Sudan War Continues After Three Years

A conference was held in Berlin to ostensibly resolve the crisis, yet the major belligerents did not attend amid ongoing fighting and a burgeoning humanitarian disaster

By Abayomi Azikiwe, Editor, Pan-African News Wire

April 21, 2026

Political Review

Since April 15, 2023, the internal war in the Republic of Sudan has continued unabated.

Fighting erupted after the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) violently disagreed over the political future of this oil-rich African state.

Beginning in December 2018, mass demonstrations erupted in various areas of the country prompted by a sharp rise in prices for fuel, food and other commodities. The government of former President Omar Hassan al-Bashir failed to implement the necessary reforms to calm the social situation inside the country.

During the course of the demonstrations in the first quarter of 2019, various social forces emerged which led the calls for the resignation of President al-Bashir. The Sudanese Professional Association (SPA), students and workers remained in the streets on a daily basis highlighting broad disaffection of the population.

By April 2019, leading elements within the military decided to remove al-Bashir from office in an effort to ease the unrest among the people. Yet, this was not enough to end the mass demonstrations. 

Thousands held a sit-in for weeks outside the Ministry of Defense in Khartoum demanding that the military relinquish political control of the state to open the way for a democratic transition to a multiparty electoral system. Instead of heeding the call of the people, the military opened fire on the demonstrators killing hundreds in the capital in June 2019.

Later the intervention of regional organizations and the African Union (AU) led to the adoption of plans for a cessation of hostilities and the transition to a stable political dispensation. Nonetheless, these plans along with the interventions of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the United Nations and the United States could not end the unrest.

Behind the Continuing War

It has been widely acknowledged that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are bankrolling and arming the RSF in Sudan. The RSF has committed widespread atrocities against the civilian population in various regions of the country.

In the Darfur region, the RSF seized control during 2025, driving hundreds of thousands of civilians from their homes. Other areas such as the capital of Khartoum have been retaken by the SAF along with the twin city of Omdurman. 

Fighting has taken place in Blue Nile state where the RSF took control of various areas beginning in March. A recent offensive by the SAF has resulted in the displacement of the RSF fighters and their allies among one of the rebel groupings known as the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N).

These rebel groups came into existence during the administration of former President al-Bashir. Efforts by the government to end the rebel insurgency in Darfur attracted the attention of media outlets internationally.

Allegations of genocide by the National Congress Party (NCP) government under al-Bashir resulted in investigations by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Eventually, the ICC issued warrants for the arrest of al-Bashir. Even though the former president was removed from office by elements in the SAF, he still has not been turned over to the ICC. 

According to an April 20 report published in the Sudan Tribune on the situation in Blue Nile, it says:

“Sudan’s army said on Monday it had recaptured a town in the Blue Nile region following heavy fighting against a coalition of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu. The RSF and its allies launched a major military offensive in the southeastern region in March, seizing the strategic town of Kurmuk and several surrounding areas. Joint forces of the SPLM-N and the RSF had previously taken control of the Mogja on March 26, saying it paves the way towards Ed Damazin. The army’s 4th Infantry Division said in a statement that its forces achieved a ‘significant victory’ by liberating Mogja. The military reported that the retreating forces suffered heavy losses in lives and equipment. The military command stated the operation was part of a broader campaign to secure the region and clear it of RSF elements. The Sudanese government has accused neighboring Ethiopia of destabilizing the Blue Nile by hosting RSF camps funded by the United Arab Emirates. Both Ethiopia and the UAE have previously denied allegations of involvement in the conflict.” (https://sudantribune.com/article/313002)

On the other side of the armed confrontations is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The SAF and the Chairman of Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has maintained good relations with the Saudi monarchy. 

The SAF leader met with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman of Saudi Arabia on April 20 in Jeddah to discuss additional funding for General al-Burhan and his supporters. The Pakistani government recently announced that it would not provide $1.5 billion in military assistance to Khartoum due to the fact that the Saudis would not finance the deal.

A report in the Sudan Tribune on the character of the relations between the SAF and the Saudi monarchy noted that:

“The Sovereign Council said in a statement that the two leaders reviewed bilateral relations and prospects for enhancing joint cooperation during talks at the Royal Palace. Burhan expressed gratitude for Saudi support and reaffirmed Sudan’s solidarity with the Kingdom against threats to its security, specifically condemning Iranian interventions. He emphasized that Saudi security is integral to Sudan’s own stability and praised the leadership of King Salman bin Abdulaziz and the Crown Prince. Prince Mohammed bin Salman welcomed the visit, noting the deep historical ties between the two nations and expressing appreciation for Sudan’s supportive stance.” (https://sudantribune.com/article/313005)

Therefore, both of the military factions waging war against each other and the civilian population are being supported by the GCC states which serve as outposts for U.S. military forces. The Islamic Republic of Iran, which is waging a defensive war against Washington and the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF), have launched attacks on these monarchies where Pentagon forces are utilizing for their bombing operations that lasted for four weeks prior to a temporary ceasefire which began on April 7. 

What is needed in Sudan is a revolutionary democratic government that is independent of imperialism and its surrogates in West Asia. The defensive military tactics of Tehran have illustrated that the decades-long arrangements with the Pentagon and the Zionist Apartheid state are in serious crisis. The military capacity of Iran illustrated that the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) can strike deep inside the GCC states and Occupied Palestine. 

The Berlin Conference Revisited

There was a conference on Sudan held in Berlin during mid-April. This event, largely attended by Europeans and other non-state actors, was purportedly designed to solicit pledges towards providing humanitarian assistance to the people of the Republic of Sudan.  

This is the third gathering on Sudan held in Europe since the war began in 2023. One of the conferences was held in London and another took place in Paris.

However, holding this meeting in Germany harkens back to the original Berlin Conference of 1884-85 where the European imperialist powers carved up the African continent based upon their own economic interests. Although the gathering pledged funds to assist those negatively impacted by the war, there is no guarantee that anything positive will emerge from the event.

Cameron Hudson, who served as the Director for African Affairs at the National Security Council under former U.S. President George W. Bush, said that people should be skeptical regarding the pledges for financial assistance:

“‘All indications are that this is just wordplay, and that all these pledges are merely a repetition of previous pledges.’ He added that although the conference succeeded in bringing together civil society members to express their concerns about the conflict on an international platform, it made no notable tangible progress toward a ceasefire or toward raising significant new funds for relief efforts.” (https://sudanhorizon.com/american-magazine-nothing-new-at-the-berlin-conference/)

The solutions to the Sudanese situation must be carved out by the people and their organizations. British colonialism governed the country from the late 19th century to 1956. The current problems are a direct result of this colonial legacy.

London ruled the country by dividing the people of the various regions. Today, with the partition of the South from the North in 2011, Sudan is no longer the largest geographic nation-state in Africa. The Darfur region under British rule was incorporated into the construct during World War I and was governed as a neglected area of the huge colony.

Classical colonial rule has given way to neo-colonialism which is designed to maintain imperialist control. Neo-colonialism is a contemporary form of indirect rule. These internal divisions must be overcome before there can be genuine peace and sovereignty inside Sudan as well as other African states. 

One Enemy Misstep After Truce, We Strike Where You Say: IRGC Commander to People

Tuesday, 21 April 2026 9:59 PM

Brigadier General Seyyed Majid Mousavi, the commander of IRGC aerospace force.

If the enemy oversteps and commits any act of aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran after the ceasefire, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) will target wherever the people want them to, the IRGC aerospace commander said on Tuesday.

Brigadier General Seyyed Majid Mousavi made the remarks in a message addressed to the people of Iran who have filled the streets and city squares for over 50 days in support of the armed forces during the third imposed war.

The IRGC aerospace commander expressed deep gratitude to the Iranian people for maintaining their presence on the streets throughout this period.

"Your children stood by the missile launchers for forty nights and days, exposing the arrogance of the global powers. And during the period of military silence (ceasefire), they remained vigilant, hands on the trigger, ready to defend this ancient land and its millennia-old civilization," he said in the message that was played in all city squares.

He assured people that the IRGC forces are fully ready to defend the country from any potential aggression from the enemy.

"Today, we have come to you to declare our pledge: If after the ceasefire the enemy oversteps and commits any aggression against this soil, this time our target will be wherever you direct us," General Mousavi said.

He also issued a clear warning to regional countries against collaborating with the enemy/

"Let the southern neighbors know: if their land and resources are used by America to attack the Iranian nation, they must bid farewell to oil production in the West Asia region."

The two-week ceasefire is coming to an end on Tuesday night amid a stalemate over the next round of talks, with US President Donald Trump unilaterally announcing its extension.

Iran hasn’t yet responded to Trump’s announcement, but it has warned that the illegal naval blockade must be lifted immediately by the US.

The war of aggression against the Islamic Republic was launched by the US-Israeli coalition on February, which came to a halt 40 days later after the US agreed to Iran’s 10-point proposal, which was supposed to form the basis for the permanent end to the war.

However, the American side has continuously breached the ceasefire.

Iran Urges UN to Compel US to Release Iranian Commercial Vessel, Crew; Calls Seizure 'Act of Piracy'

Tuesday, 21 April 2026 10:10 PM

Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran's ambassador to the United Nations

Iran's ambassador to the United Nations has formally requested that the world body compel the United States to release the Iranian commercial vessel Touska, its crew, their families, and all affected individuals immediately and unconditionally.

In a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the president of the Security Council on Tuesday, Amir Saeed Iravani drew "urgent attention to the continued international violations committed by the United States against the Islamic Republic, including the deliberate targeting of Iranian commercial vessels."

Iravani described the incident involving Touska in detail, noting how American forces had seized the vessel in the Sea of Oman near the Iranian coastline a day earlier in "a hostile and illegal attack."

"This attack involved coercion, intimidation, and reckless endangerment of the lives of the ship’s crew and their families," he added.

He emphasized the legal and security implications, saying the seizure of the civilian vessel constituted a blatant and clear violation of fundamental principles of the international law, including the peremptory norm prohibiting aggression.

"The deliberate intimidation and psychological terror inflicted on the crew and their families further aggravate the severity of this act. Such conduct amounts to maritime piracy and represents a dangerous escalation that severely threatens the safety and security of vital shipping routes."

Iravani noted further that the attack, which meets all the hallmarks of aggression as pointed out in a relevant UN General Assembly resolution, also constitutes violation of a ceasefire that was announced by US President Donald Trump on April 7.

"This action poses a serious threat to regional and international peace and security, further destabilizing an already fragile situation."

The envoy said Iran strongly and unequivocally denounces the illegal action and calls on the UN to take an immediate, decisive, and principled stance by not only explicitly condemning the attack, but also ensuring full accountability of those responsible and compelling the US to free the vessel and those on board.

Earlier, Iran's Foreign Ministry also released a statement, lambasting the aggression as an act of terrorism.

The attack took place amid an illegal blockade of Iranian vessels and ports by the United States, despite the ceasefire.

Iran has insisted that the US has to lift the blockade before the Islamic Republic can rejoin talks with Washington, asserting that it would not submit to the latter's pressure tactics.

Chad Will Deploy 1,500 Troops to Haiti at the Aegis of US Imperialism

By MOUTA ALI

6:04 AM EDT, April 21, 2026

N’DJAMENA, Chad (AP) — Chad will deploy 1,500 troops to Haiti as part of the United Nations security force to the Caribbean country to combat gang violence, according to a letter from the president to the legislature.

In the letter read out to lawmakers of the Central African country on Monday, Chadian President Mahamat Déby Itno said two battalions of 750 troops each will be deployed from this month for one year, following a request by the United Nations.

“A contingent of 400 men has already been sent to Haiti as part of this mission that honors Chad and its defense and security forces,” the president said.

Last year, the U.N. Security Council approved the expansion of the Kenya-led multinational force in Haiti to 5,500 troops, called the Gang Suppression Force, and expanded its power to include arresting suspected gang members, which the previous force did not have.

The previous mission, launched in 2023, was envisioned to include 2,500 personnel and was led by the Kenyan police, but it was handicapped by a lack of staff and funds.

Deadly gangs control as much as 90% of Port-au-Prince, the country’s capital, and swaths of land in the country’s central region. In 2021, a squad of gunmen assassinated the country’s former president, Jovenel Moïse, in his home.

At least 30 people were killed and dozens more were missing, human rights groups said, after the Gran Grif gang launched a renewed attack on the town of Petite-Rivière de l’Artibonite, in central Haiti, last month.

Libya Fueled War in Sudan with Colombian Mercenaries and Equipment, UN Report Finds

By SAMY MAGDY

9:30 PM EDT, April 21, 2026

CAIRO (AP) — An armed group in Libya helped the transfer of former Colombian military personnel to fight with the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group against the Sudanese military, according to a United Nations report released days after the third anniversary of the start of the war in Sudan.

Libya’s Subul al-Salam Battalion facilitated the transfer of recruits, including Colombian mercenaries, weapons and fuel across the border to support the RSF, adding to the chaos of the devastating conflict.

The battalion was part of the self-styled Libyan National Army, commanded by powerful Gen. Khalifa Hifter, that runs eastern and southern parts of chaos-stricken Libya. It activities centered in the southern town of Kufra, which borders Sudan, Chad and Egypt. It controls crucial facilities, including an airport, which helped transfer arms and fighters to the RSF, the experts said.

The report of the U.N.'s Panel of Experts on Libya, which covered October 2024 to February 2026, was released on Sunday.

The war in Sudan broke out on April 15, 2023, when a power struggle between the military and RSF exploded into open fighting in the capital of Khartoum and elsewhere in the sprawling country.

The U.N. report detailed the benefits the RSF obtained through Libya, including a rear base about 75 kilometers (46.6 miles) southwest of Kufra.

The Sudanese paramilitary group also benefited from an airbase in Kufra and other facilities that were used as transit points for Colombian fighters and as sites for the modification of vehicles imported through Libya, the experts found.

The U.N. experts said the battalion supported RSF operations in June 2025 through deploying units on the ground, providing fighters and “escorting them across Libyan territory and facilitating access to fuel and spare vehicle parts.”

Its support helped the RSF to advance on the Uwaynat area, a border triangle where Sudan, Egypt and Libya meet, but “weakened border security in southern Libya,” the report said.

A spokesperson for RSF did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Subul al-Salam Battalion was not reachable for comment.

The RSF said in June that controlled the triangle zone after the Sudanese military said it evacuated the area as part of “its defensive arrangements to repel aggression.” The miliary has accused Hifter’s forces of aiding the RSF’s attack on the area — a claim denied by the Libyan commander.

Both Hifter’s forces and the RSF received support from the United Arab Emirates, according international rights groups. The UAE has long denied the accusations.

In recent months, the miliary also sought to disrupt the RSF, Libya-originated supply route. It launched airstrikes in November that targeted shipments of vehicles and foreign fighters inside Libya, which were heading to the paramilitaries, the report said.

The U.S. imposed sanctions on Colombian firms and individuals over alleged links to the deployment of former Colombian officers to fight alongside the RSF in Sudan into famine and created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.

The war has killed at least 59,000 people, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, a U.S.-based war tracking group that says its toll is almost certainly an undercut given difficulties in reporting.

French Ambassador Calls for South Africa to be at G20 After Trump Bars Country

By MICHELLE GUMEDE

12:37 PM EDT, April 21, 2026

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The French ambassador to South Africa said Tuesday that the country should be allowed to attend the Group of 20 summit this year in the United States despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s move to bar the it from the meeting.

Trump said last year he would not invite South Africa — a full G20 member — to the summit that the U.S. will host in Florida in December, following diplomatic tensions between the two. South African officials have said they have also been locked out of G20 meetings that traditionally happen throughout the year ahead of a summit.

The Trump administration has criticized South Africa’s Black-led government as being anti-white and anti-American, while the Republican president has made baseless claims that there is a widespread campaign of violence against the country’s white minority farmers.

The move by Trump has been criticized by other G20 members, who say no country should have the authority to bar another. The bloc of developed and developing nations operates on a consensus basis.

“France being also a founding member of the G20, we consider of course that South Africa is a full-fledged member of the G20 and should be part of all of its meetings,” French Ambassador David Martinon told reporters in Johannesburg.

The tensions between Washington and Johannesburg marred South Africa’s hosting of the G20 summit — the first in Africa — last year when the U.S. boycotted. There was a spat at the end of the summit when the U.S. sent officials from its embassy to take part in a handover ceremony to the next host country. South Africa refused that, saying it was an insult that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa should hand over to what it called junior diplomatic officials.

The South African government has referred to the U.S. decision to bar it from this year’s G20 as a “punitive move” based on “completely false” information.

Martinon said there have been discussions among diplomatic officials from G20 countries over South Africa’s barring and its potential absence from the summit at Trump’s Miami-area Doral golf club. South Africa is the only African nation in the G20.

France also has denied it bowed to U.S. pressure to rescind an invitation to South Africa to attend the Group of Seven summit it hosts in June.

Ramaphosa’s spokesperson said last month that a personal invitation extended by French President Emmanuel Macron to Ramaphosa last year was retracted and the reason given by French officials was pressure from the Trump administration, which didn’t want South Africa at the G7 summit.

Ramaphosa later backtracked on his spokesperson’s comments and said he was not aware of any pressure from the U.S., a move largely seen as an attempt to defuse tensions.

South Africa is not a G7 member but has sometimes attended summits.

Martinon repeated that France had not rescinded an invitation but instead opted for a more “streamlined” G7 summit in the resort town of Évian-les-Bains. The leaders of India, Brazil, Kenya and South Korea have been invited as guests to join those from members Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, U.K. and the U.S.

“As for the G7, I can only refer to what President Ramaphosa said about it, if I remember it’s something like ‘you can’t be de-invited from a forum you don’t belong to’, but that’s his words,” Martinon said Tuesday.

Pope Criticizes Colonization of Africa’s Minerals as he Arrives in Equatorial Guinea

By NICOLE WINFIELD

2:17 PM EDT, April 21, 2026

MALABO, Equatorial Guinea (AP) — Pope Leo XIV arrived in Equatorial Guinea on Tuesday on the fourth and final leg of his Africa journey, and denounced the “colonization” of Africa’s minerals and the “lust for power” in a country whose repressive leader has been in office since 1979.

Adoring crowds in the largely Catholic country lined the road from the airport into the administrative capital, Malabo, cheering the first pope to visit since St. John Paul II in 1982. Wearing his formal red mozzetta cape, Leo thrilled the flag-waving masses by arriving at the presidential palace in his open-sided popemobile.

“There is a lot of joy today because we waited 44 years for the pope to come,” said Diosdado Marques, a senior Catholic official in the country. “It’s a blessing for the country. We hope many things will change and we will deepen our faith.”

The former Spanish colony on Africa’s western coast is run by the continent’s longest-serving president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who has been accused of widespread corruption and authoritarianism.

The pope notes a year since Francis’ death

The discovery of offshore oil in the mid-1990s transformed Equatorial Guinea’s economy virtually overnight, with oil now accounting for almost half of its GDP and more than 90% of exports, according to the African Development Bank.

Yet more than half of the country’s nearly 2 million people live in poverty. And rights groups including Human Rights Watch — as well as court cases in France and Spain — have documented how revenues have enriched the ruling Obiang family rather than the broader population.

Leo, who arrived from Angola, met with Obiang at the presidential palace and then addressed government authorities, diplomats and civil service representatives. Noting that the encounter occurred on the first anniversary of Pope Francis’ death, Leo quoted the late pope in denouncing income inequalities that he said had been exacerbated by a global economy focused on the pursuit of profit at all cost.

“Such an economy kills,” Leo said. “In fact, it is even more evident today than in years past that the proliferation of armed conflicts is often driven by the colonization of oil and mineral deposits, occurring with no regard for international law or the self-determination of peoples.”

The Trump administration, which has announced plans to create a minerals trading bloc with its allies, has been racing to get access to Africa’s regions rich in critical minerals and to beat competition from China in a region where Beijing has long dominated.

Last year, as the administration emerged as a key broker for a peace deal to end the fighting in Congo’s mineral-rich but conflict-battered eastern region, it was also signing a partnership with Congo that would allow American companies access to those conflict minerals.

The U.S. is also investing funds in the Lobito Corridor, a major rail project that would facilitate export of minerals from regions in Zambia and Congo through Lobito in Angola. At the same time, the U.S. has backed a South Africa project aimed at extracting rare earth minerals from industrial waste.

Leo suggests Equatorial Guinea look to the ‘City of God’

The pope’s meetings took place in the old presidential palace. The government has built a new capital on the mainland named Ciudad de la Paz, or City of Peace, but the transfer of government buildings is not complete.

Authorities have said the decision to build the new capital was strategic, given the potential for expansion of the city carved out of a tropical forest. But critics said the relocation would exacerbate inequalities and give further opportunities for the presidential circle to enrich themselves.

Leo referred to the new capital by citing the famous work of St. Augustine, “City of God,” in which the 5th-century philosopher interpreted humanity through two models: The “earthly city” where people live temporarily and the eternal “city of God,” characterized by God’s unconditional love and love of one another, especially the poor.

Leo didn’t call out the corruption associated with the Obiang family or the criticism of the new capital. But he suggested Equatorial Guinea should look to the “City of God” as a model.

“The earthly city is centered upon the proud love of self, on the lust for power and worldly glory that leads to destruction,” he said. “It is essential to discern the difference between that which lasts and that which passes, remaining free from the pursuit of unjust wealth and the illusion of dominion.”

The pope plans to visit a prison

Equatorial Guinea is officially a secular country but about 75% of its population is Catholic, making it one of Africa’s most Catholic countries.

Church leaders “are very much interconnected intrinsically with the government,” said Tutu Alicante, a U.S.-based activist who runs the EG Justice rights group. “Part of it is the fear the government has instilled in everyone, including the church, and part of it is the monetary gains that the church derives from this government.”

The Rev. Fortunatus Nwachukwu, No. 2 in the Vatican’s missionary evangelization office, said the Catholic Church is present in difficult civil spaces and knows how to operate in them to carry out its mission.

“Should the church go to war against the government? Surely no,” Nwachukwu said. “Should the church swallow everything as if it were normal? No. The church has to continue preaching justice, always in defense of life, human dignity and the common good.”

In addition to official corruption, the country’s government also faces accusations of harassment, arrest and intimidation of political opponents, critics and journalists.

Equatorial Guinea is also one of several African nations that have been paid millions of dollars in deals with the Trump administration to receive migrants deported from the U.S. to countries other than their own.

AP reporting shows that at least 29 such migrants with no ties to the country have been deported there. Some remain in detention in Malabo with restrictions on legal and medical support, while others have been forcibly returned to their countries where they face persecution.

Leo, who will visit a prison in the port city of Bata on Wednesday, has criticized the Trump administration’s overall migration deportation policy as “extremely disrespectful.”

___

Associated Press writers Monika Pronczuk in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, and Ope Adetayo in Lagos, Nigeria, contributed.

Nigeria Charges 6 with Treason over Alleged Coup Plot

By DYEPKAZAH SHIBAYAN

7:26 AM EDT, April 21, 2026

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian authorities have charged six people, including a retired major general and a serving police inspector, with terrorism and treason, over an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu, according to a charge sheet seen by The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The six were all in custody. A seventh suspect, former Bayelsa state Gov. Timpre Sylva, is accused of helping to conceal the plot and is still at large.

In the 13-count charge sheet, authorities said suspects “conspired with one another to levy war against the state to overawe the president of the Federal Republic.”

The Nigerian government first said it had foiled a coup attempt in January, when it announced that several military officers would stand trial. They were part of a group of 16 military officers arrested in 2025 over what military authorities described as “acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations,” which fueled rumors of a coup plot that the government initially denied.

Africa’s most populous nation experienced five coups in the 20th century but has not seen one since it transitioned to democracy in 1999.

The alleged coup plot comes on the heels of a surge in coups and attempted coups in West and Central Africa, the latest in Benin and Guinea-Bissau late last year. The military takeovers, experts say, follow a pattern of disputed elections, constitutional upheaval, security crises and youth discontent.

Mauritania Lawmakers are Charged with Insulting President over Racial Bias Claims

President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani of Mauritania addresses the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Sept. 25, 2019. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

By AHMED MOHAMED

12:33 PM EDT, April 21, 2026

NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania (AP) — Two female opposition lawmakers in Mauritania have been charged with insulting the president after accusing him of adopting a discriminatory attitude towards Black people and descendants of slaves in the West African nation.

The lawmakers also were charged Monday with inciting violence, attacking the symbols of the state and calling for gatherings with a view to undermining public security via social networks, according to the prosecutor.

Slavery remains a sensitive topic in Mauritania years after it was formally abolished.

Marieme Cheikh Dieng and Ghamou Achour had posted messages on social media critical of President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani. They were detained over 10 days ago.

Biram Dah Abeid, leader of the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement coalition group, accused the government of a witch hunt against elected officials who descended from former slaves.

The lawmakers are with the coalition, which is not a registered political party but allied with the registered Sawab party to help them get elected.

The prosecutor has asserted that the two lawmakers have forfeited their parliamentary immunity because the charges are so serious. The lawmakers’ lawyers reject the argument, calling it a means to settle scores.

Taiwan President Postpones Eswatini Visit and Says China Pressured African Countries

By JOHNSON LAI and SIMINA MISTREANU

1:45 PM EDT, April 21, 2026

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan’s president postponed a visit to Africa this week when three countries withdrew permission for him to fly over their territories after pressure from China, his office said Tuesday.

President Lai Ching-te was set to visit Eswatini, Taiwan’s sole remaining diplomatic ally in Africa, from April 22-26.

But flight permits were canceled in island nations along the route, Secretary-General to the president, Pan Meng-an, told journalists in Taipei.

“The cancellation of flight permits by Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar without prior warning was actually due to strong pressure from the Chinese authorities, including economic coercion,” Pan said.

China’s alleged pressure “constitutes blatant interference in the internal affairs of other countries, disrupts the regional status quo and hurts the feelings of the Taiwanese people,” he added.

China’s Foreign Ministry, the Mauritius government, the Seychelles government and the office of the Madagascar president did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Eswatini’s government said in a statement that it regretted that Lai wasn’t able to visit but it “does not change the status of our longstanding bilateral relations.”

China claims self-ruled Taiwan as its breakaway province, to be retaken by force if necessary, and prohibits countries it has diplomatic relations with from maintaining formal ties with Taipei.

Over the past few years, Beijing has intensified a campaign of poaching Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, often while financing infrastructure and other projects in the less-developed countries.

Taipei now has diplomatic ties with only 12 countries, almost all smaller nations in Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

Most recently, the Pacific Island nation of Nauru switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in January 2024, following similar moves by Honduras in 2023 and Nicaragua in 2021.

The last visit by a Taiwanese president to Eswatini was in 2023, when former President Tsai Ing-wen visited the southern African country of 1.2 million people and met with King Mswati III.

We Do Not Accept Negotiations Under the Shadow of Threats: Ghalibaf

By Al Mayadeen English

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accuses the US of using negotiations to impose surrender terms or justify renewed aggression, as ceasefire uncertainty grows.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that the United States is attempting to exploit ongoing diplomatic efforts to impose its conditions or pave the way for renewed aggression on Iran.

He stressed that Tehran rejects negotiations conducted under threats, affirming that the country has used the ceasefire period to prepare for potential escalation and has prepared new cards to reveal on the battlefield.

In a post on the X platform, Ghalibaf said that US President Donald Trump is seeking to manipulate the negotiation process.

“By imposing the blockade and violating the ceasefire, Trump is seeking to turn the negotiating table into a table of surrender or to justify the renewal of hostilities, as he sees fit,” he stated.

In an interview with Iranian state television, Ghalibaf called Trump a "a master of lies".

Iran won't participate in 'US theatre' as long as key obstacles remain

Ghalibaf's comments come while the United States has sent a delegation to Pakistan for potential negotiations. However, Iran has not yet made a final decision on participation and is still reviewing the possibility of joining talks, Tasnim news agency reported, citing sources and regional officials.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump announced that a high-level delegation led by JD Vance is heading to Pakistan for ceasefire talks with Iran.

Iranian sources emphasized that any participation in negotiations is conditional on the fulfilment of several preconditions, among them the US maritime blockade on Iran, which Tehran emphasized poses a central obstacle in the diplomatic process.

The matter has reportedly been conveyed through Pakistan, which is acting as a mediator, and Islamabad has, in turn, raised the issue in contacts with US officials.

Iranian officials also argue that additional US demands outlined in recent exchanges have further complicated prospects for progress, leaving an unclear path toward any agreement.

US blockade on Iran could see changes

Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in Islamabad reported on Monday that a US aircraft carrying a large delegation has landed in Islamabad, where talks are set to take place under regional mediation efforts.

The arrival of a US delegation in Pakistan indicates that President Donald Trump may be preparing to announce a specific initiative related to the blockade of Iranian ports, according to our correspondent.

However, he noted that, so far, the talks remain unilateral, with no confirmed direct engagement between the United States and Iran.

Pakistan Halts $1.5bln Sudan Arms Deal Following Saudi Request

By Al Mayadeen English

Source: Reuters

20 Apr 2026 21:44

Saudi Arabia has signaled to Islamabad the need to cancel the deal after abandoning plans to finance it.

Pakistan has canceled a $1.5 billion agreement to supply weapons and warplanes to Sudan after Saudi Arabia requested the deal be terminated and withdrew its financial backing, Reuters reported on Monday, citing security sources.

According to the report, the deal was among several under negotiation by the Pakistani military after its jets and weapons systems overperformed in a brief war with India last May.

One security source told Reuters that Saudi Arabia had signaled to Islamabad the need to cancel the deal after abandoning plans to finance it.

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan maintain close strategic ties, with Islamabad historically providing military support, including weapons and troop deployments, in exchange for financial assistance from Riyadh.

The two countries further strengthened their relationship last year by signing a mutual defense pact, stipulating that an attack on either nation would be treated as an attack on both.

The deal at hand

The $1.5 billion arms agreement between Pakistan and Sudan was first reported to be in its final stages on January 9, 2026, according to Reuters. The deal had not yet been formally announced but was nearing completion following months of negotiations.

The agreement was brokered with facilitation from Saudi Arabia, which played a key role in advancing discussions between Islamabad and Khartoum. While Riyadh’s exact financial commitment was not publicly confirmed at the time, it was widely viewed as a central backer of the arrangement.

Under the proposed deal, Pakistan was set to supply a range of military equipment to Sudan, including aircraft, drones, and other weapons systems. The package reportedly included Karakoram-8 light attack jets, Super Mushshak training aircraft, and potentially JF-17 fighter jets.

The agreement also involved the delivery of more than 200 drones and additional air defense capabilities, aimed at strengthening Sudan’s military capacity amid its ongoing internal conflict. These systems were expected to significantly enhance surveillance and combat operations.

Sudan Army Says it Recaptures Blue Nile Town From RSF-rebel Alliance

20 April 2026

Sudanese army officers and soldiers celebrate the recapture of Mogja, Blue Nile region, on April 20, 2026

April 20, 2026 (ED DAMAZIN) – Sudan’s army said on Monday it had recaptured a town in the Blue Nile region following heavy fighting against a coalition of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu.

The RSF and its allies launched a major military offensive in the southeastern region in March, seizing the strategic town of Kurmuk and several surrounding areas.

Joint forces of the SPLM-N and the RSF had previously taken control of the Mogja areaةon March 26, saying it paves the way towards Ed Damazin.

The army’s 4th Infantry Division said in a statement that its forces achieved a “significant victory” by liberating Mogja. The military reported that the retreating forces suffered heavy losses in lives and equipment.

The military command stated the operation was part of a broader campaign to secure the region and clear it of RSF elements.

The Sudanese government has accused neighbouring Ethiopia of destabilizing the Blue Nile by hosting RSF camps funded by the United Arab Emirates. Both Ethiopia and the UAE have previously denied allegations of involvement in the conflict.

Over 550,000 Sudanese Refugees Flee to Libya Since Conflict Began, UN Says

20 April 2026

Sudanese refugees in Libya receive essential medical care from the International Medical Corps in Kufra, on July 14, 2025

April 20, 2026 (TRIPOLI) – More than 550,000 Sudanese refugees are estimated to have entered Libya since the conflict erupted in April 2023, according to a report from the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR).

The agency reported that approximately 559,920 individuals have arrived in the North African nation. Among these, 74,934 were registered following the start of the war, bringing the total number of Sudanese registered at the UNHCR centre in Tripoli to 91,494.

Heightened border monitoring by Libyan authorities has forced many refugees to seek longer, more perilous routes. Daily arrivals via Chad have slowed to an average of 70 people.

The UNHCR noted that providing an exact figure remains difficult due to the irregular nature of entries and the vast, remote borders Libya shares with Sudan, Chad, and Egypt. Many refugees quickly move toward coastal cities after crossing.

Displaced Sudanese face severe obstacles in accessing public healthcare. Lack of official documentation and the inability to pay fees—often charged at foreign rates—have left many without medical support.

The report highlighted that instability and the constant threat of homelessness have caused widespread psychological distress among the refugee population.

Search-and-rescue operations at sea remain frequent, with 18 recorded across Libya in March. Ten of these occurred in the east, while eight took place in the west.

Security campaigns in eastern Libya have intensified, increasing the risk of arbitrary detention and forced return to Sudan. The agency warned that women, children, and persons with disabilities are at heightened risk of exploitation and gender-based violence.

A Top Paramilitary Commander Defects to Sudan’s Military as War Enters 4th Year

A minibus drives past an empty checkpoint where a mannequin dressed as a soldier stands in downtown Khartoum, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

By SAMY MAGDY

11:24 AM EDT, April 20, 2026

CAIRO (AP) — A high-profile paramilitary commander in Sudan has changed sides and joined the country’s army in a move welcomed by army chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan shortly after the war entered its fourth year.

Burhan on Sunday welcomed Maj. Gen. al-Nour Ahmed Adam, who defected earlier this month from the Rapid Support Forces. The ruling sovereign council posted a video on social media showing Burhan’s meeting with Adam, who is known as al-Qubba, in Sudan’s Northern province on the border with Egypt.

“Doors are open to all those who lay down arms and join the path of national reconstruction,” Burhan, who chairs the sovereign council, said in a statement.

The RSF didn’t comment on the defection.

Adam fled the RSF-controlled Darfur region earlier this month and joined the military along with dozens of fighters and equipment, according to local media.

The Sudan Tribune news outlet reported that Adam left after “disputes” with the RSF leadership, mainly over not appointing him as a military commander of North Darfur province after the RSF seized control of el-Fasher city in October – the military’s last stronghold in the Darfur region.

Adam is one of the most senior officers to defect from the paramilitaries during the war. In 2024, Abu Aqla Kaikel, who led the Sudan Shield Forces, left the RSF when the military retook the crucial central province of Gezira.

The war broke out in April 2023 when a power struggle between the military and RSF exploded into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere in the sprawling country.

The war has killed at least 59,000 people, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, known as ACLED. The U.S.-based war tracking group said its toll was almost certainly low given difficulties in reporting.

Did Pope Leo Find His Voice in Africa? Or Did the World Finally Hear Him?

By NICOLE WINFIELD

10:11 AM EDT, April 20, 2026

LUANDA, Angola (AP) — And in Africa, the lion roared.

There is a case to be made that Pope Leo XIV, the careful, reserved, Midwestern Augustinian, found his voice on his epic trip through Africa, blasting the “handful of tyrants” and “chains of corruption” that have held parts of the continent hostage for centuries.

But the fact is, Leo has been preaching this kind of message for a while now, including in the context of the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran. It just took U.S. President Donald Trump’s unprecedented broadside and Vice President JD Vance’s claims of theological superiority for many people to pay attention, especially American Catholics.

“Yes, Pope Leo might give the impression that he is engaging, in his quiet way and with authority, and this is how it looks to the world press and social media,” Cardinal Michael Czerny, a top Vatican official and aide to Leo, told The Associated Press.

“But in fact the Holy Father’s homilies and talks in Africa have been prepared, well in advance, in terms of the local African reality and the church,” Czerny said. “So, if they seem relevant to the current wars, controversy, this reminds us of Jesus saying, ‘Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear!’”

Leo tried to make that point when he came to the back of Air Pope One on April 18, en route from Cameroon to Angola, and complained that “a certain narrative” had taken hold suggesting he was in a feud with Trump over the Iran war and his peace messages in Africa were directed at the president.

Leo insisted his words about tyrants and the religious justification for war had been wrongly interpreted and he was referring only to the African context, and to a separatist conflict in western Cameroon, in particular.

The thin line of the pope’s explanation

But Leo also was trying to have it both ways. Yes, he was talking about the separatist conflict at a peace meeting in Bamenda. Yes, he was preaching the Gospel message of peace and fraternity. But he also has been talking about Trump, a lot.

“That distancing of Pope Leo from some interpretations was really a move to de-escalate a very dangerous situation,” said Massimo Faggioli, a professor of theology at Trinity College Dublin. “Because the Vatican needs the United States to restore some kind of peaceful — not order — but a horizon of peace, a hope of peace.”

Leo criticized Trump, directly, before he got to Africa. And in one remarkable comment two weeks ago, he encouraged the faithful to contact their congressional representatives to demand an end to the war.

The headline from the April 7 encounter outside Leo’s country house in Castel Gandolfo was that Leo had called Trump’s threat to annihilate Iranian civilization “truly unacceptable.”

But the more significant message followed. “I would invite the citizens of all the countries involved to contact the authorities, political leaders, congressmen, to ask them, tell them to work for peace and to reject war,” Leo said.

Faggioli termed the comment “the Vatican’s nuclear option,” making a direct appeal to U.S. voters to take a stand, because it genuinely feared Trump was about to take the Iran war in a vastly more catastrophic direction.

What came before Leo’s unprecedented appeal

The Holy See had never resorted to such a directly political message from a pope even at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, when a Catholic president — John F. Kennedy — was on the verge of a nuclear confrontation with the Soviet Union, Faggioli said.

At that moment, Pope John XXIII did make a public appeal — his famous Oct. 25, 1962, radio address — with a strong, direct plea for peace including to “those who have the responsibility of power” to “do everything in their power to save the peace.”

The pope also sent private letters to Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and worked behind the scenes through diplomatic channels to de-escalate the situation. But he didn’t urge U.S. voters to essentially choose which Catholic to listen to: their president or their pope.

“What is at stake now is that at a time of war, loyalties of Catholics are tested in a particular way,” Faggioli said. He added that however the situation ultimately resolves itself, the tension will complicate any future political aspirations of Catholics seeking high office, whether Vance on the Republican side or California Gov. Gavin Newsom on the Democratic side, as long as a U.S.-born pope is still in Rome.

Kathleen Sprows Cummings, director of the Global Catholic Research Initiative at the University of Notre Dame, said Leo has consistently operated “on a higher plane” but American Catholics are used to church discussion of morality in the context of sexuality, gender and abortion, and it’s jarring to process foreign policy through a moral lens.

“So JD Vance can say the pope should stick to morality,” she said, “but war and peace are ancient moral issues.”

The Rev. Antonio Spadaro, the under-secretary in the Vatican’s culture department, said Leo is continuing in the tradition of popes past to preach the Gospel message of peace. What has changed, he said, was how Trump reacted.

“The strong reaction arrived from America,” he said. “It was America that reacted to Leo’s words, and not vice versa.”

Even with his direct comments about Trump, Leo was not engaging in an attack, Spadaro said.

“It’s very dangerous to imagine that the pope is fighting with Trump, because it means demeaning the pope to a level of contrast, one against the other, which Trump may want but that the pope has no intention of doing,” he said.

New role, same Leo, Vatican official says

Spadaro added that from his perch, Leo hasn’t changed at all from when he was known as Robert Prevost, the Chicago-born missionary priest.

“I see the Prevost I’ve always seen,” Spadaro said. “Let’s say it’s the backdrop that has changed, so his calm yet very direct style stands in stark contrast to a chaotic scenario, and that’s why it’s striking.”

For better or worse, the incredible saga of Trump, the war and geopolitics seems far removed from Leo’s day-to-day ministering to his flock in Africa, who have turned out in droves to welcome the American pope in each stop on his four-nation tour.

The polyglot pope has made it easy for them to hear his words, delivering speeches, homilies and prayers in the languages of the faithful: French in Algeria, English and French in Cameroon, Portuguese in Angola and, starting Tuesday, Spanish in Equatorial Guinea.

Lucineia Francisco left her family behind on Sunday so she could see Leo at the Shrine of Mama Muxima, Angola’s most popular pilgrimage destination. Some 30,000 people turned out for Leo’s rosary prayer.

“My kids were crying to come, but I said no,” Francisco said. “This is a spiritual journey that I’m really going to face on my own.”

Pope Prays at Catholic Shrine in Angola That Was a Center of African Slave Trade

By NICOLE WINFIELD

10:38 PM EDT, April 19, 2026

MUXIMA, Angola (AP) — Pope Leo XIV on Sunday recalled the “sorrow and great suffering” Angolans endured for centuries, as the American pope prayed at a Catholic shrine located at the site of an important hub of the African slave trade during Portugal’s colonial rule.

Leo traveled to the Sanctuary of Mama Muxima, nestled in the Angolan savanas of baobab trees at the edge of the Kwanza River. It became a major pilgrimage destination after believers reported an appearance by the Virgin Mary around 1833.

But the Church of Our Lady of Muxima was originally built by Portuguese colonizers at the end of the 16th century as part of a fortress complex and it became a hub in the slave trade. It was where enslaved Africans were gathered to be baptized by Portuguese priests before being forced to walk to the port of Luanda, over 110 kilometers (70 miles) to the north, to be put on ships to the Americas.

Leo, whose own ancestors include enslaved people and slave owners, prayed the Rosary at the sanctuary, a simple whitewashed church with blue trim and a statue of the Madonna inside. Speaking in Portuguese, he recalled it was here “where, for centuries, many men and women have prayed in times of joy and also in moments of sorrow and great suffering in the history of this country.”

He didn’t refer specifically to slavery. After viewing plans to build a basilica at the site, Leo urged the estimated 30,000 people gathered outside to also build “a better, more welcoming world, where there are no more wars, no injustices, no poverty, no dishonesty.”

Muxima’s history is emblematic of the Catholic Church’s role in the slave trade, the forced baptisms of enslaved people and what some scholars say is the Holy See’s continued refusal to fully acknowledge it and atone for it.

“For Black Catholics, Pope Leo’s visit to the Muxima shrine is an important moment of healing,” said Anthea Butler, senior fellow at the Koch Center, Oxford University.

She noted that many Black Catholics are Catholic because of slavery and the “Code Noir,” which she said required slaves purchased by Catholic owners to be baptized in the church.

“Others were already Catholic when they were trafficked from Angola to slave-holding colonies,” said Butler, a Black Catholic scholar whose maternal family hails from Louisiana, where the pope’s ancestors also had their roots.

The role of papal bulls in the slave trade

Angola’s Portuguese colonizers were emboldened by 15th-century directives from the Vatican that authorized them to enslave non-Christians.

In 1452, for example, Pope Nicholas V issued the papal bull Dum Diversas, which gave the Portuguese king and his successors the right “to invade, conquer, fight and subjugate” and take all possessions — including land — of “Saracens, and pagans, and other infidels, and enemies of the name of Christ” anywhere, said the Rev. Christopher J. Kellerman, a Jesuit priest and author of “All Oppression Shall Cease: A History of Slavery, Abolitionism, and the Catholic Church.”

The bull also gave the Portuguese permission “to reduce their persons to perpetual slavery.”

That bull and another issued three years later, Romanus Pontifex, formed the basis of the Doctrine of Discovery, the theory that legitimized the colonial-era seizure of land in Africa and the Americas.

The Vatican in 2023 formally repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery, but it never formally rescinded, abrogated or rejected the bulls themselves. The Vatican insists that a later bull, Sublimis Deus in 1537, reaffirmed that Indigenous peoples shouldn’t be deprived of their liberty or the possession of their property, and were not to be enslaved.

Ultimately, more than 5 million people left from Angola on the trans-Atlantic slave route, more than any other country and nearly half of the roughly 12.5 million African slaves sent across the ocean.

Kellerman recalled that most of these direct victims were sold into slavery by other Africans and were not captured by Europeans.

“That being said, at the time of the building of Muxima, the Portuguese were doing both — buying enslaved people and colonizing/slave raiding. So they were fully using their papal permissions during this time,” Kellerman said in emailed comments to The Associated Press.

He said the first pope to condemn slavery itself was Pope Leo XIII, the current pope’s namesake, in two encyclicals in 1888 and 1890, after most countries had already abolished slavery. But Kellerman said that pope and others since have continued to perpetuate the “false narrative” that the Holy See always opposed slavery, when the historical record says otherwise.

While Leo’s visit to Muxima was to commemorate its role as a shrine, Kellerman said he hoped Leo had also learned about its role in the slave trade.

“The popes repeatedly authorized Portugal’s colonization efforts in Africa and Portuguese participation in the slave trade, but the Vatican has never fully admitted this,” he said. “It would be so powerful if at some point Pope Leo were to apologize for the popes’ role in the trade.”

During a 1985 visit to Cameroon, St. John Paul II asked forgiveness of Africans for the slave trade on behalf of Christians who participated in it, but not for the popes’ own role in it. In a 1992 visit to Goree Island, Senegal, the largest slave-trading center in West Africa, he denounced the injustice of slavery and called it a “tragedy of a civilization that called itself Christian.”

Leo’s own personal history a point of reflection

According to genealogical research published by Henry Louis Gates Jr., 17 of Leo’s American ancestors were Black, listed in census records as mulatto, Black, Creole or a free person of color. His family tree includes slaveholders and enslaved people, Gates wrote in the New York Times.

Gates, a Harvard University professor who hosts the PBS documentary series “Finding Your Roots,” presented his research to Leo during a July 5 audience at the Vatican. According to a report of their meeting in The Harvard Gazette, “The pope asked about ancestors, both Black and white, who were enslavers.”

Leo has not spoken publicly about his family heritage or the genealogical research, and some Black Catholic scholars were hesitant to impose on him a narrative about his identity that he himself has not yet addressed.

“It’s important that we tell our own stories,” said Tia Noelle Pratt, a sociologist of religion and professor at Villanova University, the pope’s alma mater.

“We haven’t heard anything from him about what he thinks about it, and so to impose anything on him, I think would be completely inappropriate,” said Pratt, author of “Faithful and Devoted: Racism and Identity in the African American Catholic Experience.”

Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the retired archbishop of Washington and the first African American cardinal, said he had facilitated the Gates-Leo encounter and was “delighted” to have done so.

“It’s one of the things that I think for many African Americans and people of color, they identify with great pride that the pope has roots in our own heritage,” Gregory told AP. “And I think he’s happy about that too, because it’s another link to the people that he tries to serve and is called to serve.”

___

Gerald Imray contributed from Cape Town, South Africa.

Pope Leo XIV Says ‘Not in My Interest At All’ to Debate Trump But Will Keep Preaching Peace

By NICOLE WINFIELD

11:40 AM EDT, April 18, 2026

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Leo XIV said Saturday that it was “not in my interest at all” to debate U.S. President Donald Trump about the Iran war, but that he would continue preaching the Gospel message of peace.

Leo spoke to reporters aboard the papal plane flying from Cameroon to Angola as part of his 11-day tour of Africa.

He addressed the spiraling back-and-forth saga of Trump’s critiques of his peace message, which have dominated news headlines this week. But the American pope also sought to set the record straight, insisting that his preaching isn’t directed at Trump, but reflects the broader Gospel message of peace.

“There’s been a certain narrative that has not been accurate in all of its aspects, but because of the political situation created when, on the first day of the trip, the president of the United States made some comments about myself,” he said.

“Much of what has been written since then has been more commentary on commentary, trying to interpret what has been said.”

Trump launched the criticism on his social media platform Truth Social on the night of April 12, when he criticized Leo’s preaching about peace as the war, which began with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28 and was followed by Iran’s retaliation, raged on. Trump accused Leo of being soft on crime, cozy with the left and said that the first American pontiff owed his election to Trump.

Leo has issued consistent calls for peace and dialogue, and has denounced the use of religious justification for war. Specifically, he called Trump’s threat to annihilate Iranian civilization “truly unacceptable.”

The Vatican has stressed that when Leo preaches about peace, he is referring to all wars ravaging the planet, not just the Iran conflict. The Russian Orthodox Church, for example, has justified Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine as a “holy war.”

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Leo referred specifically to his remarks earlier this week to a peace meeting in Bamenda, Cameroon. The city is the epicenter of a separatist conflict that has been raging in the western, Anglophone region of the country for nearly a decade.

Leo said that his remarks, in which he blasted the “handful of tyrants” who were ravaging Earth with war and exploitation, were written two weeks ago, long before Trump’s criticisms began.

“And yet as it happens, it was looked at as if I was trying to debate again the president, which is not in my interest at all,” he said.

Looking ahead, however, he said that he would continue preaching the Gospel.

“I primarily come to Africa as a pastor, as the head of the Catholic Church to be with, to celebrate with, to encourage and accompany all the Catholics throughout Africa,” he said.

He drew attention to some upcoming liturgical readings about what it means to be Christian and to follow Christ, promote fraternity and brotherhood, “but also looking for ways to promote justice in our world, promote peace in our world,” he said.

Leo arrived later Saturday in Angola, the third stop on his four-nation tour. A message of peace would be especially relevant for the southern African country, which was ravaged by a 27-year civil war that ended in 2002 but has left deep scars.

Leo will meet with Angolan President Joao Lourenco and deliver his first speech before government authorities, when he hopes to bring joy and encouragement to Angola’s long-suffering people.

Abayomi Azikiwe, PANW Editor, Featured on 1+1 with Youri Smouter, Discussing the History and Current Affairs of Mozambique

Hello everyone. Welcome to another edition of 1+1, your place for inconvenient truth telling and myth busting. 

To watch this interview in its entirety just click on the following URL: 1+1 E383 Youri speaks to Abayomi Azikiwe of Pan-African Newswire & Black Agenda Report on Mozambique

This is another one of our all-things Africa editions. We continue to explore the history and current affairs of each African country.  This week we explore Southern Africa. We review the history and current affairs of Mozambique.  And who better to teach us about this country or any African country than our historical and tour guide Abayomi Azikiwe of Pan-African News Wire. Abayomi Azikiwe is a long-time historian, journalist, and Pan-Africanist Left-wing activist.

Despite Temporary “Ceasefire” Aggression Continues Against Iran, Lebanon and Palestine

A two-week cessation of hostilities has not ended the military threats and actions which are targeting civilians and infrastructure as journalists are killed in Gaza and neighborhoods leveled in Lebanon

By Abayomi Azikiwe, Editor, Pan-African News Wire

Wednesday April 15, 2026

Geostrategic Analysis

Talks held between the Lebanese government and the State of Israel in Washington, D.C. on April 14 did not reach any agreement to end the assault by Tel Aviv against the people of Beirut and other areas in the south and other areas of the country of 6 million people.

After a ceasefire was announced one week earlier when United States President Donald Trump accepted the ten-point plan for discussions put forward by the Islamic Republic of Iran which led to talks in Pakistan the following weekend, the administration in Washington later denied that Lebanon was included in the temporary ceasefire which was contrary to what Tehran and Pakistan had noted. 

The Israeli occupation forces then unleashed the heaviest bombardment against Lebanon in the recent phase of the war. It was reported that more than 300 people were killed on April 8. Residential areas were hit hard under the guise that these neighborhoods were strongholds of the Hezbollah resistance movement.

Hezbollah has been the only armed forces which are defending the country against the Israeli military. Several attempts to break through the Hezbollah defenses in the South have been met with fierce resistance. 

Over the last six weeks, Hezbollah has resumed its firing of missiles into the northern occupied territories of Palestine. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government have imposed strict censorship over the actual damage being done to the apartheid state by Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps of Iran (IRGC). Hezbollah and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) had reached a ceasefire agreement through mediation by France in November 2024. 

Nonetheless, there had been hundreds of violations of the agreement on the part of the Israeli occupation forces. The Lebanese government has been unwilling to confront the Israelis and therefore participated in the talks at the State Department on April 14. 

Yet, Hezbollah has rejected the political direction of the Lebanese government.  Although Hezbollah is part of that government, it does not have control over the foreign policy of the state under the sectarian structures which characterizes Lebanon. 

In a report published by Al Mayadeen on April 15, it emphasized:

“The southern city of Bint Jbeil continues to demonstrate ‘rare resilience’ in the face of intense Israeli fire, as Resistance fighters remain steadfast on the battlefield, Lebanese Member of Parliament Hassan Fadlallah affirmed on Wednesday. Speaking during a press conference at the Lebanese Parliament, Fadlallah emphasized that the Resistance ‘does not recognize withdrawal’, noting that fighters continue to launch attacks against Israeli occupation forces from and around the city, while the Israeli military struggles to establish a foothold in frontline villages. He added that the Israeli occupation is seeking to manufacture a ‘false image of victory’ in Bint Jbeil to counter deeply rooted perception of its fragility, invoking the notion of the entity as a ‘spider’s web’. According to Fadlallah, Resistance drones and missile operations continue to inflict significant losses on Israeli forces.” (https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/hezbollah-mp--resistance-rejects-us-backed-political-course)

This fierce resistance has mirrored the developments in Iran. Hezbollah and the Islamic Republic of Iran have maintained close relations for decades.

Since February 28, the level of resistance and retaliation against Washington and Tel Aviv has been astonishing to the international community. The Trump administration has announced on numerous occasions from the beginning of the attacks on Tehran which killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei and other high-ranking officials, that the war had been won already by the U.S. and Israel.

Yet, thousands of troops have been deployed to the Persian Gulf. The White House has upheld the illegal bombing of Lebanon and the blatant violation of the ceasefire of November 2024.

Iran Threatens to Retaliate for U.S. Attempted Blockade of Its Ports

A high-level delegation from Pakistan visited the Islamic Republic of Iran on April 15 bringing a message from the Trump administration related to their terms for another round of talks in Islamabad. The potential for additional talks would involve technical issues involving the situation near the Strait of Hormuz which Iran is controlling.

The Trump administration announced on April 13 that it was imposing its own blockade over the Strait of Hormuz to pressure Iran to accept its ever changing views on the war and its purpose. Although Trump has claimed that Washington is controlling entry and exit from the Strait, tracking data indicate that some vessels are able to pass through the waterway. 

An article published by Press TV on April 15 said of the current situation in the region that:

“Iran's top military commander, Major General Ali Abdollahi, has issued a stern warning to the United States, stating that any attempt to block maritime trade in the Persian Gulf or Sea of Oman would be met with decisive action. In remarks made on Wednesday, General Abdollahi, the commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, emphasized that if the US continues its illegal maritime blockade and creates insecurity for Iranian commercial vessels and oil tankers, it would be a violation of the ceasefire agreement. He added that Iran's military forces would not allow any exports or imports to take place in the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, or the Red Sea.” (https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2026/04/15/766923/Iran-s-top-general-warns-US-over-illegal-naval-blockage-in-Persian-Gulf-)

These comments reveal the potential for even more economic distress on a world scale. Since the beginning of the Israel-US attacks on Iran, fuel prices have skyrocketed. The price of fuel and the increasing scarcity of availability of petroleum and natural gas portend much for the well-being of the peoples of the industrialized capitalist states as well as the Global South.

Iran through its True Promise 4 military campaign launched thousands of drones and missiles at the apartheid state occupying Palestine. In addition, the Persian Gulf Arab Monarchies who allow their territories to serve as bases for Pentagon military forces were hit with thousands more drones and missiles causing tremendous physical and economic damages. 

As a direct result of the US-Israeli initiated war on Iran and Lebanon, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is suggesting that a world recession could take place within a few months. These remarks are not taking into consideration the already devastating impact of the Trump tariffs policy which has caused confusion and the closure of small and medium sized enterprises. 

In countries such as Kenya, Egypt, Malawi, Somalia, the Philippines, and many other geopolitical regions throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America, the problems associated with the war are causing shortages of fuel, natural gas, fertilizer and many other essential goods. Even within the industrialized capitalist states of Europe and North America, the actual prices for goods and services particularly related to food, housing and energy are rising at an alarming rate. 

The above-mentioned Iranian General was quoted as saying: 

"Should the aggressive and terrorist United States continue its illegal action of naval blockade in the region and creates insecurity for Iranian commercial ships and oil tankers, this action by the US will be the precursor to violating the ceasefire, and the powerful Iranian armed forces will not allow any exports or imports to continue in the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and the Red Sea. Iran will take strong measures to defend its national sovereignty and interests.” 

Therefore, the White House has set the stage for an even worse economic crisis internationally. This unfolding quagmire will be met with more militant resistance against the fascism of the Trump administration and the expanding war machine of the Pentagon.

Palestinians Still Being Dislocated and Killed

Since the beginning of the Israeli-US war against Iran, the events inside Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem have been overshadowed in the western corporate media. Nonetheless, the publications coming out of the region which support the resistance have reported extensively on events in Gaza.

In the West Bank more illegal settlements are being approved by the Zionist state. This further encroachment against the Palestinian people is being carried out through violence perpetrated by settler gangs and the security forces.

Several targeted assassinations of journalists have taken place in Gaza and Lebanon. The overall number of journalists killed in Gaza is estimated to be more than 200 since October 2023.

The Committee to Protect Journalists pointed out on April 8:

“Israel carried out deadly strikes in both Gaza and Lebanon on Wednesday, killing journalists Mohammed Samir Washah, Ghada Dayekh, and Suzan Khalil in a sharp escalation of attacks on the press. Washah, a correspondent for Qatari-based Al Jazeera Mubasher, was killed when his car was targeted by an Israeli drone attack in Gaza City. In Lebanon, separate Israeli strikes killed Dayekh, a presenter with Sawt Al-Farah, and Khalil, a reporter and presenter on Al-Manar TV and Al-Nour Radio. These killings come amid intensified Israeli bombardment across Lebanon, hours after a ceasefire between Iran, Israel, and the United States, including more than 100 strikes launched within minutes despite ceasefire announcements.” (https://cpj.org/2026/04/israel-kills-3-journalists-in-gaza-and-lebanon-in-one-day-cpj-calls-for-international-action/)

These developments in Palestine, Lebanon, Iran and the entire Persian Gulf are interconnected. Until the U.S. withdraws its military presence and support for the settler-colonial state there can be no peace in West Asia. 

US Commits Maritime Piracy, Attacks Iranian Commercial Ship in Violation of Ceasefire

Sunday, 19 April 2026 10:49 PM

This still image from a video shows the US Navy carrying out a flagrant act of aggression on an Iranian merchant vessel in the waters of the Sea of Oman on Sunday.

The United States has carried out a flagrant act of aggression on an Iranian merchant vessel in the waters of the Sea of Oman, deploying its terrorist marines onto the ship’s deck and disabling its navigation systems.

The spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters on Sunday night condemned the criminal operation by the US Navy.

“The aggressor United States violated the ceasefire and committed maritime piracy by firing at an Iranian merchant ship in the waters of the Sea of Oman and landing a number of its terrorist marines on the deck of the vessel, disabling its navigation system,” Lieutenant-Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaghari said.

“We warn that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will soon respond to this armed piracy and retaliation by the US army,” he added.

US troops launched the unprovoked attack on the Iranian container ship Toska, which was peacefully sailing from China to Iran through the Gulf of Oman.

In immediate response, Iranian forces struck back, targeting several American military vessels in the area with drone attacks.

US President Donald Trump boasted that American forces had seized the Iranian ship, calling the US military the “largest military force in the world,” which has now been exposed once again as the chief pirate in international waters.

Iran had already stated that it would retaliate decisively against any hostile action by the United States.

At the same time as Washington announced its illegal naval blockade against Iran, the Islamic Republic has fully closed the Strait of Hormuz. Any ship or tanker attempting to pass through the strategic waterway without Iranian permission will be dealt with firmly by Iranian forces.

The latest criminal act by the US regime once again proves that Washington remains the primary source of terrorism and instability across West Asia.

Iran is fully prepared to defend its sovereignty and national interests and said it will not hesitate to deliver a crushing response to any act of aggression or maritime piracy.

Iranian armed forces have intercepted two oil tankers attempting to navigate through the Strait of Hormuz, forcing them to alter their routes and retreat from the region

On Friday, Iran had declared the Strait was open to commercial shipping, weeks after it was shut down to vessels associated with the US and its allies following the launch of an unprovoked war of aggression against the Islamic Republic on February 28.

On April 7 and following 40 days of intense fighting that engulfed the entire region, Trump announced a two-week ceasefire after accepting Iran's ten-point proposal as a basis for negotiations to permanently end the war.

He nonetheless authorized the continuation of a naval blockade he had ordered against the Islamic Republic, in addition to making numerous controversial statements regarding the waterway—all of which have been categorically refuted by Iranian authorities.

During the marathon talks in Islamabad earlier this month, the issue of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz dominated discussions, according to sources, with Iran making it emphatically clear that the waterway will be opened fully once all its conditions to end the war are accepted.

‘Myth of US Stealth Fighters Over’: Iranian Hunter of US F-35 Jet Declares

Sunday, 19 April 2026 11:10 AM

The senior Iranian officer, who downed an intruding American F-35 fighter jet, says the myth of warplanes that are designed to evade radar detection is over.

Speaking on Sunday, the officer described as “truly indescribable” the excitement of his colleagues when they hit the F-35.

“We completely destroyed a Lockheed Martin technology,” he added. “The myth of stealth fighters is over.”

He also noted that his colleagues are present on the battlefield round-the-clock, hunting down enemy targets.

Iran’s modern air defense systems can easily strike hostile flying objects, cruise missiles, and small aircraft in most cases.

The illegal US-Israeli aggression on Iran began on February  28 with airstrikes that assassinated senior Iranian officials and commanders.

Iran downed 170 US and Israeli drones during war: commander

Brigadier General Amir Alireza Elhami says the Iranian air defense forces successfully intercepted 170 enemy drones during the US-Israeli aggression against the country.

The Iranian armed forces unleashed 100 waves of successful retaliatory strikes against sensitive and strategic American and Israeli targets throughout the region.

They managed to intercept and shoot down several hostile fighter jets, missiles and drones, reflecting Iran's readiness to defend its airspace.

Some 170 enemy drones were destroyed by the country’s integrated air defense network.

On April 8, forty days into the war, a Pakistan-brokered two-week ceasefire went into effect, but Washington-Tehran negotiations failed to reach a deal.