Eye on Africa

At least 37 people were killed after flash floods struck Morocco’s coastal Safi region following hours of torrential rain that swept cars and debris through the port city, local authorities said Monday. Dozens of people were treated in hospitals, and emergency services reported at least 70 homes flooded in the old city centre. Some roads into and out of Safi were blocked by water, mud and wreckage, hampering relief efforts and isolating neighbourhoods. “It is a dark day for the city,” residents told local media, urging the…

A Surge of Coups in Africa: Understanding the "Coup Belt" Eight African countries are currently under military rule, an alarming situation that has intensified recently. Within just eight weeks, two successful coups and one foiled attempt have unfolded, raising concerns that a new dimension of instability is emerging in Africa’s political landscape. This phenomenon has led to the emergence of a "coup belt" stretching across the continent, particularly concentrated in the predominantly French-speaking Sahel region. Jakkie…

Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025 KISMAYO, Somalia — Somalia’s opposition leaders began arriving in Kismayo on Tuesday ahead of a four-day Somali Opposition Conference set to open Wednesday, with organizers saying the gathering will finalize the structure of a new Somali Future Council and assess the country’s political transition. The first delegation was led by Mohamed Aden Koofi, secretary-general of the Somali Salvation Forum. The group landed at Sayid Mohamed Abdulle Hassan Airport and was received by Jubbaland’s Minister of…

The M23 armed group has announced its agreement to withdraw from the city of Uvira in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo following a request from the United States. This decision marks a significant moment in a region long troubled by conflict and political instability. Recently, the Rwanda-backed M23 militias seized control of Uvira, a strategic city located near the Burundian border. This takeover occurred just days after the Congolese and Rwandan governments signed a road map towards peace in Washington, D.C. The…

NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenya has signed a $311 million agreement with pan-African infrastructure fund Africa50 and PowerGrid Corporation of India to design, finance, build and operate two high-voltage electricity transmission lines under a public-private partnership, the finance ministry said Monday. The deal marks one of the East African nation’s largest power-grid concessions to date and is intended to ease chronic constraints on the network as demand grows. The project company will manage the full life cycle of the assets —…

Tunisian authorities have charged six staff members of the Tunisian branch of the France Terre d'Asile aid group and 17 municipal workers from the eastern city of Sousse with sheltering migrants and facilitating “illegal entry and residence,” prosecutors said. If convicted, the defendants face up to 10 years in prison. The case centers on humanitarian assistance provided to migrants in Tunisia, a key transit point for tens of thousands of people each year trying to reach Europe. Authorities gave no immediate public timeline…

Mogadishu police arrest government soldier over killing of Bajaj driver in Dayniile MOGADISHU, Somalia — Police in the Somali capital have arrested a government soldier suspected of killing a young Bajaj motorcycle operator in the Dayniile district, authorities said Tuesday, in a case that has stirred public concern over civilian safety. The Banadir Regional Police Command said the suspect, identified as Abdullahi Ahmed Geedi, was taken into custody at the Dayniile District Police Station. He is accused of killing Abdirisaq…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — A rickshaw operator was shot dead late Sunday in Mogadishu’s Dayniile district by an armed man believed to be a Somali government soldier, relatives and witnesses said, in a killing that has revived public anger over military accountability in the capital. The victim, identified by family as Abdirisaq Abuukar Mohamud, was killed in the Barwaqo area of Dayniile. The assailant was allegedly a member of the Somali National Army, reportedly among troops trained in Eritrea, according to relatives.…

Somalia, AU and UN issue urgent donor appeal to sustain Somali Security Forces support MOGADISHU — Somalia’s federal government, the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), and the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) on Tuesday launched an urgent appeal for new donor contributions to keep critical support flowing to Somali Security Forces. The call came during a Somali Security Forces (SSF) Trust Fund event in Mogadishu attended by Somalia’s National Security Advisor, the U.N.…

Monday December 15, 2025 HARGEISA, North Western State of Somalia — Drilling for crude oil in North Western State of Somalia is expected to begin by 2027, President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro said Monday, outlining what officials describe as a long-awaited step toward potential production after years of exploration and delays. Speaking at the North Western State of Somalia Mining Expo in Hargeisa, Irro said the first well could be spudded within two years, with the timeline pulling forward if technical and contractual…