Zimbabwe: Govt Sounds Alarm As Vanishing Wetlands Raise Flood and Climate Risks

[263Chat] Zimbabwe will mark World Wetlands Day on 2 February 2026 amid growing concern over the rapid destruction of wetlands, which authorities say is worsening flooding, heightening climate risks and undermining environmental resilience. Source

Mozambique: 20 Dead in Landslide At Illegal Mine

[AIM] Maputo -- At least five illegal miners have lost their lives as a result of landslides in an artisanal mine located in Guruè district, in the central Mozambican province of Zambézia. Source

Kenya: Boniface Mwangi Alleges He Was Offered Bribe to Testify for Ruto, Kenyatta At ICC

[Capital FM] Nairobi -- Activist and photojournalist Boniface Mwangi has claimed that he was once approached and offered money to provide testimony favorable to President William Ruto and former President Uhuru Kenyatta during their trials at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. Source

Africa: Rafiki Unbanned On Appeal - Why It's an Important Moment for African Film

[The Conversation Africa] The film Rafiki is a charming love story that plays out in urban Kenya. It follows two teenage girls whose close friendship slowly turns into first love. Directed by rising filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu, it was celebrated as groundbreaking by critics and at festivals when it was released in 2018. But back home in Kenya, where homosexuality is criminal, the film was banned. Source

Sudan: 62 International Rights Groups Warn of 'Sudan's State Disintegration'

[Dabanga] Dabanga Sudan -- Sudan has passed more than 1,000 days of war, as 62 Sudanese, African, and Arab rights organisations warn that the conflict is contributing to state fragmentation alongside ongoing mass atrocities and a limited international response. Source

Nigeria: Violence Roiling Nigeria Extends Beyond Religious Lines, Amid a Deepening Humanitarian Crisis

[UN News] When the United States ordered airstrikes on Christmas Day against Islamist militants in northern Nigeria, officials in Washington said the action was aimed at protecting Christians facing threats of violence. Source

Senegal: Evidence Shows Russian Oil Tanker Was 'Deliberately' Attacked Near Dakar

[RFI] A tanker that left Russia and ran into trouble off the coast of Senegal in November 2025 appears to have been deliberately targeted by explosives placed in strategic locations on its hull, according to video footage obtained and verified by RFI. Source

Southern Africa: Climate Change 'Supercharging' Deadly Floods in Southern Africa

[RFI] A "perfect storm" of climate change and cyclical La Niña weather patterns have been fuelling the catastrophic flooding sweeping southern Africa for the past month, according to climate scientists. Source

Ghana: Military Investigates Assault of Journalist

[MFWA] The Ghana Armed Forces has launched an investigation into the assault of Solomon Kwame Kanaluwe, a journalist with the Media General Group, by military personnel in Walewale, in Ghana's North East Region. Source

Somalia: Somalia's Danab Commandos Seize Al-Shabab Explosives Cache in Middle Shabelle

[Shabelle] Mogadishu -- Somalia's elite Danab commandos said Thursday they seized a cache of landmines and explosive materials during a security operation on the outskirts of Jabad Godane in the Middle Shabelle region. Source

Gambia: Teacher Gets 20 Years in Prison for Rape

[The Point] Justice Ngui Mboob of the High Court at Kanifing on the 22nd January, 2026, convicted and sentenced Ansumana Ceesay, a teacher, to 10 years' imprisonment on count one for the offence of rape contrary to Section 3 (1) (a) and punishable under Section 4 ( 1 ) (bb) of the Sexual Offences Act, 2013, and another 10 years' imprisonment on count two for the offence of rape contrary to Section 3 (1) (a) and punishable under Section 4 (1) (cc) of the Sexual Offences Act, 2013. The sentences would run concurrently. Source

Nigeria: Iswap Terrorists Capture 13 Soldiers, Kill Seven - Report

[Premium Times] Insurgents suspected to be members of Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have captured 13 soldiers, killing seven others, including a commanding officer, in an ambush near Damasak, Mobbar Local Government Area of Borno State. Source