Author: fatimah

The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), has raised concern that persistent stigma and discrimination are slowing Nigeria’s progress in combating HIV/AIDS, with an estimated 1.9 million people currently living with the virus nationwide. At a sensitisation campaign in the commercial city of Lagos, NACA Director-General, Dr Temitope Ilori, said stigma remains a major barrier discouraging many from accessing HIV testing, treatment and support. According to her, Lagos remains central to Nigeria’s HIV response due to its large, mobile and diverse population, which heightens vulnerability and requires sustained intervention. She explained that the Zero Stigma Campaign is designed…

Libyan media outlets on Tuesday reported the death of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of Libya’s former leader Muammar Gaddafi, though the reports have not been independently confirmed. Television channel al-Ahrar cited sources close to Saif al-Islam as confirming his death without providing details on the circumstances. State-linked news agency LANA also quoted his adviser, Abdallah Othman, as confirming the report. No official statement has been issued by Libyan authorities, and major international news agencies have yet to verify the claim. Saif al-Islam, long viewed as his father’s political heir, re-emerged publicly in 2021 when he announced plans to run in…

More than 50,000 residents of Ksar el-Kebir, a northwestern city in Morocco, have been evacuated as severe flooding threatens to inundate neighbourhoods following weeks of heavy rain. Authorities have established shelters and temporary camps, and entry into the city has been restricted. Only departures are allowed, while parts of the city have experienced power cuts, and schools remain closed until Saturday. Officials said the flooding was exacerbated by water released from the nearby Oued Makhazine dam, which had reached full capacity. Rising levels of the Loukkos River have spread across multiple neighborhoods, prompting urgent evacuation measures. Ksar el-Kebir is located…

The Israeli government has declared South Africa’s ambassador to Palestine, Shaun Edward Byneveldt, persona non grata in a retaliatory move following South Africa’s expulsion of Israel’s top diplomat. The diplomatic row began after South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation declared Ariel Seidman, the chargé d’affaires at the Israeli embassy in Pretoria, persona non grata and gave him 72 hours to leave the country. South African authorities accused Seidman of using official social media platforms to attack President Cyril Ramaphosa and of inviting Israeli officials to the country without government authorisation. Both expelled officials were their respective countries’ highest-ranking…

The Malawi Ministry of Health has announced a new outbreak of poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) after it was detected in environmental samples. Secretary for Health and Sanitation, Dan Namarika, said the virus was identified through routine sewage monitoring at two locations in the country’s commercial city of Blantyre. The ministry has raised the alarm over the serious health risks posed by the virus, which can cause irreversible paralysis, especially in children, similar to the wild poliovirus. Following advice from the World Health Organization (WHO), the health authorities have urged the public to observe strict food hygiene measures to prevent the…

Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a Nigerian businessman arriving from Brazil after uncovering cocaine concealed on his body and inside his footwear, as part of a series of coordinated anti-drug operations across the country. The suspect, identified as 47-year-old Uche Franklin Onyekwere, was apprehended on 29 January 2026 at the arrival terminal of Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. NDLEA officials said he arrived on a South African Airways flight from Brazil via Johannesburg and was intercepted following intelligence-led profiling. A body scan confirmed the presence of concealed substances, prompting a search that uncovered a large…

A former Malian lawmaker, Mahamadou Gassama, has been sentenced to three years in prison by a court in Côte d’Ivoire for insulting President Alassane Ouattara. The judgment was delivered on Friday by the Abidjan-Plateau Court of First Instance. The court also imposed a fine of five million CFA francs and ordered a three-year ban on Gassama’s residence in Côte d’Ivoire. Gassama previously served in Mali’s National Transitional Council (CNT). Prosecutors had sought a five-year prison sentence during a hearing held on January 9, 2026, but the court opted for a reduced three-year term. The case dates back to 2024, when…

Voting has commenced across Ghana as the New Patriotic Party (NPP) launches a nationwide internal election to choose its presidential flagbearer ahead of the country’s 2028 general polls. Polling centres opened early on Saturday in constituencies across the capital, Accra, and in several regions nationwide, with party officials confirming that voting began smoothly. At the Jamestown Police Station in the Odododiodioo Constituency, 1,314 accredited delegates are expected to participate. Local electoral officials said logistical arrangements had been finalised ahead of the exercise. In other parts of Accra, voting started at multiple locations including the Light Academy in Adentan, the Social…

Niger’s head of government, General Abdourahamane Tiani, has accused France, Benin and Côte d’Ivoire of sponsoring an attack on a military base at Niamey’s international airport. The allegations were made on state television on Thursday after Tiani visited the airbase at Diori Hamani International Airport. Explosions and gunfire were reported late Wednesday night into Thursday at the airport, which is located about 10 kilometres (six miles) from the presidential palace. Tiani, who thanked “Russian partners” for helping repel the assault, did not present any evidence to support the claims. Defence Minister Salifou Modi said the attack lasted “about 30 minutes”…

Burkina Faso’s transitional government on Thursday dissolved all political parties and scrapped the legal framework governing their operations. The decree, approved by the Council of Ministers and chaired by transitional leader Captain Ibrahim Traoré, also mandates that the assets of the dissolved parties be transferred to the state. The decision marks the latest move by the transitional authorities to tighten control following the suspension of political activities after the 2021 military coup. Speaking on the development, the Minister of Territorial Administration, Émile Zerbo, said the measure forms part of a broader effort to “rebuild the state” after what he described…