The United Nations says weapons looted during Libya’s 2011 conflict are now stoking violence across West Africa, turning up in the arsenals of extremist groups in Nigeria and throughout the Sahel. Izumi Nakamitsu, the UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, told delegates at the UN headquarters in New York that the illicit arms trade fueled by that looting is amplifying insecurity in the region. Speaking on the proliferation of illicit arms, Nakamitsu warned that weapons diverted or…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has unveiled plans to send envoys across Africa and to other regions of the world, signalling a stepped-up diplomatic push as South Africa grapples with mounting migration pressures. Ramaphosa said the initiative is aimed at widening international cooperation on migration, arguing that countries must work in concert to confront the underlying drivers of population movement. He also rejected the characterisation of South Africa’s approach as xenophobic, framing the outreach as an effort to build…

In a fresh push to tighten their ties, South Africa and Kenya have signed six new Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) designed to broaden cooperation across key sectors, from trade and maritime transport to skills development, gender equality, arts and culture, and sport. The agreements were concluded during Kenyan President William Ruto's State Visit to South Africa, marking another step in what both governments describe as a deepening strategic partnership. The latest set of MoUs brings the total number of bilateral pacts…

With Ebola still flaring in the Democratic Republic of Congo, frontline medics are straining to contain the disease while research teams worldwide sprint to produce a vaccine tailored to the specific strain driving the crisis. The epicentre lies in Ituri province in the country’s northeast, where ongoing conflict, mass displacement, a sizable migrant population, and underfunded clinics create a perfect storm that complicates efforts to halt transmission.

South Africa has begun rolling out a new line of defense against HIV: a six-monthly preventive injection that is now available free of charge at hundreds of public health facilities. The anti-HIV jab, which prevents HIV through sex, is currently stocked at 360 government clinics across six provinces, according to the health department’s list of clinics. The provinces included in the initial rollout are Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, North West and the Western Cape. The Northern Cape, Limpopo and the…

After a visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo, World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the country’s Ebola outbreak is beginning to turn a corner, even as major hurdles persist in testing, surveillance, vaccine development and winning community trust. What he witnessed on the ground, he added, left him hopeful. Tedros reported a decline in cases. He said 344 infections have been confirmed in the DR Congo, including 60 deaths. At the same time, suspected cases have fallen sharply—from…

Despite dramatic leaps in medical science, Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) is still one of the world’s most prevalent birth defects—and it continues to test health systems with stark gaps in care. A new World Heart Federation report estimates CHD affected 2.3 million children in 2023, noting that survival has improved as diagnosis and treatment have advanced, even as deep inequalities persist, especially in low-income countries. According to the report, the specialists and pediatric heart programs required to diagnose and…

Venâncio Mondlane insists the 2024 race was his to lose only on paper. Now, as Peter Fabricius writes for Daily Maverick, he is turning his focus to the long game: building a party capable of taking power in 2029. In Mozambique’s 2024 presidential election, Mondlane was officially recorded as finishing second. Yet in his own view — shared by many commentators — he believes he came first. The state electoral authority nevertheless declared Frelimo candidate Daniel Chapo the winner, crediting him with 65% of the vote to…

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has brushed aside mounting resistance from a bloc of retired military generals and former senior civil servants to Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3, declaring “whoever wins, wins” as the fight over the proposed changes intensifies. Mnangagwa is pressing ahead with amendments that would keep him in power beyond the constitutionally stipulated two terms, setting up a sharp confrontation with the group, which has come out strongly against the bill. Represented by retired Air Marshal Henry…

Britain will not owe Kigali a payout over the collapsed migrant-relocation plan after an international court sided with the UK, shutting down Rwanda’s bid for more than £100 million. Rwanda had claimed London breached its agreement when Prime Minister Keir Starmer axed the scheme shortly after taking office in 2024. First unveiled by Boris Johnson and later pushed by Rishi Sunak, the policy sought to fly asylum seekers who arrived in the UK illegally to Rwanda for processing and potential resettlement. The proposal became a…