Kenyan police are investigating the reported disappearance of former Foreign Minister Raphael Tuju, amid claims he may have been abducted. According to Tuju’s family, the ex-minister and his driver went missing as they were on their way to an evening radio interview on Saturday. Police said his vehicle was found abandoned with its hazard lights on along a road in Karen, an upmarket suburb of the capital, Nairobi. They said they could not reach him as his phone was switched off. The former minister, who served in several roles including foreign minister, has been embroiled in a long-running legal battle…
Author: Montage Africa
By Rédaction Africanews and AFP Kenya and Uganda took a major step towards regional integration on Saturday, with the launch of a new phase of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR). The project is aimed at linking East Africa to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “Today, here at Kibos in Kisumu, we take yet another decisive and consequential step,” Kenyan President William Ruto said. “We break ground on the 107-kilometre Kisumu-Malaba section of the SGR, completing nearly one thousand kilometres of seamless rail link from Mombasa to Malaba and forming a vital connection to the Malaba-Kampala line.” The Chinese-funded extension…
By Oga Luc in Niamey Civil society organisations in Niger have condemned a European Union resolution demanding the release of the country’s former president. Mohamed Bazoum has been detained since the 2023 coup that removed him from power. At a meeting in Niamey on Saturday, NGOs issued a joint statement accusing France of putting pressure on Brussels. “Let’s say it clearly: behind this resolution is the hand of France, refusing to accept its historic defeat in the Sahel,” Abdourahamane Oumarou, spokesperson for the Alliance of Sahel States Citizen Watch said as he addressed the crowd. “Through its influence networks and…
By Rédaction Africanews and Agencies US military trainers deployed to Nigeria are using high-powered drones for surveillance and intelligence gathering, the Nigerian military said on Saturday. The drones are being deployed from an air base in Bauchi state. Although capable of strikes, they are only being used to detect, track and disrupt terrorist activity, according to a military official. About 100 US troops arrived in Nigeria last month to help train soldiers in their fight against Islamic militants and other armed groups. The Americans are not serving in combat roles, both countries have confirmed. Nigeria is facing a long-running battle…
By Rédaction Africanews and Agencies A damaged Russian tanker abandoned in the Mediterranean Sea will be towed to a Libyan port, Libyan authorities have announced. The Arctic Metagaz is part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” transporting fossil fuels in violation of international sanctions. The tanker was carrying liquefied natural gas to Egypt when it was hit by a series of explosions earlier this month. All 30 crew members were rescued. Video footage shows the ship listing to one side, blackened by fire, with two holes on either side of the hull. Russia has blamed Ukrainian naval drones for the attack.…
By Dominic Wabwireh with AP Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Saturday accused major powers of reviving a colonial approach toward developing nations, warning against interference in national sovereignty. Speaking at a regional summit, Lula said countries in Latin America must resist external control over their territories and resources. Lula sharply criticized the United Nations, calling it ineffective in stopping global conflicts. He pointed to crises in Gaza, Ukraine and tensions involving Iran, and renewed calls for reform of the UN Security Council, which he said reflects outdated post-World War II power structures. Resources and rising tensions The…
By Dominic Wabwireh with other agencies The world has just recorded its hottest 11-year period, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization. The study found that 2015–2025 marked the warmest stretch on record, with 2025 ranking among the second or third hottest years, reaching about 1.43°C above pre-industrial levels. Scientists say warming is evident across multiple indicators of the climate system. Oceans reached record heat levels, glaciers continued to lose mass, and both Arctic and Antarctic sea ice recorded some of their lowest extents. Researchers say these trends reflect rising greenhouse gas concentrations driving long-term climate change.…
A Tunisian court has sentenced human rights activist Saadia Mosbah to eight years in prison and fined her £26,000 ($35,000). Mosbah, who leads the anti-racism group Mnèmty, had been charged with money laundering and illicit enrichment and was arrested in May 2024. The 66 year old has long been a prominent advocate for sub-Saharan migrants in Tunisia, particularly after a 2023 speech by President Kais Saied, which described “hordes of illegal migrants” as a demographic threat. Since President Saied dissolved parliament in 2021, opposition figures and rights groups have warned of a steady erosion of rights and freedoms in the…
Nigeria Invitational Women’s T20 Tournament, Lagos Rwanda 210-3 (20 overs): Utagushimaninde 111* (65); Eshun 1-23 Ghana 88-8 (20 overs): Awuah 31 (56); Murekatete 3-20 Rwanda won by 122 runs Scorecard (external site), external Rwanda’s Fanny Utagushimaninde says it was like “a dream” after becoming the youngest woman to make a Twenty20 international century at the age of 15 years and 223 days. Opening batter Utagushimaninde made an unbeaten 111 from 65 balls on her T20 debut in a 122-run victory over Ghana at a tournament in Lagos, Nigeria. She had reached three figures off 59 balls in the 18th over with a clip…
“Around midnight, I heard the first gunshots,” recalls Joseph Ize Zino, a youth leader in central Nigeria. He was at home when gunmen attacked the village of Zike inhabited by the Christian Irigwe ethnic group. “All of us in the house, we ran. That was how we survived.” As he hid in the fields, the young man listened as the attackers swept down through the village in the hills of Plateau state. “I was just hearing them chanting Allahu Akbar [God is the greatest], saying: ‘We will finish them today.’ “You hear gunshots and people screaming, begging.” They want to…