ECOWAS leaders meet in Abuja amid regional tensions and leadership transition
Abuja (Africanews): The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) convened in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja. Regional heads of state gathered to evaluate the bloc’s current state, which continues to grapple with internal instability following a wave of military coups in several member countries.
U.S. considers adding more African countries to travel ban
Paris (Africanews): If implemented, the new measures would mean nearly 40 African countries face bans or some form of travel restrictions to the United States.
South Sudan: UN warns of imminent famine
Geneva (Africanews): Residents of 11 of the 13 counties in South Sudan’s Upper Nile state are now facing emergency levels of hunger, the World Food Programme, the UN Children’s Fund and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations said in a joint statement.
UN reports thousands of children raped in Eastern Congo
Geneva (Africanews): Thousands of children have been subjected to rape and sexual violence in conflict-battered eastern Congo over the course of two months, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) said, warning that existing funding gaps meant that hundreds of thousands were deprived of protection.
African Union expresses concern over US president’s new travel ban
Addis Ababa (Africanews): The African Union has expressed its concern over US President Donald Trump’s new travel ban saying it could impact Washington’s diplomatic relations with the continent.
Alliance of Sahel States: Toward Accelerated Economic Integration
London (Africa News): In the face of persistent regional instability, recurring security crises, and growing distrust of traditional regional institutions, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) in September 2023. This initiative stems from the three Sahelian countries’ desire to build a strengthened cooperation framework focused on their shared strategic interests, initially in defense and security, and now increasingly in economics.
Gaza on the brink as aid ship attacked, fuel and medical supplies dwindle
Gaza (Africanews): The humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to worsen, with the U.N. warning the territory is “inching toward running on empty.”
Conflict in DRC: African Union names Togolese president as new mediator
Lome (Africanews): Faure Gnassingbé, president of Togo, will continue the African Union’s mediation attempts in the conflict between the Congolese armed forces and the Rwandan-backed rebel group M23 in eastern Democratic Republkic of Confo (DRC).
Brice Oligui Nguema wins Gabon Presidential election with 90.35% of the Vote
Libreville (Africanews): Brice Oligui Nguema, the leader of Gabon’s transitional government and the military figure who led the 2023 coup, has claimed a decisive victory in the country’s presidential election, securing 90.35% of the vote, according to provisional results released by the Ministry of the Interior.
South Africa’s President rejects Musk’s ‘white genocide’ claim
Africanews March 27, 2025, Johannesburg (Africanews): South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said that the claim that white people are persecuted in his country is a «completely false narrative. «It was his latest attempt to push back against allegations by US President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and some white minority groups in South Africa.
