them in direct conflict with Rwanda.
South African animal rights activists up in arms after ship with 19,000 cattle causes a big stink in Cape Town
The National Council of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals sent a veterinary consultant onboard the ship to assess the welfare of the animals, it said. The SPCA’s council said it was strongly opposed to the export of live animals by sea.
Morocco intercepts boat with 141 people as numbers of West African migrants to Spain rise
Spain’s Interior Ministry reported 11,704 migrants had arrived to the Canaries as of February 15 – more than a sixfold increase from a year earlier.
Rwanda rejects calls to withdraw from Congo, questions US’ ability ‘to serve as a credible mediator’
The US State Department in a statement on Saturday criticised the worsening violence caused by M23, describing it as a “Rwanda-backed” armed group. That statement also urged Rwanda “to immediately withdraw all Rwanda Defence Force personnel from the (Congo) and remove its surface-to-air missile systems.”
How arbitrary tax led to rise of Mobondo militia that is killing Teke tribesmen in western Congo
Teke people own much of the land in Kwamouth. Communities from neighbouring provinces – who are considered “non-native” – have historically provided agricultural labour. Some have also settled on the land as farmers, and are taxed in-kind by Teke customary chiefs.
Mexico report sharp rise number of illegal migrants from Africa and Venezuela in 2023
Mexico’s Interior Department said year-end figures showed that nine times more migrants from Africa entered Mexico in 2023, with numbers rising from 6,672 in 2022, to 59,834 in 2023.
