Squeezed by budget shortfalls, shifting battlefields, and emerging security risks, the United Nations peacekeeping mission is buckling under intensifying pressure, with mounting struggles to shield civilians and uphold stability. Yet UN official Jean-Pierre Lacroix emphasized that these deployments remain essential instruments for helping nations transition from war to durable peace. Over the past year, peacekeeping missions have confronted "significant financial challenges," Lacroix said, triggering contingency steps that…

In a renewed bid to halt a grinding conflict that has ravaged eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, government representatives and delegates from the M23 rebel movement convened in Geneva, even as clashes drift into hard-to-reach highlands where danger grows and past ceasefire attempts have repeatedly unraveled. This ninth round of talks seeks to chart a path out of the fighting in the east, now focused on North Kivu and South Kivu. There, M23 has captured swaths of territory while the Congolese army, backed by its…

President Daniel Chapo says Mozambique’s campaign against insurgents has turned a corner, with national security forces working alongside regional partners to retake areas once controlled by militants. Under sustained pressure, he noted, the armed groups are “constantly on the move,” and authorities have recorded no confirmed kidnappings in the past six months. Addressing the National Council of the Mozambique Youth Organisation (OJM), the ruling Frelimo Party’s youth wing, the President also appealed for responsible…

A tragic airstrike by the Nigerian military has claimed the lives of numerous individuals, primarily traders, after hitting a village market. This incident unfolded near the border connecting Yobe and Borno states, where the aircraft was reportedly engaged in operations against Islamist militants. According to the Nigerian Air Force, the strikes were part of "mop-up" operations targeting "identified terrorist locations" along the Jilli axis in Borno State. Sources indicate that the fighter jet involved was tracking a group…

Wednesday April 8, 2026 IDP mother and her children find shelter in IDP camp/File Photo A fresh wave of fighting in southern Somalia’s Bay region has driven thousands of families — including people already uprooted before — into parched rural communities where food, safe water and shelter are in painfully short supply. Gudey Abdullahi Malin, a mother of eight, told Radio Ergo that she fled her home in Baidoa with her children after violence broke out in her area in late March. She is now living in Buula Gedisoy village,…

The escalating conflict in the Middle East is prompting a significant shift in oil procurement strategies among European and Asian buyers, who are increasingly turning to African oil-producing nations. These countries not only offer lower insurance costs but also promise more consistent delivery timelines compared to the high-risk regions of the Middle East. According to industry analysts, leading African energy players—namely Nigeria, Libya, Angola, Gabon, Mozambique, Namibia, and Tanzania—are being regarded as safer…

In a dramatic turn of events, the military announced the successful rescue of 31 worshippers who had been taken hostage during a violent assault on a church in northwestern Kaduna state. The attack unfolded in Ariko village, where both a Catholic and an evangelical church were targeted during Easter services. Tragically, seven individuals lost their lives, with the military reporting that five bodies were discovered at the scene. This horrific incident occurred despite a directive from the police chief for a "massive…

BAIDOA, Somalia — Southwest State is approaching a decisive political moment, with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s talks in Baidoa placing the region squarely between the prospects of peace and the threat of deeper conflict. The president met with traditional elders as tensions mounted over the future of the regional leadership. According to reports, Southwest State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed, widely known as Lafta-Gareen, has been pushed to the margins amid political maneuvers involving the federal government.…

A recent report by Human Rights Watch has uncovered a harrowing reality in Burkina Faso, revealing that over 1,800 civilians have lost their lives in the turmoil following Ibrahim Traoré's ascent to power three years ago. The document outlines incidents that constitute both war crimes and crimes against humanity, with 1,837 civilians—including many children—reported killed across 57 events from January 2023 to August 2025. The majority of these killings have been linked to the military and its allied militias, while a…

Troops are now on the streets as South Africa turns to its army to bolster overstretched police in a push against violent crime, from illicit mining syndicates to entrenched gang networks. Earlier this year, President Cyril Ramaphosa authorized the deployment of 2,200 soldiers to five of the country’s nine provinces hit hardest by criminal activity. Set to run for a year, the operation aims to stabilize communities battered by lawlessness, though critics argue the military is an imperfect tool for civilian policing.…