Africa

Nigeria:  Tinubu confirms 32 dead after military plane crash

5, October 2026

Nigeria:  Tinubu confirms 32 dead after military plane crash 0

It is one the worst air disasters in recent years in Africa’s most populous country.

The passenger aircraft was on a “routine mission” from Benin City in southern Nigeria to the economic hub of Lagos when it went down at Igbokoda in Ondo state shortly after 9:00am (0800 GMT), the president and the airforce said.

“The president extends his deepest condolences to the family of the 25 passengers and seven crew members involved,” Tinubu’s office said in a statement.

“This is a painful moment for our armed forces and for the entire nation,” he said. He did not give the identities of the victims;

Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo said earlier on X that the plane had crashed near a naval base.

Keyamo and Tinubu described it as an ATR-42 — a twin-engine turboprop that the manufacturers say can carry between 30 and 50 passengers

A video circulating on social media showed a small crowd gathered near a river while rescuers searched the area by boat.

The president said he had “directed the Nigerian Air Force to immediately commence a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash to prevent future occurrences”.

Noise like thunder

Dayo Akinte, 39, a firewood hawker who lives about a kilometre (mile) from where the accident occurred, described to AFP hearing a sound she thought was “thunder” at the time she believed the plane went down.

Since the crash, “three aircraft have also been flying over the scene”, she said by phone.

She said someone who went fishing in the swamp alerted the nearby naval base and people in the town about the crash.

Airforce spokesman Ehimen Ejodame earlier said “search and rescue operations” were ongoing “in coordination with relevant authorities and emergency response agencies”.

Police also confirmed the accident but provided no details.

Igbokoda is located in Ilaje, an oil-producing region in southern Nigeria.

In May 2021, Nigeria’s top-ranking army commander, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru, and 10 other officers were killed when their plane crashed in bad weather while trying to land at northern Kaduna state airport.

Seven people died when a military plane crashed into a house in northern Nigeria killing everyone on board in August 2015.

Earlier that same month, a helicopter crashed into a lagoon in Lagos, killing six, including the American pilot.

Source: AFP

Congo-Kinshasa: At least 2,000 die in fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record

12, August 2026

Congo-Kinshasa: At least 2,000 die in fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record 0

An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has killed 2,011 people out of 4,381 confirmed cases of the virus, Congolese officials said on Tuesday.

The latest toll puts it close behind the DR Congo’s deadliest Ebola outbreak in 2018 to 2020 when nearly 2,300 people died out of 3,500 recorded cases.

The Ebola outbreak, which has hit the DR Congo’s conflict-plagued eastern and northeastern regions, was declared on May 15 but is thought to have already been spreading for several weeks.

While it took about nine weeks for the outbreak to record the first 1,000 deaths, it’s taken just around three weeks for the figure to double, an evidence that the health crisis is moving faster than efforts to track and manage it.

It is the DR Congo’s 17th surge of the highly contagious disease and is already considered the largest in the country’s history “and could well become the largest outbreak ever”, Sania Nishtar, chief executive of the Gavi global vaccine alliance, has said.

Aid workers say the outbreak continues to outpace response that’s been expanding across the five eastern provinces affected. Many health workers have gone on strike to protest lack of payment for their work since the outbreak was declared. And the World Health Organization (WHO) has said most new cases are still being recorded outside of contacts being monitored, showing that transmission remains out of the control of health workers.

The case fatality rate of the current outbreak is estimated by Congolese health authorities to be 45.9 percent.

On Friday, WHO vaccine experts recommended a full-scale human trial of the only existing approved Ebola vaccine to see if it offered cross-protection against the strain of Ebola currently spreading in the DRC against which no specific vaccine currently exists.

The Ervebo vaccine has proved safe and efficient against the more common Zaire strain of Ebola virus and WHO experts said that early data, notably from animal trials, showed it may also give some protection against the rare Bundibugyo strain exploding in the DRC.

Two potential Bundibugyo vaccines are in the early stages of clinical trials on humans, while a third is being worked on to bring it to that stage.

Source: France 24

From Aug. 1, Gabonese must apply for U.S. visas in Yaoundé

27, July 2026

From Aug. 1, Gabonese must apply for U.S. visas in Yaoundé 0

Beginning August 1, 2026, citizens and residents of Gabon will have to complete their routine U.S. visa procedures in Yaoundé, following a reorganization announced by the U.S. Department of State on July 15. The U.S. Embassy in Cameroon will become the regional processing hub, taking over most visa services previously handled in Libreville.

The change covers nonimmigrant visas, including tourism, business and petition-based categories, as well as immigrant visas for immediate relatives, family reunification and employment. It also includes fiancé(e) visas, adoptions, Diversity Visas and refugee and asylum family reunification cases.

Yaoundé Expands Its Regional Consular Role

The reorganization affects 25 U.S. diplomatic missions across Africa and is built around 20 regional visa hubs. For nonimmigrant visas, the U.S. Embassy in Yaoundé will serve applicants from Cameroon, Gabon, the Central African Republic, Chad and São Tomé and Príncipe. For immigrant visas, its jurisdiction will also extend to Equatorial Guinea, while the U.S. Embassy in Malabo will continue handling nonimmigrant visa applications. Applicants from the Republic of Congo will be redirected to Kinshasa.

Washington said the changes are intended to strengthen security and standardize visa processing across the continent. According to the State Department, the regional hub system is designed to promote more consistent screening, vetting and adjudication standards while improving operational efficiency.

The U.S. Embassy in Libreville will remain open, continuing to provide services to U.S. citizens and a limited range of nonimmigrant visa services. The State Department said the changes do not affect the operational status of any U.S. embassy or consulate.

Gabonese Applicants Face Higher Travel Costs

For Gabonese tourists, students, workers, families and business travelers, the new system adds transportation, accommodation and other travel expenses to the cost of obtaining a U.S. visa. Applicants may also have to return to Yaoundé for interviews or document collection.

The additional travel could benefit airlines, hotels, restaurants and other local businesses in Yaoundé. However, the scale of that impact remains impossible to measure because the U.S. government has not disclosed how many visa applications are being transferred from Libreville, the additional processing capacity in Yaoundé or the expected effect on processing times.

The change also gives Cameroon a larger regional consular role, while increasing the workload of the U.S. Embassy in Yaoundé. Without data on staffing levels and appointment capacity, it remains unclear whether the consolidation will shorten waiting times or simply shift costs and queues from Libreville to Yaoundé.

Existing Applicants Should Check Their Appointments

Applicants who already have appointments scheduled in Libreville are advised to check their email for updated instructions. Those who have already paid the MRV visa application fee at a post that is reducing its services must schedule an appointment before July 31 or risk losing the fee, according to the State Department. Medical examinations for immigrant visas may be completed either in the applicant’s home country, if an approved panel physician is available, or at the designated regional hub.

Previously issued U.S. visas remain valid. Restrictions under Presidential Proclamation 10998, nationality-based visa bond requirements and pauses affecting certain immigrant visa categories remain in effect.

Source: Sbbc

Sudan: Over 300 children killed or injured in war over six months

6, July 2026

Sudan: Over 300 children killed or injured in war over six months 0

More than 300 children have been killed or injured in Sudan during the past six months, with drone strikes responsible for most casualties, the UN children’s agency (UNICEF) says as fighting continues across several parts of the African country.

According to a statement released by UNICEF on Monday, around 60% of child casualties recorded during the period were caused by drone warfare. The agency said the conflict is currently concentrated in the Kordofan, Darfur, and Blue Nile States.

UNICEF said drone strikes and shelling have targeted civilian infrastructure, including schools, markets, fuel facilities, and water stations, placing more than 500,000 people at risk. It added that civilians have endured conditions resembling a siege for more than a year.

“Children are being caught in a relentless cycle of violence, displacement and deprivation,” said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF representative for Sudan.

The United Nations, meanwhile, called on all parties to the conflict “to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, allow and facilitate safe, rapid, and unimpeded humanitarian access, and take all possible measures to protect children from harm.”

Sudan has been engulfed in war since April 2023 between the Sudanese military and the so-called Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The UN has expressed alarm over the possibility of atrocities as the Sudanese military and the RSF militants battle for control of the strategic city of el-Obeid in North Kordofan.

UN rights council adopts Sudan measure

Also on Monday, the UN-backed Human Rights Council in Geneva approved, without a vote, a measure condemning escalating violence by the RSF and its allies in and around el-Obeid.

The measure also encourages increased support for countries hosting refugees from Sudan and condemns “all forms of external interference” in the conflict.

The war has killed at least 59,000 people, displaced about 13 million others and pushed many parts of Sudan into famine.

More than 30 million people across the country are in need of humanitarian assistance.

Source: Press TV

La Francophonie: Rwanda seeks Yaoundé backing for Mushikiwabo

29, June 2026

La Francophonie: Rwanda seeks Yaoundé backing for Mushikiwabo 0

Eight years after winning Cameroon’s backing for Louise Mushikiwabo’s successful bid to lead the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), Rwanda has returned to Yaoundé seeking support for her re-election.

With President Paul Biya currently abroad, Secretary General of the Presidency Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh received former African Development Bank President Donald Kaberuka at the Unity Palace on June 25.

Kaberuka delivered a sealed letter from President Paul Kagame to his Cameroonian counterpart. While the visit was officially presented as a goodwill mission between the two countries, it also had a clear diplomatic objective: securing Cameroon’s support for Mushikiwabo’s campaign for another term as OIF Secretary General.

Speaking after the meeting, Kaberuka confirmed that Rwanda was actively campaigning for Mushikiwabo’s re-election.

“I brought a message of friendship and brotherhood from President Paul Kagame to his brother and friend, President Paul Biya. Cameroon and Rwanda have long enjoyed deep ties. We came to strengthen those relations and deliver the sealed letter to the Secretary General of the Presidency,” he told reporters.

The former AfDB president added that Kigali is seeking a new mandate for Mushikiwabo so she can continue the reforms launched since taking office in 2018 and further strengthen multilateral cooperation.

A Familiar Diplomatic Strategy

The latest diplomatic effort echoes Rwanda’s campaign eight years ago. Ahead of the 17th Francophonie Summit in Yerevan, Armenia, Kigali launched an extensive diplomatic campaign to rally support for Mushikiwabo’s candidacy. Cameroon was among the countries approached before the former Rwandan foreign minister was elected Secretary General.

While the political context has changed since then, Rwanda’s strategy remains largely the same: secure the backing of influential African and French-speaking member states before the election. Cameroon once again appears to be one of Kigali’s priority partners.

A Key Stop Ahead of the Vote

Kaberuka’s visit also comes amid heightened diplomatic activity at the Unity Palace. Only days earlier, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh received an envoy from Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, who was promoting the candidacy of Coumba Bâ for the same position.

Those successive visits underscore Cameroon’s importance in the upcoming election. As an influential OIF member and a leading diplomatic player in Central Africa, the country has become an essential stop for candidates seeking support ahead of the decisive summit. The election is scheduled for November during the 20th Francophonie Summit in Cambodia.

Four candidates are officially in the race: incumbent Secretary General Louise Mushikiwabo, backed by Rwanda; Coumba Bâ of Mauritania; Juliana Amato Lumumba, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s former foreign minister and daughter of Patrice Lumumba; and former Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Cioloș. With several months still to go before heads of state and government cast their votes, bilateral lobbying is expected to intensify.

In a race where diplomatic alliances may prove just as important as campaign platforms, Rwanda appears to be relying on the same strategy that worked in 2018: securing the support of key African partners early. By returning to Yaoundé, Kigali is signaling that it still views Cameroon as one of the most influential voices in the contest for the leadership of the OIF.

Source: Sbbc

Burkina Faso cuts diplomatic ties with France

27, June 2026

Burkina Faso cuts diplomatic ties with France 0

Burkina Faso on Friday severed diplomatic ties with former colonial ruler France, accusing Paris of persistently acting against its interests.

The military regime led by Captain Ibrahim Traore, in power since a coup in September 2022, is pursuing a policy hostile particularly France.

“The government of Burkina Faso hereby informs the national and international community that it has decided to sever diplomatic relations with France with effect from today, June 26, 2026,” it announced in a statement read out on the west African nation’s national television.

The government also accused France of harbouring “neo-colonial ambitions, made evident by its active support for subversive networks and the terrorists who are plunging our country and the Sahel into mourning”.

Burkina Faso, like several of its neighbours, has for a decade been hit by deadly violence by jihadists affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.

According to the statement, this decision “concerns exclusively the institutional framework of relations between the two states at the diplomatic level”.

It “in no way calls into question the historical, human, cultural and social ties that unite the Burkinabe and French peoples”, the government said.

Anti French sentiment runs high in some former African colonies as the continent becomes a renewed diplomatic battleground, with Russian and Chinese influence growing.

Once master of vast expanses of northern, central and western Africa, France has played a crucial role in the continent’s post colonial history, repeatedly intervening militarily since the early 1960s.

France has vowed to abandon the so-called “Francafrique” strategy, under which Paris sought to keep francophone Africa under its thumb through political collusion, exclusive access for French businesses and oblique financial deals including graft.

Source: AFP

Cameroon, Nigeria sign border security pact

17, June 2026

Cameroon, Nigeria sign border security pact 0

Nigeria and Cameroon have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on bilateral defense cooperation, with a focus on securing their shared southern border and strengthening maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.

The agreement was signed in Yaoundé on Wednesday by Nigeria’s Minister of Defense, General Christopher Musa (retd.), and Cameroon’s Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defense, Mr Joseph Assomo, following two days of deliberations by defense and security experts from both countries.

According to a statement on Wednesday by Musa’s media aide, Leah Katung-Babatunde, the MoU establishes a framework for cooperation across terrestrial and maritime domains and covers intelligence sharing, operational coordination, logistics support, joint military training, personnel exchange programmes, and collective response mechanisms to emerging security threats.

“In a major step toward regional stability, the Honourable Minister of Defence of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, General Christopher Musa (retd.) OFR, today signed an MoU with the Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defence of the Republic of Cameroon, Mr Joseph Assomo, to deepen bilateral defence cooperation and secure their shared southern border.

“The signing ceremony in Yaoundé concluded two days of intensive deliberations by defense and security experts from both nations. The agreement establishes a modernised framework to counter emerging threats across both terrestrial and maritime domains.

“The Memorandum of Understanding establishes a renewed framework for cooperation in securing the terrestrial and maritime domains along the Nigeria–Cameroon southern border and reinforces the long-standing defence relationship between both nations.

“Key areas highlighted during the engagements included enhanced operational coordination, intelligence sharing, logistics support, joint military training, personnel exchange programmes, and strengthened mechanisms for collective response to emerging security challenges,” the statement partly read.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Musa said the agreement “would henceforth provide a structured framework for military cooperation and operations between both countries and further institutionalise collaboration in addressing common security concerns.”

Both sides also discussed the operationalisation of the Combined Maritime Joint Task Force, described as a strategic platform for enhancing maritime security and safeguarding economic interests within the Gulf of Guinea, where Nigeria and Cameroon are key stakeholders.

On defense industry cooperation, General Musa noted that “one of the enduring challenges confronting African defence capability development has been limited indigenous production of military hardware,” and stressed the need for stronger regional industrial partnerships. He highlighted opportunities under Nigeria’s Defence Industries Corporation framework and reaffirmed Nigeria’s openness to collaboration in defence manufacturing, technology transfer, research and innovation.

Assomo, in response, expressed interest in advancing cooperation in defense technology and confirmed that a formal proposal framework is being finalised to concretise bilateral arrangements in that area.

The signing marks what both governments described as a pivotal milestone in Nigeria–Cameroon relations, reinforcing their shared commitment to regional peace and sovereignty.

The signing comes days after armed Cameroonian soldiers allegedly invaded the Danare community in Boki Local Government Area of Cross River State, causing widespread panic.

Culled from Punch Nigeria

Kenya: Fire in girls’ school dorm kills 16

28, May 2026

Kenya: Fire in girls’ school dorm kills 16 0

The fire broke out shortly before 1:00 am local time at Utumishi Girls Academy in Nakuru County, around 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of the capital Nairobi, officials said.

There have been many devastating school fires in Kenya, where boarding schools are common as a colonial legacy of missionaries and the British.

“We have 16 fatalities. It’s an unfortunate incident,” education minister Julius Migos Ogamba told reporters at the scene, without giving ages for the victims.

The affected dormitory had shattered windows, blackened walls and a crumpled corrugated iron roof, an AFP journalist saw.

Parents of the victims were in the process of being informed by health workers at the site mid-afternoon as bodies were identified.

A distraught mother, Leila Matura, 52, said her 18-year-old daughter was still missing.

“We went to the hospital to see if she is there, she is not there. So they are telling us, she is not around, she is among the missing,” she told AFP.

“Whether she is dead or alive, we do not know. I’m hopeless,” she added.

Another mother, who did not wish to be named, said her 17-year-old daughter was in hospital.

“She broke both her legs jumping from the window. Thank God she is strong. It is every mother’s nightmare,” she said.

The school is linked to the National Police Service and most pupils are the children of officers.

“When we arrived, the fire was still blazing. It was so big… It took about 45 minutes to extinguish the flames because of the mattresses inside,” a firefighter, who identified himself only as Fred because he was not authorised to speak to the press, told AFP.

–‘Unimaginable tragedy’-

Authorities say they are still investigating the cause of the fire.

“Our hearts and prayers are with the families who have lost their beloved daughters,” President William Ruto said on X, describing it as an “unimaginable tragedy”.

Children have been accused of deliberately starting school fires in Kenya in the past. One report found there were 63 arson cases at schools in 2018 alone.

Pupils were accused after a 2001 dormitory fire in the southern county of Machakos killed 67.

On Thursday the education minister said the ministry had closed around 350 schools since 2024 for failing to comply with safety standards.

“We will continue inspections to ensure that our schools meet the safety standards” in force, he pledged.

Source: AFP

After losing influence in West Africa, France seeks a regional reset at Kenya summit

9, May 2026

After losing influence in West Africa, France seeks a regional reset at Kenya summit 0

Shorn of influence in its former colonies in West Africa, France will seek to deepen ties elsewhere on the continent next week at an Africa summit in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, its first to be held in an English-speaking country.

With a year left in his presidency, French President Emmanuel Macron is hoping ​to showcase a “renewed ‌partnership” with Africa, an aide at the Élysée Palace told reporters.

Monday and Tuesday’s summit, which will ⁠be attended by heads of state, business executives and heads of multilateral development banks, follows repeated setbacks for France in former colonies where it has wielded influence for decades.

A series of coups in ‌the Sahel region since 2020 have brought to power military officers who have expelled French troops and invited in ⁠Russia-backed mercenaries like the Wagner Group and its successor, Africa Corps, to deal with violence and unrest perpetrated by jihadist militias.

France also handed over control of its last major military facility in Senegal last July after Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye – who is expected to attend the Kenya summit – said French bases were incompatible with the country’s sovereignty.

“It does feel ​like a rebranding of how France is positioning itself on the continent,” said Beverly Ochieng, a Senegal-based senior ‌analyst at the Control Risks consultancy.

“It is moving away from some of its former colonial partners, security partners, towards countries where it has more of a cultural – a different footprint.”

French pivot

Macron came to power in 2017 vowing to ‌bring an end to “Francafrique”, the lingering and often murky links between France and its former colonies that at times saw Paris back autocratic regimes, while broadening engagement across the continent.

The pivot has involved attempts to tackle historical tensions with ​countries like Rwanda and Algeria while more closely engaging African civil society and youth leaders, said Alain Antil, the head of the Sub-Saharan Africa programme at the French Institute for International Relations.

At the same time, Paris has looked to boost trade ties, growing its imports ​from Africa by a quarter between 2021 and 2024, according to data from the International Trade Centre.

France and Nigeria ​signed a €300 million investment agreement in 2024 to support critical infrastructure, healthcare, transportation and renewable energy across Africa’s most populous ​country.

Investment deals, especially in areas like clean energy, artificial intelligence and education, are expected to be at the centre of Macron’s trip to Africa for the summit, during which he will also visit ​Egypt and Ethiopia.

Macron’s government has also looked to strengthen security cooperation with non-traditional partners, including by signing a defence pact with Kenya last October to boost cooperation in intelligence-sharing, maritime security and peacekeeping.

However, France has faced some high-profile setbacks in countries where foreign investors like China and Gulf states have leveraged deep pockets and longstanding relationships to build influence.

Kenyan President William Ruto’s government terminated a deal with a consortium led by France’s ⁠Vinci SA for a $1.5 billion highway expansion project last year and handed it to Chinese firms instead after Kenyan authorities said the contract saddled them with too much risk.

Ruto, who ⁠will co-host the summit, ​plans to focus on advancing talks on making the global financial system fairer to heavily indebted African countries. France has pledged to support this campaign.

Source: Reuters

Mali leader Assimi Goïta assumes role of defense minister

5, May 2026

Mali leader Assimi Goïta assumes role of defense minister 0

Mali leader, Assimi Goïta, will assume the additional role of defense minister, according to a decree read on state TV on Monday, following the death of the previous minister in large-scale attacks.

Mali’s army chief of staff, General Oumar Diarra, ⁠will serve as minister delegate for defense, said the report, which described the move as a “strategic decision ​coming in a security context that remains ‌sensitive”.

The simultaneous attacks beginning on the morning of April 25 showed how fighters from different groups with different goals were ‌able to strike at the heart of the West African country’s military government, ​which took power after coups in 2020 and 2021.

Sadio Camara, the former defence minister who was instrumental in forging stronger ​ties with Russia, was killed when a car ​laden with explosives driven by a ​suicide attacker drove into his residence, the government has previously said.

The attacks set off ​fighting across Mali’s vast desert north, raising the prospect of significant gains by armed groups that have shown an increasing willingness to strike neighbouring countries and, analysts say, could eventually ⁠set their sights further afield.

Source: AFP

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