A former member of an elite police unit has been charged with the murder of a whistleblower who testified at a major police corruption inquiry in South Africa. Matipandile Sotheni, 41, appeared in court accused of killing Marius van der Merwe in December last year. Sotheni is accused of shooting dead Van der Merwe in full view of his family in a case that caused national outrage. He has not commented on the charges. Van der Merwe, identified only as “Witness D” during his appearance at the inquiry, known as the Madlanga commission, had implicated police officials in the torture…
Author: Montage Africa
Thousands of people have been fleeing the South Sudanese town of Akobo and surrounding parts of Jonglei state, where the army says it has intensified strikes on its enemies to regain control. The latest fighting has led the UN to warn of a possible return to full-blown civil war in the world’s youngest nation. Nyawan Koang, 30, and her five children had to walk for two days to reach the dusty village of Duk. They had fled Ayod, a remote and largely pastoralist county in Jonglei state, where armed clashes had been raging between the military and their opponents who…
By Eric Osiakwan On January 30, 2026, we woke up to the chilling effect of the insolvency of Koko Network, a Kenyan climate tech startup once touted as the poster child of clean cooking in Africa, shutting down after accumulating more than $60m in debt. This represents a stunning reversal of the company’s fortune, having raised close to $300m million in equity over its eleven years in existence. Koko’s failure to secure letters of authorization from Kenya’s government to sell its carbon credits in the compliance markets effectively demolished its shaky foundation. Those sales were a cornerstone of the Koko…
Kenya’s foreign minister says Russia has agreed to stop deploying Kenyan nationals to fight in the war in Ukraine, after talks in Moscow. Sitting beside his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, Musalia Mudavadi said both sides had agreed that Kenyans would no longer be recruited through Russia’s defence ministry. “They will no longer be eligible to be enlisted,” he said. Lavrov did not comment on the deal and insisted that all foreign fighters had joined voluntarily ”in full compliance with Russian law”. A Kenyan intelligence report in February warned that more than 1,000 citizens had been recruited to fight for Russia…
– Kenya strengthens its role as a continental hub for urban diplomacy and sustainable infrastructure innovation The Government of the Republic of Kenya, in partnership with the African Union Commission (AUC), have officially declared their readiness to host the Second Africa Urban Forum (AUF2), scheduled for 8–10 April 2026 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi. Held under the theme: “Adequate Housing for All: Advancing Socio-economic and Environmental Transformation towards the Realization of Agenda 2063” AUF2 will convene Heads of State and Government, Ministers, Mayors, Governors, development partners, private sector leaders, academia, civil society, youth and urban practitioners…
By Dominic Wabwireh with other agencies Senegal’s Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko held a series of political meetings over the weekend, convening allies and party members to structure his camp ahead of local elections in 2027, while announcing the first-ever congress of his party, Pastef, scheduled for June 6. Sonko first met behind closed doors Saturday with his coalition, the Alliance patriotique pour le travail et l’éthique (Apte)—mirroring President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s own “Diomaye président” coalition. The parallel structures reflect what analysts describe as a growing “political competition” between the two leaders, six months into their mandate. Historic party congress announced…
At least 23 people have been killed and 108 injured by a series of suspected suicide bombings in Maiduguri, marking one of the worst recent attacks on the capital of Borno state. A post office, a popular weekly market and the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital were hit within minutes of each other at around 19:30 local time (18:30 GMT) on Monday, police in the north-eastern state say. The sites, which are among the city’s busiest locations, had drawn large crowds after the day’s Ramadan fast was broken. Nigeria’s military has blamed the attack on militants from the notorious Boko Haram…
Junior Achievement Africa (JA Africa), Union Chrétienne de Jeunes Gens Togo (YMCA Togo) and Boeing [NYSE: BA] have delivered entrepreneurship training to 738 high school students in Togo this year. The JA Company Program in Togo encouraged participants to develop business ideas that address sustainability challenges in their communities. The program included several key entrepreneurship modules, including identifying problems and opportunities, creativity and idea generation, market research, business model design, business plan development, basic financial management, marketing and communications, pitching and project presentation, and sustainable business management. Through this structured learning, students gained practical skills to identify community needs and…
By Dominic Wabwireh President Donald Trump on Monday urged allied nations to join U.S. efforts to secure the strategic Strait of Hormuz, calling it a “test of loyalty”—but key partners including Britain, Germany, Japan and Australia swiftly distanced themselves from any military role. Speaking at the White House, Trump complained that some countries he has “protected for forty years” are unwilling to “get involved in something very minor.” He said enthusiasm matters: “The degree of enthusiasm is important to me.” But British Prime Minister Keir Starmer ruled out any NATO mission, proposing instead a “collective plan” with partners. Germany’s government…
By Kwabena Adu Gyamfi Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has pledged to step up security operations following a wave of deadly attacks in the northeastern city of Maiduguri. In a message posted on his official X page on Tuesday, Tinubu expressed condolences to victims and their families, saying: “I mourn those who lost their lives, sympathise with the injured and stand in solidarity with the people of Borno.” He said the government would intensify efforts to dismantle armed groups across the country and praised troops for repelling coordinated assaults on military positions in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State. The president added that additional military equipment…