Author: fatimah

South Africa is mourning the deaths of at least 26 people killed in a wave of violence on the Cape Flats over the weekend, alongside 11 school learners who died in a road accident near Vanderbijlpark on Monday. The government confirmed that the Cape Flats incidents occurred within a 24-hour period, highlighting ongoing concerns over gang-related violence in parts of the Western Cape. The separate road crash involved a vehicle transporting learners that collided with a truck, resulting in multiple fatalities. President Cyril Ramaphosa extended condolences to the bereaved families and affected communities, describing the incidents as a tragic loss…

The Nigerian military says it has killed more than 40 Boko Haram fighters and destroyed at least 10 canoes during a two-day aerial operation in Borno State, in the country’s northeast. In a statement released on Saturday, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, said the airstrikes were carried out on Thursday and Friday, targeting insurgent positions in the Musarram and Azir communities. According to the military, several other militants were injured during the operation. Ejodame noted that the strikes reflect renewed military pressure on armed groups that continue to exploit the region’s difficult terrain to launch…

Benin’s ruling coalition has secured overwhelming control of the National Assembly following the January 11 legislative elections, with the main opposition excluded from parliamentary representation. Provisional results released on Saturday by the National Autonomous Electoral Commission (CENA) show that only two parties met the legal threshold required to win seats. The Progressive Union for Renewal (UP- Renouveau) emerged with 41.15 percent of valid votes, while the Republican Bloc (BR) followed closely with 36.64 percent. Both parties surpassed the mandatory 20 percent threshold in each of the country’s 24 electoral districts, making them the sole beneficiaries of seat allocation. In contrast,…

Laurent Gbagbo’s African People’s Party – Ivory Coast (PPA-CI) has firmly denied reports suggesting it could join the new government currently being formed, dismissing the claims as deliberate attempts to sow confusion within the opposition. In an official statement signed by its executive chairman, Sébastien Dano Djédjé, the party condemned what it described as “manipulations” circulating in the wake of the government’s dissolution, insisting it has no intention of participating in the incoming administration. Côte d’ ivoire’s political landscape has been unsettled since President Alassane Ouattara dissolved the government on January 7, 2026, following the resignation of Prime Minister Robert…

President Yoweri Museveni has celebrated his decisive victory in the country’s recent presidential election, describing the outcome as a clear demonstration of the strength and dominance of his ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM). Addressing the nation on Sunday from his country home in western Uganda, Museveni said the landslide result reflected the deep-rooted support enjoyed by the NRM across the country. He dismissed concerns over low voter turnout, arguing that the opposition should be grateful for the outcome. “The opposition are lucky. They have not seen our full strength,” Museveni declared. Voter turnout stood at approximately 52 percent, the lowest…

Former African heads of state and peace experts under the African Union (AU) concluded a high-level meeting on Saturday focused on strengthening coherence and consolidating the peace process in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the wider Great Lakes region. The meeting, held in Lomé, brought together members of the AU Panel for Peace as part of ongoing mediation efforts aimed at resolving the protracted crisis in eastern DRC. The mediation is being led by Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé, the AU-appointed mediator for the conflict in eastern DRC and the Great Lakes region. During deliberations, President Gnassingbé urged African…

The Chadian government has strongly condemned a deadly attack by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on its eastern territory, warning that any further incursions will be met with an immediate and forceful response. In a statement dated January 16, 2026, and signed by Minister of Communication Gassim Cherif Mahamat, authorities confirmed that seven Chadian soldiers were killed when RSF fighters carried out what the government described as an “illegal” cross-border attack on Chadian soil. N’Djamena said the assault constitutes a grave violation of Chad’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, stressing that it will not tolerate continued aggression from armed groups involved…

Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a long-wanted drug kingpin, Lekan Jimoh, widely known as “Kanmo-kanmo,” bringing to an end a 12-year manhunt linked to the killing of three NDLEA officers. Jimoh was apprehended on Friday, 16 January 2026, in Owode town, Ogun State, following what the agency described as a targeted operation based on credible intelligence. Tactical NDLEA teams tracked him to his hideout, where he was found in possession of 69 kilograms of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis. The arrest marks a major breakthrough for the NDLEA, underscoring its determination to ensure that fugitives…

Guinea’s President, General Mamadi Doumbouya, has pledged to prioritize national unity, good governance, and inclusive development as he begins his new mandate, vowing to steer the country toward lasting peace and stability. Speaking on Saturday during his official swearing-in ceremony in the capital, Conakry, Doumbouya described his leadership as a responsibility rooted in service rather than personal ambition. He expressed gratitude to the Guinean people for their trust and emphasized the importance of cohesion in addressing the country’s governance challenges. “This mandate is not a personal honoUr, but a commitment to the Guinean people,” Doumbouya said in his inaugural address.…

Ugandan opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, widely known as Bobi Wine, has formally rejected the results of the country’s presidential election, which declared a decisive victory for incumbent President Yoweri Museveni. According to figures released by the Electoral Commission, President Museveni secured 7,643,778 votes, representing 71.88 percent of valid ballots cast. With results from 93.61 percent of polling stations tallied (47,499 out of 50,739), the commission said the incumbent had established an unassailable lead. Bobi Wine, leader of the National Unity Platform (NUP), dismissed the outcome, alleging widespread electoral malpractice. He cited what he described as “ballot stuffing, a military takeover…