New Lethal Ebola Outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo 'Deeply Concerning' for WHO

Peter Kenny/Supplied

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a press conference in Geneva on April 29, 2026.

19 May 2026

allAfrica.com

By Peter Kenny

Geneva – The World Health Organization (WHO) head said Tuesday that the situation is "deeply concerning" in the Democratic Republic of Congo due to a new species of Ebola for which there is no licensed vaccine or treatment, and that is believed to have killed 131 people.

At the World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the World Health Organisation in Geneva, the director general of the global health body, addressed delegates on the outbreak.

"Early on Sunday, I declared a public health emergency of international concern over an epidemic of Ebola disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus,

"This is the first time a Director-General has declared a PHEIC before convening an Emergency Committee. I did not do this lightly."

EBOLA ALSO IN UGANDA

Tedros said that Uganda has also informed WHO of two confirmed cases in the capital Kampala, including one death, among two individuals who travelled from DRC.

"An American national has also been confirmed positive, and been transferred to Germany, as reported by the U.S. We're working with the DRC, Uganda and the United States," said Tedros.

The United States formally completed its withdrawal from the WHO on Jan. 22,

It was fulfilling an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Inauguration Day, and the split ended U.S. membership and severed the country's financial and operational ties to the global health body.

Dr Anne Ancia, WHO DRC representative, spoke at a UN press conference in Geneva by phone from Bunia in Ituri, noting that there had been some 130 suspected deaths reported since the government in Kinshasa declared the current Ebola outbreak.

"It is occurring in a highly complex epidemiological, operational and humanitarian context—marked by insecurity, population displacement, and both densely populated and remote areas," said Ancia.

UNCERTAINTY ON INFECTIONS

Dr. Ancia said there is significant uncertainty about the number of infections and how far the virus has spread.

"So far, 30 cases have been confirmed in the DRC. The outbreak now affects ten health zones in Ituri province, and has reached North Kivu, with confirmed cases in Butembo and Goma. Uganda has confirmed two imported cases. "

WHO said that the Ebola outbreak in eastern DRC raises concerns for displaced people and humanitarian operations

It is occurring in a highly complex epidemiological, operational and humanitarian context—marked by insecurity, population displacement, and both densely populated and remote areas, said the WHO.

WHO said that the outbreak also raises serious concerns for refugees living in the affected provinces.

In Ituri, around 11,000 South Sudanese refugees require preventive assistance.

It said that in Goma, more than 2,000 urban Rwandan and Burundian refugees need support for prevention measures, including soap and hand-sanitizer.

More than 28,600 people were infected by Ebola during the 2014-2016 outbreak in West Africa, the largest outbreak of the virus since its discovery in 1976.

The disease spread to countries within and outside West Africa, including Guinea, Sierra Leone, the United States, the United Kingdom and Italy, resulting in the deaths of 11,325 people.

Uganda Bans Handshakes As Ebola Response Measures Tighten

19 May 2026

Nile Post (Kampala)

By Henry Mugenyi

The Ministry of Health has announced a temporary ban on handshakes and other forms of physical greeting following the confirmation of two Ebola cases from the Democratic Republic of the Congo that crossed into Uganda.

According to Permanent Secretary Diana Atwine, the measure is intended to reduce physical contact and curb further transmission of the highly infectious virus.

One of the confirmed patients, a Congolese national, died at Kibuli Muslim Hospital, while another patient is currently receiving treatment at an isolation centre at Mulago National Referral Hospital.

The ministry said surveillance and response teams have already been deployed to trace contacts and monitor possible exposure points as authorities work to contain the outbreak.

Health officials are urging the public to avoid handshakes, hugs and unnecessary physical contact, noting that Ebola spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids.

Dr Atwine assured the country that the situation remains under control, emphasizing that Uganda's health system is experienced in handling Ebola emergencies.

The ministry has also advised the public to maintain strict hygiene measures, including frequent handwashing with soap, use of alcohol-based sanitizers and immediate reporting of suspected symptoms such as fever, vomiting, bleeding and severe body weakness.

Authorities have called for calm, stressing that rapid response teams are actively conducting contact tracing and strengthening surveillance at hospitals, border points and public spaces.

Uganda has previously contained several Ebola outbreaks successfully, with health experts citing improved emergency response systems and stronger disease surveillance mechanisms established over the years.

Read the original article on Nile Post.

U.S. Plans Major Expansion of Boer Refugee Admissions Amid Political Debate

By Agencies

The United States is set to significantly increase its refugee intake of white South Africans, in a move that has sparked international debate and diplomatic sensitivity.

According to U.S. media reports, the Trump administration plans to raise the annual cap for Afrikaner refugees from around 7,500 to approximately 17,500. The expansion is part of what officials describe as an emergency resettlement effort, building on an existing programme that has already admitted South Africans under claims of insecurity and discrimination.

The policy shift comes as Washington signals a broader reassessment of refugee priorities, with officials reportedly preparing to process tens of thousands of applications over the coming fiscal year.

Supporters of the plan argue it responds to concerns raised by some Afrikaner communities, particularly farmers who say they face targeted violence. However, critics say the move is politically charged and departs from traditional refugee criteria, which typically focus on conflict displacement rather than ethnicity.

The South African government has consistently rejected allegations of systemic persecution, stating that violence in the country affects all communities and is primarily linked to wider crime dynamics rather than racial targeting.

The proposed expansion is expected to further strain relations between Washington and Pretoria, while intensifying global debate over the definition and application of refugee protection.

Uganda Quarantines Over 100 People as WHO Raises Alarm Over Ebola Spread

Ugandan authorities say more than 100 people have been placed under quarantine as health officials work to contain a rare Ebola outbreak linked to the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.

The individuals are being monitored at an undisclosed location while medical teams check for signs and symptoms of infection. Officials insist the situation remains under control and say Uganda’s experience handling previous outbreaks has strengthened its response capacity.

Alan Kasujja, Executive Director of the Uganda Media Center and Ebola Task Force Communications Focal Person, said the country is relying on experienced health workers to manage the situation.

“All you need to know at this point is that over 100 people have been identified and they are being quarantined, and they are being treated by very experienced medical people,” Kasujja said. He added that Uganda had previously managed Ebola, COVID-19, and HIV/AIDS outbreaks effectively and urged the public to remain cautious and follow health guidelines.

The development comes as the World Health Organization warns about the “scale and speed” of a worsening Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Officials in Congo say at least 131 people have died and more than 500 suspected cases have been reported, raising fears the virus could spread further across the region.

WHO Warns of ‘Scale and Speed’ of Deadly Ebola Outbreak in DR Congo

The World Health Organization is sounding the alarm over the “scale and speed” of a deadly Ebola outbreak sweeping eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Health officials say at least 131 people have died, with more than 500 suspected cases reported as the virus spreads through conflict-hit regions near the borders of Uganda and South Sudan.

The WHO has now declared the outbreak an international health emergency, warning the crisis could last for months. The outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a variant for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment.

Aid agencies say insecurity in eastern Congo is making the response even harder. Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege is urging the M23 rebel group to reopen Goma airport to allow medical aid and emergency teams to reach affected communities faster.

Uganda has already confirmed cases linked to the outbreak, while the United States has begun screening air passengers arriving from affected areas.

Ebola, first identified in 1976, spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids and can cause severe bleeding and organ failure. Authorities in Congo are urging residents to stay calm, follow health guidance, and report symptoms immediately as fears grow that the outbreak could spread further across the region.

San Diego Mosque Shooters Met Online and Left Writings Expressing Hate, FBI Says

By JULIE WATSON, EUGENE JOHNSON and MICHAEL BIESECKER

4:02 PM EDT, May 19, 2026

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The teenagers who killed three people at a San Diego mosque met online and shared a “broad hatred” toward different religions and races, authorities said Tuesday.

Mark Remily of the FBI said during a news conference that authorities have uncovered writings by the suspects. Authorities declined to specify what ideologies or views were expressed by the shooters.

Authorities have also recovered 30 firearms and a crossbow from two residences searched in connection to the investigation.

Remily said authorities are still trying to uncover whether the shooters had broader plans.

Hours before Monday’s attack police were racing to find the two teenagers who would ultimately be deemed responsible.

The search began after the mother of one teen reported that her son was suicidal and had run away, according to Police Chief Scott Wahl, who said weapons and her vehicle were missing from the family’s home. Two hours after her call, the shooting started at the Islamic Center of San Diego, which also houses a school.

The suspects, ages 17 and 18, were found nearby in a vehicle after killing themselves.

The shooting was the latest in a string of attacks on houses of worship and comes amid rising threats and hate crimes targeting the Muslim and Jewish communities since the beginning of war in the Middle East, forcing increases in security.

Authorities search suspect’s home

Authorities have not yet publicly identified the teens Tuesday morning, but after the shooting investigators were seen searching the San Diego home of Cain Clark, a high school senior. Clark’s parents, who are listed in public records as living at the home, did not respond to messages seeking comment, nor did other family members.

James Canning, a spokesman for San Diego Unified School District, said school police were cooperating with San Diego authorities investigating the mosque attack. Clark had been attending school online since 2021 and was on track to graduate next month, he said.

While he did not attend school in person, he did participate in 2024 as a member of the wrestling team at Madison High School in San Diego. Canning said Clark had no record of disciplinary issues in high school.

Neighbors Marne and Ted Celaya said they last saw Clark a few hours before the shooting and that he waved as he got into a car alone and drove away. They described the Clark family as good neighbors of more than 20 years and remembered when Cain was born, watching him and his older brother grow up.

“It’s unbelievable,” Marne Celaya said of the shooting. “He’s helped me bring in my groceries.”

‘Hate rhetoric’ played a role

Authorities executed search warrants as they piece together how and why the attack happened. There was no specific threat against the Islamic center, which is the largest mosque in San Diego, but authorities found that the suspects engaged in “generalized hate rhetoric,” Wahl said.

Muslim American organizations were quick to point out that anti-Muslim rhetoric has been on the rise across the U.S. “Words have consequences,” said Mohamed Gula, interim CEO of advocacy group Emgage Action.

The victims included a security guard

Among those killed was a security guard who authorities said stopped the attack from moving beyond the mosque’s front section.

Imam Taha Hassane identified the victims as Abdullah, Mansour Kaziha and Nader Awad.

Kaziha, known as Abu Ezz, “was everything” to the Islamic Center, Hassane said.

“He was the handyman. He was the cook. He was the caretaker,” Hassane said

Wahl spoke about how the three men helped distract the gunman, preventing a larger tragedy.

Abdullah had worked at the mosque for more than a decade.

“He wanted to defend the innocent so he decided to become a security guard,” said Shaykh Uthman Ibn Farooq, who spoke with Abdullah’s son.

In a Facebook post, the mosque said those who died were “men of courage, sacrifice, and faith,” the center wrote. “Their absence leaves a void that can never truly be filled.”

Search began two hours before attack

Just before the attack, the search for the missing teen intensified Monday morning as law enforcement gathered more details. Police found he had dressed in camouflage — raising their alarms — and was with a friend. Officers used automated license plate readers to track the car to a mall and went there.

The police chief said that while other officers were talking with the suspect’s mother who had called police, the first reports of the shooting came from blocks away at the mosque, which sits in a neighborhood with Middle Eastern restaurants and markets. The center includes the Al Rashid School, which offers courses in Arabic language, Islamic studies and the Quran for students ages 5 and up, according to its website.

TV footage showed more than a dozen children holding hands and being walked out of the center’s parking lot as it was surrounded by police vehicles.

As officers searched the mosque for the shooters, there were reports of people in a fleeing vehicle shooting at a landscaper who was not seriously hurt, Wahl said. Police then found the suspects dead.

Daniel McDonald said he was inside his house when he heard gunshots. He went outside to find the streets shut down, shattered glass on the pavement and a gardener who was shaken up. He said he saw police trying to revive one of the suspects.

___

Johnson reported from Seattle and Biesecker from Washington. Jaimie Ding and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles, Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City, Javier Arciga and Gregory Bull in San Diego, John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.

5 Dead in Shooting at Islamic center in San Diego, Others Injured

By Salvador Hernandez and Suhauna Hussain

May 18, 2026 Updated 1:18 PM PT

Two people were killed, including an armed security guard, after two shooters entered Islamic Center in San Diego Monday and opened fire, the chairman of the center told The Times.

Police swarmed the Islamic center in San Diego Monday morning after receiving reports of an active shooter and significant injuries. By 1 p.m. police said in a social media post that the threat had been “neutralized.”

The shooting occurred while a K through 12 school, which operates at the center and mosque, was in session. No children were injured in the incident, said Ahmed Shabaik, chairman for the Islamic Center in San Diego in a brief interview.

But Shabaik said officials learned two people have been killed at the center, including an armed security guard that confronted two shooters at the center. A third person who was at the mosque remains unaccounted for, he said.

“Unfortunately there are some casualties,” Shabaik said.

A spokesperson for San Diego Police did not confirm the number or extent of injuries. Police urged people to avoid the area near the mosque in the Clairemont district. Scores of officers were on the scene, according to TV footage.

Multiple people were cleared from the mosque, but police officials said they were still trying to get a handle on what occurred.

“Right now we’re still trying to find out what happened,” said Colin Steinbroner, spokesperson for the San Diego Police Department.

Tazheen Nizam, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in San Diego said children and teachers with the school were removed by police and taken to a nearby church.

Steinbroner said police were inside the Islamic Center of San Diego. Officers have also established a reunification location at 4125 Hathaway Street.

Units from San Diego Police and neighboring law enforcement agencies were responding to the area, Steinbroner said, after receiving reports of an active shooter.

“I am aware of the active shooter situation at the Islamic Center of San Diego in Clairemont and am continuing to receive updates from law enforcement. Emergency personnel are on scene and actively working to protect the community and secure the area,” San Diego mayor Todd Gloria said on X.

Officials initially urged people in the area to shelter in place near the mosque at 7050 Eckstrom Avenue.

At Least One Person Killed in Shooting at Islamic Center of San Diego

Police rushed to ‘neutralize’ the shooter and chairman of center confirmed security guard had been fatally shot

Maya Yang and Maanvi Singh

Mon 18 May 2026 16.53 EDT

At least one person, a security guard, was killed in a shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego.

Police rushed to the center on Monday and “neutralized” the shooter, according to authorities. Authorities had not yet confirmed any fatalities or injuries, but chairman of the mosque that was targeted confirmed to outlets that a guard had been killed.

A spokesperson for a local hospital, Sharp Memorial, also said that victims were being treated there.

In a statement shortly after 1pm PT on Monday, San Diego police said: “The threat at the Islamic center has been neutralized.”

Todd Gloria, the San Diego mayor, urged people to avoid the area. And the office of Gavin Newsom, California’s governor, said he had been briefed on the situation and Governor’s Office of Emergency Services was coordinating with local law enforcement.

“I am aware of the active shooter situation at the Islamic Center of San Diego in Clairemont and am continuing to receive updates from law enforcement,” Gloria said in a statement on social media. “Emergency personnel are on scene and actively working to protect the community and secure the area.”

The incident appears to have occurred approximately an hour before midday prayer, which according to ICSD’s website, is set at 1.15pm PT. The center also has a

Gavin Newsom, the California governor, was also briefed, with a spokesperson saying the governor’s office for emergency services was coordinating with local law enforcement.

“We are grateful to the first responders on the scene working to protect the community and urge everyone to follow guidance from local authorities,” Newsom’s office said.

The ICSD is the largest mosque in San Diego county.

Meanwhile, the New York police department announced that it was also aware of the shooting, saying: “While there is currently no known nexus to NYC or specific threats to NYC houses of worship, out of an abundance of caution, the NYPD is increasing deployments to mosques across the city.”

Associated Press contributed reporting

'Maybe Around 30 Shots' | Man Describes What He Heard Near Islamic Center of San Diego

Police reported an active shooter in the area Monday afternoon.

Author: TEGNA

1:33 PM PDT May 18, 2026

SAN DIEGO — A man said he was having lunch near the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday afternoon when he heard what sounded like gunshots ring out.

"I heard at least a dozen shots, and they sounded like (they came) from semi-automatic weapons," said the man, a retired resident named Andre. "There was a pause and then another dozen shots and again a pause and then another dozen shots, so maybe around 30 shots."

Andre said he called 911 and they asked him if he had seen a car speeding away from the mosque.

Several minutes later, he said he heard police sirens and a helicopter.

The public in the surrounding neighborhoods was advised to shelter in place in their homes and to avoid the area. Some schools in the area were temporarily placed on lockdown, according to parents.  

Just after 1 p.m., San Diego Police said the "threat at the Islamic Center has been neutralized."

The Islamic Center of San Diego describes itself as the largest mosque in San Diego County on its website. The center has roughly 5,000 members as part of its congregation and works with other mosques in the greater San Diego region. 

"The mosque has been expanding with time," Andre said. "It's very busy on Fridays for the prayers, and during Ramadan it gets very congested here. It's a good thing that it didn't happen on a Friday, because all the streets would be full of people and it would have been much more difficult than it is today."

CBS8 later confirmed that at least one person had died. Stay with us for updates on this story.

A reunification center was set up for parents at the San Diego Clairemont Seventh-day Adventist Church, located at 4125 Hathaway Street.

Police Say Threat ‘Neutralised’ After San Diego Islamic Centre Shooting

Authorities say they are deploying ‘significant resources’ to the scene of the incident at Islamic Center of San Diego.

A police officer stands guard as emergency workers respond at the scene of a reported active shooter situation at the Islamic Center in San Diego

18 May 2026

Authorities in California have said they “neutralised” the threat after an “active shooter” incident a complex that includes a mosque and an Islamic school in San Diego.

Taha Hassane, the imam at the Islamic Center of San Diego (ICSD), said after the incident on Monday that the children are safe, urging people to stay away from the scene.

Trump calls journalist’s Iran reporting ‘treasonous’

“We are safe,” Hassane said in a recorded message on social media. “We have a few casualties, not confirmed yet. There is no threat at this moment.”

There have been no official reports of casualties, but the Associated Press news agency cited officer Anthony Carrasco as saying that he believes people have been shot.

The San Diego Police Separtment said later said the threat had been “neutralised” without providing further details. “We have significant resources on scene at this time,” the department said.

Aerial television footage shows a heavy police presence outside the mosque.

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria praised law enforcement officers, saying that they “responded quickly to protect lives and secure the area”.

The identity and motives of the shooter remain unclear.

The office of California Governor Gavin Newsom said he is following the situation and coordinating with local law enforcement agencies. “We are grateful to the first responders on the scene working to protect the community and urge everyone to follow guidance from local authorities,” the office said in a statement.

The ICSD is located in a residential area in the Clairemont neighbourhood of San Diego, north of the city’s downtown.

Police said they set up a reunification point for people in the area. The mosque posted on social media that children can be picked up from a nearby church.

After the shooting, the New York Police Department said it is boosting protection for mosques in the city.

“While there is currently no known nexus to NYC or specific threats to NYC houses of worship, out of an abundance of caution, the NYPD is increasing deployments to mosques across the city,” the agency said.

Abayomi Azikiwe, PANW Editor, Featured with Youri Smouter on 1+1 Discussing the History and Contemporary Affairs of the Kingdom of Lesotho

Watch this interview with Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire, discussing the history and contemporary affairs of the Kingdom of Lesotho in Southern Africa. 

To watch this episode just click on the following link: 1+1 E388 Youri speaks to Abayomi Azikiwe of Pan-African Newswire on Lesotho's history Part 1 of 2

This is part of a series hosted by Youri Smouter of 1+1. 

This program reviews the history of the Kingdom of Basutoland and its evolution over many centuries. 

We look back on the rise of settler colonialism, the anti-colonial struggle and the impact of Lesotho on the overall liberation of the Southern Africa region.

Nigeria: Lassa Fever Deaths Rise to 191 As Late Treatment Worsens Outbreak - NCDC

Lassa virus.

14 May 2026

Premium Times (Abuja)

By Fortune Eromonsele

The figure is significantly higher than the 19.2 per cent recorded during the same period in 2025

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has raised concerns over rising deaths from Lassa fever, warning that delayed treatment and poor health-seeking behaviour are contributing to a worsening fatality rate across the country.

In its latest Lassa Fever Situation Report for Epidemiological Week 18, covering 27 April to 3 May 2026, the agency said 191 deaths have been recorded so far this year, with the case fatality rate rising to 24.6 per cent.

The figure is significantly higher than the 19.2 per cent recorded during the same period in 2025.

The report also showed that confirmed infections increased from nine cases recorded in Week 17 to 22 cases in Week 18, with the latest infections reported in Ondo, Edo and Plateau states.

High burden states

According to the NCDC, at least 23 states and 106 local government areas have recorded confirmed Lassa fever cases in 2026.

The agency noted that 84 per cent of all confirmed infections were concentrated in Bauchi, Ondo, Taraba, Benue and Edo states, making them the country's major hotspots.

It added that young adults aged 21 to 30 years remain the most affected demographic.

The report further disclosed that one additional healthcare worker contracted the disease during the reporting week, highlighting persistent risks among frontline health personnel.

Delayed care

The NCDC identified late presentation of cases at health facilities as one of the major factors driving the increase in fatalities.

It also linked the worsening outbreak to poor awareness in high-burden communities, weak environmental sanitation, and the high cost of treatment and clinical management.

The agency warned that these factors continue to hinder early diagnosis and timely medical intervention.

Emergency response intensified

In response, the NCDC said it has expanded surveillance, healthcare worker protection and community engagement activities in affected states.

The agency said it trained 62 infection prevention and control focal persons across Lassa fever ring facilities in Ebonyi and Ondo states, with support from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Incident Management Systems were also activated in Oyo, Benue, Plateau, Kebbi, Kano, and Gombe states to strengthen emergency coordination and outbreak response.

In Ondo and Edo states, the agency conducted risk communication and sensitisation campaigns involving traditional and religious leaders, farmers and market women.

The NCDC also announced the development of a 30-day healthcare worker protection plan, supported by WHO and the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC), aimed at reducing infections among frontline medical workers.

Other interventions included contact tracing, deployment of National Rapid Response Teams to seven high-burden states, distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE), laboratory testing, and integrated case management training in Taraba State.

The agency added that treatment of confirmed cases is ongoing at designated treatment centres nationwide.

Call for stronger prevention

The NCDC urged state governments to intensify year-round community engagement and awareness campaigns on Lassa fever prevention.

The health body also advised healthcare workers to maintain a high index of suspicion for the disease, ensure prompt referrals and strictly comply with infection prevention and control protocols.

The agency further called on partners and state authorities to strengthen preparedness and response systems to improve early detection and reduce fatalities associated with the disease.

Lassa fever

Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness caused by the Lassa virus, which is transmitted to humans primarily through contact with food or household items contaminated by the urine or faeces of infected rats.

It can also spread from person to person through contact with bodily fluids.

The disease often begins with fever, weakness, and headache, and may progress to more severe symptoms such as bleeding, difficulty breathing, swelling, and organ failure.

Early diagnosis and prompt treatment with Ribavirin are critical for improving survival.

Read the original article on Premium Times.

Kagame Criticises Use of Sanctions, Urges Africa Cooperation

Africa CEO Forum 2026

14 May 2026

The New Times (Kigali)

By Alice Umutesi

President Paul Kagame has criticised the use of sanctions in global politics, saying they are applied unfairly and used as tools of pressure on weaker nations.

He said this at the opening of the 2026 Africa CEO Forum in Kigali, which brought together about 2,800 participants from more than 70 countries, including heads of state and government, business leaders, and investors.

Other presidents in attendance include William Ruto of Kenya, Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani of Mauritania, Daniel Chapo of Mozambique, Mamadi Doumbouya of Guinea, and Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema of Gabon.

At the opening panel, CNN Anchor and Correspondent Eleni Giokos asked how African leaders are responding to rising geopolitical tensions, including contested mineral deals, accusations of coercive or "bullying" tactics by Western powers, and the increasing use of sanctions, including those affecting Rwanda.

"Sanctions,... first of all, are they justified? It is not just in this case of Rwanda, but in other cases. Sometimes sanctions are just applied in a case of the one who provides less than the other," Kagame said.

He argued that such measures are often influenced by power dynamics rather than fairness.

"It goes in the favor of the highest bidder. When somebody knows they will extract more from a certain place, they will be more favorable to that place, even if they are the ones in the wrong."

Kagame described sanctions as part of a broader system that puts Africa under pressure.

"Sanctions or different measures are meant to hurt people. So, in a way we are hurt. But I think it would hurt more by not doing what we are doing," Kagame said.

He stressed that African countries cooperate, resist external pressure, and raise the continent to the level where it should be.

Read the original article on New Times.

Africa CDC Calls Urgent Regional Coordination Meeting Following Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak in Ituri Province, DR Congo

WHO Africa

The Democratic Republic of the Congo declares an Ebola virus disease outbreak.

15 May 2026

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Addis Ababa)

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia / Kinshasa, DRC — The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is closely monitoring the confirmed Ebola Virus Disease outbreak in Ituri province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and is working with national authorities and partners to support a rapid, coordinated response.

Following consultations with the DRC's Ministry of Health and National Public Health Institute, preliminary laboratory results from the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB) have detected Ebola virus in 13 of 20 samples tested. The results suggest a non-Zaire ebolavirus, with sequencing ongoing to further characterise the strain. Results are expected within the next 24 hours with support from Africa CDC.

As of the latest update, about 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths have been reported, mainly in Mongwalu and Rwampara health zones. Four deaths have been reported among laboratory-confirmed cases. Suspected cases have also been reported in Bunia, pending confirmation.

Africa CDC is concerned about the risk of further spread due to the urban context of Bunia and Rwampara, intense population movement, mining-related mobility in Mongwalu, insecurity in affected areas, gaps in contact listing, infection prevention and control challenges, and the proximity of affected areas to Uganda and South Sudan.

In response, Africa CDC is convening an urgent high-level coordination meeting today, 15 May 2026, with health authorities from the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan, together with key partners including the World Health Organization, UNICEF, FAO, the United States CDC, the European CDC, China CDC, the Public Health Agency of Canada, Gilead Sciences, Merck & Co., Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Roche, Abbott Laboratories, Cepheid, BioNTech, Moderna, Evotec Biologics, CEPI, Gavi, Médecins Sans Frontières, IFRC, the World Bank, the African Development Bank, Afreximbank, the Gates Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, and other partners.

The meeting will focus on immediate response priorities, cross-border coordination, surveillance, laboratory support, infection prevention and control, risk communication, safe and dignified burials, and resource mobilisation.

"Africa CDC stands in solidarity with the Government and people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo as they respond to this outbreak," said H.E. Dr Jean Kaseya, Director General of Africa CDC. "Given the high population movement between affected areas and neighbouring countries, rapid regional coordination is essential. We are working with DRC, Uganda, South Sudan and partners to strengthen surveillance, preparedness and response, and to help contain the outbreak as quickly as possible."

Africa CDC is preparing support across key response pillars, including coordination through emergency operations mechanisms, digital surveillance and data management, cross-border preparedness, laboratory coordination, infection prevention and control, risk communication and community engagement. In addition, Africa CDC will work with partners to assess the availability and appropriateness of medical countermeasures once sequencing results confirm the exact ebolavirus species.

Africa CDC is urging communities in affected and at-risk areas to follow guidance from national health authorities, report symptoms promptly, avoid direct contact with suspected cases, and support response teams working to protect communities. Additional information will be provided as they become available and as sequencing results are finalised.

Read the original article on Africa CDC.

Why China Now Dominates Africa's Business Landscape - Dangote

ThisDay

Aliko Dangote

15 May 2026

Premium Times (Abuja)

By Abdulkareem Mojeed

Africa's richest man, Aliko Dangote, says China has become Africa's dominant business partner because Western countries often fail to provide the financing support needed for large-scale industrial projects, forcing African businesses and governments to lean heavily on Chinese firms.

Business mogul and African billionaire Aliko Dangote has said China currently dominates business across Africa because it is more willing than the United States and Europe to provide long-term financing and credit support for major industrial and infrastructure projects.

Mr Dangote made the remarks during an interview with Nicolai Tangen, chief executive officer of the Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund, where he gave a blunt assessment of the continent's business relationships with global powers.

Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn

Asked who is helping Africa most in business among China, the U.S., and Europe, Mr Dangote replied: "Honestly, Nicolas, you want me to be very open? Totally. Yeah, so it's China."

According to him, China has "really dominated business in Africa because of the absence of the others."

He said Chinese companies have succeeded by backing their businesses with strong state-supported financing structures that make it easier for African investors and governments to execute large projects.

Why China leads

Mr Dangote explained that Chinese suppliers often provide equipment on credit backed by export insurance institutions, allowing African businesses to spread payments over several years rather than paying upfront.

Using his cement business as an example, he said Chinese firms supply equipment and offer credit facilities backed by China's export credit insurance agency, enabling buyers to finance projects over four or five years.

He noted that the arrangement gives Chinese companies a significant advantage over European competitors.

"If I go to Italy, for example, and they are asking me to write a cheque for a power plant of $500 million... and the Chinese are saying just give me 20 per cent, the rest I will finance for five years, which one are you going to take?" he said.

"Obviously, you take the Chinese one," he added.

He said such financing structures help businesses preserve cash flow and expand faster rather than tying up capital in single projects.

"These ones will suck out my cash and I won't be able to do more," he said.

Expansion plans

Mr Dangote said access to financing is critical to the scale of growth his group is targeting, revealing that the company plans to spend about $45 billion between 2026 and 2030 on expansion projects.

"We want to do projects... we're spending $45 billion between 2026 and 2030," he said.

He added that large-scale industrial growth requires strategic leverage rather than overdependence on direct cash payments.

"For me to grow that big, I also need to leverage. I'm not going to over-leverage, but I need to leverage the business to be able to get to where I want to be," he said.

U.S. showing renewed interest

Despite praising China's role, Mr Dangote said the United States is beginning to show stronger interest in infrastructure financing in Africa.

He referenced recent engagement with the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), saying the agency has become more aggressive in supporting infrastructure and industrial investments.

"This time around when I went to the Development Finance Corporation of the U.S... they were very hungry for infrastructure. They are very hungry for projects, and they are ready to lend," he said.

According to him, that shift could create room for stronger U.S.-Africa business partnerships.

Mr Dangote also said he recently told a visiting Japanese delegation that Japan risked remaining absent from Africa's major investment opportunities unless it changed its approach.

He said foreign partners coming to Africa must arrive with financing capacity, not just proposals.

"What I told them is that Japan will be missing for a very long time," he said.

"Today when you are coming, make sure that you come with your own balance sheet on the table, because we have choices of buying from many other countries."

His remarks highlight the growing competition among global powers for influence in Africa's industrial and infrastructure sectors, where financing terms often matter more than technology alone.

Read the original article on Premium Times.

Russian Armed Forces Liberate Borovaya and Kutkovka in Kharkov Region

The Russian Defense Ministry also reported that Ukraine lost about 1,045 servicemen in the special military operation zone over the past day

© Dmitry Yagodkin/TASS

MOSCOW, May 16. /TASS/. Russian military personnel liberated two settlements in the Kharkov Region over the past day, namely Borovaya and Kutkovka, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

"Units of Battlegroup West, as a result of active operations, liberated the settlements of Borovaya and Kutkovka in the Kharkov Region," the Defense Ministry stated.

According to the ministry, Russian air defense forces shot down 12 guided aerial bombs and 353 Ukrainian military fixed-wing drones over the past day. "Air defense forces shot down 12 guided aerial bombs, two HIMARS multiple rocket launcher projectiles manufactured in the US, and 353 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles," the ministry stated.

The ministry also reported that Ukraine lost about 1,045 servicemen in the special military operation zone over the past day: Battlegroup North eliminated 180 servicemen, Battlegroup West eliminated more than 170, Battlegroup South eliminated up to 105, Battlegroup Center eliminated over 270, Battlegroup East eliminated over 255, Battlegroup Dnepr eliminated up to 65 soldiers.

In addition, the forces of the Black Sea Fleet have destroyed six unmanned surface vehicles of the Ukrainian military. "Forces of the Black Sea Fleet destroyed six Ukrainian unmanned surface vehicles in the northwestern part of the Black Sea," the department stated.

Moreover, "Russian armed forces groupings inflicted damage on energy, transport, airfield, and port infrastructure facilities used by Ukraine, drone assembly sites, as well as temporary deployment points of Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries," the ministry added.

Drone Attacks on Moscow Leave 12 People Injured — Mayor

Sergey Sobyanin added that three residential buildings had been damaged

© Sergey Malgavko/TASS

MOSCOW, May 17. /TASS/. According to preliminary reports, 12 people have suffered injuries in drone attacks on Moscow, the city’s Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said.

"According to preliminary reports, 12 people were injured in drone attacks. In particular, construction workers suffered injuries at the entrance of the Moscow Refinery. The facility’s operation has not been affected," he wrote on Max.

Sobyanin added that three residential buildings had been damaged.

According to him, over 120 drones flying towards Moscow were shot down in the past 24 hours.

Drone Attack on Moscow, Surrounding Region Kills Three People, Leaves 18 Injured

According to preliminary reports, three people were killed and another six suffered injuries in the Moscow Region

© Danil Kiselyov/ TASS, archive

MOSCOW, May 17. /TASS/. The Russian Defense Ministry’s air defenses repelled a massive Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow and the surrounding region last night.

According to preliminary reports, three people were killed and another six suffered injuries in the Moscow Region; over 12 people were reported injured in Moscow.

TASS has gathered the key information about the consequences.

Moscow

- Air defenses shot down over 120 drones heading for Moscow in the past 24 hours, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said. After midnight 81 drones were destroyed.

- Twelve people were injured in drone attacks.

- In particular, construction workers suffered injuries at the entrance to the Moscow Refinery.

- The facility’s operation was not affected.

- Three residential buildings were damaged.

- Response teams are working at the site.

Moscow region

- Two men were killed in the village of Pogorelki in Mytishchi, where drone debris hit a house under construction.

- Drone debris also damaged another house; there were no casualties.

- A drone hit a private house in Khimki, killing a woman and leaving another person trapped under the rubble.

- A drone damaged several apartments in a high-rise building in Putilkovo; there were no casualties.

- Four people suffered injuries in the town of Istra.

- Oksana Yerokhanova, head of the Sergiyev Posad urban district, reported that four private houses and three cars were damaged in the district.

- Drones damaged an apartment building in Dedovsk and six private houses in the Agrogorodok settlement.

- Falling drone debris caused a private house to catch fire in the Naro-Fominsk District; there were no casualties.

- In Lobnya, a woman was injured by shrapnel, Anna Krotova, head of the city district reported. Five apartment buildings were damaged as well as approximately 20 cars.

- Drones also attacked several infrastructure facilities in the Moscow Region; emergency personnel, police officers and administration officials are working at the sites.

Airport operations

- Overnight and this morning, the Federal Aviation agency announced restrictions on operations at Vnukovo, Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, and Zhukovsky airports. These restrictions were later lifted at Sheremetyevo and Zhukovsky. Vnukovo and Domodedovo airports are accepting and dispatching flights in coordination with the relevant authorities.

- According to the Russian Transport Ministry, 51 aircraft bound for Moscow were diverted to alternate airfields due to temporary restrictions.

- In addition, approximately 32 flights were reported to be delayed by more than two hours.

- Airport services are working in an enhanced mode to support passengers. The situation in the terminals is reportedly calm.

- The fall of debris of a drone has been detected at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport, according to a statement from the airport. It is at a safe distance from passenger and aircraft service areas. There are no injuries or damage. Aeroflot Airlines announced plans to resume regular flights from Sheremetyevo by 2:00 p.m. Moscow time, regardless of temporary restrictions in effect at airports in other regions.

-The Moscow Interregional Transport Prosecutor's Office told TASS that an investigation is underway into the restrictions at the Moscow-based airports.

Ukrainian Military Drone Found Crashed in Lithuania — Crisis Management Center

The drone fell near the village of Samane in Utena District Municipality in eastern Lithuania

© AP Photo/ Evgeny Maloletka, archive

VILNIUS, May 18. /TASS/. An attack unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that was found crashed in Lithuania on Sunday was probably launched from Ukraine, the Lithuanian government's National Crisis Management Centre said.

"According to primary data, judging from what we can see from the debris, that was likely a Ukrainian drone," the chief of the centre, Vilmantas Vitkauskas, told reporters.

The drone fell near the village of Samane in Utena District Municipality in eastern Lithuania. The drone crashed in a field, Vitkauskas specified. Special services are working at the scene. There were no signs that the drone had exploded upon crashing.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda warned last week that his country finds using its airspace by any warring sides to conduct joint military operations inadmissible, as he said stray drones must be downed.

No Signal from Kiev Regarding New Round of Talks, Senior Russian Diplomat Says

Mikhail Galuzin noted that for successful negotiations Vladimir Zelensky will need to order the Ukrainian armed forces to cease fire and pull troops from Donbass

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin Alexander Ryumin/TASS

MOSCOW, May 18. /TASS/. Moscow has not so far received any signals from Kiev regarding its readiness for another round of talks to resolve the Ukraine conflict, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told Izvestia.

"We have received no signals from Kiev regarding its willingness to make a meaningful progress in resolving the conflict," the senior Russian diplomat said.

Commenting on conditions "for successful negotiations," Galuzin argued that "[Vladimir] Zelensky will need to order the Ukrainian armed forces to cease fire and pull troops from Donbass, and Russian regions." "Then it will be possible to negotiate specific parameters of a truly comprehensive just and lasting peace," the diplomat maintained. "It will be a challenging negotiation process, but we are ready for it," he added.

Active work is currently being conducted to solve humanitarian tasks, including POW swaps, repatriation of civilians, and reuniting families, primarily children and their parents, Galuzin noted.

Protesters Block Major Sudan-Egypt Highway Over Power Cuts

17 May 2026

Protesters in Abri, Northern state, block Sudan-Egypt highway over power cuts on May 16, 2026

May 17, 2026 (WADI HALFA) – Protests flared on Sunday in the Abri area of Sudan’s Northern State as residents demonstrated against daily, hours-long power outages and deteriorating basic services.

Protesters blocked the main highway connecting Dongola and Wadi Halfa, a vital trade route that regulates transport links between Sudan and Egypt.

A local demonstrator told Sudan Tribune that dozens of youth staged the protest near Abri, an administrative division of Wadi Halfa located along the overland route to Egypt.

The blockade is part of escalating measures initiated by protesters in April, which initially involved temporary road closures to pressure authorities to end scheduled electricity cuts.

The source added that Sunday’s escalation directly responded to the persistent power cuts and targeted commercial trucking.

The protest was carried out peacefully, with demonstrators allowing passenger buses and private cars to pass while halting commercial freight trucks.

Protesters warned authorities against using excessive force to reopen the road to commercial traffic and demanded an end to what they described as unfair power rationing.

Sudan faces a widening electricity deficit, particularly during the peak summer season when temperatures climb to 44 degrees Celsius in northern, central, and eastern regions.

Egypt supplies several northern Sudanese cities with electricity under a multi-year agreement, which theoretically exempts the region from the rolling blackouts used by the Sudanese government to ration consumption and manage frequent network failures.

Drones are Making Sudan’s War Even Deadlier for Civilians

Smoke billows after drone strikes by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeted the northern port in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan, Sudan, May 6, 2025. (AP Photo, File)

By FATMA KHALED

12:59 AM EDT, May 16, 2026

CAIRO (AP) — Drone warfare has become the deadliest threat to civilians in Sudan ‘s conflict and both the military and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces are being supplied by a number of countries in the Middle East and beyond, experts say.

“Armed drones have now become by far and away the leading cause of civilian deaths,” or over 80% of conflict-related deaths, United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk said this week, calling for measures to prevent their transfer to Sudan. Drones killed at least 880 civilians between January and April.

The war in Sudan began in April 2023 and has killed at least 59,000 people, displaced some 13 million and pushed parts of the country into famine.

In recent weeks, the RSF has carried out drone attacks on Khartoum International Airport and other areas near the capital, which the army seized control of last year.

Analysts say foreign-supplied advanced drone technology enables the warring parties to expand strikes on densely populated areas, complicating peace efforts and raising fears of a broader proxy conflict.

Drones have targeted hospitals, dams, schools and markets

“On the battlefield, drones have emerged as a force multiplier, enabling ground offensives and weakening enemy defenses,” said Jalale Getachew Birru, East Africa senior analyst at the U.S.-based Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project.

Both the army and RSF use drones to secure contested territory, disrupt mobilization efforts and spread insecurity in areas controlled by rivals, he said.

At least 2,670 people, including combatants and civilians, were killed in 2025, marking a 600% increase in drone-related deaths and an 81% increase in drone attacks compared to the previous year, ACLED found.

Drone strikes by the warring parties have targeted civilian infrastructure including hospitals, dams, schools, markets and displacement camps.

Most of the civilian deaths in drone attacks have occurred in the Kordofan region in the central Sudan, according to Türk.

On May 8, drone strikes in South Kordofan and near the city of el-Obeid in North Kordofan reportedly killed 26 civilians. More than 70 people were killed in drone attacks on densely populated areas in Kordofan earlier this year, according to the Sudan Doctors Network.

On Tuesday, a Sudanese rights group, the Emergency Lawyers, said nine drone attacks on civilian vehicles had killed at least 36 people over the past 10 days across seven provinces.

The group blamed both the army and RSF and said some drones use visual monitoring technology capable of distinguishing targets, raising concerns that the attacks may not have been indiscriminate.

Drones played a role in deadly seizure of el-Fasher

The paramilitary RFS began only last year to use drones widely, said Gabriella Tejeda, research associate at The Soufan Center.

The army and RSF are competing to obtain new drone models, particularly from China, but the RSF is modifying drones and “increasingly competing to acquire newer, more sophisticated models, with the UAE likely supplying them,” Tejeda said. The United Arab Emirates has denied supplying drones to the RSF.

Nathaniel Raymond, executive director of the Humanitarian Research Lab at the Yale School of Public Health, said the RSF is backed by external technology, particularly from the UAE, with satellite imagery showing its use of Chinese-made CH-95 and FH-95 drones that are roughly the size of small aircraft.

In areas such as el-Fasher city in North Darfur, where at least 6,000 people were killed over three days last year, RSF drones shut down communications of civilians “crying for help” and target them where a signal is detected, Raymond said.

The RSF couldn’t have seized the city without these capabilities, he added.

“The sophistication of how they use drones in el-Fasher is unique because it’s the first time you’ve seen this layered, hunter-killer concept of operations to kill people, basically in a kill box or trapped inside a wall, in this case to prevent them from crying for help,” Raymond said of the city, where U.N. experts said the violence indicated “hallmarks of genocide.”

The army’s drones have hit civilian infrastructure

The army’s drone technology has been blamed for striking civilian infrastructure such as Al Daein Teaching Hospital in East Darfur, where at least 64 people were killed. The army officially denied responsibility. Two military officials at the time, however, said the intended target was a nearby police station.

Raymond said there has been an “alarming increase” in army drone strikes on protected infrastructure such as schools and markets in the past four to six months. The army has maintained that it doesn’t target civilian infrastructure.

Last month, ACLED said the army’s drone technology is supplied by Turkey, Russia, Iran and Egypt, while the RSF is supplied via networks linked to the UAE through regional transit points including Ethiopia, Chad and Libya.

Earlier this month, the Sudanese government accused neighboring Ethiopia of being behind recent drone attacks on sites including the Khartoum airport. It accused the UAE of supplying the drones. Both countries denied the allegations.

″Ethiopia is a central partner to the UAE, so the allegations are not unfounded and reflects an attempt by the UAE to try to influence the outcome of the war,” Tejeda said.

Cross-border drone activity may have contributed to rising civilian deaths, but Birru and Raymond said that is difficult to confirm.

“Both the warring parties’ battle tempo only increasing, and their backers actively still investing in the war, makes it clear that neither side is interested in a resolution,” Tejeda said.

Nigeria Police Detain 3 Suspects in a Rare School Attack in the South of the Country

By DYEPKAZAH SHIBAYAN

9:35 AM EDT, May 16, 2026

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Three gunmen who allegedly stormed into two primary schools in a rare attack in southwestern Nigeria were taken into custody, police said Saturday.

Authorities were still assessing the number of schoolchildren that might have been abducted, police spokesperson Ayanlade Olayinka told The Associated Press.

Gunmen attacked two primary schools in the Oriire area of Oyo state, about 220 kilometers (135 miles) from Lagos, in the early hours of Friday. The suspects, who were identified by the community, were arrested, Olayinka said.

Police didn’t say if they were searching for more suspects.

School attacks usually occur in the northern region where most armed groups operate. The attack happened hours apart from another assault, in which suspected jihadi militants attacked a secondary school in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno state on Friday.

Abduction of schoolchildren is common in Nigeria, where the government is battling several armed groups across the country. Analysts say the armed groups, including Islamic militant group Boko Haram, often target schools for high ransoms, as they tend to gain the government’s attention.

Last year, two mass abductions from schools rocked the West African nation, with more than 300 children taken in the conflict-battered northern region.

What to Know About Joint US-Nigeria Operation that Killed a Senior Militant Leader

By OPE ADETAYO

8:39 AM EDT, May 16, 2026

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — President Donald Trump said that a joint operation by U.S. and Nigerian forces killed a top leader of the Islamic State group in Nigeria.

Trump wrote in a social media post that the mission in the early hours of Saturday targeted Abu Bakr al-Mainuki, who was part of the top leadership of the local IS chapter in West Africa.

Nigeria’s government and military said the operation in the Lake Chad Basin, a stronghold of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), was the result of a recently formed partnership with the U.S government.

Abu Bakr al-Mainuki was a ‘specially designated global terrorist’

Al-Mainuki was born in 1982 in Mainok, or Mainuki, a village in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno, the heart of an insurgency crisis following the formation of the Boko Haram militant group around 2009. He became one of the key commanders of ISWAP following its split from Boko Haram, and was a deputy to Abu Musab al-Barnawi, the ISWAP leader who was reported to have died in 2021.

A Nigerian military spokesperson said he was a “key ISIS operational and strategic figure” who was central to the group’s media operations, finances and weapons development.

The military also said that recent intelligence indicated he might have been appointed as “Head of the General Directorate of States,” making him second-in-command within the global IS hierarchy, a claim also made by Trump but disputed by some analysts.

In 2023, the U.S. Department of State listed him as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist.”

US-Nigeria military cooperation has picked up

The Nigerian government acknowledged that U.S. intelligence and cooperation were key to the operation. It was a significant development after the countries’ relations reached their nadir last year, when Trump accused the government of the West African nation of “Christian genocide.”

The Nigerian government repeatedly denied the persecution of Christians, and engaged the U.S. government, leading to military cooperation. In February, the U.S. sent troops to Nigeria after an airstrike targeted IS last December.

Government officials had previously said U.S. troops were restricted to advisory and training roles, but this weekend’s operation marks a new phase, according to analysts.

“It would demonstrate to them (militants) that the American-Nigerian operation has really picked up,” Bulama Burkati, a security analyst on sub-Saharan Africa, said. “We know the Nigerian forces lack the basic capacity to fight violent extremist groups, especially in places like the Lake Chad region, which is densely forested.”

Several armed groups operate in the resource-rich four-country Lake Chad region, funding their operations by taxing local communities. The region’s landscape provides adequate cover for the groups to avoid military strikes.

A significant moment for Nigeria’s counterinsurgency

Analysts say Al-Mainuki is the most senior militant to be killed by any security agency in the West African nation. Militant leaders have usually died as a result of internecine rivalry among competing groups or factions.

His death would disrupt ISWAP’s operation in the short term, but precision strikes against the group need to be sustained, analysts say.

“This kind of counterterrorism operation can disrupt the group’s finance, recruitment, and planning at the provincial level,” Burkati said.

Nigeria faces a complex security crisis, battling multiple groups. On one hand are jihadi groups such as Boko Haram, ISWAP, and Lakurawa, and on the other are amorphous, criminal groups that specialize in kidnapping for ransom. Tens of thousands have been killed in attacks since 2009 to date, and millions have been displaced across the country, according to the United Nations.

Rwandan Genocide Suspect Kabuga Dies in Custody in The Hague

Skulls of some of those who were slaughtered as they sought refuge in a church sit in glass cases, kept as a memorial to the thousands who were killed in and around the Catholic church during the 1994 genocide, in Ntarama, Rwanda, April 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)

4:26 AM EDT, May 17, 2026

KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) — Félicien Kabuga, accused of bankrolling the Rwandan genocide, died on Thursday in a hospital in The Hague while in custody, a U.N. court said.

Kabuga, whose exact birthday is not known but was over 90, was suffering from dementia and has been stranded in legal limbo since 2023 when judges ruled that he was not fit to stand trial.

He was one of the last fugitives charged in connection with the 1994 genocide, accused of encouraging and financing the mass killing of Rwanda’s Tutsi minority. After years of evading international efforts to track him down, Kabuga was arrested near Paris in May 2020.

In a statement, the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, which deals with remaining cases from the now-closed U.N. tribunals for Rwanda and the Balkan wars, said it would “conduct an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Kabuga while in custody.”

His trial began nearly three decades after the 100-day massacre left some 800,000 dead. He pleaded not guilty to charges including genocide and incitement to commit genocide.

At the opening of his trial, prosecution lawyer Rashid Rashid described Kabuga as an enthusiastic supporter of the Tutsi slaughter who armed, trained and encouraged murderous Hutu militias known as Interahamwe.

The mass killing of Rwanda’s Tutsi minority was triggered on April 6, 1994, when a plane carrying President Juvénal Habyarimana was shot down and crashed in the capital, Kigali, killing the leader who, like the majority of Rwandans, was an ethnic Hutu. Kabuga’s daughter was married to Habyarimana’s son.

The Tutsi minority was blamed for downing the plane. Bands of Hutu extremists began slaughtering Tutsis and their perceived supporters, with help from the army, police, and militias.

Rashid described Kabuga as a wealthy businessman with close links to the Hutu political elite who incited genocide through the RTLM broadcaster he helped fund and establish. In some cases, it provided locations of Tutsis so they could be hunted down and killed, he said.

Yolande Mukakasana, a genocide survivor and writer who lost her entire family in the genocide, told The Associated Press when the trial opened that the case had come too late for many survivors who have died since the slaughter.

“Men and women of Kabuga’s age were found in bed and murdered. Shame (upon) his sympathizers who cite his old age as a reason not to (stand) trial,” she said.

Kabuga had remained at a United Nations detention center after the trial was halted because authorities failed to find a country willing to take him in. Kabuga did not want to return to Rwanda — which offered to take him — out of fear he would be mistreated.

“A man whom international judges had themselves recognised as unfit to stand trial died in prison, although his continued deprivation of liberty no longer served any judicial purpose,” Kabuga’s lawyer, Emmanuel Altit, said in a statement.

——

Molly Quell in The Hague contributed to this story.

Trump Claims US, Nigerian Forces Killed Senior ISIS Figure

By Al Mayadeen English

16 May 2026 08:43

US President Donald Trump said US and Nigerian forces killed a senior ISIS leader in Africa during a joint military operation targeting the group’s regional activities.

US President Donald Trump announced that American and Nigerian forces killed a senior ISIS leader during a joint military operation in Africa.

In a statement published via a Truth Social post on May 16, Trump said the operation targeted Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, whom he described as the second-in-command figure within ISIS.

“Tonight, at my direction, brave American forces and the armed forces of Nigeria flawlessly executed a meticulously planned and very complex mission to eliminate the most active terrorist in the world from the battlefield,” Trump said.

According to Trump, the operation was carried out after US intelligence sources tracked al-Minuki’s movements while he was hiding in Africa.

“Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, second in command of ISIS globally, thought he could hide in Africa, but little did he know we had sources who kept us informed on what he was doing,” Trump added. “He will no longer terrorize the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans.”

Washington says operation was conducted with Nigeria

Trump praised Nigerian authorities for cooperating with the United States during the operation.

The announcement highlighted expanding military coordination between Washington and Abuja amid ongoing security challenges across parts of Nigeria and the broader Sahel region.

No further operational details were immediately released regarding the location of the strike or the nature of the mission.

Recent ISIS activity in Nigeria

ISIS terrorists launched an attack against a Nigerian army position in Magumeri earlier this month which led to multiple deaths and injuries among military personnel. 

The assault targeted a Forward Operating Base in the northeastern Borno State during the early hours of Thursday, which marks another case of escalation in the ongoing war against the terrorist organization that has destabilized the region for years. 

Reuters, quoting a military source, reported that militants stormed the base amid poor visibility, resulting in the deaths of three soldiers and injuring 14 others, including the commanding officer.

The source added that about eight terrorists were killed during the gunfight. 

Trump pressured Nigeria over security claims

Nigeria previously came under criticism from Trump, who accused the country of failing to protect Christians from persecution, claims the Nigerian government strongly denied.

Nigerian officials rejected allegations that the government tolerated religious persecution, arguing instead that the country faced broader security and insurgency challenges affecting multiple communities.

“Terrorist violence in any form, whether directed at Christians, Muslims or other communities, remains an affront to Nigeria’s values and to international peace and security,” the Nigerian Foreign Ministry said in a statement following an anti-ISIS operation last year with the US. 

Gunmen Kidnap Students in Attack on School in Nigeria

By Al Mayadeen English

16 May 2026 03:07

Gunmen kidnapped several students after storming a school in northeastern Nigeria’s Borno State, raising fears over escalating attacks targeting schools and civilians.

Gunmen kidnapped a number of students after storming a primary and secondary school in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria, in the latest attack targeting educational institutions in the country.

Local residents and sources told Reuters that the armed men attacked the school in the town of Musa, located in the Askira-Uba area, during school hours on Friday morning.

A local resident, Obaidullah Hassan, said the attackers arrived around 9 am (local time) and abducted several students before fleeing the area.

Students flee as attackers raid school

One teacher at the school said the gunmen arrived on motorcycles and opened the attack suddenly, causing panic among students and staff.

According to the teacher, some students managed to escape into nearby forests, while others were taken by the attackers to an unknown destination.

No group has officially claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. However, the operation resembled previous attacks carried out by Boko Haram, which have repeatedly targeted schools and civilians in northeastern Nigeria.

The armed group was responsible for the 2014 kidnapping of more than 270 schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno State, an incident that triggered international outrage and global solidarity campaigns.

Security fears grow in Nigeria

Borno State and surrounding regions continue to witness recurring attacks despite ongoing military operations against armed groups operating in the area.

The latest kidnapping has renewed concerns over deteriorating security conditions in rural communities and the continued vulnerability of schools to armed attacks.

In a separate incident, local reports indicated that gunmen also abducted several students from a school in Oyo State in southwestern Nigeria, prompting authorities to temporarily close schools in the area and launch search operations to locate the kidnappers.

Unidentified Gunmen Abduct at Least 45 Schoolchildren in Nigeria

By Al Mayadeen English

Armed masked men abducted at least 45 schoolchildren in Nigeria’s Oyo State during coordinated attacks on multiple schools, with authorities detaining three suspects amid ongoing investigations.

At least 45 schoolchildren were abducted after armed masked men launched coordinated attacks on three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Nigeria’s Oyo State on Friday.

The schools that were attacked were Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Esiele; and L.A. Primary School.

Local accounts described the attackers to Nigeria's Punch Newspaper as a group of young men wearing masks and camouflage uniforms who entered school premises in a coordinated operation before taking the students away.

A teacher present during the incident told the outlet that the assailants acted quickly and in an organized manner, leaving little time for response.

Authorities detained three suspects in connection with the attack as investigations continue into the circumstances surrounding the abduction. The authorities also note that potential escape routes have been surrounded after the attackers fled into a nearby forest reserve bordering Oriire communities and the Old Oyo National Park axis.

Nigeria's Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, told residents during his visit to one of the attacked schools that the Nigerian Police Force, alongside other security agencies, intensified efforts to locate and return the kidnapped pupils and bring the attackers to justice. 

Persistent armed group activity across multiple regions

The incident comes amid continued insecurity linked to armed criminal groups operating across several states in Nigeria, particularly in the northwestern and central regions.

These groups are reported to maintain camps in forested areas across Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Niger states, from which they carry out repeated raids on surrounding communities.

Their activities include armed attacks on villages, theft of livestock and property, and widespread kidnappings targeting civilians, including schoolchildren and teachers.

On Saturday, gunmen attacked a primary and secondary school in the northeastern Borno State, where several students were kidnapped.

The mass abduction highlights ongoing difficulties faced by Nigerian authorities in addressing coordinated attacks on rural communities and educational institutions.

Security forces have conducted repeated operations against armed groups in affected regions, but incidents of large-scale kidnappings and violent raids continue to occur despite ongoing countermeasures.