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Africa
Ethiopia completes hydro dam amid Egypt, Sudan dispute
Ethiopia has inaugurated Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam on the Nile, with Egypt and Sudan saying the project would threaten their water supplies. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) began construction in 2011 and first started producing electricity in 2022. It is located in northwestern Ethiopia, and is projected to generate over 5,000 megawatts of power. “To our brothers, Ethiopia built the dam to prosper, to electrify the entire region and to change the history of black people,” said Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed during GERD’s opening ceremony. “It is absolutely not to harm its brothers.” Ahmed told Ethiopia’s parliament in July that GERD was a “shared opportunity” for neighbouring countries. “The energy and development it will generate stand to uplift not just Ethiopia.” GERD’s construction cost US$5 billion, with 91% of its funding provided by the country’s central bank. It holds around 74 billion cubic metres of water and is 145 metres tall. Around 55% of Ethiopia’s population had access to electricity in 2023. Hydroelectricity represented 97% of its electricity generation, as of 2022. Egypt relies on the Nile for 97% of its water supply, and has argued that GERD would restrict its water acc
Africa
US sanctions on Congo a warning shot to dodgy miners
Washington has slapped fresh sanctions on armed groups and mining companies fuelling the Democratic Republic of the Congo's blood minerals trade, just as fragile peace deals face a reality check from escalating violence. The trade war playbook is expanding. The United States Treasury's latest move targets PARECO-FF, an armed group that controlled the critical coltan mining hub of Rubaya from 2022 to 2024, along with Congolese mining outfit CDMC and two Hong Kong-based export firms linked to mainland China. And this isn't small potatoes - Rubaya pumps out about 15-30% of the world's coltan supply - the stuff that makes your smartphone work. "The conflict minerals trade is exacting a deadly toll on Congolese civilians, fuelling corruption, and preventing law-abiding businesses from investing in the DRC," Under Secretary John K. Hurley said. It's all part of the Trump administration's broader push for American access to critical minerals - because when you're in a trade war with China, every strategic resource matters.Blood mineralsHere's how the racket works: PARECO-FF emerged in 2022 as pushback against the Rwanda-backed M23 movement, which has been gobbling up territory across eastern DRC like it's going out of styl
Africa
No letter from Queen for budding Cameroon centenarian
They are well-known in cricket circles as the nervous 90s, the scores at which batsmen make uncharacteristic mistakes that prevent them from reaching a century. If he is unsettled at reaching the age of 92, Paul Biya is showing no signs of it, because he plans to run in Cameroon's presidential election on 12 October. The world’s oldest head of state, he has ruled the poor central African nation of 30 million people for almost 43 years and, if returned for an eighth term, he could remain in power until he turns 100. “I am a candidate in the presidential election on October 12, 2025,” Biya announced in a post on social media site X. “Rest assured that my determination to serve you is commensurate with the seriousness of the challenges we face. “Together, there is no challenge we cannot overcome.” Queen Elizabeth II’s passing in 2022 at the age of 96 leaves Biya as the oldest-serving head of state, leading a nation that was never a British colony, but joined the Commonwealth of Nations in 1995 because some of its regions had been administered by Britain. Biya’s chances of carrying his chronological bat to 100 were questioned only months ago, as rumours of his demise swirled for a long time out of the public eye a
Africa
16 killed, hundreds injured in Kenyan protests
At least 16 people were killed and hundreds injured during nationwide anti-government protests in Kenya on Wednesday, according to Amnesty International and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR). The unrest marks the anniversary of last year's deadly demonstrations against a controversial tax bill that ended in the storming of parliament. Some protesters clashed with police, and 16 people were "verified dead as of 8:30", Amnesty Kenya's executive director Irungu Houghton told Reuters, with the figures confirmed by Amnesty International and the KNCHR. Thousands of demonstrators flooded the streets of Nairobi and other major towns to commemorate the youth-led movement that began in 2023. Police responded with tear gas and water cannons to disperse crowds in the capital, local media reported. This year’s protests are once again fuelled by public outrage over proposed tax increases amid a deepening cost-of-living crisis. Many demonstrators are also demanding the resignation of President William Ruto. Demonstrations have escalated over the past week and spread across cities and towns nationwide. The movement is largely driven by digital activism, with young Kenyans organising through social media pl
Africa
Aid workers under attack in Sudan: A call for protection
A humanitarian convoy carrying critical aid for famine-stricken North Darfur was attacked Monday night, killing five aid workers and injuring several others. The convoy, operated by the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF, was delivering life-saving nutritional supplies to displaced communities when it was ambushed 80 kilometres from El Fasher. The United Nations condemned the attack, calling it a horrendous violation of humanitarian law. The convoy had travelled over 1,800 kilometres from Port Sudan, a region itself suffering from drone strikes. The attack underscores the worsening humanitarian crisis in Sudan, where over nine million people have been displaced by a two-year conflict. El Fasher, a key city in North Darfur, has been cut off from aid for over a year, exacerbating famine conditions. In April, the city and the Zamzam displacement camp were attacked, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee. The convoy was expected to be the first aid delivery to reach El Fasher in over a year, but the assault has further delayed relief efforts. This latest attack is part of a broader pattern of violence targeting humanitarian operations. Just last week, WFP premises in El Fasher were bombed, damaging critical infr

Africa
Crackdown: Military dissolves Mali's political parties
Political parties in Mali have been dissolved by the nation's military government. Assimi Goita, who seized power in two army coups in 2020 and 2021, announced the decision in a televised statement on Tuesday. He is set to stay in power till at least 2030, despite promises to hold elections, solidified by a national conference held in April that recommended extending his presidency. The original promise of elections was meant to take place in February of 2022. The decision garnered major pushback from his opposition and human rights groups, while this latest decision to dissolve political parties is expected to increase tensions, and that military crackdown. "All meetings of members of political parties and organisations of a political character are dissolved across the national territory," Goita said in a broadcast on state TV. The decree was a clear warning but did not outline penalties, only saying that anyone working in a political or administrative role could "continue their duties without party affiliation". Goita's opposition condemned the move, with the president of the Union for the Safeguarding of the Republic party, Nouhoum Togo writing on social media that “No matter how hard they try to make you i
Africa
Alert: Over 50 people die of mystery illness in the DRC
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is grappling with an outbreak of an unknown illness that has claimed over 50 lives in the past five weeks. The illness was first identified in three children who consumed a bat and died within 48 hours. Since then, 419 cases have been recorded, with symptoms including fever, vomiting, and internal bleeding. Health authorities have ruled out common haemorrhagic fevers like Ebola and Marburg, with some cases testing positive for malaria. Travel advisories for the DRC have been heightened due to the volatile security situation, ongoing conflict, and the threat of terrorism and kidnapping. Governments, including Australia and the United States, have issued "Do Not Travel" advisories, urging citizens to avoid the country due to the risks of armed conflict, violent protests, and high crime rates. Non-emergency U.S. government employees and their families have been ordered to leave the country. The socio-political landscape in the DRC remains turbulent, with escalating conflict in the eastern regions involving the M23 armed group. This group has controlled key cities like Goma and Bukavu. The conflict has resulted in thousands of deaths and significant civilian displacement. Fo
Africa
Hundreds killed in DRC conflict, thousands injured
Fighting between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) army and M23 rebels continues to stir in the country’s eastern city of Goma. The Rwanda-backed rebel group M23 marched into the city on Monday in what is being reported as the largest escalation of conflict since 2012. The region has a long history of conflict spanning more than 30 years, most of which is rooted in the fallout from the Rwandan genocide and the struggle for control of Congo's mineral resources. Goma is the capital of the North Kivu province and a humanitarian hub for people displaced by conflict in other parts of the country. As a result of M23’s presence in the city, thousands of civilians have fled the city, with at least 100 people reported killed and another 1000 wounded in just 3 days. The Guardian has reported that the United Nations (UN) said on Tuesday, that heavy fighting which has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in the province has overwhelmed local hospitals with a number of patients with gunshot and shrapnel wounds. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric has described the situation as “tense and fluid”. "There are real risks of breakdown of law and order in the city, given the proliferation of weapons,” he said at a briefing