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June 21, 2025 Edition
🤝 Peace & Diplomacy
🇨🇩🇷🇼 DR Congo and Rwanda Initial Peace Deal
DR Congo and Rwanda have initialed a peace agreement in Washington to end hostilities in eastern Congo. The formal signing is scheduled for June 27, witnessed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
- Includes commitments on territorial sovereignty, cessation of hostilities, and disarmament of non-state groups.
- Mediated by Qatar and the United States.
- Follows three days of political and security dialogue in the U.S. capital.
🛑 Conflict & Security
🔥 DR Congo: M23 Accused of War Crimes
M23 rebels are accused by Human Rights Watch of forcibly deporting over 1,500 civilians to Rwanda — including Congolese and Rwandan refugees — in violation of the Geneva Conventions.
🪖 Niger: 34 Soldiers Killed in Militant Ambush
On June 19, armed men killed 34 soldiers near Banibangou, western Niger. The attackers used vehicles and 200+ motorbikes, targeting a military outpost near the Mali border.
- The region remains a hotspot of jihadist activity.
⚖️ Kenya: Terror Attack Accomplices Sentenced
Two men have been sentenced to 30 years in prison for aiding the 2019 DusitD2 hotel attack in Nairobi.
- Convicted of facilitating al-Shabaab operatives via forged IDs and financial support.
🚨 Human Rights & Justice
🕊️ Uganda: Besigye Detained Under Harsh Conditions
UNAIDS chief Winnie Byanyima says her husband, opposition figure Kizza Besigye, is being held in inhumane conditions and faces treason charges that carry the death penalty.
- Detained beyond the legal 6-month limit.
- New Ugandan law now permits military trials for civilians.
⚖️ East Africa: Activists Sue for Alleged Torture
Rights activists Boniface Mwangi (Kenya) and Agather Atuhaire (Uganda) have filed torture and abduction lawsuits against Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda in regional and international courts.
- Incidents occurred in Dar es Salaam in May during a protest in support of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu.
🇨🇮 Ivory Coast: Ex-Minister Detained for Criticism
Former minister Joel N’Guessan was arrested after condemning the exclusion of opposition candidates, including former president Laurent Gbagbo, from the October election.
- Charged with contempt of court and discrediting the judiciary.
🚷 Displacement & Migration
🏚️ Sudan: 16,000 Newly Displaced in a Week
Fighting has displaced 16,000+ people in South Kordofan, Darfur, and El-Fasher within one week, according to the IOM.
- Sudan now hosts over 10 million internally displaced, the largest displacement crisis globally.
🔁 South Sudan-Sudan Border: 86,000 Crossings
Since April, 86,000 people — both refugees and returnees — have crossed into Sudan due to violence and food insecurity in South Sudan.
- The White Nile State is under immense strain.
🗳️ Governance & Opposition
🇷🇼 Rwanda: Opposition Leader Re-Arrested
Prominent opposition politician Victoire Ingabire has been arrested in Kigali for allegedly inciting unrest and forming a criminal group.
- Freed in 2018 from a previous 15-year sentence, she leads the DALFA–Umurinzi party.
⚙️ Policy & Development
👷 Africa: First Model Law on Labour Migration
The Pan-African Parliament has drafted a Model Law on Labour Migration to harmonise regulations, reduce exploitation, and support legal cross-border employment.
- Aims to combat xenophobia and unify standards across the 54 AU member states.
💶 Economic Initiatives
🇮🇹 Italy: €5.5B Africa Plan Unveiled
Italian PM Giorgia Meloni hosted a summit with EU leaders to promote her “Mattei Plan”, targeting 14 African nations with €5.5B in investments in energy, infrastructure, and healthcare.
- Critics warn the funding may fall short of reducing migration as promised.
⚕️ Health & Technology
🩺 Angola: First Remote Robotic Surgery in Africa
In a global first, a robotic prostatectomy was conducted in Angola by a U.S.-based surgeon 7,000 miles away.
- Described as a “humanitarian leap” for access to quality surgical care in Africa.
🏛️ Cultural Restitution
🇳🇬 Nigeria: 119 Benin Bronzes Returned by Netherlands
The Netherlands has returned 119 looted Benin Bronzes to Nigeria.
- Part of a broader restitution movement; past returns include artifacts from the UK and U.S.
- Looted in the 1897 British invasion of the Benin Kingdom.
Source: Africa Center for Strategic Studies, africacenter.org
