New report accuses technology giants Apple and Intel of illicitly trading in ‘blood minerals’ from DR Congo
A new report has warned that a scheme set up to ensure mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo does not fuel conflict is being abused to launder tainted minerals. Global Witness says companies – including Apple, Tesla and Intel – are relying on the due diligence scheme to source...
Renewed Janjaweed attacks in Sudan’s Darfur region linked to scramble for gold, ICC cases
A major city in Sudan’s Darfur region has been under fierce attack, days after thousands of people arrived there seeking safety after their own town was set ablaze by horse-riding Arab militias known as Janjaweed. “For the first time in Geneina’s history, the hospital has been completely evacuated. All health...
AU Peace and Security Council says Amisom successor in Somalia lacks required resources to do it job
The revamped African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission in Somalia – now named ATMIS (AU Transition Mission in Somalia) and in place since the start of April – lacks the “required resources” to do its job. An AU statement notes its Peace and Security Council (PSC) adopting the renaming and re-purposing...
New research findings show disinformation has a ‘corrosive effect on social trust and critical thinking’ in Africa
Africa has been identified as a target of deliberate disinformation campaigns, according to a study by African Centre for Strategic Studies (ACSS). In findings released on April 27, ACSS says that in recent years, dozens of carefully designed campaigns have pumped millions of intentionally false and misleading posts into Africa’s...
Malian jihadist group says it has captured a Kremlin-linked Wagner Group fighter in the Segou region
A jihadist group in Mali on Monday claimed to have captured a fighter from the Kremlin-linked Wagner mercenary group reportedly fighting Islamist militants in the West African country. “In the first week of April, (we) captured a soldier of the Russian Wagner forces in the Segou region in central Mali,”...
UN peacekeepers in South Sudan condemn sexual violence and killings committed by armed your in Leer counties
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has “strongly” condemned the widespread sexual violence, killings and other atrocities committed against civilians in Leer County of Unity State. The UN has documented several cases of human rights violations allegedly carried out by armed youth from Koch and Mayendit counties in...
Relief for jittery French scientists after Macron wins presidential election convincingly over far-right Marine Le Pen
French scientists have been buoyed by President Emmanuel Macron’s convincing victory over far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in the national presidential election on April 24. Researchers were fearful that the anti-immigration and anti-European Union policies of Le Pen’s National Rally party would have damaged research and international collaboration. But some...
Cameroon signs military collaboration accord with Russia that gives Wagner mercenaries a firmer foothold in West Africa
Cameroonian Defence Minister Joseph Beti Assomo has signed a military cooperation agreement in Moscow with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Choigou, as Wagner mercenaries are boosting Russia’s influence in West Africa. The agreement was signed a fortnight ago, on April 12, but revealed on Thursday last week. In the text, the...
Guinea’s ousted president Alpha Conde has bee set free and allowed to receive visitors
Guinea’s ousted president Alpha Conde is “finally free” and can receive visitors, the junta who overthrew him has said. Conde became Guinea’s first democratically elected president in 2010, but the 84-year-old was deposed by army officers last year and replaced by Colonel Mamady Doumbouya. He was allowed to go to...
Under military’s watch, Sudan’s former ruling clique is re-joining civil service, others freed from jail
Since Sudan’s military staged a coup six months ago many former allies of toppled autocrat Omar al-Bashir have been allowed to re-join the civil service while others have been freed from jail in an apparent push to form a government and reassure donors. The rehabilitation of the Islamist National Congress...
