Author: Maryam Sulaiman

A South African court has granted permission for the March and March movement to hold its planned demonstrations, though under significantly stricter guidelines following updates to a government application. Judge Peter Olsen ruled that the group is permitted to march strictly between 9am and 3pm. Under the revised conditions, demonstrators are prohibited from carrying weapons, covering their faces, damaging property, or setting fire to buildings. The legal matter is scheduled to return to court next year. The court action was initiated by acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia, who sought an outright ban on the rallies due to concerns over public…

France and Chad are taking new steps to repair their bilateral relationship through renewed military collaboration. As part of this effort, two French Mirage fighter jets alongside a transport plane will briefly deploy to Chad in the near future to conduct training sessions, according to a Thursday statement from the French military. This development follows a period of heightened diplomatic tension. N’Djamena previously terminated its six-decade security pact with Paris in 2024, requiring French forces to vacate the nation. However, diplomatic momentum shifted following a mid-October summit in Paris where French President Emmanuel Macron met with Chadian President Mahamat Idriss…

Authorities in the Central African Republic have intensified health screenings along the river border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, following a surge in Ebola cases in the neighbouring nation that has passed 10,000 infections. At the M’Poko Bac pier frontier post, located southwest of the capital city of Bangui along the waterway, medical personnel are actively informing local residents about the situation and enforcing preventive protocol. “Passengers arriving by canoe dock at the entry point. Then they disembark one at a time,” explained Maldiana Bagalama, tasked with health screening at the site. “One of our colleagues is there to…

Gross revenue distributed across the three levels of government expanded to N31.46tn during the first nine months of 2026, outperforming the full-year totals recorded in four of the previous five years, according to a recent assessment by Agora Policy. The report, titled ‘Ten Insights from FAAC Disbursements for January–September 2026’, details that the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) generated N31.46tn between January and September. This figure surpasses the N28.74tn collected throughout all of 2024 and approaches the N35.81tn recorded across 2025. While the data reflects notable nominal expansion in public funds, the analysis highlighted that monthly collections remained fluctuating, overall…

The finance committee of Senegal’s National Assembly is preparing to examine a revised budget that holds the key to securing a new support package from the International Monetary Fund. Finance Minister Cheikh Diba made a formal request on Tuesday for lawmakers to reconsider the draft legislation. The proposal had previously been turned down by the ruling Pastef party, which commands a strong majority in the legislative body. Any further delay in passing the legislation threatens to jeopardza the nation’s efforts to obtain an IMF bailout. “Beyond budgetary concerns, the current situation also calls on us to show responsibility, discernment and…

Egyptian security forces have detained Lina Attalah, the editor-in-chief of Mada Masr, the country’s prominent independent news organization, after she was fined during a rapid legal proceeding on Tuesday. In a single court hearing, a misdemeanor tribunal ordered Mada Masr to cease operations and imposed a fine of approximately €850 on Attalah for running the website without a license. According to Mada Masr, security officers surrounded her, lifted her off the ground, and carried her out of the courtroom immediately after the decision, keeping her in custody within the courthouse building. Hossam Bahgat, director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal…

Article: Israeli voters have returned to the polls in a pivotal national election, marking the first time the public has delivered its verdict on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership since the October 7 assault. The vote comes after three years of regional conflict that has deepened internal political divisions and raised significant concerns over national security. Netanyahu cast his ballot in Jerusalem alongside his wife, Sara, and called on the public to vote “the right way.” Early engagement appeared strong, with voter turnout hitting 16.68 percent within the first three hours of voting, the highest recorded at that early point…

South Africa’s ambassador to the United States expressed optimism on Monday regarding bilateral relations, despite acknowledging that ties with Washington remain strained. The veteran politician indicated his desire to establish direct communication to overcome the current impasse in diplomatic relations. “In some ways, we don’t have the opportunity to actually enter dialogue. My view is that it can be addressed if there is direct dialogue between the US and the South African authorities,” he noted. He further added: “We hope we can establish that, you know, like we have experienced in our own case, if you start by talks and…

At least 24 people lost their lives and another 24 sustained injuries during a Sunday morning head-on collision between a bus and a truck along Kenya’s major transit corridor connecting Nairobi to Mombasa. The bus passengers were returning to Mombasa after traveling to western Kenya for the funeral of their church pastor. According to authorities, the fatal crash was caused by improper overtaking. Reverend Spencier Mdave, who was riding on the bus during the collision, shared his account of the incident: “Those of us who witnessed the ordeal say that the trailer tried to overtake our bus only to meet…

Authorities in Gabon have restored access to social media networks following an eight-month restriction that drew widespread public backlash. The High Communication Authority originally blocked major online platforms on February 17, asserting that user-generated content was fueling societal conflict and division. The crackdown occurred amid rising public unrest during the first year of President Brice Oligui Nguema’s term. Major platforms including YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok were completely shut down, while WhatsApp experienced partial disruptions. To bypass the restrictions, many citizens turned to virtual private networks to mask their IP addresses and secure their internet traffic. Consequently, VPN provider Proton…