Tanzania: Appeal for the Release of Political Prisoners

[Agenzia Fides] Dar es Salaam -- Political prisoners must be released and the bodies of missing persons returned. This is the joint appeal launched to the Tanzanian government by the embassies of Great Britain, Canada, Norway, Switzerland, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and the European Union delegation in Dar es Salaam: "to uphold their international commitments to protecting fundamental freedoms and the constitutional rights to access information and freedom Source

Cote d'Ivoire: Forum On Social Cohesion in Ivory Coast - Being Peacemakers in Everyday Life

[Agenzia Fides] Abidjan -- "Peace (Shalom) is holistic and means harmony with oneself, with others, with one's surroundings, and with God," said Father Michel Savadogo, Executive Director of the Shalom Network for Conflict Transformation and Reconciliation (REST-COR) and member of the Society of African Missions, at a forum in Yopougon (Abidjan) on social cohesion and peace, organized jointly with the Diocesan Commission for Justice, Peace, and the Environment (CDJPE). Source

Mozambique: Placed On Using Bank Cards Abroad

[AIM] Maputo -- The Bank of Mozambique, in its role as regulator of the national financial system, has announced that companies and individuals can only use their bank cards abroad to make payments of up to six million meticais (94,000 US dollars at the current exchange rate) per year. Source

Mozambique: Mozambique Removed From EU List of High-Risk Jurisdictions

[AIM] Maputo -- The European Commission on Thursday removed Mozambique from the European Union's list of high-risk jurisdictions with strategic deficiencies in combating financial crime, where it had been included since 2023, following an update from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Source

Mozambique: Team Set Up to Investigate Theft of Antiretrovirals in Tete

[AIM] Maputo -- Mozambican Health Minister Ussene Isse has announced the creation of a multi-sector team to investigate the theft of medicines in the central province of Tete, following reports of the use of antiretroviral drugs in chicken farming. Source

Nigeria: Two Governors Launch Joint Taskforce to Fight Insecurity On Highway After Attack By Gunmen

[Premium Times] The taskforce is to patrol the highway connecting Abia and Imo states. Source

Rwanda: Rwanda and DR Congo Begin Complex Peace Process After Signing Us-Brokered Deal

[RFI] The leaders of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have formalised a peace deal in Washington at a summit hosted by US President Donald Trump, though fresh violence raises questions about the accord aimed at ending one of Africa's longest wars. Source

Africa: PMI-Ferrari Partnership Puts Tobacco Harm Reduction in the Formula 1 Spotlight

[allAfrica] Philip Morris International's flagship nicotine pouch brand, ZYN, will feature on Scuderia Ferrari HP Formula 1 car liveries at select races across upcoming seasons. Source

Nigeria: Women Leaders Push for Special Seats Bill, Demand Equitable Representation

[Premium Times] Women leaders have called on the National Assembly to urgently pass the Special Seats for Women Bill, describing it as a historic opportunity to address decades of underrepresentation in Nigeria's political system. Source

Congo-Kinshasa: They'll Spend a Lot of Time Hugging Each Other - Trump On Kagame-Tshisekedi Relations

[Capital FM] Nairobi -- US President Donald Trump on Thursday presided over the signing of a landmark peace agreement between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, declaring that the once-bitter rivals were turning the page on decades of bloodshed. Source

Namibia: Oshikoto Water Crisis Daily Struggle As Dry Conditions Intensify

[Namibian] Many families in the Oshikoto region are grappling with a lack of water, with the situation worsening as the dry season intensifies, making it a daily struggle, especially in remote areas like Onalukula village. Source

Liberia: 'All Lies' - Witherspoon Confesses to Anti-Weah Propaganda Campaign

[Liberian Investigator] MONROVIA -- Stanton Witherspoon has admitted that claims tying former President George Weah to a series of high-profile deaths during his administration were political "lies," confessing that he and other influential voices helped manufacture and amplify the narrative as part of an effort to turn voters against the CDC government. Source