🇰🇪 Political violence rises in Kenya ahead of 2027 elections

Kenya is experiencing a sharp increase in organised political violence, with groups of youths disrupting rallies, blocking roads, and attacking opposition supporters ahead of the 2027 general elections. Last weekend, unidentified youths blocked roads and lit bonfires near Kikuyu town, west of Nairobi, preventing former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua from holding a political meeting. In March, a United opposition rally in Nakuru county was stormed and abandoned after supporters were attacked. In January, Gachagua and his supporters were forced to flee after youths attacked a gathering at Witima Anglican Church.

The incidents have predominantly targeted leaders from the United opposition coalition and a faction of the Orange Democratic Movement, both opposed to President William Ruto's re-election bid. Observers warn the trend is eroding political tolerance and shrinking democratic space in a country with a history of election-linked violence.

#Kenya

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@africaintel

🇸🇩 Sudan: Hemeti's foreign networks sustaining RSF war effort into third year of conflict

As Sudan's civil war enters its third year, Rapid Support Forces commander General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemeti, has been pushed back to strongholds in Darfur after his paramilitary forces launched the conflict on 15 April 2023 by storming Khartoum's airport, presidential palace, and army headquarters. Despite battlefield setbacks against the Sudanese Armed Forces led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Hemeti is reported to be relying on external support networks to sustain and rebuild his military capacity.

The RSF and SAF have been locked in fighting across Sudan since April 2023, with Darfur remaining a central theatre of operations and the conflict having produced one of the world's largest humanitarian crises.

#Sudan

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@africaintel

🇨🇩 DRC Government and AFC/M23 Rebels Agree to Ease Humanitarian Access After Switzerland Talks

The Democratic Republic of Congo and the AFC/M23 rebel coalition concluded five days of negotiations in Switzerland on April 19, 2026, agreeing to facilitate the passage of humanitarian personnel and convoys, refrain from attacking civilian populations and infrastructure, and release prisoners within 10 days. The prisoner release covers 311 people held by AFC/M23 and 166 held by the Congolese government. The parties also committed to launching joint ceasefire monitoring missions within a week, with logistical support from MONUSCO.

The talks were mediated by Qatar, the United States, Togo and the African Union, and aimed at implementing the framework peace deal signed in Doha in November 2025.

#DRC

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@africaintel

🌍 IMF cuts Sub-Saharan Africa growth forecast as Iran war reverses 2025 gains

The IMF has revised its 2026 growth forecast for Sub-Saharan Africa down to 4.3%, a 0.3 percentage point reduction from its pre-war projection, citing the economic fallout from the conflict in the Middle East. Presenting the April 2026 Regional Economic Outlook in Washington DC on 17 April, IMF African Department Director Abebe Aemro Selassie said the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and damage to regional energy infrastructure have triggered the most severe energy shock since 2022, pushing median inflation back up toward 5% by end-2026 after it had fallen to 3.4% in 2025. Oil exporters face volatility risks, while oil-importing and fragile states face deteriorating trade balances and limited fiscal buffers. The IMF also flagged a structural decline in official development assistance as a compounding factor.

The region had entered 2026 with its strongest momentum in over a decade, following a broad-based 2025 recovery in which regional growth reached 4.5%, fiscal deficits narrowed, public debt ratios declined, and several countries secured sovereign rating upgrades.

#Africa

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@africaintel

🌍 AUDA-NEPAD chief calls for equitable investment and global financial reform at World Bank Spring Meetings

AUDA-NEPAD CEO Nardos Bekele-Thomas, speaking at the Africa–Europe Finance Ministers' Platform during the World Bank Spring Meetings, called for a shift away from aid-based relations toward strategic co-investment, warning that the EU's proposed Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism risks penalising African manufacturing growth. She cited $88bn lost annually to illicit financial flows as a systemic flaw in global financial architecture and proposed opening the Global Emerging Markets Risk Database to private investors, a move she said could reduce an estimated $15.6bn annual borrowing cost burden on African economies. She also called for the establishment of an Africa Credit Risk Agency and for African countries to participate as equal partners in global tax reform processes currently dominated by the OECD.

Bekele-Thomas spoke ahead of the EU's proposed 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework, which allocates €60.5bn to Sub-Saharan Africa within a broader €215bn Global Europe envelope, and called for European support for local value addition and African industrialisation policy space as conditions of genuine partnership.

#Africa

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@africaintel

🇿🇦 EFF leader Julius Malema sentenced to five years in prison over gun charges

Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema received a five-year prison sentence on April 18, 2026, a ruling that will effectively bar him from serving as a public representative for a decade. Crowds gathered outside courthouses in major South African cities to show support for Malema as the sentence was handed down.

ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula, a former close ally of Malema, responded to the ruling as the EFF and ANC have reportedly been moving closer politically in recent months.

#SouthAfrica

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@africaintel

🇰🇪 Kenya's ODM Opens Door to Pre-2027 Coalition Talks With Ruto's UDA

Oburu Oginga, a senior official of the opposition Orange Democratic Movement, has confirmed that his party is engaged in preliminary coalition discussions with President William Ruto's United Democratic Alliance ahead of the 2027 general elections, stating that everything is on the table in the ongoing talks.

The discussions signal a potential realignment of Kenya's political landscape, with ODM, historically led by Raila Odinga, potentially moving closer to the ruling party before the next electoral cycle.

#Kenya

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@africaintel

🇿🇦🇧🇯 White Supremacist Arrested Alongside Pan-Africanist Activist Kemi Seba in South Africa

Francois van der Merwe, described as a white supremacist, was arrested alongside Kemi Seba in South Africa. Seba faces potential extradition to Benin, where he is subject to an international arrest warrant on charges of inciting rebellion linked to his alleged support for a coup attempt led by Lieutenant-Colonel Pascal Tigri against President Patrice Talon on 7 December 2025.

The arrest marks a notable development given the ideological contrast between the two detainees. Seba is a prominent pan-Africanist activist, while van der Merwe is identified as holding white supremacist views.

#SouthAfrica

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@africaintel

🇲🇦 Morocco's OCP raises $1.5bn bond and lobbies EU as Gulf war boosts fertiliser outlook

Morocco's state-owned phosphates conglomerate Office chérifien des phosphates (OCP) has raised $1.5 billion through its first international hybrid bond, seeking to increase production as the ongoing US-Israeli-Iran war disrupts fertiliser flows through the Strait of Hormuz. Middle East sulphur prices have risen approximately 35% since the conflict began in late February, tightening global fertiliser markets alongside China's export restrictions. The US, India, and other buyers are turning to OCP to fill supply gaps.

OCP is simultaneously lobbying EU officials to soften the 60mg cadmium limit set under the 2019 EU Fertilisers Regulation, which contributed to Morocco's EU market share falling from 32% in 2018 to 19% currently. Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita raised the issue directly with EU High Representative Kaja Kallas during meetings in Rabat on 16 April.

#Morocco

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@africaintel

🇬🇳 EBID and Guinea sign €310m+ development financing pact covering energy, roads and agriculture

The ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development and the Republic of Guinea formalised a memorandum of understanding on 8 April 2026 in Accra, on the sidelines of EBID's 24th Annual General Meeting of the Board of Governors. The agreement was signed by EBID President Dr George Agyekum Donkor and Guinea's Minister of Planning, Development and International Cooperation Ismael Nabé. Under the MoU, EBID will support six priority projects valued at a combined €310.5m and $387.9m, spanning transport infrastructure in Conakry, agricultural mechanisation, poultry value chains, land cadastre modernisation, and the construction of 80 megawatts of photovoltaic solar plants across four regions.

The projects form part of Guinea's National Development Plan, Simandou 2040, which targets structural economic transformation. Minister Nabé called for rapid implementation to deliver tangible benefits for citizens.

#Guinea

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@africaintel

🇪🇹 Tigray party to restore pre-war administration, jeopardising northern Ethiopia peace

Tigray's main political party announced it is taking back control of the region's government, effectively voiding a peace deal with Ethiopia's federal government. The move threatens the agreement that ended one of the century's deadliest conflicts.

The peace deal had previously halted the war in northern Ethiopia between Tigrayan forces and the federal government.

#Ethiopia

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@africaintel

🇸🇴🇮🇱 Israel names first envoy to Somaliland as Somalia protests and Türkiye backs Mogadishu

Israel has appointed veteran diplomat Michael Lotem as its first ambassador to Somaliland, serving in a non-resident capacity. The appointment follows Israel's formal recognition of the self-declared republic in December 2025. Somalia's federal government has protested the move, while Türkiye, which maintains close defense and diplomatic ties with Mogadishu, has expressed support for Somalia's position.

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but remains unrecognized by the African Union and the United Nations. Israel's recognition marked a rare break from the international consensus on Somali territorial integrity.

#Somalia

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@africaintel

🇹🇩 Chad to send 1,500 troops to Haiti, 400 already deployed

Chad will deploy 1,500 troops to Haiti, with 400 personnel already on the ground. The deployment represents a significant African contribution to international efforts in the Caribbean nation.

The move follows a pattern of Chadian military engagement in multinational operations beyond the African continent.

#Chad

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@africaintel

🇳🇬🇹🇷 Turkey to Train 200 Nigerian Special Forces Soldiers Under New Defence Deal

Nigeria and Turkey signed a defence agreement at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2026 on April 19–20, with Nigerian Defence Minister General Christopher Musa confirming that 200 Nigerian special forces soldiers will be sent to Turkey immediately for training. The deal also includes the establishment of a major military training facility in Nigeria, as well as cooperation on technology transfer, intelligence sharing, and advanced surveillance, according to a statement from Abuja.

The agreement follows President Bola Tinubu's visit to Turkey in late January 2026, the first by a Nigerian head of state in nine years, as Abuja seeks to diversify its security partnerships amid a 17-year jihadist insurgency involving Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province.

#Nigeria

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@africaintel

🇺🇬🇨🇩 Uganda Says Over 200 Civilians Rescued from ADF Camp in Eastern DR Congo

Ugandan and Congolese forces rescued more than 200 civilians held captive by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda's military (UPDF) announced. Children were among those freed, with the youngest being a 14-year-old girl. Rescued individuals described harsh conditions including lack of food, forced labour, and physical punishment. Several ADF fighters were killed in the operation and a cache of weapons was recovered. Maj Gen Stephen Mugerwa, who leads the joint mission, addressed the freed captives directly.

Uganda and DR Congo launched a joint offensive against the ADF in 2021. A 2024 BBC Monitoring study found the ADF responsible for more than half of civilian deaths in eastern DRC over a six-month period that year.

#DRCongo

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@africaintel

🇸🇩🇮🇷 Iranian woman arrested in US for allegedly brokering arms deals worth tens of millions for Sudan

US authorities arrested Shamim Mafi, 44, an Iranian national and US green card holder, at Los Angeles airport on Saturday. She is accused of brokering the sale of drones, bombs, bomb fuses, and millions of rounds of Iranian-manufactured ammunition to Sudan's defence ministry, including a €60 million drone contract. An FBI criminal complaint states she coordinated a Sudanese delegation's travel to Iran, received over €6 million in payments, and submitted a letter of intent to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to broker the sale of 55,000 bomb fuses. She faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted on charges of breaching US sanctions against Iran.

Sudan has been engulfed in civil war between its army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since April 2023. Iran has previously denied supplying weapons to the Sudanese military, though Iranian arms are believed to have played a role in the army's 2024 offensive.

#Sudan

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@africaintel

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe's Mnangagwa appoints Paul Chikawa as new spy chief

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has appointed Paul Chikawa to lead Zimbabwe's Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO). Chikawa replaces Fulton Mangwanya, who was dismissed on 10 April after just 15 months in the role.

Mangwanya's abrupt removal came amid renewed scrutiny of the CIO's operations and senior personnel under Mnangagwa's administration.

#Zimbabwe

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@africaintel

🇺🇸🌍 State Department officials to testify on US counterterrorism strategy in Africa

Nick Checker, senior official at the State Department's Bureau of African Affairs, is scheduled to testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday alongside Monica Jacobsen, senior official for the Bureau of Counterterrorism, on the US approach to counterterrorism in Africa. The hearing follows Checker's recent visits to Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso as the Trump administration seeks to reengage with the Sahel's military governments after previously cutting security assistance following their coups.

The outreach has been accelerated in part by efforts to secure the release of kidnapped US missionary Kevin Rideout, believed to be held in Mali. The Senate is also expected to vote as early as this week on the nomination of Frank Garcia as Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs.

#Sahel

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@africaintel

🌍 African Private Equity Fundraising Falls 34% in 2025 as Investor Confidence Drops

African private equity fundraising collapsed to $2.7bn in 2025, raised across just 16 funds, marking a 34% decline compared to 2024, according to the African Private Capital Association's latest report.

The figures reflect a broader retreat by investors toward perceived safer markets, raising concerns about the continent's medium-term investment capacity.

#Africa

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@africaintel

🌍 Political Violence Nearly Doubled Across Africa Over Past Decade, Sahel Now Global Terrorism Epicenter

Political violence across Africa has nearly doubled over the past ten years, according to the Ibrahim Index of African Governance, with security declining sharply in Burkina Faso, Mali, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Niger, and Nigeria. The Sahel now accounts for a large share of terrorism deaths worldwide, with jihadist activity spreading from the Atlantic to the Red Sea and south toward coastal states including Benin, Togo, and Ivory Coast. Eastern DRC, northern Mozambique, and Somalia — where Al-Shabaab continues attacks into Kenya — remain major crisis zones. Military coups in Mali, Guinea, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Gabon have failed to deliver promised security improvements.

Organised crime including kidnappings, cattle theft, and piracy has deepened instability, while Sudan, Ethiopia, the central Sahel, and eastern DRC account for the heaviest displacement. Ghana, Senegal, Botswana, and Mauritius have remained relatively stable over the same period.

#Africa

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@africaintel