Dear readers,

A new rhythm for this newsletter... ? We’ll see.

But for now, politics is dominated by fires literally and more metaphorically…

Here is a quick round-up of the biggest African stories of this first part of the summer that have an international impact.

International justice

Chad becomes fifth nation to quit ICC amid US pressure campaign

Chad has become the fifth country to begin a formal withdrawal process from the International Criminal Court in recent months, following Venezuela, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

Issued on: 28/07/2026

https://www.rfi.fr/en/international/20260728-chad-becomes-fifth-state-to-leave-the-icc-after-us-pressure

The statement issued by the Chadian government spokesperson on Monday reads that Chad has notified the UN Secretariat of “its sovereign decision to withdraw from the Rome Statute and the International Criminal Court (ICC).”

Read on from here: https://www.rfi.fr/en/international/20260728-chad-becomes-fifth-state-to-leave-the-icc-after-us-pressure

US offensive

According to the statement on Chad’s foreign minister’s official website last week, the decision to quit the ICC follows a request by the United States.

It said the US deputy secretary of state for African affairs had called on the Chadian government to reconsider its ICC membership during a telephone call on Thursday.

“The American side expressed its concerns about the functioning of this institution and called on Chad to review its accession to the Rome Statute,” the statement said.

The United States launched a diplomatic campaign this year to undermine the court leading to a rise in the number of states withdrawing from the institution.

Court observers say it may be hard to find a good replacement for Khan amid this US’s ramped-up diplomatic campaign.

“Who is now going to want to nominate for a position that has such challenges, because they know they will automatically be sanctioned by the US,” Melanie O’Brien, professor of international law at the University of Western Australia, told Reuters.

Washington wants the ICC to drop its arrest warrants against Israeli leaders over Gaza and to stop investigating alleged crimes involving US troops. Officials told Reuters they were looking at pressuring countries to withdraw from the court.

The European Union and several of the court’s big backers including the Netherlands and Japan, one of the court’s biggest financial contributors, have voiced support for the court and concern over the US position but have not announced any practical steps to shore up the institution.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Heatwave hit North Africa, with power cuts in Tunisia and wildfires in Algeria

In Tunisia long power outages across the country have added to the strain of an intense heatwave, with temperatures as high as 49C. In neighbouring Algeria, more than 100 people were hospitalised after wildfires, the country’s interior minister said this week.

Issued on: 24/07/2026

https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20260724-heatwave-hits-north-africa-with-power-cuts-in-tunisia-and-wildfires-in-algeria

For days, the STEG state electricity and gas company has been issuing daily heat alerts in Tunisia, listing neighbourhoods where it would cut electricity to reduce pressure on the national grid.

STEG chief executive Faycel Trifa said heavy air conditioner use had pushed the electricity network to its limit.

Another company official told state television that electricity demand may have reached a record 6 gigawatts on Tuesday, after hitting 5.6 gigawatts only days earlier.

“I’m adapting. Since the power cuts out every two hours, I avoid stocking up on food so it doesn’t spoil,” vendor Mohamed Ali told RFI’s reporter in the city of El Fahs, north of Tunisia. “We’ve been in this situation for three weeks, and no one understands what’s going on because the outages happen constantly.”

Even camels can’t cope: Africa’s ships of the desert hit by rising temperatures

By Navin Singh Khadka - BBC Environment correspondent

Camels are famously known as the ships of the desert, but even these hardy animals are not being spared from the extremes of rising temperatures in Africa.

The Afar region of north-eastern Ethiopia is one of the hottest and driest places on Earth, where nomads often lead camel caravans carrying salt through the desert.

“I can see my camels suffering from extreme heat,” Ali Umer, a camel herder from Semera in Afar, told the BBC.

“They get blisters on their feet, their eyes become watery and the hot sand burns their skin and eats up their hair when they are sitting,” said the 40-year-old who owns around 500 camels.

“Within the past one month I have lost eight camel calves because of the extreme heat, it has become much more intense and difficult.

“Even the wind, which used to bring cool air, now carries heat,” he said, adding he had noticed these drastic changes in the temperature in recent years.

He is not alone in his observations: scientists, animal welfare workers and various studies all mention stress, fatigue, dehydration, disease prevalence as direct impacts of extreme heat.

The higher temperatures also indirectly make camels suffer by causing severe loss of water, vegetation, and reduced shaded areas.

Violence in South Africa

Ghanaians ask ICC to investigate xenophobic violence in South Africa

Two Ghanaian nationals have petitioned the International Criminal Court to open a preliminary investigation into attacks on foreign nationals in South Africa, arguing the violence could amount to crimes against humanity, as Ghana’s president repeated his call on Thursday for the African Union to address the ongoing unrest.

Issued on: 24/07/2026

https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20260724-ghanaians-ask-icc-to-investigate-xenophobic-violence-in-south-africa

By: RFI

Submitted to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on 15 July, the petition alleges a “pattern of widespread and systematic attacks” against migrants in South Africa and accuses President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government of failing to prevent or punish those crimes.

The petition was filed by Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, a former Ghanaian government spokesperson on governance and security, and Emmanuel Kotin, a counter-terrorism and security analyst.

“For years, African brothers and sisters have been killed, beaten and driven from their homes in South Africa,” they said in a press release.

South Africa has been gripped by a surge in anti-immigrant protests in recent months, accompanied in some cases by violence against foreigners, whom protesters blame for problems such as crime and unemployment.

Several African migrants have been killed in the unrest, while others have been beaten and have seen their homes and shops looted. Tens of thousands have fled the country.

Ghana’s President John Mahama on Thursday reiterated his call for the African Union (AU) to address the wave of anti-immigrant violence, which he said was “escalating”.

Podcast

Spotlight on Africa

Countdown to the ballot: Zambia gears up for August elections

By: Melissa Chemam

This week on Spotlight on Africa, we’re heading to Zambia, where general elections are set to take place on the 13th August. Voters will go to the polls to elect a president, members of the National Assembly, councillors and council chairs. Incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema has already picked up endorsements from within his own camp, the UPND Alliance, the coalition that’s held power since 2021. So what’s at stake, and who’s in the running?

Late July on the podcast, we were heading to Zambia, which is gearing up for elections next month and is now in full campaign mode. Two of our RFI colleagues, Yang Mei and Igor Strauss, travelled to Zambia recently for in-depth reporting on four years of Hakainde Hichilema‘s rule, and his chances of re-election.

In power since August 2021, “HH”, as he’s most often called, is a businessman, farmer and politician, and the seventh president of Zambia.

General elections are due to be held in the country on 13 August 2026 to elect a president, members of the National Assembly, councillors and council chairs.

Listen here: https://www.rfi.fr/en/podcasts/spotlight-on-africa/20260721-countdown-to-the-ballot-zambia-gears-up-for-august-elections

Ebola outbreak 2026

Ebola cases in DRC may be four times official tally, says WHO

The true number of Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo is at least double, and possibly four times, the official tally, the World Health Organization’s emergencies chief said on Tuesday. Official figures say the fever has infected nearly 2,000 people since mid-May.

Issued on: 15/07/2026

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“We think, with some of our support and modelling, the scale of the outbreak is at least two to four times the number of cases we are finding,” Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, executive director of the WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, told reporters in Geneva after a visit to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

According to the DRC’s latest official figures, the haemorrhagic fever has infected more than 1,960 people and killed more than 700 since it was detected two months ago. Cases have also been identified in neighbouring Uganda.

The WHO emergencies director added that its modelling shows the virus is spreading faster than ever seen before.

“This is now the third-largest Ebola outbreak ever, and we’ve seen the fastest growth in a single month since the outbreak started, and of all the Ebola outbreaks that we’ve managed,” Ihekweazu said.

The DRC‘s 17th Ebola outbreak was declared on 15 May after several deaths in Ituri, a mineral-rich northeastern province plagued by armed groups.

‘Deeply concerning’

Cases of Ebola, which spreads through close contact and infected bodily fluids, have so far been found in five DRC provinces, as well as in Uganda. But more than 90 percent of cases are still being detected in Ituri, Ihekweazu said.

Returning from a week-long trip to the region, the doctor said the crisis remained “deeply concerning”.

The outbreak, which is caused by the rare Bundibugyo species of Ebola, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment, “continues to outpace the response efforts by the national authorities, international partners, including WHO, and the communities most affected”, he said.

“Perhaps the most alarming finding is that many newly reported cases are individuals who died in their communities, without ever reaching a health facility and receiving care.”

Read on from here: https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20260715-congo-s-ebola-cases-may-be-four-times-official-tally-who-says

War in Sudan

Army gains in Kordofan

El-Obeid (Sudan) (AFP) – Sudan paramilitary leader Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, whose Rapid Support Forces have been accused of genocide, told his fighters Monday to consider themselves “unleashed” in their war against the army.

Issued on: 27/07/2026

A day after losing a key highway between the capital Khartoum and the Kordofan region’s largest city of El-Obeid, Daglo’s parallel administration published a video message where he “released the reins” of his “fighters on the frontlines”.

The UN has for weeks warned RSF fighters could commit mass atrocities in the Kordofan region, as they sought to encircle its largest city of El-Obeid ahead of an apparent large-scale assault.

Since April 2023, Daglo’s war with his former ally, army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has killed upwards of 200,000 people, aid workers estimate, and created the world’s largest hunger and displacement crisis.

His forces have committed atrocities including ethnic cleansing, systematic sexual violence and summary executions, according to survivor testimony and UN reports.

Senegal’s politics

Diomaye Faye breaks with Sonko, launches new party in Senegal

Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye launched a new political party called Kiiraay, on Saturday, following his high-profile falling-out with his former mentor and ex-prime minister, Ousmane Sonko, and his party, Pastef.

https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20260728-diomaye-faye-breaks-with-sonko-launches-new-party-in-senegal

Thanks for reading. If you want to follow my work and writing more often, you can also check my personal blog, Melissa on the Road.

Have a nice month of August and let’s be in touch in September.

With warm wishes,

melissa

Dear readers,

This month of June wasn’t easy for anyone, but it was particularly tough on me… But there were some upsides and achievements.

So, for this post, I decided to focus on two stories that feel very important to me.

First, the artist Grada Kilomba was invited to create a unique monument for the city of Paris to commemorate the Rwandan genocide of 1994.

She is one of my favourite artists. Her work on the memory of the slave trade is a strong inspiration. I interviewed her before, but it was a pleasure to meet her in person.

The monument consists of two black brass steles bearing an engraved tribute to the hundreds of thousands of men, women and children massacred between April and July 1994.

It was unveiled in the heart of Paris on 2 June 2026, in the presence of the two countries’ Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Paul Kagame.

Kilomba is herself a Portuguese artist with African roots, from Sao Tomé and Angola.

She was raised in Portugal, and has worked in Germany, Brazil, England and beyond, mostly reflecting through performances and installations on the history of African and black people in general, across centuries and continents, including on the slave trade.

She was chosen through a very selective process to design this monument, the first of its kind in France. And she decided to go to Rwanda to meet some survivors and start her own research to complete the project, titled ‘The Archive’.

The monument stands on the banks of the Seine, on the Esplanade Habib-Bourguiba near the Pont de l’Alma, in the heart of Paris, and is presented as a new step in France’s efforts to take responsibility for its past policies and re-engage with Africa.

Her creative process led her to reflect on France and Europe’s responsibility in the tragic events.

Here is our discussion:

On representing the losses due to a genocide

Melissa Chemam - Grada, please introduce yourself in your own words.

My name is Grada Kilomba and I’m an artist. My work has been focused on memory, trauma, forgetting, remembering, colonialism, post-colonialism. But above all, I’m very focused on the concepts of cyclical violence and the concept of repetition. Historical repetition. My work then expands from performance to video choreography, to installations and sculptural installations to tell stories.

How did you happen to be involved in this project, and why did it speak to you?

Well, actually, they invited five top international artists. I was one of them, and together with four other artists in a short list. And then these five artists had to submit, and were invited to propose a national memorial. And this is how I started working with the CNAP, the national French Collection.

And so you were drawn to the theme, even though it’s kind of a dark period for African history. You really wanted to propose something on this? Why?

Well, these topics of dealing, I think being asked to do a national memorial to honor the victims of a genocide. I think it’s maybe it’s one of the most honorable tasks of an artist to be asked by a country to develop something that is quite difficult to create, which is artwork that remembers 1 million people killed in a genocide in a very violent, and in a very violent way. I think there’s nothing more honorable for an artist than doing, being asked to do something which is incomprehensible because it demands a level of humanity and sensibility and knowledge and research, which is a lot of work. Actually, it was three years of work. So, also the topics are very close to the topics I usually work with, which always are around the concept of, of violence and cyclical violence and repetition, which are very important as 32 years ago as they are today. So, genocide matters, 32 years ago as well as today. So it’s a constant, a constant matter. And, and in that sense, it’s an immense honor to be asked to do that. And I think this is also the task of an artist. I think we have to ask, what is art for and what is the task of an artist? And I think the task of an artist is exactly to work with the incomprehensible, with the unimaginable, with what the society does not have words to and images to. So, it’s about creating work that allows the public to start a dialogue about what, actually is erased or invisible or denied in society or it seems impossible, incomprehensible. So this is a very beautiful task, a very honorable one.

So when we know your work, it feels like you were very much already on the way to be able to tackle such an issue. But you also decided to go to Rwanda and to be in touch with people. How was it for you?

Being in Rwanda was very important. I came many times to Paris and the south of France where we were producing this work. I also had a site visit to Kigali and to around Rwanda that was very important, because I think one thing is to research and to meet people in Europe and to read and to, to develop a work here, something else, even though it’s very close also to the topics I’ve been working, but also to my own biography as a woman from the diaspora. Of course. Questions of forgetting. Remembering questions of trauma. Collective trauma. Questions of occupation, of massacres, genocides. Liberation. Independence. Decolonization. These are all topics that are not only read in the books by my generation. These are part of our biographies. We are children of the time of decolonization. We went through all these different processes of the process of equality, the process of liberation, the process of decolonization. We that brings a long death, that brings a long war that brings along violence as well. So this is, these are topics that are always embodied in our own biographies as children from the diaspora. So the empathy is there. The intimacy is there. It’s very close. So going to Rwanda was very special because what a genocide is becomes even clearer because it’s so present everywhere, and remembered in every cross, in every street, in every road; it is signaled how many people were taken to this cross. 300 people were taken to this cross and were killed every day. When you move along in the city, you see how violence takes place in a genocide and what a genocide really means. So I was in conversation with many people, survivors and their descendants, some of the survivors, um, some were those, these were very, very intense and beautiful and deep conversations. And you are always working with life and death. You comprehend what death means, and life. So many times I was speaking with survivors who were the only survivors in the family, people who have lost their entire family in front of them. And not only the family, but this loss was also physically, um, visible in their bodies. Many times there were aunts missing or, or arms missing or cut in the head or legs missing. So the loss really is not only an emotional and spiritual loss, it’s also a physical loss that is very present. This really was a very intense visit that really changed me as a person, not only as an artist, but as a person. And I visited many, many people. And, uh, I wanted to visit kids in the school because, uh, Rwanda is a very special country. It’s a very beautiful country. 60% of the people were born after the genocide. So it’s a very young country with many children, many teenagers, and many young people. It’s really blooming. It’s a country that is blooming. I was very impressed also with the politics, how they address history. And in 32 years they have a ministry after genocide. They have a ministry of memory where they really design politics, of remembering, of dealing with trauma, rethinking what repetition is, what genocide is, how it happened, and how it should not happen again. I was very impressed with the politics that they had. Maybe it’s not uncommon that Rwanda is a country, I think the second country, with more women in power positions after, I think, Finland. So there are a lot of women in power positions. They really seem quite ahead of our old Western structures. So there’s so many people, so many women in power positions. There’s a clear agenda of remembering what violence and the genocide is. And I thought Europe could learn a lot from Rwanda because we have a 400 year history of violence with which we cannot deal with still today, and which is between the night’s forgotten, erased. And we always have a very problematic relationship to deal with the past and the violence. And we could learn a lot how Rwanda clearly recognises the failure, the national failure, what has happened and how to revisit history. That was quite impressive for me.

Can you, in your own words, describe the monument?

The monument is titled The Archive. I really wanted to create an archive where every second, every minute, every day, every week of this hundred days are archived in a physical space. So, um, it’s very much focused on the idea of memory and how the theory of memory is a theory of forgetting. We cannot forget to remember. We cannot forget, and we cannot forget because we want to remember and to play this dialogue between what memory is and what forgetting is. So an archive, this is a physical space where all these human memories are archived, and I wanted. I really used the geometric abstraction, which is very. And minimalism, which is a very language of my own artistic practice, but it’s also very much honoring the Imigongo art from Rwanda, the art is a very beautiful art from the 18th century, usually practised by women in Rwanda, where they use very strong colours of white and black and geometric forms. They have a geometric language. So what I wanted to create was a piece of Rwanda, a fragment of Rwanda, a piece of land in the centre of Paris. So you enter and you see from far these very beautiful triangles in black and white, which is actually a Rwandan design to express the thousand hills, the country of the Thousand Hills. So it’s a piece of land in the centre of Paris. I wanted to bring this sense of belonging, this sense of us entering a very special place where something very violent happened that the public is aware is entering a very, very special place. And when we enter there, we enter to contemplate those who have died. This. This archive could have different forms. It depends on the perspective you look at, you can look at and see two slabs. You can see a passage in between the two pieces. You can depend. If you are at the riverside, you see something that is a whole, like almost a square. But if you change perspective, you might see a space in between, a vacuum, an emptiness. And this emptiness also represents those who are not there anymore because they were killed. 1 million people were killed in 100 days, and it represents this vacuum in humanity, this vacuum and this emptiness can also represent the failure and the silence of the international community. Why did genocide happen? How come it went that far? What is this emptiness, this lack of of action towards the genocide? It’s also represented there. But above all, this emptiness is also a space that can only be fulfilled with the human presence. So for me, it’s always very important. I usually create large scale artworks where the public really becomes part of the artwork, choreographs its own body inside the artwork inhabits the artwork and experiences the artwork. It’s not something that you look at as an object and you objectify something, but you are outside the questions, outside the experience. So I wanted the public to enter the artwork and to choreograph the body in between these four languages and in between this space and to remind us also that only the presence of the human body can fill this gap and can fill this vacuum, this emptiness only when we are present.

Grada Kilomba is the guest of my latest podcast episode; you can hear the interview in this week’s Spotlight on Africa podcast:

>> Listen here: https://www.rfi.fr/en/podcasts/spotlight-on-africa/20260623-blood-minerals-and-memory-the-great-lakes-in-focus

>> Watch an extract there:

My previous interviews with Grada:

-from 2022, for BBC Culture:

The slave ship in a London courtyard

-from 2024:

Artistic exchange between Brazil and Angola aims to reclaim colonial ties

Coltan smuggled from the DRC

Now, to a more acutely contemporary subject.

The NGO Global Witness shows us with a new report how coltan is being smuggled out of the DR Congo, amid the conflict in the east, to world companies, via Rwanda.

It shows how coltan is then sold to world companies via Rwanda, amid the devastating conflict in the eastern provinces of the DRC.

Coltan, short for columbite-tantalite, is a mineral from which the metals tantalum and niobium are extracted, both seen as critical raw materials by companies from the United States, the European Union, China and Japan.

The report shows that conflict minerals from the war-torn east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are found in everyday tech products made by major world companies.

It also links the illegal trade to Rwandan companies clearly and to leading global brands including Amazon, Ericsson and Sony, sourcing minerals from eastern DRC.

The traffic is linked to the M23 militia, accused of widespread sexual violence, summary executions and torture.

It took the British non-governmental organisation over a year of investigation through extensive documentary and field research to be able to prove the exploitation system.

Another Global Witness investigation from April 2025 had revealed that coltan linked to conflict in the eastern DRC likely entered the European Union market through international commodities trader Traxys.

Previous reports also demonstrated the implication of companies such as Apple, from 2022.

Global Witness pursued its investigation for months, then cross-referenced its findings with surveys conducted by the United Nations (UN) and other NGOs.

*

“It’s been a continuation of the report from a year ago, which was really the start of this investigation and where we’ve found evidence that one exporter has sourced coltan, connected to the conflict in DRC and exported from Rwanda,” Kopp told me.

“We’ve been able to connect that exported coltan to the DRC, and it is connected to the conflict in the East,” he added.

He also said that a huge volume of coltan is being smuggled from the DRC to Rwanda, and that it seems clear that other exporters use coltan connected to the conflict.

And at least five of these seven companies buy conflict coltan from DRC, selling it on through middlemen to smelters in China and Kazakhstan.

“Through this continued research, we could find further evidence and show that five of the seven largest exporters from Rwanda during the period we look at, um, have sourced conflict, coltan from DRC.”

A previous GW investigation already revealed that coltan linked to conflict in the eastern DRC likely entered the European Union market through international commodities trader Traxys, over a year ago.

*

Alex Kopp, the author of the report and expert at Global Witness is my first guest in the podcast episode.

>> Listen here: https://www.rfi.fr/en/podcasts/spotlight-on-africa/20260623-blood-minerals-and-memory-the-great-lakes-in-focus

>> Read on on my blog: https://melissa-on-the-road.blogspot.com/2026/06/coltan-from-drc-is-smuggled-to-global.html

It was a bit of a struggle to get these stories out, however.

And the climate for media, journalism, real reporting, independence… in France is not helping. Hence my participation to a strike last Thursday…

If you have the courage to send a heartful word, to like or share this post, this would be very precious.

Many thanks,
melissa

Hello, hello, hello,

The next time you watch a nature documentary filmed in Africa, listen carefully to the soundtrack: you might be hearing music composed in the West, a product of “parachute” filmmaking, rather than authentic sounds and locally led stories from the continent.

Spotlight on Africa

Africa’s sound, African film at Cannes and the World Cup kick-off

A group of artists, producers and organisers is working to change that through Africa Refocused, a collaboration between the National Geographic Society and Nature, Environment and Wildlife Filmmakers (NEWF).

NEWF offers mentorship, professional development and laboratories that teach specialised skills such as underwater cinematography and music composition, supporting a community of more than 370 storytellers from over 35 African countries, who have created 27 films and counting.

Their goal is to bring authentic sounds to the screen, so that Africa’s nature documentaries reflect the continent’s rhythms, sounds and instruments.

For Spotlight on Africa, I spoke to two storytellers leading this movement.

Dércio “Muha” Gomate is a National Geographic Explorer and Mozambican composer whose work has featured internationally, including his contribution to “Nkashi: Race for the Okavango”, winner of Best Original Music Score at the 2023 Jackson Wild Film Festival.

Labdi Ommes, a NEWF Fellow, is a singer-songwriter and composer from Kenya who plays the orutu, an instrument women were historically forbidden to play.

They discuss their creative process in the field and the studio, how they are reclaiming soundscapes to replace “parachute” scores with local sounds, and how the NEWF Composers Lab is opening doors for African musicians to monetise their work and gain international exposure.

Africa at Cannes 2026

Meanwhile, African films featured at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

Our culture reporter Ollia Horton met the organisers of a programme supporting women film directors and screenwriters from West Africa.

Mariama Lab is a year-long mentoring programme created by Collectif 50/50, a French organisation for gender equality, and the Mariama Institut, a film-writing residency in Mauritania.

We will hear from Mathy Mendy, a coordinator with Collectif 50/50, and from the actress and director Azata Soro.

And the World Cup!

Finally, you will hear from Paul Myers, our sports reporter, who will be covering the 2026 football World Cup for RFI English.

It starts on 11 June with a game between the co-hosts Mexico and South Africa at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

It is the first tournament to feature 48 teams, 10 of them African, with matches played in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Again, listen from here:

Africa’s sound, African film at Cannes and the World Cup kick-off

Or on Apple Podcasts.

Thanks to all our guests and reporters, and thanks to you for listening.

With best regards,

melissa

Dear friends and readers,

Days after the end of the ‘Africa Forward’ summit in Nairobi, Kenya, most videos of Emmanuel Macron during the event ignited very critical social media comments, with most people accusing him of paternalism…

“As soon as he sets foot on the African continent, he can’t help but behave like a coloniser,” Danièle Obono, a lawmaker for the left-wing French party La France Insoumise (LFI), wrote in a post on X.

Even if I was delighted to be back in a city and country I love, this summit was definitely a bittersweet event to cover.

On the one hand, I was so glad to focus on great Kenyan initiatives, start-ups, ideas, novelty… On the other hand, one European country convening multiple heads of states to discuss trade and peace while wars rage at every corner, in Sudan, in Eastern DRC, in Mali, in Iran, even in Ukraine… seems a little entitled. Is France what any of the African states and their populations need?

My opinion is not what matters here, however.

To hear some more interesting points of view, my latest podcast episode:

Spotlight on Africa - podcast

Spotlight on Africa: Does the Africa Forward summit of Nairobi signal a fresh start between Europe and the African continent?

This week, Spotlight on Africa takes you to Nairobi, where the Africa Forward summit was hosted by France and Kenya on 11 and 12 May. It marked the first time France has staged such an event in an English-speaking African country, and came at a moment of change and challenges…

Joining Kenyan President William Ruto at the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron is accompanied by some 30 heads of state, as well as between 1,500 and 2,000 French and African business leaders and stakeholders. Young people, artists and athletes are also among those invited.

Entitled Africa Forward: Partnerships between Africa and France for Innovation and Growth, according to the Élysée its aim is to forge closer ties with East African economies in the wake of a series of diplomatic crises across the Sahel.

Also on the agenda are discussions on creative and cultural industries as economic drivers, and sport as an emerging frontier for investment and job creation. The energy transition, infrastructure development, regional connectivity and agriculture and food systems are also on the agenda.

https://www.rfi.fr/en/podcasts/spotlight-on-africa/20260512-spotlight-on-africa-africa-forward-a-fresh-start-in-nairobi

A new era?

According to XN Ikari of the University of Nairobi, France appears to be looking to East Africa after failing to support its partners in West Africa. New investors, he adds, are always welcome in Kenya.

For Roland Marchal, a senior research fellow at Sciences Po Paris covering Africa, the significance of the summit remains to be seen, depending on whether its promises on investment and climate justice materialise.

“The simple fact that the conference will pay attention to these issues is positive in itself,” he told me.

“Macron may rhetorically commit some money for new climate initiatives, [but] this could be heard with some scepticism, as African leaders know very well that France is facing its own internal issues.”

He adds that Ruto has been a strong advocate for new environmental policies, and that the choice of Kenya to host the summit could therefore lend credibility to Macron’s promises.

“It’s always good to have conferences move around and test what the audience wants,” infrastructure investment expert Bowale Odumade told me.

A central hub for transport and logistics, Nairobi also boasts a thriving financial industry and a technology start-up environment, she adds.

I also spoke to Kenyan entrepreneurs, as well as Phil Clark, a professor at London’s School of Oriental and African Studies on the greatest challenges facing the French if they want to be seen as equal and respectful partners.

https://www.rfi.fr/en/podcasts/spotlight-on-africa/20260512-spotlight-on-africa-africa-forward-a-fresh-start-in-nairobi

Read also:

Meet the Kenyans on a roll, manufacturing the electric vehicles of the future

Nairobi, Kenya – Cleaner transport has been high on the agenda at the Africa Forward summit in Nairobi, organised jointly by France and Kenya. RFI met the Kenyans pioneering the manufacture of electric vehicles and inspiring a new generation in the process.

By: Melissa Chemam

For those familiar with the traffic conditions in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, the daily gridlock can leave people stranded for hours amid cars, trucks and other vehicles. Those who can’t afford to drive rely on either matatus, the local minibuses, or motorbikes, known as boda boda.

The result of this is not just traffic jams but high levels of pollution – something Kenya is aiming to change with a budding renewable energy drive.

Several innovative companies such as eWaka and Roam Electric illustrate the boom in electric vehicle (EV) production.

With Kenya’s electricity coming mostly from geothermal or hydro-electric power and from renewable energy (wind and solar), these companies hope to promote the end of oil dependency.

https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20260511-meet-the-kenyans-on-a-roll-manufacturing-electric-vehicles-of-the-future-renewable-energy-environment

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France to host African summit in Kenya, in bid to ‘diversify alliances’

France is bringing together French and African business and political leaders in Nairobi, Kenya, on Monday at the Africa Forward summit – the first time it has staged such an event in an English-speaking country.

Videos

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Thank you for your interest.

In a few weeks, I’ll be on the continent again, normally. Stay tuned!

Best,

melissa

Melissa Chemam
Journalist
News: RFI English
Podcast: Spotlight on Africa
Features: New Arab, Byline Times, i paper...
Blog: https://melissa-on-the-road.blogspot.com/
Website: https://sites.google.com/view/melissachemam

Dear friends and readers,

Hope you’ve been well…

After Senegal, South Africa, Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire, my job is now sending me to Kenya, a place where I was a freelance correspondent over a decade ago, covering aso Uganda, Ethiopia and Somalia.

I learned a lot about how bias our western news cycles are, how enormous and diverse Africa is, how badly represented as well, and these lessons can impact anything we read and enlighten all our leaders decisions…

Yet, a lot has changed between 2012 and 2026.

As Macron’s France promises to be a new form of better partner for the continent, can it convince? Is it even needed?

Let’s dive… then look at other parts of the continent, and of the world.

France, Kenya and Africa’s relations: What to expect from the coming Nairobi summit?

‘Africa Forward’: France is hosting its first African summit in Nairobi

The event will bring together Presidents Emmanuel Macron and William Ruto, some thirty heads of state, as well as business leaders and investors from both continents, in Nairobi on 11 and 12 May, 2026.

The summit has been named ‘Africa Forward – Partnerships between Africa and France for Innovation and Growth Summit’. It invites the French and African business communities, for the very first time, in an event co-organised with an Anglophone country.

This new type of summit “illustrates the desire to diversify its alliances, in light of the recent diplomatic crises in the Sahel, by forging closer ties with East African economies,” the Élysée press team said.

The novelty is to bring in civil society and investors, and not to hold only high level political discussions, Pascal Confavreux, spokesperson for the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, told me on Wednesday (30 April).

“It’s a hybrid summit, with a politics and security side, where heads of states will meet, but also an open forum.”

The dual, complex organisation, led by both Kenya and France, will offer events where leaders of the private sector are invited, but also young people, artists and athletes.

Africa Forward will spotlight artificial intelligence and digital transformation ecosystems. Other key areas include health sector investments, local manufacturing of essential commodities, creative and cultural industries, as economic drivers and sports as an emerging frontier for investment and job creation. The energy transition, infrastructure development, regional connectivity systems, agriculture and food systems transformation will also be discussed.

The head of states summit on 11 May will see a series of high-impact engagements and panels take place, designed to drive both policy and people-to-people connections, most of them being held at the University of Nairobi.

The second day, scheduled for 12 May, at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, will offer several highlights focusing on youth and on sectors of excellence, job creators and unifiers such as sport or cultural and creative industries. These events will be largely devoted to development financing issues and global challenges.

Overall, between 1,500 and 2,000 African and French leaders and decision-makers are expected, invited to participate in high-level discussions on high-potential sectors (energy, agribusiness, tech and AI, etc.) and to generate business opportunities.

“For President Macron, this summit embodies a new start,” Confavreux told me. After a difficult period, where there were no France-Africa summits for several years, during Covid notably, we changed these old summit formulad, only between heads of states. Now, we want them to also be between peoples, and not only to address security issues.”

-

I spoke to so many people to write this piece, and to prepare my next podcast episode.

Some have stayed with me:

*Ignatius Juma, a Kenyan independent senior policy advisor, who has previously worked in favour of climate justice, told me that he will be following the Africa Forward Summit closely.

“It arrives at a consequential moment, when the gap between what African countries need on climate adaptation finance and what has been delivered is widening, not narrowing,” he said. “Summits like this one are increasingly being judged on whether they close that gap or add to a long list of pledges.”

Juma insists there is a need for propositions on energy transition financing, “particularly for countries caught between accelerating renewable buildout and still-unresolved legacy fossil dependencies,” according to him.

He adds that there’s a dimension that isn’t on many summit agendas but absolutely should be: “the current Iran–USA conflict”.

“Any escalation affects global oil prices, shipping routes, and the cost of refined imports into African markets,” he insists. “That’s not just a foreign policy story — it hits household livelihoods directly via transport fuel, food prices, and the operating costs of critical infrastructure.”

• More to follow in my next podcast episode

• For details, you’ll soon be able to read my piece - next week - on RFI’s website, to check our YouTube channel, and you can also follow my blog here.

I’ll be back with more reflections next month!

Meanwhile, in the rest of Africa:

Mali plunged into uncertainty following coordinated attacks on junta

Mali is facing its most serious security crisis since 2012 following coordinated weekend attacks by jihadists and Tuareg separatists on army positions near the capital Bamako and in the north of the country. Analysts say this could be a turning point for the junta in power since a 2020 coup.

Issued on: 27/04/2026

By: Melissa Chemam with RFI

Several strategic towns and areas around the capital Bamako were targeted in the offensive by Tuareg rebels of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) coalition and the jihadist Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), which was launched at dawn on Saturday.

After two days of intense fighting between Malian soldiers and the armed groups, Bamako and Kati, a garrison town and junta stronghold about 15 kilometres north of the capital, were quiet on Monday.

A government statement released late Sunday confirmed the death of Defence Minister Sadio Camara, who was killed in a car bomb attack on his home in Kati.

Mali has been mired in more than a decade of violence but analysts said the fresh attacks were the most serious challenge to its rulers since a March 2012 offensive that was repelled by the intervention of French forces, who have since left.

The nationwide spread and importance of the locations attacked point to a “coordinated attempt to seriously challenge state authority”, says Heni Nsaibia, the Senior West Africa Analyst at ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data).

“What stands out is not only the scale, but the deliberate selection of targets. Kati and Bamako are the heart of the regime, making any militant advances there particularly significant,” he says, adding that the simultaneous attacks targeted other strategic locations such as Mopti, Sévaré, Gao, Bourem, and Kidal.

Read on from here: https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20260427-mali-plunged-into-uncertainty-following-coordinated-attacks-on-junta

Spotlight on Africa

Sudan: Three years of war and new reports of meddling by Ethiopia

15 April - In Spotlight on Africa this week: Sudan’s war enters its fourth year, with no sign of easing since fighting erupted on 15 April 2023. The conflict is intensifying, amid fresh accusations of foreign interference – most recently involving Ethiopia.

The conflict, now nearing its three-year mark, has already killed tens of thousands, displaced more than eleven million people and created what the UN describes as the world’s largest displacement and hunger crisis.

International summits and negotiations have done little so far to put an end to the fighting, which has been marked by violations on both sides.

According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), Sudanese civilians continue to bear the brunt of the atrocities.

The NGO’s latest report has found that forces affiliated with the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) have arbitrarily detained, tortured, and ill-treated civilians in areas under their control, denying them any due process for their rights.

Sudan is also directly affected by the US-Israeli war against Iran and Tehran’s retaliation in the Persian Gulf, reducing the supply of medicines to Africa – a sector already severely impacted by funding cuts.

In this episode, you’ll here from the newly appointed advisor to the Transitional Sovereignty Council (TSC) chairman in Sudan, Amgad Fareid Eltayeb, on the line from Khartoum, then Omar Digna in Cairo, Egypt – a Sudanese author and analyst – who fled the country four months after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) took over Khartoum.

Ethiopia’s involvement

Meanwhile, the RSF have been accused by the Sudanese military of launching drone attacks “from inside Ethiopian territory” since March. This constitutes the first public allegation of Ethiopian involvement in the conflict.

Ethiopia has denied the claim and has also rejected allegations that it is hosting RSF camps.

But the Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) said analysis of satellite imagery and open-source data shows activity “consistent with military assistance to the RSF” at an Ethiopian base in Asosa, in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, between late December 2025 and late March 2026.

To discuss Ethiopia’s involvement in favour of the RSF, and the recent changes on the conflict, we speak to Christy Cooney, Chief of the Sudan team for the NGO Avaaz, who is regular contact with its staff in Sudan.

“What the Yale team have been able to conclude with a high degree of confidence is that these vehicles are then being fitted at this Ethiopian military base, fitted with these mounted machine guns, and then being used in attacks that are where the RSF are crossing the border and launching attacks inside Sudan,” Cooney said.

“So there you have the Ethiopian military colluding with the RSF to launch these attacks in Blue Nile. They’re colluding with an organisation that has been credibly accused of of genocide in Darfur.”

+

Video - New reports of meddling by Ethiopia • RFI English

Some culture, always

The idea is not to despair… I hope you agree.

My favourite subject in this crazy world is how social change brings societal improvements and stronger right from all, and how the least protected of our fellow citizens build resilience, existence and inspiration.

That’s why I went again to London to cover this story:

Black British music takes centre stage as London’s V&A East opens doors

London – More than 125 years of black music in Britain is being celebrated in the inaugural exhibition at the new V&A East museum in Stratford, London. RFI was at the opening to explore how music from Africa, the Caribbean and North America merged to make a distinctly British sound.

V&A East, the latest offshoot of the world-renowned Victoria & Albert Museum, opened in Stratford – the area regenerated by London’s 2012 Olympic Games – on 18 April.

Its inaugural exhibition, entitled “The Music is Black: A British Story”, charts the rise of black music in the UK, from early drumbeats brought over from Africa to the present day, in which African and Afro-Caribbean music reflect British multiculturalism.

Dr Gus Casely-Hayford of the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) is the director of V&A East.

He says that young people – in the boroughs of East London in particular, where the museum is located – “were absolutely critical” in choosing the subject of its first exhibition.

Here are:

-An article: https://www.rfi.fr/en/culture/20260426-black-british-music-takes-centre-stage-as-london-s-v-a-east-opens-doors

-A podcast episode: https://www.rfi.fr/en/podcasts/spotlight-on-africa/20260428-from-reggae-to-grime-how-black-music-became-synonymous-with-a-british-sound-spotlight-on-africa

-A short video:

West Africa

Benin voted for new president amid ‘severe restrictions’ on civil liberties

Benin’s election on Sunday 12 April decided who would take over from President Patrice Talon after a decade in power. With only two candidates running and authorities clamping down on critics, the prospects for change were limited.

A coup attempt last year also triggered "severe restrictions" on civil liberties that were already under pressure, according to Nelson Baiye Mbu, a human rights expert specialising in West Africa at Civicus, an alliance of civil society organisations that monitors civil space worldwide.

Article here: https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20260412-benin-votes-for-new-president-amid-severe-restrictions-on-civil-liberties

Words from a Palestinian friend

“This unexpected movement against Israel’s genocide in Gaza provoked a shift in the tide which may not only eventually impede Israel’s colonial aggression, but reinforce resistance to a dominant social and political order.”

Jenine Abboushi followed “the most important protest movement of our time, the Palestine Solidarity movement,”, in the US and beyond, its power lying, she says, “in how it shaped a new political consciousness, especially among younger generations on campuses. The movement itself was brutally repressed, particularly in Western countries.”

Read her story here:

A Palestine Solidarity Movement Free to Protest

Jenine Abboushi

My thoughts are with Lebanese people

And finally, despite intense news duty, I took the time to talk to two amazing Lebanese women:

From Beirut to the world: Lebanese artist Mounira Al Solh reinvents Phoenician myths to empower women to freedom

With drawings, films, and installations that weave mythology and memory, Mounira Al Solh turns Lebanon’s fractured history into a celebration of female agency

• by Melissa Chemam

Lebanese artist Mounira Al Solh channels decades of her country’s pain into her work, responding to a history of war and displacement that continues to shape lives across West Asia.

Amid the US-Israel war on Iran, which has had an impact on the wider region, and Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, she has been declining travel invitations.

“My heart is too broken to make any move at this moment,” she told me.

Read on from here: https://www.newarab.com/features/mounira-al-solh-myth-memory-and-feminist-art

Trade, temples and time: Inside the landmark exhibition on Byblos at the Paris Arab World Institute

I speak to Tania Zaven, co-curator of an exhibition at the Arab World Institute, exploring how the ancient city of Byblos has endured for over 11,000 years

Link to read: https://www.newarab.com/features/arab-world-institute-paris-traces-11-millennia-byblos-history

Thanks for still being here…

I know the news is grim, and the world is on fire. Looking away only makes things worse though.

Good luck with life, best,
melissa

Melissa Chemam
Journalist, writer, producer
Podcast: Spotlight on Africa
Blog: https://melissa-on-the-road.blogspot.com/
Website: https://sites.google.com/view/melissachemam

Dear readers,

I hope this post finds you well.

This past month has been demanding and challenging on many levels, mostly because another war was started by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the support of the USA led by President Donald Trump against Iran.

The conflict has since spiralled into an international war affecting the whole of the Persian Gulf and the West Asian region, from Lebanon to Qatar and Saudi Arabia, also causing worry and disruption up until the Horn of Africa and beyond, and implicating Asian countries like Pakistan.

I wrote about in a few articles, mostly on my blog as you can see belon, and addressed the consequences for Africa in my podcast:

-Refugees, migrants in Lebanon find rare sanctuary from Israeli strikes in Beirut church

-Spain stands up to Trump on Iran

-Could the war on Iran impact security and conflicts in Africa too?

-Spotlight on Africa podcast: Africa faces security worries as Iran conflict spreads

I will have more to report soon, would have even more to say, as I speak regularly with Iranians and Lebanese people.

More soon.

Meanwhile, we have to keep working, don’t we? And I’m still an African news journalist, even if African news are… well, just less and less in the news.

This week, in Spotlight on Africa, we feature the work on CFK Africa to fight gender-based violence in Kibera, Nairobi:

Spotlight on Africa podcast - The Kenyan landlords helping fight gender-based violence

https://www.rfi.fr/en/podcasts/spotlight-on-africa/20260331-the-kenyan-landlords-helping-fight-gender-based-violence

In Kenya, the charity is working with landlords to fight violence against women – in particular the one experienced in overcrowded, impoverished areas.

To know more about how the programme works and what CFK Africa and landlords in Kibera can do against gender-based violence, we have in this episode: Siama Yusuf, senior programme officer for girls empowerment, at CFK Africa, and Geoffrey Wesonga, a landlord in Kibera, who joined the programme.

Spotlight on Africa - The Kenyan landlords helping fight gender-based violence

Listen here: https://www.rfi.fr/en/podcasts/spotlight-on-africa/20260331-the-kenyan-landlords-helping-fight-gender-based-violence

or here on Apple Podcasts.

And now on YouTube:

For more about the rest of the world, human stories that are not in your news, a few links:

Solidarité...

With the people of Palestine, Iran, Lebanon, Sudan, Syria, the DR Congo... and all the victims of unjust, brutal wars, here marching in Paris on Sat. 28 March 2026:

Sudan: Rebels using sexual violence in Darfur as ‘war weapon’, says MSF

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and allied militias are using sexual violence as a “weapon of war” in Darfur to control civilians, medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) showed in a major report released on Tuesday.

The report, titled “There is something I want to tell you…”: Surviving the sexual violence crisis in Darfur, provides the most comprehensive documented accounts of sexual violence in Sudan’s war, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, said.

Victims and survivors testified and MSF medical programmes gathered data that highlight clear patterns of widespread and systematic abuse.

Women in Darfur, Sudan, are demanding protection, care and justice as sexual violence continues across the region, both in active conflict areas and far beyond frontlines, MSF said in a statement after releasing the new report this Tuesday.

At least 3,396 victims and survivors of sexual violence sought treatment in MSF-supported facilities across North and South Darfur between January 2024 and November 2025, MSF said, though the NGO warned that this represents only a fraction of the true scale.

Many victims and survivors cannot safely reach care, it added.

And women and girls accounted for 97 percent of victims and survivors treated in MSF programmes.

Read the whole story here: https://melissa-on-the-road.blogspot.com/2026/03/sudan-sexual-violence-used-as-war.html

6 million displaced

Israel has displaced at least 6 million across Gaza, Lebanon and Iran, according to The New Arab.

This figure, covering the last two and half years, is the equivalent to the population of the whole of Denmark or Singapore.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has stated that 2.1 million in Gaza has been displaced since Israel launched its brutal military campaign and genocide in October 2023.

Over the past month alone, 3.2 million Iranians - and counting - have been internally displaced due to the US-Israel war on the country, according to the UN.

Meanwhile in Lebanon, over 1 million - an estimated 20% of the country's total population - have been subject to Israel's forced displacement orders.

Thanks for reading and sharing.

More news from Lebanon and Kenya next time.

take care,

melissa

Melissa Chemam
Journalist. Writer. Producer
New Arab, Byline Times, i paper, RFI...
Blog: https://melissa-on-the-road.blogspot.com/

Dear readers,

As this season inflicts terrible weather patterns to half of the world, powerful economies still insist on producing more energy and producing more, point.

The more emblematic choice representing this entitlement is the race to mine metals and rare earth elements that are at the core of the current production of electronic components, vehicles and other high tech products.

Here is a dive into the political and human implications.

What to make of the USA’s critical mineral deals in Africa?

In this episode of my RFI Podcast, Spotlight on Africa, I’m are talking about the race for critical minerals in Africa. The first week of February, some forty African delegations were invited in Washington DC, for a summit on critical minerals.

The leaders DR Congo seem quite keen to sign such deals but the rest of Africa have called for better proposals and better way to insure accountability. Here is what experts and leaders have to say about it all.

The African continent is rich in resources that are key for the future of the energy transition, but also for electronic components and high tech industries.

Africa has Coltan, gallium, cobalt which contains Tantalum, lithium, nickel… and many other strategic minerals that are at the heart of this global competition.

The Trump administration in the US wants to counter China’s global dominance on the continent’s metals and mining.

The Democratic Republic of Congo, represented by President Félix Tshisekedi, was among those attending, with delegations also coming from Guinea and Kenya, among others.

Trump focused on the US–DR Congo agreement to prioritise American interests in the central African country’s supply chain, as the country is full of minerals and in the middle of a peace deal process with Rwanda, led by the US...

To analyse the context of these deals, we have with us today three amazing guests:

-First, Clionadh Raleigh - the head of ACLED, the Armed conflict and events data organisation;

-Akin Adegoke, he is the Chief Digital Officer at Lotus Bank, to bring experience driving technology-led, inclusive banking;

-and Frederic Mousseau, the policy director of the California-based Oakland Institute, who thinks that: “Under the guise of peace & development, the US–DRC Strategic Partnership Agreement rewrites Congo’s laws to favor US mining interests.

Delegates also met in the Cape Town International Convention Centre for the 32nd edition of the African Mining Indaba conference, the largest on the issue on the continent.

You’ll also hear reactions from people in the DRC and from the leaders in South Africa and Zambia about what has already been nicknamed the new ‘scramble for Africa’.

Have a listen from RFI’s website: https://www.rfi.fr/en/podcasts/spotlight-on-africa/20260217-spotlight-on-africa-the-race-for-africa-s-critical-minerals

And on Apple Podcasts.

And feel inspired to subscribe, as usual it’s free.

You can also listen to an episode from a year ago:

DRC takes on Apple: can conflict mineral mining be stopped?

In short

A few other stories I wrote and worked on this past week.

Benin bronzes

Cambridge University museum set to return Benin bronzes to Nigeria

A Cambridge University museum will shortly return around 100 Benin bronzes to Nigeria as part of a major restitution initiative, the UK’s weekly newspaper the Observer has reported.

Issued on: 10/02/2026

By: Melissa Chemam

The institution backed a 2022 claim by Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) calling for the return of 116 objects looted by British armed forces during the 1897 sacking of Benin City.

The term “Benin bronzes” refers to objects crafted from brass and ivory as well as bronze, which were seized during the colonial-era military expedition.

Among the returned bronzes that will travel in the coming months are wood and ivory sculptures, as well as commemorative heads of King Oba and Queen Mother Lyoba Idia.

The decision follows the formal request from the National Commission for Museums and Monuments in Nigeria (NCMM), made in January 2022, for the return of artefacts.

Slavery

Ghana seeks formal UN acknowledgement of African slave trade injustice

Ghana will submit a resolution to the United Nations General Assembly in March to designate the African slave trade as “the most serious crime against humanity,” Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama announced on Sunday during the African Union Summit in Ethiopia.

Issued on: 16/02/2026

The resolution is to be submitted to the United Nations member states in March, as a “declaration on the trafficking of enslaved Africans and the racialised enslavement of Africans, described as the most serious crime against humanity,” said the Ghanaian head of state, whose country was the first on the continent to gain independence in 1957.

“This UN resolution is just the first step,” Mahama said at the close of the AU’s annual summit in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital.

“We believe that with the consultations we have conducted and the support of the African Union (AU), the truth will finally be recognised: the transatlantic slave trade was the greatest injustice and the greatest crime against humanity.”

Read on from here: https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20260216-ghana-seeks-formal-un-acknowledgement-of-african-slave-trade-injustice

Trump’s newly appointed US ambassador to South Africa Leo Brent Bozell III has arrived in Pretoria amid stormy US-SA relations

Leo Brent Bozell III, the conservative activist picked by President Donald Trump to represent the United States in South Africa, is preparing to begin his new role as ambassador after being confirmed by the US Senate. A history of opposition to the country’s ruling party during its struggle against apartheid makes him a controversial choice.

More about him in my piece from January:

By: Melissa Chemam

Bozell is a prominent figure on the American right and a staunch supporter of Israel.

In the 1980s, he belonged to a pressure group opposed to any negotiations with the anti-apartheid African National Congress (ANC), then led by Nelson Mandela.

As South Africa‘s government is still led by the ANC, in a coalition of 10 parties, relations with Bozell are expected to be anything but easy.

Read also: South Africa hits back at US over ‘flawed’ rights report and land grab claims

ANC ‘terrorism’

Bozell, 69, is known for his deeply conservative views. His father was a Catholic anti-abortion activist, while his son Leo was among those who stormed the US Capitol on 6 January 2021, for which he was sentenced to nearly four years in prison.

Bozell founded several conservative groups, including the Media Research Center, which has the stated mission of identifying liberal bias.

In 1989, five years before the end of apartheid, the Media Research Center described the ANC as a “pro-communist, terrorist organisation”.

All through the 1980s, Bozell was part of the “Coalition Against ANC Terrorism”, an alliance of more than 30 right-wing American groups. He wrote then that he was “proud” to be a member and, in 2013, complained on Twitter that the mainstream media “mythologises” Mandela, South Africa’s first democratically elected president.

The legacy of Nelson Mandela, 30 years after his election as president

Diplomatic low point

Experts see Bozell as a novice in terms of international relations and believe he has little knowledge of Africa.

He has never served in the foreign service, nor has he lived on the African continent.

Trump previously nominated him to lead the US Agency for Global Media – a now-closed organisation that oversaw Voice of America and Radio Free Europe – but later withdrew the bid to put Bozell forward as ambassador.

His confirmation comes after a year of diplomatic tension between the US and South Africa.

Trump froze aid to South Africa in February 2025, accusing the ANC-led government of mistreating the country’s white minority via a land reform law that he alleges allows property to be seized from white farmers.

The following month, South Africa’s ambassador to the US was recalled to Pretoria after describing American policy as “white supremacy”. The post remains vacant.

The US administration also refused to participate in the G20 summit in Johannesburg last November. It has excluded South Africa from the list of countries invited to the next G20 summit, to be held in the US later this year.

Read also: US expels South African ambassador, saying he ‘hates’ Trump

Afrikaner ‘refugees’

Bozell will oversee the implementation of Trump’s refugee programme, which explicitly prioritises Afrikaners.

South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation has rejected the scheme as resting on the “factually inaccurate” premise that white South Africans are racially persecuted.

The South African lawsuit against Israel for genocide in Gaza before the International Court of Justice is another bone of contention. Bozell has indicated that he intends to pressure the South African authorities to withdraw the case.

Read also: South Africa takes Israel to international court for ‘genocidal’ acts in Gaza

South African news website IOL reported that Bozell also promised to tackle what he called South Africa’s “geostrategic drift” towards Washington’s international rivals, including Russia, China and Iran.

Despite his confirmation in a Senate vote last month, Bozell remains the ambassador-designate and under strict diplomatic protocol, he cannot perform official acts or formally represent the US government until he presents his credentials to President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has to accept them.

He replaces the previous US ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, who was appointed by President Joe Biden.

More soon, on nuclear power notably…

Thanks for reading, as always.

best,
melissa

Melissa Chemam
Journalist. Writer. Producer
On African news: RFI English
My podcast: Spotlight on Africa
Blog: https://melissa-on-the-road.blogspot.com/

Dear readers,

This month, I covered African news as usual but most of the events I reported had to do with the United States of America and their current destructive foreign policy.

Firstly, I really wanted to look back at the recent US strikes on northern Nigeria, starting with the bombing on Christmas day (!).

In my podcast and in a second interview, I talked about these US strikes on northern Nigeria, with Isa Sanusi, from Amnesty International Nigeria, to discuss the aftermath of the US strikes and of US President Donald Trump’s invasive strategy to fight jihadism in West Africa, and with Dr Prince Charles Dickson, a Nigerian policy analyst and team lead at the community peacebuilding organisation Tattaaunawa Roundtable Initiative.

*Interview with Dr Prince Charles Dickson: https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20260131-us-strikes-on-nigeria-set-deeply-troubling-precedent-for-african-governance

*Podcast featuring Isa Sanusi, from Amnesty International Nigeria, from Tuesday 3 February here: https://www.rfi.fr/en/podcasts/spotlight-africa/ and there on Apple Podcasts.

As you know, I decided not to inundate this newsletter with everything I report on, it’s too much to read as one…

But here are the two stories I’d still like to highlight this week…

In the U.S. of America itself…

As the agents from the agency known as Immigration and Customs Enforcement - or ICE - are under scrutiny after increasing violence and the death of two civilians in January in the city of Minneapolis in Minnesota, in the North of the country; Renée Gould and Alex Pretti, some courageous people are trying to fight again this brutality, and its signalling of a terrible ending for the rule of law and people’s freedoms.

ICE agents and others from the Border Patrols have been deployed in Minnesota as part of Operation Metro Surge, the Trump administration’s largest-ever immigration-enforcement operation, involving up to 2,000 federal agents.

The administration has as its main target recent immigrants from South America and from Africa, and has publicly targeted the people of Somali origin in the state.

It has also suspended immigrant visas to the US, a policy that has disproportionately affected African countries – 39 in total, which face either total or partial visa restrictions.

Minnesota is the home of the largest Somali community in the USA - between 80,000 and 100 000 - and one of the biggest outside Africa (with communities in the UK and Canada). And it is mostly concentrated in the Twin Cities area, between Minneapolis and Saint Paul.

Minnesota Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who’s Somali herself, was also attacked the last week of January by a man who rushed to the podium she was speaking from and sprayed an unknown substance at her.

To discuss the reactions in the different African American and immigrant communities in the US, I spoke with Dr Rashad Shabazz, a specialist in human geography, on the line from Arizona.

He has done research on the city of Minneaoplis, where he used to be based, after New York and Chicago. And he’s written about recent and less recent immigration policies, as much as about the Black populations of Minneapolis, including its probably most famous one, the singer Prince.

Minneapolis is also the location of the tragic death of George Floyd, which inflamed the Black Lives Matter movement again in 2020.

“I'm in touch with people who are living in Minneapolis, who are organising and are experiencing this onslaught by ICE agents, and there are a number of emotions,” Rashad told me. “There is deep anger at the federal government's response, how the city is being treated and the community members. There is frustration that not much is being done by Minneapolis and Minnesota officials to alleviate the stress. And then there's also this deep sense of community that those who are organising in response to the deportation efforts are feeling.”

He said he initially thought other cities would be targeted, like his hometown, Chicago, or Los Angeles, where he is currently living, or Phoenix, Arizona, all of which have higher populations of communities of colour, higher immigrant populations, and particularly large Latino populations.

“I assumed that it would be those places, but upon further review and thinking about it in terms of the kind of spectacle and the impact that the administration wants to make vis a vis deportation numbers, Minneapolis makes a lot of sense because it is a left of centre city, and it is also a city with a growing number of communities of colour, particularly immigrant communities from Latin America, from Central America, from Africa, as well as from South Asia,” he added.

The geography of the distribution of the immigrant population is also a factor.

“Unlike Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City and D.C., the immigrant and community population of colour, while centred in the Minneapolis Saint Paul Twin Cities region, have really been growing over the last decade in small towns and suburbs all over the state. So what that means is that the efforts that the administration has to deport as many people can have higher rates of success in a place like Minnesota, because in towns like Austin or Mankato or Worthington or even in some of the suburbs, there’s not as much resistance, and there’s not an infrastructure of community organising that exists. So in that sense, the rates of success for the administration can be higher there.”

There is also, in Minneapolis, a large Somali community, and the Trump administration and President Trump himself have been targeting Somalia and Somalis strongly.

“There is, of course, a deep anti-Black racism that runs through this,” Dr Shabazz said. “So while the anti-immigrant rhetoric is affecting immigrant populations in large bounds, the very particular anti-Black rhetoric and targeting the Somali population, has real traction amongst a core group of Trump’s supporters, members of his Republican base.”

Then we also discussed the fact that Minneapolis is also a city where George Floyd was killed by the police, in 2020… and looked at why some want to pretend they didn’t see the true face of Trumpism sooner…

To listen to our entire conversation, check the next episode of my podcast, from Tuesday 3 February: https://www.rfi.fr/en/podcasts/spotlight-africa/

*

Dr Rashad Shabazz concludes:

“As a scholar, this is why history is important. The administration is attempting to whitewash and remove historical narratives of enslavement and of racist policing and of the denigration of poor people. And given this nation’s allergic reaction to its own history and its lack of knowledge of global history, this moment is deeply shocking to a lot of people in this country, I’m sure.”

*

Meanwhile, protests against ICE, discrimination, stigmatisation and racism, are growing in Minneapolis. Kudos to these rare, courageous people, who are fighting to protect all of us, even beyond the USA.

For more:

*David Smith, a former US correspondent who also represented the UN Secretary-General in the Americas from 2004-2014, wrote from Washington for The Guardian that the terror in Minneapolis is reminiscent of civil war...

Something I saw coming as soon as I left the USA in December 2008.

‘This is what fascism looks like’, he titled his article, saying that Alex Pretti’s death could be a moment of reckoning for Democrats to call time on Trump waging war on his people.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/25/minneapolis-shooting-ice-trump-analysis

*Commentary:

This is how fascism comes to America

By Robert Kagan

May 22, 2016

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/this-is-how-fascism-comes-to-america

…and, meanwhile, in Iraq

Soon coming out, one of the most beautiful films of the winter:

My interview with the Iraqi filmmaker Hasan Hadi, on his remarkable film ‘The President’s Cake’

Here is the recording of my conversation with the Iraqi filmmaker Hasan Hadi, on his film ‘The President’s Cake’, shown in Cannes and shortlisted for the Oscars, a first for Iraq.

He opens up about the film, rooted in childhood memories, local stories, and authentic experiences in Iraq.

The whole interview here:

And the trailer:

Finally, if you have the time and will, a few other under-reported stories:

South Africa has decided to “temporarily withdraw” from the G20, after a request by the United States

Washington takes on the rotating presidency for the year 2026, following on from South Africa in 2025. This comes after more than a year of bilateral tensions which Pretoria hopes to ease by taking a step back.

Read on from here: https://rfi.my/CO2Q.BS

Climate change ‘supercharging’ deadly floods in southern Africa

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.

Read the story from here:https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20260129-climate-change-supercharging-deadly-floods-in-southern-africa

As Tigray clashes intensify, locals stockpile food and airline cancels flights

Fighting in Ethiopia’s Tigray region this week has raised fears of a return to full-scale war, just over three years after a peace deal ended a conflict that killed more than 600,000 people. Clashes in western Tigray prompted Ethiopian Airlines to cancel flights to the region on Thursday, and residents in the regional capital Mekele to rush to withdraw cash and stock up on food amid growing anxiety.

To read the whoe story: https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20260130-as-tigray-clashes-intensify-locals-stockpile-food-and-airline-cancels-flights-ethiopia

The year ahead for African democracy: who is going to the polls in 2026?

After a tense general election in Uganda last week, presidential elections are set to follow in the Democratic Republic of Congo in March then in Benin and Djibouti in April. With elections also due this year in Libya, Zambia, Ethiopia, Gambia and South Sudan, could the African continent see a democratic sea change in 2026?

https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20260123-the-year-ahead-for-african-democracy-who-is-going-to-the-polls-in-2026

Thanks for passing by…

Take care,
melissa

-

Melissa Chemam
Journalist. Writer. Podcaster
Blog: https://melissa-on-the-road.blogspot.com/
Podcast:

Hello everyone,

What a start for a new year…

The world is in turmoil on many fronts. And the main assaillant is Donald Trump.

I’ve been deeply distrubed by the invasive operation in Venezuela, and read obsessively about it. My conclusion: this was not good news, not at all. You can think that Venezueluans deserved better than a dictator like Maduro, and for sure, it’s obvious, but isn’t the only state worse than being run by a dictator to be run by a FOREIGN dictator?

I will let you judge of that… And if you want advice on what to read, let me know. I didn’t write about it myself, but I can share good links next time, if you need.

*

This terrifying breach of sovereignty also came only a few days after US President Donald Trump decided to bomb some northern areas of Nigeria on Christmas day, supposedly to ‘save’ Christians from jihadist violence, in a region that is entirely Muslim…

More on this soon via an analysis, but for the fact, here is a short dispatch:

*US launches air strikes against Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria

And on the aftermath: US-backed airstrikes in Nigeria hit two ISIS-linked camps, government says

*

Then of course, here in Europe, we now live with daily threats of appropriation of Greenland, against the will of Greenlanders. And yes, some of the Indigenous population is not super happy about belonging to Denmark - old colonial legacy… But, they’re certainly ALL against being own by the U. S. of A., especially under Donald Trump’s hyper-hegemonic influence…

See here: Large crowds expected for ‘Hands off Greenland’ protests

*

And of course, there are US threats on the regime in Tehran, and threats back, and all my thought are with Iranians from inside and outside of Iran…

*

Now, for some sharp analysts, all this can be seen as a sign that a world is ending & another has to come. Imperfect systems, changes ahead. That seems like the best way to look at it for now.

One quote:

“Trump’s obsession with Greenland and erratic interventionism towards Venezuela are almost textbook case studies of a declining great power externalising its growing domestic instability into external imperial quagmires”…

- ‪Alexander Clarkson‬ ‪@aphclarkson.bsky.social‬ · Lecturer for European Politics and History at King’s College London

*

Meanwhile, beyond his own citizens, like the inhabitants of Minneapolis, the first victims of Trump’s policies don’t even have US citizenship… They’re migrants, foreigners, and most of the time they’re not even in the US of A!

So, as you probably have read about the situation in Venezuela, in Greenland, in Minnesota, and even perhaps in Iran, you may feel you missed an article or two on South Africa, Uganda, Somaliland?

You may want a few words about one of the most inspirational politicians of the whole of Africa…?

If so, here you go.

Uganda’s elections

Uganda’s elections on Thursday saw incumbent Yoweri Museveni, in power since 1986, seek a seventh mandate – at the age of 81, in a country where 55 percent of the population is under 20, and 70 percent under 30.

Supporters of his main rival, Bobi Wine, tried to embody hope for change.

But President Yoweri Museveni was declared the winner of Uganda’s election on Saturday, granting Africa’s longest-serving leader a seventh term in office. African observers have denounced “reports of intimidation, arrest and abductions” targeting the opposition that they say undermined the polls’ credibility.

For once, the US government didn’t say a word…

But these elections were key for democracy in Africa, and the future of the East African country may very shape the future of other dictatorships and democracies. Lessons to learn?

To untangle why it matters, you can read my work from last week:

Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine under house arrest as Museveni leads vote

Uganda’s main opposition candidate, Bobi Wine, was under house arrest, his party said, as early results on Friday showed veteran President Yoweri Museveni with a commanding lead in the presidential election.

Issued on: 16/01/2026

By: Melissa Chemam

Partial results released in the capital, Kampala, showed Museveni well ahead of his closest rival, as analysts said the outcome and further pressure on the opposition had been widely expected.

Museveni, who is 81, has ruled Uganda since he seized power in 1986 and is seeking what his party has described as a decisive victory.

The electoral commission announced early results after Thursday’s vote, showing Museveni with at least 76 percent of ballots counted from nearly half of polling stations.

Bobi Wine was on 19.85 percent, with the remaining votes shared among six other candidates.

Robert Amsterdam, Wine’s international legal representative, told me of the difficulties Bobi Wine has faced in a campaign fraught with fear and repression:

‘He represents a population desperate for change’

Issued on: 14/01/2026

By: Melissa Chemam

RFI: For the opposition, and in particular for Bobi Wine, this electoral campaign has been very difficult. How would you describe it?

Robert Amsterdam: Let’s be really clear: this is a man who faces death each day. I was first brought in years ago as his lawyer when Museveni tried to kill Bobi by shooting into his car. Bobi was then brutally tortured and held in jail, in a town called Arua, Uganda.

And from that time, Bobi’s life has been in danger. And, unlike many, he did not flee his country. He has stood his ground, fighting for Ugandans every day. He is representative of a population that is overwhelmingly under the age of 18 and desperate for change. He is the symbol of change, of youth, not only in Uganda but in Africa. He is an important and emblematic symbol of the fight of this generation to be heard, and for the dinosaurs of previous generations to step out of the way.

The world should start being run by people who have to live in its future, not by those who created a pretty horrendous past in Uganda.

Read also: Bobi Wine’s fight for democracy in Uganda continues on the big screen

Many human rights organisations have criticised the repression and brutality they say has been seen during this electoral campaign. In light of this, how do you expect the election itself will go?

Of course, it’s going to impact the vote. The authorities have cut off the internet. They’ve divided Kampala into 14 military districts. There’s a massive, unprecedented mobilisation of the military. It’s absurd and obscene.

I’ve already had calls from people within the government, who are highly confident of the outcome and are already reaching out to me because they’re worried about what the response will be if there is another stolen election. So the government is gearing up to steal another election and deprive Uganda of its vote.

Read also: Uganda orders internet blackout ahead of presidential elections

Are there legal mechanisms in place that could ensure Ugandan voters get the result they deserve?

I also represent the opposition in Tanzania, where thousands [of people] were brutally murdered in another stolen election in this part of Africa. So I would be lying if I expressed great confidence in the [possibility of removing] a military dictator.

But at the same time, before a vote, however jaded it may be, I’m not going to make these comments. I’m going to pray for Bobi’s safety and for the safety of those with the courage to vote for him and against Museveni and his dynasty. Because he’s going to try to put his son in after he’s finished.

Do you think Ugandans can see a future where politicians like Wine can emerge? In Uganda and beyond?

He’s an inspirational figure, as is Tundu Lissu in Tanzania, who’s now in solitary confinement, after being shot 16 times in a prior election. I think these martyrs – and Bobi Wine is a martyr, having suffered through torture and false imprisonment – are heroes of real democracy, not failed leaders and tired policies. These are men of vision who are trying to bring their people out of desperate circumstances.

Read also: Uganda police surround opposition leader’s party HQ ahead of protests

What is your advice for those parties who may have to wait months, if not years, to be able to represent their voters?

The first thing we have to do is condemn the African Union for living in the past, for making corrupt pacts with unqualified autocrats. We need somewhere in Africa to have a moral stance, and the African Union needs to be a light – not a dim reminder of the past.

And we have great political figures in parts of Africa who are doing their best. Some of them I’ve come to know through a life in Africa. I’m privileged to act for the Democratic Republic of Congo. And there’s just a tremendous amount of inequality and despair that we need to turn around. And all of us who have invested parts of our lives in Africa, we need to not let another Ugandan election be stolen. We need to raise our voices.

Bobi Wine has promised there will be protests if the election is stolen. But can we be confident that people are going to be safe if that’s the case?

Absolutely not. There’s no confidence. You have a military that’s corrupt and out of control. People have every legitimate right to fear for their lives, in a country that has no claim to democracy and no claim to rule of law when it comes to elections.

After 40 years of the same ruler, is change possible in Uganda?

I will never bet against a popular vote, no matter how hijacked I fear an election can be. So let’s wait and see. My hopes and prayers are with the people of Uganda in this fateful 48 hours.

Uganda: Succession worries

Analysts say the election was a foregone conclusion given Museveni controls the state and security apparatus and has crushed challengers during his four decades in power.

African affairs expert Jeffrey Smith, of the pro-democracy think tank Vanguard Africa, told me this outcome was expected.

“I suspect we’ll see an overwhelming reported victory for Museveni and a concerted government crackdown thereafter,” Smith said.

Concerns were now focused on what comes next for the country, he added – pointing to Uganda’s young population and warning of deeper instability.

“Uganda’s crisis is much bigger than Uganda, and that’s why it’s a crisis that demands urgent, authoritative action from both local and global actors,” he said.

If the results are confirmed, Museveni will begin a seventh term in office. He has said on several occasions that he wants his son, army chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba, to succeed him.

The United Nations rights office said last week the elections were taking place in an environment marked by “widespread repression and intimidation” against the opposition.

Bobi Wine didn’t win. Not in 2021 and not in 2026. But he never gives up.

A lesson for us all…

Podcast

For more analysis on Uganda and the aftermath of these elections for the whole of Africa, some analysis here:

Spotlight on Africa

For more in-depth conversation, here is this month’s episode on Uganda and Somaliland, available from Tuesday here:
https://www.rfi.fr/en/podcasts/spotlight-africa/

And on Apple Podcasts.

Somaliland

The risky calculations behind Israel’s recognition of Somaliland

Israel’s decision to formally recognise Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, has drew criticism from most African countries – most of all Somalia, which has long opposed Somaliland’s efforts to secede. RFI looks at what’s driving Israel to pursue the partnership, and why it is causing concern throughout the Horn of Africa and Red Sea region.

Issued on: 09/01/2026

By: Melissa Chemam

Since declaring independence in 1991, Somaliland has tried for decades to gain international recognition.

Yet no country acknowledged it as a sovereign state – until Israel did so on 27 December 2025.

Authorities in Somalia, who want to keep their territory intact, have decried Israel’s decision and rallied the African Union and other African countries for support.

But Israel and Somaliland are moving forward with their “strategic partnership”. Israel’s Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, visited Somaliland on Tuesday, 7 January, meeting the region’s president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, and discussing ways to enhance bilateral ties.

Somaliland’s president will head also to Jerusalem.

Somalia’s Foreign Ministry denounced an “unauthorised incursion” into the country. It criticised Saar’s visit as “a serious violation of Somalia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political unity”, and “unacceptable interference in the country’s internal affairs”.

Why are Israel and Somaliland willing to court international disapproval for the sake of this alliance?

Read on from here: https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20260109-the-risky-calculations-behind-israel-s-recognition-of-somaliland

South Africa - USA

Why the new US ambassador to South Africa could strain relations even further

Leo Brent Bozell III, the conservative activist picked by President Donald Trump to represent the United States in South Africa, is preparing to begin his new role as ambassador after being confirmed by the US Senate. A history of opposition to the country’s ruling party during its struggle against apartheid makes him a controversial choice.

Bozell is a prominent figure on the American right and a staunch supporter of Israel.

In the 1980s, he belonged to a pressure group opposed to any negotiations with the anti-apartheid African National Congress (ANC), then led by Nelson Mandela.

As South Africa‘s government is still led by the ANC, in a coalition of 10 parties, relations with Bozell are expected to be anything but easy.

ANC hating

Bozell, 69, is known for his deeply conservative views. His father was a Catholic anti-abortion activist, while his son Leo was among those who stormed the US Capitol on 6 January 2021, for which he was sentenced to nearly four years in prison.

Bozell founded several conservative groups, including the Media Research Center, which has the stated mission of identifying liberal bias.

In 1989, five years before the end of apartheid, the Media Research Center described the ANC as a “pro-communist, terrorist organisation”.

All through the 1980s, Bozell was part of the “Coalition Against ANC Terrorism”, an alliance of more than 30 right-wing American groups. He wrote then that he was “proud” to be a member and, in 2013, complained on Twitter that the mainstream media “mythologises” Mandela, South Africa’s first democratically elected president.

Read also: The legacy of Nelson Mandela, 30 years after his election as president

Diplomatic low point

Experts see Bozell as a novice in terms of international relations and believe he has little knowledge of Africa.

He has never served in the foreign service, nor has he lived on the African continent.

Trump previously nominated him to lead the US Agency for Global Media – a now-closed organisation that oversaw Voice of America and Radio Free Europe – but later withdrew the bid to put Bozell forward as ambassador.

His confirmation comes after a year of diplomatic tension between the US and South Africa.

Trump froze aid to South Africa in February 2025, accusing the ANC-led government of mistreating the country’s white minority via a land reform law that he alleges allows property to be seized from white farmers.

The following month, South Africa’s ambassador to the US was recalled to Pretoria after describing American policy as “white supremacy”. The post remains vacant.

The US administration also refused to participate in the G20 summit in Johannesburg last November. It has excluded South Africa from the list of countries invited to the next G20 summit, to be held in the US later this year.

Afrikaner ‘refugees’

Bozell will oversee the implementation of Trump’s refugee programme, which explicitly prioritises Afrikaners.

South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation has rejected the scheme as resting on the “factually inaccurate” premise that white South Africans are racially persecuted.

The South African lawsuit against Israel for genocide in Gaza before the International Court of Justice is another bone of contention. Bozell has indicated that he intends to pressure the South African authorities to withdraw the case.

Read also: South Africa takes Israel to international court for ‘genocidal’ acts in Gaza

South African news website IOL reported that Bozell also promised to tackle what he called South Africa’s “geostrategic drift” towards Washington’s international rivals, including Russia, China and Iran.

Despite his confirmation in a Senate vote last month, Bozell remains the ambassador-designate and under strict diplomatic protocol, he cannot perform official acts or formally represent the US government until he presents his credentials to President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has to accept them.

He replaces the previous US ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, who was appointed by President Joe Biden.

Meanwhile… in the rest of the world…

Venezuela - Africa

African nations condemn ‘clear violation of UN Charter’ by US in Venezuela

African nations and institutions have strongly reacted to the capture of Venezuela’s leader Nicolas Maduro by the United States at the weekend, calling for respect of international law and sovereignty.

Issued on: 05/01/2026

The African Union said in a statement it would be “following with grave concern the recent developments in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, including reports of the abduction of the President of the Republic, Nicolas Maduro, and military attacks on Venezuelan institutions.”

It also reaffirmed its steadfast commitment to the fundamental principles of international law, including respect for the sovereignty of States, their territorial integrity, and the right of peoples to self-determination, as enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.

In a statement released Sunday evening, the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) denounced the situation without directly attacking the United States.

It wrote that it “recognises the right of states to combat international crimes, including terrorism and drug trafficking,” arguments invoked by US President Donald Trump to justify the kidnapping of the Venezuelan president, but reminded “the international community of its obligation to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of each member state”.

Ecowas echoed the African Union‘s call for “inclusive political dialogue among Venezuelans themselves.”

The UN Security Council has said it will hold an emergency session on Monday at Venezuela’s request.

Individually, heads of states and foreign ministers also reacted to show support to Venezuelans and their right to sovereignty.

Clear violation of the UN Charter

South Africa took a firm stance, with Pretoria pointing to a clear violation of the UN Charter.

“History has repeatedly demonstrated that military invasions against sovereign states only produce instability and exacerbate crises,” the government said, adding that “the illegal and unilateral use of force […] undermines the stability of the international order.”

South Africa has reiterated that international law does not authorise external military intervention in the internal affairs of a sovereign state. It calls on the Security Council to convene urgently alongside Venezuela.

Namibia took a similarly firm line, expressing its “deep shock” at the “violation of Venezuela’s sovereignty and international law,” and reaffirming its “solidarity” with Venezuela, based on “a shared history of anti-colonial struggle for self-determination and independence.” Namibia added it supports all multilateral initiatives to ensure respect for international law and the sovereignty of nations.

Wealth inequality

Billionaire wealth at new high, Oxfam warns of political influence ahead of Davos

The fortunes of the world’s ultra-rich have surged to a record high and now pose political threats, warns Oxfam’s annual report on billionaires released ahead of the World Economic Forum at Davos, which opens Monday.

Read from here: https://www.rfi.fr/en/international/20260119-billionaire-wealth-at-new-high-oxfam-warns-of-political-influence-ahead-of-davos

Another podcast

Finally…

A little story that takes us back to a time when hope was much more possible, when multiculturalism could be celebrated and democracy inspiring… On another podcast:

For more on my book:

https://classicalbumsundays.com/the-uniqueness-of-massive-attack-melissa-chemam/

thanks for reading…

best,
melissa

-

Melissa Chemam
Journalist. Writer. Podcaster
Blog: https://melissa-on-the-road.blogspot.com/
Website: https://sites.google.com/view/melissachemam

Dear readers,

As 2026 begins, my best wishes from the cold area of Paris’s Goutte d’Or, the most African neighbourhood in France, where I’m back at work this Friday 2 January.

As we look at 2026, and after I promised to post less often to give everyone more time to read these African- and Global-South themed round-ups, a few words from me and the brilliant people I interviewed recently…

As usual, I hope to bring a light on less reported stories, let me know if this helps.

Podcast

Spotlight on Africa podcast

Unesco’s history of Africa and Sammy Baloji’s Congolese history

In the latest episode of Spotlight on Africa, I explored different perspectives on African history – one from Unesco, which has just released the final three volumes of its General History of Africa, and another from the Congo, through the insights of artist and filmmaker Sammy Baloji.

For this final episode of 2025, we look back at the full sweep of the African continent’s history.

Sixty years after launching its ambitious project to recover, document and narrate Africa’s past from prehistory to the present day, Unesco has announced the completion of the last three volumes of the General History of Africa.

Relaunched in 2018, the project seeks to translate this body of knowledge into educational resources for teaching the continent’s history. Three new volumes - IX, X and XI - have now been published, introducing fresh material and innovative approaches.

Our special guest reflects on the project and on African history more broadly: UNESCO’s assistant director-general for social and human sciences, Lidia Brito, who discusses these three new volumes.

In the second part of this episode, we also welcome the Congolese artist and filmmaker Sammy Baloji, who discusses his new film The Tree of Authenticity, recently screened at Film Africa in London and now available on the website of the Franco-German television channel ARTE.

Listen from here: https://www.rfi.fr/en/podcasts/spotlight-on-africa/20251210-spotlight-on-africa-unesco-history-of-africa-and-sammy-baloji-s-congolese-history

Or on Apple Podcasts.

And…

INTERVIEW

DRC artist’s film sheds light on link between colonialism and climate change

Congolese artist Sammy Baloji’s first documentary The Tree of Authenticity fuses images and sounds, and features a talking tree as its narrator, to highlight the connection between Democratic Republic of Congo’s colonial past and the present-day climate crisis. I asked the artist what inspired him to branch out into this new medium.

Read here: https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20251207-drc-artist-film-sheds-light-on-link-between-colonialism-and-climate-change

Somaliland / Israel / Somalis / Palestinians

Somalia, African nations denounce Israeli recognition of Somaliland

In the horn of Africa, it represents a big shift. Israel decided to formally recognise the northern region of Somaliland as an independent state, becoming the first country to do so after over 30 years of campaigning from Hargeisa. Somalia and the African Union reacted angrily and worries start to grow about the potential consequences, for Somali people but also for Palestinians.

Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud told journalist Faisal Ali that Somaliland had accepted three conditions from Israel: The resettlement of Palestinians, the establishment of a military base on the Gulf of Aden coast, and joining the Abraham Accords to normalise ties with Israel.

Reports began circulating earlier this year that Somaliland was interested in assisting Israel’s widely condemned aim of ethnically cleansing Palestinians, as officials in Hargeisa pushed for recognition.

Somaliland has rejected these accusations and denies that it agreed to host Israeli military facilities and resettle displaced Palestinians from Gaza in exchange for recognition by Israel. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday dismissed the claims as baseless, saying its engagement with Israel was “purely diplomatic” and conducted “in full respect of international law”.

But worries persist…

Israel’s decision to recognise Somaliland’s breakaway from Somalia could have major consequences for the region and the whole Red Sea area, especially in terms of security and the fight between Israel and the Houthis in Yemen.

Somaliland had declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and has pushed for international recognition for decades, with president Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi making it a top priority since taking office last year.

More on this developing story soon in my next podcast episode.

And for some background, my piece from earlier a year ago:

With a new president, Somaliland seeks international recognition

As the country’s new president took office last week, following a peaceful election in a region otherwise in turmoil, Somaliland hopes to see its independence recognised by the international community – having declared it in 1991.

Migration

‘All the comforts you find in Paris’: the man helping African ‘repats’ head home

Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire – Many young Africans who have studied in Europe are turning the dream of returning home to build a career or start a business into a reality. RFI spoke to Pierre Djemis, who organises forums in Abidjan and Paris to connect these repatriates with new opportunities, and with each other.

Issued on: 27/12/2025 - 10:43

They are called “repats”, short for “repatriates” – young people who left their African homes, be they in Gabon, Cameroon, Congo or Côte d’Ivoire, to chase a better education or business opportunities in Europe and are now choosing to head home to put those gains to good use.

They speak of reuniting with their families, and contributing to the African continent’s development.

In 2019, a survey supported by the French Development Agency revealed that 40 percent of members of the African diaspora were ready to return. Since then, the continent’s economic appeal has only grown.

The study polled 800 people to identify the motivations, and the obstacles, for graduates and professionals in the diaspora who are considering working in Africa.

Diplomacy

South Africa closed its G20 year framed as ‘presidency for all of Africa’

South Africa ended its G20 presidency in late November with a two-day head of states summit focused on debt relief and global inequality – a meeting the United States boycotted. Pretoria says it has held talks with Washington about possible limited participation, but the White House insists the US did join the discussions and will send only a diplomat for the handover.

By: Melissa Chemam

The theme of South Africa’s G20 leadership was “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability”, with a pledge to focus on supporting developing countries through debt relief, and financing measures to help them cope with disasters caused by climate change.

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio in February branded the agenda “anti-American” and snubbed the G20 meeting that month, setting the tone for a complicated year for South Africa’s presidency.

Trump has said that no US officials will attend this weekend’s summit, over widely discredited claims that white people are being persecuted in South Africa.

Ramaphosa told reporters ahead of the 22-23 November event that the US’s absence is “their loss”.

Pretoria has made debt relief the priority, targeting repayments that meant limiting investment in essential infrastructure for healthcare and education.

According to the United Nations, between 2021 and 2023 Africa spent $70 per capita on debt interest payments – more than on education or health, which saw spending of $63 and $44 per capita respectively.

Read the whole story here: https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20251121-south-africa-closes-g20-year-framed-as-presidency-for-all-of-africa

Children’s rights

Call to put child welfare at the heart of business regulation in Africa

Plagued by child labour and other harmful industrial practices, countries in Africa have a duty to regulate business and hold companies to account for violating children’s rights, experts told a conference in Lesotho the last week of November.

The Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA), which brought together lawyers, academics, development experts and human rights institutions on the sidelines of a session of the African Union’s child protection committee in Maseru, is calling on African governments to examine how business impacts children’s welfare.

“Millions of children on the continent are engaged in child labour – between 70 to 90 million children in Africa and particularly in the informal sector,” Musa Kika, the NGO’s executive director, told me.

“And because Africa has a huge informal sector, we actually really don’t know the extent of the problem. And it’s very difficult to track what children are doing, the hazards they are facing.”

In sub-Saharan Africa alone, more children are in child labour than in the rest of the world combined, the International Labour Organisation estimates.

Nor is the problem limited to child labour. “When it comes to business and child rights, it’s not just child labour, it also concerns how children are affected as consumers of services and products,” said Kika.

Read the whole story here: https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20251130-call-to-put-child-welfare-at-the-heart-of-business-regulation-in-africa

Outside Africa

Protests spread across Iran

Protests and strikes in Iran over inflation and currency devaluation have spread from the capital, Tehran, to several other cities on a third day of unrest.

The protests began on the last Sunday of the year, after shopkeepers in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar staged a strike when the Iranian rial hit a record low against the US dollar on the open market.

Since then, videos verified by BBC Persian have shown demonstrations in the cities of Karaj, Hamedan, Qeshm, Malard, Isfahan, Kermanshah, Shiraz and Yazd. Police were also seen using tear gas in an attempt to disperse demonstrators. The Iranian government said it “recognises the protests” and would listen “with patience, even if it is confronted with harsh voices”.

The clashes have turned deadly, and are getting more intense…

To follow: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c36810pkz96o

And read also our selection of the most storking stories of 2025 worldwide, selection by the whole team of journalists at RFI English:

https://www.rfi.fr/en/france/20260101-editors-pick-rfi-english-standout-stories-of-2025-retrospective

Despite all…

Best wishes to all of you.
May your year be - at least personally - a sweet and rich one, full of joy and loving moments.

Thanks for reading as usual, and feedback welcome!

With best regards,

melissa

https://melissa-on-the-road.blogspot.com/

Hello,

this week, more content, but a shorter post…

I’ll explain why at the end.

I’ll post less often here, as interactions are minimal… I hope to hear back from some of you! Please share if you like.

Many thanks.

Podcast

In this mid-November edition of Spotlight on Africa, we looked back at the recent elections in Tanzania, after a complicated polling process...

Tanzanians were called to the polls on 29 October, but instead of a free and fair election, they were met with severe repression. Demonstrations have been banned, protesters arrested, and members of the opposition detained.

During most of the process, I was reporting from and on Côte d’Ivoire, but I followed…

Tanzania’s authorities have also charged more than 200 people with treason — an offence that carries the death penalty.

The incumbent president, Samia Suluhu Hassan, was eventually declared the winner of the election with 98 percent of the vote. However, the opposition – which had been barred from participating – condemned the results as fraudulent.

To explore the deep-rooted causes of this repression, and to consider how the situation could shape the political future not only of Tanzania but of the entire East African region, we are joined by a special guest: Prince Charles Dickson, a Nigerian peace and policy analyst with a PhD from Georgetown University and decades of experience in public policy and development practice.

Have a listen:

Tanzania’s elections - Aftermath

Links to listen on RFI: https://www.rfi.fr/en/podcasts/spotlight-on-africa/20251112-spotlight-on-africa-tanzania-s-elections-film-football-and-ang%C3%A9lique-kidjo

And on Apple Podcasts here.

In the same episode, we also headed to London and Paris for a look at some outstanding African film festivals.

And if you listen, you’ll also hear from South Sudan’s blind football team, who have just won a crucial match.

Finally, we have an interview with Angélique Kidjo, introducing her brand-new song Chica de Favela, inspired by Brazil!

Spotlight on Africa: Tanzania’s elections, film, football, and Angélique Kidjo

FFFA

Talking about Arab films, I was also at the opening night of the French-Arab Film Festival de Noisy-le-Sec (or Festival du Film Franco-Arabe en français, FFFA), near Paris, in November, when they showed a beautiful and powerful Iraki film on that first night, then honoured Tunisia and Sudan.

Here are some of the main guests for this year, Costa Gavras and Hind Meddeb, on stage (in French):

Dakar Circle 2025

Zikora presents... the Dakar Circle!

A cultural event in Dakar, Senegal, scheduled for December 13, 2025.

The gathering will bring together top leaders, student representatives, artists, and cultural voices for meaningful dialogue and performances.

Event Highlights:

Organiser: Mamy Hawa Fall, a talented Dakar-based creative Venue: Kohi Artist Studio

Themes: Art, leadership, and community connection

Confirmed discussion topics: 1. Is Feminism African? 2. Humans and Nature

Guests: Top leaders, student unions, artists, and cultural figures…

Bristol Palestine Film Festival

Save the Dates:

From 28 November to 7 December, the Festival returns with a programme full of screenings and events at venues across Bristol – from Arnolfini to The Cube, via The Island, the Bristol Palestine Museum, and Watershed.

The 2025 programme tries to break the silencing of Palestinian voices in the midst of ongoing violence, crimes and increased repression.

The festival also hosts a series of events focused on Palestinian art, music and poetry.

I’m a big fan and always present to spread the word, in culture, and solidarity.

Full programme here: bristolpff.org.uk.

A final note

After this tough year for journalists, and after many posts, incredible support for some of you subscribers, especially in East Africa, in the end, I’ve decided to post a little less often here on Substack…

I just feel that everyone is overloaded with newsletters and sollicitations anyway.

It is a lot of work to get this newsletter out, and I don’t feel that the platform gives it enough visibility, sadly.

Thanks to the very reactive readers among you anyway! Especially the ones in Africa, but obviously one of my goals is also to increase the knowledge around Africa in Europe… So, I’ll focus on the more interactive spaces for now.

In the coming weeks, I’ll have further interviews, articles and podcast episodes about the G20 and COP30 in Brazil.

If you want more posts more regularly, you can write to me, or follow my work by checking these links:

My posts on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/melissaontheroad.bsky.social

My personal blog https://melissa-on-the-road.blogspot.com/

My RFI’s articles https://www.rfi.fr/en/author/melissa-chemam/

My LinkedIn profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-chemam-93b846b/

My TikTok channel https://www.tiktok.com/@melissaontheroad

Have a good end-of-the-year season.

with best wishes,

melissa

-

Melissa Chemam

Journalist. Writer. Podcaster.

African news: RFI English
Podcast: Spotlight on Africa
Other features: New Arab, Byline Times, i paper
Blog: https://melissa-on-the-road.blogspot.com/
Website: https://sites.google.com/view/melissachemam

Dear readers,

I hope this update finds you well.

I’m back from West Africa, even if my mind is still there…
Abidjan is a delightful city, especially when you have a guide as wonderful as the one I had (thanks to my dear friend Valérie!).

Politics and elections in the current context are less agreeable though… When Presidents are acting as kings, and democracy is left in limbo at the four corners of the Earth…

But I’m patiently trying to learn lessons from the wonderful people I meet on the road.

Here is some work for you if you’re interested in African politics, and want to become one!

Côte d’Ivoire’s President Alassane Ouattara has won a fourth term, securing a crushing 89.77 percent, the electoral commission said on Monday evening, in a vote which his two greatest rivals were barred from.

On my blog:

Ouattara wins landslide fourth term as Côte d’Ivoire president

Ouattara being 83 and in power since 2011, it is obvious that the very young majority of Ivoirians are not thrilled, and certainly not the party leaders who were barred from running, former president Laurent Gbagbo and Credit Suisse ex-CEO Tidjane Thiam.

People wonder what can happen next as the President, like his Cameroonian and Ugandan counterparts - Paul Biya and Yoweri Museveni - will not last forever and have no plan for any form of succession.

In the meantime, people have to carry on living, working and feeding their families. These are the people I was most interested in and you can here in my work below.

Podcast

In Spotlight on Africa this week, you can hear from the people I met and interviewed in Abidjan, the main economic hub of Côte d’Ivoire and the administrative capital, situated in the south, on the Atlantic Coast.

The buzzing city of 5,6 millions inhabitants is the heart of the country’s activities, but also, even if the capital is officially Yamoussoukro, Abidjan remains the site of most embassies, of the National Assembly and of one of the presidential palaces.

Côte d’Ivoire‘s recent economic growth relies deeply on its producers of cocoa and coffee, but also on mining. And Abidjan is known to be a fascinating cultural hub for the whole of West Africa.

In this episode, you’ll hear from campaign supporters, young people and women especially, on their expectations for after the election and their results.

We will then go to the University Félix Houphouët Boigny to hear from students and their teacher Mr. Wise.

In Cocody, we will guide you to the shop of Axel Emmanuel Gbaou, Le Chocolatier Ivoirien, the first Ivorian chocolate maker.

Finally, we’ll head to the Maison de l’Art, in Grand Bassam, open late September, which now hosts the first museum of African contemporary arts of Côte d’Ivoire...

Spotlight on Africa

Inside Côte d’Ivoire’s pivotal election: voices of hope and uncertainty

Have a listen from this link or on Apple Podcasts!

Though I’m mostly a radio journalist, an audio producer and a writer, this time my job in Abidjan mostly consisted of producing short videos for our social media.

Hope you like them.

With that, I gained no less than 5000 followers on TikTok in two weeks…

Not that I like this social network, but some do, very certainly, and especially in Africa.

If you want to follow me:

https://www.tiktok.com/@melissaontheroad

Arts

In the last part of this week’s podcast episode, you can hear from AKAA, Also Known As Africa, the African contemporary art set in Paris, which was open until Sunday.

I went to AKAA on Saturday, and it was the most charming art fair. Some insight in pictures here:

http://melissa-on-the-road.blogspot.com/2025/10/akaa-2025.html

And a short video montage:

A lesson from Seu Jorge

Finally, after these few weeks reporting on Côte d’Ivoire’s election — one that ends on a bittersweet note, peace but no change — I heard a radio programme with black Brazilian singer and musician Seu Jorge this weekend.

And he was saying that, as a black man in Brazil, where there’s a lot of struggle, a lot of racism, and he’s a very political person but he believes that his job as a musician, as a singer and as a performer is to give people something else for at least one night. Some place and energy where they can regroup, feel better and then maybe be more political later in the right places…

So, for me, as a journalist who has for years worked on music and politics, who’s been writing about very committed and politically verbal artists, it’s a challenging but perhaps a welcoming thought. A reminder that resistance can also learn and benefit the form of joy.

On that note, I’m going to revamp my playlist a little…

thanks for reading and listening.

Until next time,

melissa

Dear readers,

While political chaos blocks France, and repression dominates in the UK, I was sent to West Africa to cover the electoral campaign ahead of the presidential election in Côte d’Ivoire.

The country is one of the most stable in the region, if not in the whole of Africa, and one of the most dynamic, economically and culturally. It is also one of the last in West Africa which has not yet rejected Western allies. That’s why the vote is so important to many, in the region, on the continent and even internationally.

But it is hard to not feel that most people look the other way…

The world is now in utter crisis on so many levels, and the negotiations to bring real peace in Gaza are obviously, for good reasons, what makes headlines in good publications. Trump and other authoritarians leaders make headlines everywhere else.

But still, I carry on my little role, trying to bring light to less covered stories, on a continent of one billion people, 54 countries, so much at stake…

I arrived in Abidjan, the economic capital of Côte d’Ivoire, where the presidential election is in two weeks, on Friday evening.

A few words first:

Podcast

Côte d’Ivoire presidential election 2025: What’s at stake?

Côte d’Ivoire’s electoral campaign is taking shape, with four challengers hoping to defeat longtime incumbent Alassane Ouattara in the 25 October vote, but no candidates from the country’s two main opposition parties.

For Spotlight on Africa, analyst Paul Melly underlines that the run-up has so far been peaceful, but that voters could be disengaging from politics, in response to the lack of alternatives and forward-looking change.

LINK TO LISTEN:

https://www.rfi.fr/en/podcasts/spotlight-on-africa/20251014-c%C3%B4te-d-ivoire-presidential-election-2025-what-s-at-stake

The presidential campaign officially began on Friday 10 October.

President Alassane Ouattara has led the country since April 2011, and is seeking a fourth term.

He managed to establish himself as a heavyweight in Ivorian politics over the past thirty years, and is credited with keeping Côte d’Ivoire prosperous and economically dynamic. But Ouattara’s Côte d’Ivoire is also seen as “France’s last bastion”.

Now 83, he can run after changing the constitution in 2016 to remove presidential term limits, which has angered most of the opposition in Côte d’Ivoire.

Four candidates are standing against the incumbent president, the only ones having been ruled eligible by the country’s constitutional court: former ministers Jean-Louis Billon, Ahoua Don Mello and Henriette Lagou, and Simone Gbagbo, ew--wife of president Laurent Gbagbo and therefore a former first lady.

But neither of the main opposition parties - PDCI and PPA-CI - have been able to secure a candidate, as the court disqualified many, including former president Gbagbo and Tidjane Thiam, a businessman and former minister of development.

The election campaign will end on 23 October, two days before voting begins.

Provisional results will be published at the national level by the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) between Sunday 26 October and Thursday 30 October 2025.

To be elected in the first round, a candidate must obtain an absolute majority of the votes cast. If none does, a second round of the presidential election could take place on Saturday 29 November.

Our guest this week is Paul Melly, researcher on West Africa and consulting fellow with the Chatham House think tank in London, UK.

LINK TO LISTEN:

https://www.rfi.fr/en/podcasts/spotlight-on-africa/20251014-c%C3%B4te-d-ivoire-presidential-election-2025-what-s-at-stake

On Saturday, the police prevented supporters of the opposition from manifesting one last time in Cocody, Abidjan, the biggest economic hub of the country.

Members of Gbagbo’s African Peoples’ Party - Côte d’Ivoire (PPA-CI) wanted to protest against the elimination of the candidate from the race. Their march was banned again and again, and some 230 people were arrested for attempting to march.

Snapshots from Cocody, where the rare protesters gathered, and police were everywhere, even discouraging journalists to stay:

http://melissa-on-the-road.blogspot.com/2025/10/cocody-abidjan-police-vs-protesters-1-0.html

In pictures:

Ouattara seeks fourth term • RFI English

The presidential election in Côte d’Ivoire is on 25 October 2025, and the whole of West Africa has its eyes on this key country for the region. The campaign started on 10 October. President Alassane Ouattara, 83, is running for a fourth mandate, facing four opponents, but none from the two main parties, PDCI or PPA-CI. Chatham House associate and West Africa expert Paul Melly tells RFI what is at stake.

Côte d’Ivoire election 2025 - My previous coverage so far:

Ouattara will face four other candidates in Côte d’Ivoire presidential election

The constitutional court in Côte d’Ivoire has definitively barred two top opposition leaders, ex-president Laurent Gbagbo and former banker Tidjane Thiam, from standing in the presidential election on the grounds they have been removed from the electoral roll.

Issued on: 09/09/2025

By: Melissa Chemam

The Constitutional Council, tasked with drawing up the final list of candidates, retained five bids to contest the 25 October ballot, including current President Alassane Ouattara, who is seeking a fourth mandate.

The bids of Tidjane Thiam and Laurent Gbagbo were rejected.

“The Constitutional Council has consistently required voter eligibility as a condition of eligibility,” Constitutional Council President Chantal Nanaba Camara said, declaring the two men’s candidacies “inadmissible”.

Five candidates, two women

Alassane Ouattara, 83, in power since 2011, will face four candidates: former ministers Jean-Louis Billon; Ahoua Don Mello; former first lady Simone Ehivet Gbagbo; and Henriette Lagou, who was a candidate in 2015.

Billon is a dissident from Thiam’s Democratic Party of Côte d’Ivoire (PDCI), while Ahoua Don Mello is a former member of Gbagbo’s African Peoples’ Party - Côte d’Ivoire (PPA-CI).

Both politicians were recently disavowed by their parties, which removed them from office.

Lack of choice

At this point, there is no further recourse for either Gbagbo or Thiam.

This means that the two main opposition parties, the PDCI and the PPA-CI, find themselves without a candidate for the 25 October presidential election.

“Ivorians hoped the council would defend their fundamental right to choose their president through the ballot box. Instead, they find themselves facing a veritable plebiscite organised by the incumbent president, for an unconstitutional fourth term,” Thiam said in a statement sent to news agencies.

He added that the election next month risked becoming a “coronation” for Ouattara.

The political climate has been tense in Côte d’Ivoire for several weeks. The opposition, which expected the exclusion of its leaders, denounces a less than inclusive election and opposes Ouattara’s fourth term, which it considers unconstitutional.

According to a recent report published by the International Crisis Group (ICG), President Ouattara’s controversial bid for a fourth term, the exclusion of key opponents and a non-consensual electoral framework are raising fears about the smooth running of the vote.

Since 1995, no presidential election has resulted in a peaceful change of power, the report points out.

Why Côte d’Ivoire’s election could be more complex than it seems

Côte d’Ivoire’s presidential election campaign is taking shape, with four challengers hoping to defeat longtime incumbent Alassane Ouattara in the 25 October vote – but no candidates from the country’s two main opposition parties. While analysts say the run-up has so far been peaceful, some fear that young voters in particular are disengaging from politics, in response to previous election violence.

Issued on: 19/09/2025

By: Melissa Chemam

Ouattara, 83, has been in power since 2011 and changed the constitution in 2016 to remove presidential term limits.

Four candidates are standing against him, having been ruled eligible by the country’s constitutional court: former ministers Jean-Louis Billon, Ahoua Don Mello and Henriette Lagou, and Simone Gbagbo, who is a former first lady.

Neither of the main opposition parties are in the race, after the court disqualified several other candidates including former president Laurent Gbagbo – Simone’s ex-husband – and Tidjane Thiam, a businessman and former minister of development.

Excluded candidates have denounced the ruling as unfair and several are considering contesting it.

Meanwhile thousands of people took to the streets last month to protest the ban.

Read also: Thousands in Côte d’Ivoire protest exclusion of opposition leaders from election

Relative calm

Previous elections in Côte d’Ivoire have been fraught with unrest and clashes. When Ouattara stood for a third term in 2020, several people were killed in election violence.

Rinaldo Depagne, West Africa director at the International Crisis Group (ICG), says the situation remains remarkably calm compared to earlier campaigns.

“If you compare with what happened in 2020, mid September, the country already had a death toll of more than 15 people killed during violent protests. So this time, it is quite reassuring,” he told me.

“We don’t have any notable violence reported. The only incident was in August, an attack on a bus in Yopougon [a suburb of Abidjan].”

Several members of Laurent Gbagbo’s African People’s Party – Côte d’Ivoire were arrested after a public bus was set alight last month. They denied all involvement and the party slammed the arrests as politically motivated.

Human rights issues

Meanwhile, on 15 September Amnesty International launched a manifesto setting out six key priorities for the next administration.

“Over the next five years, the president should address violations of the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly,” Marceau Sivieude, Amnesty International‘s regional director for West and Central Africa, wrote.

“They should end forced evictions and support affected people, ensure respect for the right to truth, justice and reparation for victims of electoral violence, protect the rights of women and children and the right to a healthy environment.”

The recommendations aim to provide the future president with a human rights roadmap.

“These elections offer an opportunity to strengthen respect for human rights in Côte d’Ivoire. We call on all candidates to commit to this,” Sivieude added.

Switching off

Regarding participation, Depagne says the main parties have shown “a certain sense of responsibility” in not calling for violence, yet the calm may also be a sign that voters are switching off from politics.

“Young people don’t expect much from politics; they don’t want to be killed or harmed for a result that won’t give them a job or a better life,” he said.

“So on the one hand, this is reassuring because we have so far had quite a peaceful pre-campaign... But on the other hand, people are not really involved in political life.”

No presidential election since 1995 has resulted in a peaceful change of power, ICG notes in its latest report on Côte d’Ivoire.

One of the issues, according to the think tank, is that the candidates are well-known politicians who have been on the scene since the 1990s.

“In a way, I’m not sure that many Ivorians believe in them anymore,” Depagne says. “The turnout could be low.”

Read the whole story from here: https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20250919-as-cote-d-ivoire-election-nears-are-voters-resigned-to-more-of-the-same

Thanks for reading and listening.

More when I get back.

With all my best wishes,

melissa

Dear readers,

This week, one story only, just a short focus…

I had a great time at DZ Fest, hope you enjoy this report!

DZ Fest showcases Algerian culture in the UK

DZ Fest held its third edition in England this September, celebrating the culture and unity of a growing Algerian anglophone community, with events in both the capital and Nottingham.

Founder and creative director Rachida Lamri - an artist at heart, musician, and member of the London-based Arabo-Andalusian orchestra - curated a programme showcasing Algerian music, traditions, and cuisine.

DZ Fest is the only festival focused on Algerian culture outside the country. It has been run every year since 2022 in the United Kingdom.

This year the festival took place in the latter half of September with events in both London and Nottingham.

Here she is telling us more, as well as some of the guests:

• The Algerian chef Djamel Ait Idir, who runs couscous workshop in his restaurant, Khamsa, in Brixton, South London

• Fayssal Bensalah, an Algerian-born novelist and a lecturer teaching creative writing in Cardiff, Wales

• Comedian Mehdi Walker, also born in Algeria, who lives in France but performs his comedy sketches in English

• Artist and filmmaker Leila Gamaz, who lives between Bristol and Morocco.

Spotlight on Africa podcast:

https://www.rfi.fr/en/podcasts/spotlight-on-africa/20250930-dz-fest-brings-algerian-culture-centre-stage-in-the-uk

And here on Apple Podcast.

And a short video to summarise the spirit of the event:

Thanks for listening!

Speak soon,
melissa

Dear readers,

This end of September… As you already know too well… Atrocities continue in Gaza, in Sudan, in the Congo…

Meanwhile, in an attempt to contribute to less horrific news, I interviewed one of my musical idols…

A trailblazing comeback: Yasmine Hamdan weaves memory, grief, and joy into her first album in six years

The New Arab Meets: Lebanese singer Yasmine Hamdan to discuss her musical comeback after burnout, Lebanon’s collapse, and renewal in solitude

Melissa Chemam

26 September, 2025

When Yasmine Hamdan released Hon in February, the first single from her long-awaited new album, it immediately sent ripples through the Arab music scene and beyond.

A trailblazing voice in contemporary Arabic music, Yasmine has spent the past few years in deliberate silence, resisting the industry’s relentless demand for constant output. For her, the pause was both an act of defiance and a response to a world that felt increasingly alienating — a refusal to create on anyone’s terms but her own.

“So, I decided to stop and only go back to working on music after a real necessity,” she told me.

“To write music only to get a sense of the essence of why I want to do it; I didn’t want to be productive: I didn’t want to play the game anymore,” Yasmine shares.

But after years of silence comes I Remember I Forget, Yasmine’s long-awaited album released on September 19, her first in over six years.

To read the whole story:

A trailblazing comeback: Yasmine Hamdan weaves memory, grief, and joy into her first album in six years

Now, the turning point this second half of September… The UK, Australia, Canada, Portugal then France recognised the state of Palestine… Over 75 years after recognising the state of Israel in 1947…

Indeed, France recognised Israel on 24 January 1949, a bit later than the US (on 14 May 1948), and the United Kingdom, more cautious, recognised Israel de jure on 29 April 1950, almost two years after creation.

Now, even if many observers feel angry about how little it represents and mostly about the lack of action to stop the crimes Israel is committing in Gaza… more European states come to the conclusion that there is no other way, still, diplomatically.

UK recognises Palestinian state, Starmer announced on Sunday 21 September

“Today, to revive the hope of peace and a two-state solution, I state clearly - as prime minister of this great country - that the United Kingdom formally recognises the state of Palestine,” he said in a video statement.

France followed on Monday 22, at the UN’s General Assembly, with Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Andorra and Belgium.

The UK’s decision to formally recognise a Palestinian state comes more than 100 years after the Balfour Declaration backed “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people”.

-

Some reactions:

Kristyan Benedict, Amnesty’s crisis response manager, welcomed Starmer’s announcement, but said it will be a “hollow gesture” if the British government does not to take stronger action to help end Israel’s “genocide” against Palestinians.

Benedict said: “Recognition is no doubt significant but will be a hollow gesture if the UK does not also seek to end Israel’s genocide, illegal occupation, and system of apartheid against the Palestinian people. For recognition or any ‘political solution’ to be effective, it must be firmly rooted in respect for human rights and international justice.

The UK needs to take action now to ensure Israel lifts the blockade on Gaza, dismantles illegal settlements, ends apartheid, respects Palestinians’ right to return, and upholds the rights of victims on all sides to justice and full reparation.

“Words alone won’t stop the atrocities. Recognition must be tied to real accountability: the UK must halt UK arms exports, divest from arms companies that continue to sell arms to Israel, sanction Israeli officials implicated in crimes under international law and stop trade with settlements. The occupation and apartheid system must be ended, and justice must be delivered – anything less while Palestinians continue to be slaughtered by Israeli forces in an ongoing genocide is just empty words.”

-

Palestinian President said UK Recognition is a step toward ‘Lasting Peace’

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said Sunday 21 that Britain’s recognition of a Palestinian state was a necessary step toward lasting peace in the region.

“His excellency praised the United Kingdom’s recognition of the independent State of Palestine, affirming that it constitutes an important and necessary step toward achieving a just and lasting peace in accordance with international legitimacy,” Abbas’s office said in a statement.

-

Mohamad Elmasry, a professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, said Western countries are motivated by a desire to be seen to be doing something, but will not stop the genocide in Gaza.

“I think they’re under increasing pressure from the international community and also from their local populations to do something,” he told Al Jazeera.

“This is, I think, their way of doing something or saying that they did something without actually taking substantive action.”

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A year or so ago, Spain, Norway, Ireland - in Europe - as well as a cluster of Caribbean countries - Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, the Bahamas - had recognised Palestine around the same time. Spain had tried to get European Union members to recognise Palestine together, but unsuccessfully.

The State of Palestine is now recognised as a sovereign nation by 157 UN member states, representing 81 percent of members.

In Africa, only two countries don’t recognise it, Cameroon and Eritrea, two states that have not known any form of real democracy.

Algeria was the first country to recognise Palestine, in November 1988, as it was hosting Yasser Arafat, then chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), after he declared the establishment of an independent State of Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital, during the first Intifada.

In other news…

Sahel

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger jointly announce withdrawal from the ICC

The three member states of the Alliance of Sahel States have announced their immediate withdrawal from the Rome Statute and the International Criminal Court, accusing the ICC of practising “selective justice”. The declaration was made simultaneously on Monday in the capitals of Bamako, Niamey and Ouagadougou.

Issued on: 23/09/2025

The withdrawal of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso from the International Criminal Court (ICC) is a “sovereign decision,” the official statement said, according to news agencies AP, AFP and Reuters, as well as our RFI regional correspondent.

The three countries, led by coup leaders, have a string of grievances against the international court, responsible for trying those accused of genocide and serious crimes.

The joint statement states that “over time,” the ICC has transformed itself “into an instrument of neocolonial repression in the hands of imperialism, thus becoming a global example of selective justice”.

Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso accuse the ICC of “double standards”.

> Read on why here: https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20250923-burkina-faso-mali-and-niger-jointly-announce-their-withdrawal-from-the-icc

Uganda 2026 elections

Uganda electoral commission clears Museveni and Bobi Wine to run for president

Uganda’s Electoral Commission has cleared octogenarian President Yoweri Museveni to seek re-election in polls scheduled for early next year, potentially extending his rule in the East African nation to nearly half a century. His rival, Bobi Wine, was also cleared on Wednesday afternoon.

Issued on: 24/09/2025

The Electoral Commission made the announcement on Tuesday, near the capital, Kampala.

Uganda’s long-time President Yoweri Museveni will thus stand in the January 2026 elections, despite his nearly 40-year rule in the East African country, having been in power since 1986.

After the announcement, he urged supporters to back his vision for the future.

His party, the governing National Resistance Movement (NRM), had officially confirmed him in June as its presidential candidate.

Readied programme

In posts on social media, he thanked the NRM members for entrusting and electing him as their “Presidential flag bearer for the 2026-2031 term.”

“In this economy, the GDP of Uganda has doubled currently in the recent Kisanja from $34 billion to $66 billion,” he wrote. “You have everything today that you lacked in the past: electricity, roads, telephones, manpower, the educated people, and peace. That’s why we are being flooded by many investors because they are looking for a peaceful and profitable area where to invest.”

He named among his priorities for this term wealth creation, education, infrastructure, the fight against crime and against corruption, and improvement in health and water provision.

Controversial figure

A former rebel, Museveni came to power as he was seen as a hero who brought back peace to Uganda.

After seizing power in 1986 through force, Museveni said the problem facing Africa was not its people but “leaders who want to overstay in power”.

For the next ten years Uganda had no multiparty elections. The country operated under what he called the “Movement system”.

In 1996, Museveni organised Uganda’s first presidential election under this system, standing as the candidate of the Movement, and won with around 75 percent of the vote.

Multiparty politics was only restored in 2005, after a referendum, while , under pressure from Museveni, the parliament scrapped presidential term limits.

Museveni is now Africa’s fourth longest-ruling leader, and his government has amended the constitution twice to remove age and term limits, allowing him to remain in office.

Since coming to power, has been credited with stabilising Uganda, promoting economic growth, and combating HIV/AIDS.

But critics denounce his government’s suppression of political opponents, human rights abuses and corruption scandals.

Read also: Ugandan opposition denounces brutal crackdown ahead of 2026 elections

Towards January 2026 polls

Museveni’s was the first candidacy to be cleared by the elections body, which is charged with evaluating whether those seeking office meet legal requirements.

The body assessed this Wednesday the candidacy of Bobi Wine, 43, real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, a singer who has leveraged his pop stardom to galvanise a large support base among young voters.

Museveni defeated Wine in 2021 by a wide margin, though Wine said his victory was stolen through ballot stuffing, intimidation by security forces and other irregularities.

Read also: Bobi Wine’s fight for democracy in Uganda continues on the big screen

The president’s opponents have long accused him of using state patronage and the military to maintain his grip on power, and of using kidnappings and torture against adversaries, claims he denies.

In May, Museveni’s son, who is also Uganda’s military chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba, admitted to holding a missing opposition activist in his basement while threatening that Wine would be next.

(with Reuters)

Nigerian politics

Hundreds of Nigerian women protest in push for more female MPs

For several years, Nigerian MPs have been blocking legislation aimed at better representation for women in politics. The country’s women – who make up the majority of the electorate – are pushing for a bill that would reserve at least 35 percent of seats in parliament for women.

Issued on: 25/09/2025

By: Melissa Chemam

Hundreds of women descended on the Nigerian capital, Abuja, on Monday to push for a bill that would add women-only seats in the Senate and House of Representatives.

Several African countries, from Senegal to Rwanda, have increased their number of female legislators by using quota systems.

Nigeria, which has some of the lowest numbers of women in parliament worldwide, has no such system.

It counts just four women senators out of 109, and 16 women in the 360-member House of Representatives, according to the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), a local NGO.

Dubbed the “Special Seats Bill”, the legislation would add one woman-only seat for both the House and the Senate in each of Nigeria’s 36 states plus the Federal Capital Territory – although implementing the changes would require a constitutional amendment.

Advocates say that reserved seats would serve as a corrective to the financial barriers, entrenched gender roles and domination of politics by men that keep women out of power in Africa’s most populous nation.

The women chose Monday to stage their protest as a national public hearing on constitutional reform was taking place at the National Assembly, organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review.

In Europe, the Netherlands is close to signing a deal with Uganda to set up a hub where rejected asylum seekers from the region can be sent before being deported to their home countries, a government source said on Wednesday.

An agreement was expected in the coming days, the source said.

Just as we discussed here, with SOAS Pr Phil Clark:

Spotlight on Africa podcast : Rwanda’s new migrant deal, how Europe uses Africa to deport the unwanted

https://www.rfi.fr/en/podcasts/spotlight-on-africa/20250902-spotlight-on-africa-rwanda-s-new-migrant-deal-malawi-s-first-solar-powered-village

A spokesperson for Dutch Migration Minister David van Weel confirmed that Van Weel had been having “constructive and advanced talks with Uganda” on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

“There are currently constructive and advanced talks with Uganda about the return of rejected asylum seekers via Uganda,” the spokesperson said. He added that, while the minister did not want to get ahead of developments, he was optimistic.

The spokesperson could not give any more details about the timing of a deal.

Thanks for reading (and for listening to Yasmine!)

with best wishes,

melissa

Dear readers,

I hope this post finds you all well.

This week, a focus on West Africa, especially Côte d’Ivoire (or Ivory Coast for some Americans…), as the candidates for the presidential election are known, and the campaign is to begin on 10 October 2025.

Plus, more news from the fight against climate injustice, for Africa’s electrification, and a new podcast episode!

With five presidential candidates in Côte d'Ivoire, the campaign nears, so far peaceful

Now that the Constitutional Council has selected the five candidates for the presidential election of 25 October, the campaign is about to begin. To face the incumbent President Alassane Ouattara, seeking a fourth term, four candidates out of the two dozen who were trying to run are now on the list, but the main parties have not managed to get in. This could lead to a complex competition, ICG analyst told me.

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Alassane Ouattara, 83, has been in power in Côte d’Ivoire since 2011. He is now seeking to be reelected for a fourth term.

The four other candidates on the list to run against him for this 2025 election are now known: all are former ministers, Jean-Louis Billon, Ahoua Don Mello Henriette Lagou, who was already a candidate in 2015, and Simone Ehivet Gbagbo, who is also a former first lady.

She expressed her "great emotion," while praising the Constitutional Council, for doing the "work seriously, providing each time the details that motivated its decisions."

But the Constitutional Council rejected the candidacies of the two main opposition parties, Tidjane Thiam and former president Laurent Gbagbo, Simone's ex husband, hoping to run respectively for the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire - African Democratic Rally (PDCI-RDA) and for the African People's Party – Cote d'Ivoire (PPA-CI).

Other leaders have been excluded, like Pascal Affi N’Guessan, President of the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), who, during a press conference on Thursday, denounced an “electoral charade” and called for the immediate suspension of the electoral process.

Affi N'Guessan and other excluded candidates met with former president Laurent Gbagbo, in Cocody, central Abidjan, on Thursday last week to discuss contesting their exclusions.

"Ivorians are facing a veritable plebiscite organised by the outgoing president, for a fourth unconstitutional term," Thiam also said on Wednesday last week.

There has been no violence for now, but President Ouattara’s decision to run a fourth time, the exclusion of these opposition figures and an electoral system accused of bias have raised fears about whether the vote will go smoothly.

Peaceful pre-campaign

Rinaldo Depagne, deputy Africa director for the International Crisis Group (ICG), led the research for the think tank's latest report on the political situation in Côte d'Ivoire.

He told me in a phone interview that five candidates is a very small final number, compared to the 60 people who wished to run, which is more than in the last election in 2020. And it poses the question of the exclusion of candidates, especially as the main party candidates cannot compete. He says Ouattara is not a problem as a person.

"It's more a problem of the structure of the Ivorian political life," he told me.

As his report warns about potential electoral violence, Depagne notes that the situation remains remarkably calm compared to all the previous campaigns.

"If you compare with what happened in 2020, mid September, the country already had a death toll of more than 15 people killed during violent protests. So, this time, it is quite reassuring. We don't have any notable violence reported. The only incident was in August, an attack on a bus in Yopougon (a suburb of Abidjan)."

He praises the parties' responsibility in not calling for protests, but also a probable change of expectation, especially amongst the younger voters.

"Young people don't expect much from politics; they don't want to be killed or harmed for a result that won't give them a job or a better life. So on the one hand, this is reassuring because we have so far had quite a peaceful pre-campaign," he says. "Also, parties are not calling for violence. So we have a certain responsibility from the two main parties. But on the other hand, people are not really involved in political life."

Sources of worry

Since 1995, no presidential election has resulted in a peaceful change of power, the report recalls.

One of the issues of worry, according to ICG, is that the candidates are very well known politicians, who have been in the countryside since the 1990s.

"In a way I'm not sure that many Ivorians believe in them anymore," Depagne says. "The turnout could be low."

People don't feel involved, he adds.

"And the last thing is that, because elections have been so violent in 2020, in 2010 and in 1995, politics for many people is something dangerous," according to Depagne.

His main worry is that voting should feel safe for citizens, and not an action that could be threatening.

"But for many people, going in the street to demonstrate could be dangerous," he told me. "This is also why you don't see massive protests, I think."

Moreover, "several Sahel states, aligned with Russia, may wish to see this country, one of the last in the region to display closeness to France and the European bloc, change alliances," according to the ICG report.

To ease tensions, the Ivorian government should organise a formal political dialogue with the opposition as soon as possible, and the political parties whose candidates have been expelled should resist the temptation to boycott, ICG suggests.

The electoral campaign for the presidential election in Côte d'Ivoire will begin on Friday 10 October, 2025 at midnight and will end on Thursday, 23 October, at midnight.

In other news, in Africa:

ENVIRONMENT

African leaders urge fair funding with $50bn climate call

African leaders ended their second continental climate summit on Wednesday in Addis Ababa with a call for more money, fairer financing and a stronger voice in global talks.

Issued on: 11/09/2025

By: Melissa Chemam

The African Union (AU) gathered all 54 member states at its headquarters in Ethiopia’s capital. The aim was to agree a common position ahead of Cop30 in Brazil this November.

The summit closed with the Addis Ababa Declaration – a plan that AU leaders say should reframe Africa not as a victim of climate change, but as a source of solutions.

Three pillars

Ethiopia's President Taye Atske Selassie outlined the three main pillars of the Addis Ababa Declaration – with the first being to accelerate the development of renewable energy to make Africa "a green industrial power".

"First, we will put our future into motion. We are committed to accelerating the development of renewable energy and infrastructure. This will not only make energy accessible, but it will also position Africa as a green industrial power," he said.

The second pillar is the forming of a coalition of countries possessing key minerals, in order to ensure greater transparency and a fair share of the benefits, while the third is the protection of natural heritage.

Debates at the summit focused on reforming global climate finance to better serve African needs. Panelists spoke about the urgency of moving from a system driven by the priorities of donors, to one that addresses the needs of those impacted by climate change.

The AU's Bankoye Adeoye told RFI he felt proud of the outcomes of the summit, saying: "We did not shy away from difficult conversations." According to him, the goal is to open a new chapter in climate negotiations at COP30 in Brazil.

$50 billion a year

Africa emits just 4 percent of greenhouse gases but suffers disproportionately from the impact of global warming, so is calling for more funding towards climate change adaptation – in the name of what Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, chair of the AU Commission, called "climate justice".

According to the Addis Ababa Declaration, Africa is aiming to secure $50 billion a year "to champion climate solutions", with the establishment of the Africa Climate Innovation Compact and the African Climate Facility, sponsored by Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

Abiy said the initiative should aim to deliver 1,000 solutions to tackle climate challenges by 2030.

But according to Professor Carlos Lopes, the African continent's representative at COP30, these plans lack focus.

"In my opinion, it's too broad. It covers too many topics that don't have the same importance, and therefore it loses some of the will to influence and create the opportunity for a unified African voice," he told RFI.

Read also: Africa Climate Summit 2023 ends on high, but huge challenges remain

'Rich nations set the planet on fire'

According to a 2024 report by the World Meteorological Organisation, 48 of Africa's 54 countries are at risk of flooding and 40 are at risk of drought, worsened by climate change. These hazards caused a loss of 2 to 5 percent of GDP each year.

Given that industrialised nations have polluted the planet for more than 150 years, the promised funds to help Africa adapt to the effects of this fall far short of the required amount, said AU Commission chair Youssouf in his opening remarks.

"Today, the link between climate and underdevelopment is no longer in doubt," he added. "Climate, rural exodus, migration and instability in all its forms are intertwined. The vulnerability of our member countries caused by climate change... must be redressed through climate justice... by providing financial resources, technology and expertise."

"Rich polluting nations set the planet on fire, then sit back and send water droppers" to the developing world, Oxfam's Africa director Fati N'Zi-Hassane echoed in a statement.

"They must take responsibility for the damage they are causing and adequately fund climate action in countries where climate change is wreaking havoc on communities that are least responsible for the crisis."

Blue Nile

Ethiopia inaugurates Africa's biggest dam, despite concerns in Egypt and Sudan

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), located on the Blue Nile in Ethiopia, has finally been inaugurated. While many celebrate its potential to boost the country’s economy, concerns persist in neighbouring Egypt and Sudan over possible water shortages.

Issued on: 10/09/2025

The GERD, located along the Blue Nile, in Guba, Benishangul-Gumuz region, is expected to produce more than 5,000 megawatts of electricity, doubling Ethiopia’s current output, part of which will be exported to neighbouring countries.

Construction of the dam began in 2011 and has raised concerns in neighbouring Egypt and Sudan about a potential reduction in downstream water levels.

Tensions remain high with Egypt describing the development as a security risk, arguing that it could lead to drought downstream. A joint panel to discuss the sharing of the Blue Nile water has been set up.

Ethiopia's pride

However, Ethiopia insists that the towering dam will not only benefit its more than 100 million people, but also its neighbours, and describes it as an opportunity for the country to become Africa’s leading electricity exporter.

Ethiopian Water Minister Habtamu Itefa said his country has no intention of harming any of the neighbouring countries.

“So the way forward is to work together for more investment. Let’s join hands to propose more projects that can benefit all of us, wherever they may be. This can be scaled up to Nile Basin countries - to Uganda, to Tanzania, to Rwanda, to DRC, to South Sudan, to Kenya, to Ethiopia, to Egypt as well,” he said.

Public effort

The project has created strong regional tensions, "raising fears in Sudan and Egypt about its impact" on the Blue Nile's course," Tsegay Tekleselassie, an economist at Wellesley College in the United States, told RFI. "However, there is no doubt that this is a very important moment for Ethiopians."

The Renaissance Dam was built with national resources, Tekleselassie added, as many international organisations did not want to finance it. As a result for Ethiopians, it represents a strong symbol of the country's independence and sovereignty.

"The dam was financed from the national budget, but also through the purchase of bonds by individuals," he said. "So everyone, every worker, bought their bonds. There was also the contribution of public companies and loans from local banks. Because of its symbolic importance, people are very proud and enthusiastic about it."

The dam is also seen as a unifying force in Ethiopia, as there are many ethnic divisions.

"So the government is using it as a unifying symbol, but also to gain credibility with the people. There will certainly be a lot of emotion among Ethiopians during this inauguration."

Providing electricity

Nearly half of Ethiopians currently lack access to electricity.

"The country has a very large population, with 130 million inhabitants," Sonia Le Gouriellec, lecturer in political science at the Catholic University of Lille, France, told RFI.

"There is a real challenge in providing electricity and achieving the country's economic ambitions. Numerous special economic zones have been opened with the aim of providing electricity to everyone."

Water experts in downstream Egypt say the dam has reduced the amount of water the country receives, however, and the government has had to come up with short-term solutions such as reducing annual consumption and recycling irrigation water.

“Egypt was able to overcome this shortage through Egypt’s High Dam, which has a water reserve that is used to replace what was lost due to the GERD. But we can’t always rely on this reserve for water supply,” said Abbas Sharaky, a professor of geology and water resources at Cairo University.

For Sudan, experts say seasonal flooding has decreased during the dam’s filling, but they warn that uncoordinated water releases could lead to sudden flooding or extended dry periods.

"What is currently under discussion is the absence of clear and binding rules for its management in times of water stress," Le Gouriellec told RFI.

"Egypt has always had a consistent position on this issue: all possible upstream exploitations should have a legally binding written agreement, with clear rules of operation, on how these waters will be managed over time, particularly in times of drought. And that, for the moment, is absent."

So, although the Ethiopian Prime Minister invited Sudan and Egypt to come to the inauguration, the invitation is diplomacy and nothing concrete has been signed off.

"That bothers them a lot. And what we fear is that the conflict could be exported to other areas, for example to Somalia," Le Gouriellec said.

Egypt and Sudan's greatest fear is that in the case of a drought, the Ethiopians will not release the necessary volume of water stored by this dam.

"There is a lack of clear, binding rules on the management of the Nile's waters," Le Gouriellec added.

Reassurance

Ethiopian Water Minister Habtamu Itefa has pointed out that so far, the water levels recorded downstream during the dry season were “three to four-fold what they used to get before the dam.”

“This means, at the expense of the dam we built, they can have their irrigation land. Three to four-fold, they can increase that, because we are providing more water during the dry months. It is a blessing for them,” said the Ethiopian minister.

Yacob Arsano, who teaches hydro politics in the Nile Basin at Addis Ababa University, said Ethiopia was “very careful” with the design and planning of the dam to ensure water flows downstream throughout the year.

“Egypt continues to receive the water. Ethiopia continues to send water. So that is the remaining fact and for which how to organise such a shared use of water resources depends on the two sides. All of the upstream and downstream countries need to sit down properly and soberly,” he said.

Podcast

Decoding Cameroon's election; fighting oil pollution in Nigeria; improving US-South African relations

In this new episode, we are talking about the coming presidential election in Cameroon.

We’re also going to Nigeria. Then we’ll talk about how to improve the relations between South Africa and the US, especially for the benefit of seasonal migrant workers.

Have a listen from RFI’s website here:

Spotlight on Africa: Cameroon votes, Niger Delta oil pollution, South Africa - US ties

https://www.rfi.fr/en/podcasts/spotlight-on-africa/20250916-spotlight-on-africa-cameroon-votes-niger-delta-oil-pollution-south-africa-us-links

Or on Apple Podcasts.

Genocide in Gaza: Another damning report

Top UN legal investigators conclude Israel is guilty of genocide in Gaza

Most authoritative report by the UN on genocide paves way for ICJ ruling, authors say

The UN’s investigative body on Palestine and Israel ruled on Tuesday that Israel is guilty of the crime of genocide in Gaza, in the most authoritative pronouncement to date.

It provided a 72-page report, prepared by the UN commission of inquiry on Palestine and Israel, which finds Israel has committed four of the five acts prohibited under the 1948 Genocide Convention, and that Israeli leaders had the intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza as a group.

“For the finding on Israel's responsibility for its conduct in Gaza, the commission used the legal standard set forth by the International Court of Justice. This is therefore the most authoritative finding emanating from the United Nations to date,” the commission's chair, Navi Pillay, said.

Daunting details here: https://melissa-on-the-road.blogspot.com/2025/09/genocide-in-gaza-another-damning-report.html

I wrote about the warnings for this on previous posts, as you may remember, from as early as 30 October 2023, here is the first one:

Thanks for caring!

Despite some of the worst horrors, we must stay strong. The key ingredients in democracy are knowledge and awareness.

best and warm wishes,

melissa

-

Melissa Chemam
Journalist. Writer. Podcaster
Blog: https://melissa-on-the-road.blogspot.com/
Website: https://sites.google.com/view/melissachemam

Dear readers,

I hope this first week of September found you strong.

Busy busy time on my side.

Here are my main stories published this week, beyond the West. Enjoy the read.

My two African stories of the week

Cameroon election 2025

Fears over divided opposition and instability, as Cameroon heads to the polls

Ahead of Cameroon's 12 October presidential election, the opposition remains divided, despite agreement on the need to unite behind a candidate to face off against President Paul Biya, who is seeking an eighth term. Meanwhile, the United Nations has sounded the alarm over whether tensions in the country will make free elections impossible.

03/09/2025

Fears over divided opposition and instability, as Cameroon heads to the polls

Issued on: 05/09/2025

By: Melissa Chemam

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ENVIRONMENT - JUSTICE

Reading time

Oil giants accused of dodging Niger Delta clean-up as UN panel intervenes

Oil giants stand accused of walking away from decades of pollution in Nigeria’s Niger Delta without cleaning up the damage. A UN-appointed panel of experts wrote to Shell, Eni, ExxonMobil and TotalEnergies, warning the companies cannot sell off their assets and dodge their responsibilities to local communities.

Issued on: 05/09/2025 - 16:04

By: Melissa Chemam

My piece on press freedom in Senegal being at risk of “extinction” as the country struggles amid a wider economic crisis... is also in the 'Weekend Reads' recommendations by the great team of the Semafor newsletter this week!

Press freedom in Senegal is at risk of “extinction” as the country struggles amid a wider economic crisis, Radio France Internationale reports. The Futurs Médias group, which owns the widely read L’Observateur, among other outlets, said some of its staff hadn’t been paid in three months. This risks not only the quality of Senegalese news, RFI warns, but also coverage of the rest of the Sahel region, where the country has become a “beacon” amid press restrictions in neighboring countries.

Palestine Solidarity

From Gaza to Wembley: Inside the sold-out Together for Palestine concert

The event goes beyond music, as activists reveal why they are uniting for Gaza's justice, resilience and lasting global solidarity

Melissa Chemam

05 September, 2025

"I was deeply honoured to be invited to design the Together for Palestine event," Malak Mattar, UK-based Palestinian artist, told The New Arab.

"The organisers were familiar with my work and its focus on Palestinian identity and resilience. They reached out because they felt my art could visually represent the spirit of resistance, beauty, culture and hope that the event stands for."

British musician and producer Brian Eno is hosting the major benefit concert for Gaza at London's Wembley Arena on 17 September.

Together for Palestine aims to raise humanitarian funds and encourage artists to speak out against Israel's ongoing siege and bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

Read on from The New Arab: https://www.newarab.com/features/together-palestine-story-behind-artist-solidarity

The sound of my week:

One of my idol, so talented…

For nostalgia and beauty:

Yasmine Hamdan - 'I Remember I Forget' ينسى وبتذكر

And this artists’ songs made me happier in a few years than many beloved records... It's totally my fault, me and my sad music... But, there is indeed so much resilience in his sounds!!

To find joy even in devastated event, before going back to the coming demos..

Saint-Levant - 'Kalamantina'

Thanks for reading.

Please like and share if you fancy it, to help this free newsletter to reach other readers.

With my best wishes,

melissa

Melissa Chemam
Journalist. Writer. Podcaster
Blog: https://melissa-on-the-road.blogspot.com/
Website: https://sites.google.com/view/melissachemam

Dear readers,

It wasn’t a quieter summer for most people, was it?

Yet, now, it’s September, and in the usual cycle of news, most programmes are back, including our own podcast: Spotlight on Africa!

Spotlight on Africa returns after the summer break. In this episode, we travel first to Rwanda and then on to Malawi.

We begin by examining how the United States, along with some European powers, is looking to third countries in Africa to take in illegal migrants, with particular focus on Rwanda.

We then move to Malawi to explore how one village is now running entirely on solar energy.

Spotlight on Africa

Spotlight on Africa: Rwanda’s new migrant deal, Malawi’s first solar-powered village

» Listen from our website here: https://www.rfi.fr/en/podcasts/spotlight-on-africa/20250902-spotlight-on-africa-rwanda-s-new-migrant-deal-malawi-s-first-solar-powered-village

» And find us on Apple Podcasts too!

Rwanda received 7 people from the USA last week, as part of a deportation deal.

The Trump administration is pushing these sorts of controversial deals to send people to non-home countries including Eswatini, South Sudan and Rwanda…

Rwandan authorities said the first week of August that they had reached an agreement with the United States to take in up to 250 migrants, as part of a new deal that includes a cash grant.

The move is part of a wider effort by the US administration to remove migrants to third countries, and has raised fresh concerns over human rights, legality and the growing trend of wealthier nations paying others to take in deportees.

To understand the implication of this deal for migrants, for Africa and for human rights, I received Phil Clark, professor of International Politics at the School of Oriental and African Study in London, specialist of Rwanda, the great lakes region and of conflict and post-conflict issues in Africa. He’s been doing field research in Rwanda and beyond every year for the past 20 years.

» Read on: https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20250805-rwanda-agrees-to-take-migrants-from-us-in-deal-that-includes-cash-grant

Kasakula: The first 100 percent solar-powered village in Malawi

We then move to Malawi to explore how one village is now running entirely on solar energy.

Meanwhile, in Southern Africa, a community of nearly 9,000 homes in rural Malawi became the country’s first village to receive 100 percent universal access to solar power also in the last week of August.

The project came to life through an award-winning energy model.

Kasakula town, where off-grid families have until now relied on lamps and candles, has now hit this milestone, according to Brave Mhonie, who is the general manager of the charity SolarAid Malawi and the president of the Renewable Energy Industries Association of Malawi.

SolarAid is a small international charity, and chose the remote and low-income village of Kasakula to pilot its model called Energy-as-a-Service.

And for more news:

In Senegal

Financial crisis in privately owned media puts Senegal’s press freedom at risk

Senegal’s press is facing a worsening financial crisis, impacted by cuts to public subsidies and the collapse of advertising revenue. At its centre is the restructuring of Youssou N'Dour's Futurs Médias group, but other privately owned companies are now facing similar challenges and asking for government support.

Issued on: 01/09/2025

By: Melissa Chemam

The ‘Futurs Médias’ group (GFM) – which owns leading Senegalese media outlets including newspaper L'Observateur, radio station RFM and television channel TFM – says it is experiencing an "unprecedented" crisis.

With advertising revenue plummeting, print sales falling, rising costs and tax adjustments, the group has not paid some employees for three months.

For its management there is only one option left: restructuring the company.

The group was founded in 2003 by the internationally renowned musician and former culture minister, Youssou N’Dour, to provide an independent media platform that could offer diverse perspectives, countering the dominance of state-controlled media.

» Read the whole story from here: https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20250901-financial-crisis-in-privately-owned-media-puts-senegal-press-freedom-at-risk

Now, in case you missed it, my piece on how the scramble for minerals results in terrible crime in the Congo…

The term “Genocost” was first used in London in 2013 by a member of the Congolese Action Youth Platform, in a report documenting large-scale crimes in eastern Congo dating back to 1996. The report said several neighbouring countries, including Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi, shared responsibility.

DRC CONFLICT

DR Congo urges world to recognise 'Genocost' tied to decades of resource war

The Democratic Republic of Congo held a national day of remembrance this weekend for what it calls the “Genocost” – a term used to describe mass deaths linked to the exploitation of the country’s natural resources.

Issued on: 04/08/2025

By: Melissa Chemam

President Félix Tshisekedi used the occasion of an annual ceremony to call on parliament to adopt a resolution recognising the violence in eastern Congo as genocide.

"I solemnly call upon both houses of parliament to examine as soon as possible the adoption of an official resolution proclaiming the recognition of genocide committed on our territory," Tshisekedi said on Saturday.

He said the deaths of thousands of civilians in the east of the country meet the legal definition of genocide under the 1948 UN convention. He also promised to take the campaign for recognition to international forums.

The annual Genocost commemoration takes place every 2 August. It was first held three years ago. This year, a new memorial was opened near the National Museum in Kinshasa.

Read also: From 1960 to present day, 11 dates that explain the conflict in the DRC

Repeated conflicts

Eastern Congo, rich in minerals and bordering Rwanda, has faced repeated conflict since the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Violence has escalated again since early 2025.

The term “Genocost” was first used in London in 2013 by a member of the Congolese Action Youth Platform (CAYP). It followed the UN’s Mapping Report, which documented large-scale crimes in eastern Congo dating back to 1996. The report said several neighbouring countries, including Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi, shared responsibility.

For CAYP France, the creation of a national remembrance day is a major step. Gloria Menayame, a legal expert with the NGO, told RFI it was a “victory” but said more needs to be done.

But, she also said that it "feels unfinished".

"The adoption of the Genocost campaign is something we welcome," she said. "What we didn’t want was this partial appropriation that only takes what suits the authorities. There’s a lot of talk about international responsibility or the creation of an international tribunal. But they forget to put in place mechanisms to address crimes at the national level. We believe our government has the means, but lacks the will."

Read also: DRC conflict coltan entering EU via Rwandan smuggling routes, report finds

Long road to recognition

The idea of the Genocost began gaining support after 2013, as calls for reparations grew. Civil society groups pointed to a long history of resource-driven violence going back to colonial times.

Supporters of the campaign renamed a square in Kinshasa “Genocost Square” and began holding events there every 2 August. The date marks the start of the Second Congo War in 1998.

But the government only adopted the term officially in late 2022, after the M23 rebel group returned to action and tensions with Rwanda increased.

One key aim of the campaign is the creation of an international criminal tribunal for the DRC.

Tshisekedi also said he would raise the issue at the United Nations General Assembly in September.

Theoretical issues

Some legal experts say the Genocost concept remains controversial. Ithiel Batumike, a researcher at the Congolese think tank Ebuteli, told RFI the term is based on real anger and frustration over decades of violence, but it still needs to be defined more clearly in legal terms.

"All Congolese believe it is time to stop this spiral of violence," he said.

"The big questions all Congolese are asking themselves: 'Until when?' and 'Why does the international community act as if it doesn't see everything that is happening in Congo, when it is paying sustained attention to other crises where it has actually intervened to stop the massacres?'"

Another issue is the role of Congolese leaders and military officials in the conflict.

Menayame said some members of the Congolese government have been named in UN reports as being involved in crimes committed in the country.

These include several generals active in conflict zones. She said their actions should not be ignored.

A voyage of hope

The Global Sumud flotilla to depart for Gaza

Largest flotilla for Gaza set sail this week, hoping to end the blockade

Flotilla carrying activists, aid was setting sail for Gaza on Sunday 31 August 2025, despite a little delay due to strong wind

Authors, activists, and Portuguese politician Mortagua are among passengers

Activists call on politicians to pressure Israel to let the boats through

Pro-Palestinian activists are setting sail from Spain this week for Gaza in dozens of boats carrying aid have called on governments to pressure Israel to allow their flotilla - the largest to date - through the naval blockade: Hundreds of people from 44 countries departing from several ports to Gaza as part of the Global Sumud flotilla.

Sumud means "perseverance" in Arabic.

The vessels are to set off from the Spanish port city of Barcelona to “open a humanitarian corridor and end the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people”, said the Global Sumud Flotilla.

Dozens more vessels are expected to leave from Tunisia other Mediterranean ports on 4 September.

The flotilla is expected to arrive at the war-ravaged coastal enclave in mid-September.

» More details on my blog: https://melissa-on-the-road.blogspot.com/2025/08/the-global-sumud-flotilla-departs-for.html

on a lighter note:

On Radio Bristol with DJ Style

Thirty five years ago, on October 15, 1990, the song 'Daydreaming' by Massive Attack came out in the UK as the Bristol band's first single, six months before their debut album, 'Blue Lines'....

Some of you may know, I wrote a book about Bristol’s music and art scene to talk about multiculturalism and activism in culture.

Last Friday, I looked again at what this sort of sound and its multiculturalism offered to England. It was on Radio Bristol, at 8:15pm local time, with the super cool DJ Style -

Link to listen online:

DJ Style sits in (29/08/2025)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002h8wc

Our 12-minute-long interview, isolated, here:

A final word, as Brave Mhonie said in conclusion at the end of this podcast episode:

“We have the responsibility to transform lives, to create a better life on Earth than what we found ourselves.”

Thanks for reading, linking sharing, and commenting! It helps tremendously to spread news from other parts of the world than just the usual suspects (the UN’s Security Council’s five permanent members for instance…).

With all my very warm wishes for this month of September,

melissa

Melissa Chemam
Journalist, Writer, Podcaster
Blog: https://melissa-on-the-road.blogspot.com/
Website: https://sites.google.com/view/melissachemam

Dear readers,

I hope this message find you well.

As I was on the road for local, micro-travel in England, I put daily work on pause to focus on longer term projects.

Back on the daily news desk today, here is one important international story with an African lead.

Authorities in Senegal are denouncing the United States' sanctioning of four ICC prosecutors, including one Senegalese, calling on American authorities to reverse their decision. The move also shows a positive shift in the confidence in the court, human rights defenders say.

Senegal calls on the US to withdraw sanctions against four ICC magistrates

Dakar has reacted after the United States announced new sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC), accused of "politicisation" on Thursday.

"Senegal calls on the American authorities to lift these sanctions, which constitute a serious violation of the principle of judicial independence," the foreign ministry posted on social media.

Senegalese deputy prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang was among the four sanctioned. The others include Judge Nicolas Guillou of France, who is presiding over a case in which an arrest warrant was issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Canadian judge Kimberly Prost and deputy prosecutors Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji.

The US imposed these sanctions on the ICC judges and prosecutors on Wednesday in a new effort to hobble the tribunal, particularly for actions against Israel over the war in Gaza.

The US State Department said the two deputy prosecutors were being punished for supporting "illegitimate ICC actions against Israel", including by supporting arrest warrants against Netanyahu and former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant.

'Full solidarity'

The Senegalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that it learned "with surprise of the US sanctions against four ICC magistrates," including Senegalese Mame Mandiaye Niang.

Senegal's foreign ministry expressed its "full solidarity" with Niang, condemning the sanctions as violating the ICC members' rights to "freely and peacefully exercise the mandate entrusted to them".

And the country's authorities "call on the American authorities to withdraw these sanctions, which constitute a serious attack on the principle of the independence of justice," said the press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Concerning Niang, Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko posted himself on his social media on Thursday that the "government of Senegal, his country, will stand resolutely by his side to confront these unjust and unfounded measures by the United States of America".

More broadly, the country has reaffirmed "its unwavering support for the ICC in its mission to serve international criminal justice." A call for "solidarity" is also made to other countries that have ratified the Rome Statute, so that they "redouble their efforts to ensure that the judges and all staff of the Court can carry out their mission in complete independence, without threats or restrictions."

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had previously imposed sanctions on four other ICC judges in June.

And in February, the US sanctioned chief prosecutor Karim Khan, who was responsible for the request that led the ICC to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant.

The US and Israel have never joined the Hague-backed ICC, which is backed by nearly all other Western democracies.

Africa's shift on the ICC

For he Secretary General of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Maître Drissa Traoré, the situation of the ICC is getting worse, "all the more so since the American president now feels invested with greater power and presents himself as both the great peacemaker and the one who only respects his own wishes," he said.

This offensive contributes to the Court's funding becoming less and less important, according to him.

"The proceedings before the ICC are progressing more slowly," Traoré said, "but above all, all the organisations and individuals, the NGOs that help the proceedings and investigations on the ground to run smoothly, must be very careful not to incur the wrath of the United States."

The United States also uses the Court according to its political positions, he added.

"We remember that the United States previously supported the work of the Court, with regard to Darfur and Libya, for instance," he said. "Today, its interests, both political and strategic, are no longer the same, and the United States with President Trump opposes the Court being able to do its work in Afghanistan and particularly in Palestine."

For all these reasons, the appreciation of African states, or especially of certain African populations, has changed, Traoré underlined.

"We no longer hear that the ICC is there only for Africans and those who do not have power", he said. "We realise today that the ICC is truly a court that is called upon to work across the entire Earth and to address all serious human rights violations."

Meanwhile, in Gaza, famine has been confirmed to confirmed in Gaza City for first time, by a UN-backed body.

Famine in Gaza City means "deaths will increase exponentially", UN-backed organisation warns

Famine has been confirmed in Gaza City for the first time, a UN-backed body responsible for monitoring food security says.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has raised its classification to Phase 5, the highest and worst level of its acute food insecurity scale.

The full report's key highlights are:

• The Famine Review Committee (FRC) has determined that Famine (IPC Phase 5) is currently occurring in Gaza Governorate. Furthermore, the FRC projects Famine (IPC Phase 5) thresholds to be crossed in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis Governorates in the coming weeks.

• As this Famine is entirely man-made, it can be halted and reversed. The time for debate and hesitation has passed, starvation is present and is rapidly spreading. There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that an immediate, at-scale response is needed. Any further delay—even by days—will result in a totally unacceptable escalation of Famine-related mortality.

• If a ceasefire is not implemented to allow humanitarian aid to reach everyone in the Gaza Strip, and if essential food supplies, and basic health, nutrition, and WASH services are not restored immediately, avoidable deaths will increase exponentially

Following this publication, the UN chief for human rights, Volker Turk, said "it is a war crime to use starvation as a method of warfare", just minutes after famine was declared in the Gaza Strip this Friday.

Turk added that the resulting deaths "may also amount to the war crime of wilful killing", while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, "we cannot allow this situation to continue with impunity."

The Secretary General of the UN, Antonio Guterres, also called for "an immediate ceasefire, the immediate release of all hostages, and full, unfettered humanitarian access."

The IPC had warned in July that a “famine scenario” was unfolding in parts of Gaza but until now it had stopped short of making a formal declaration, citing a lack of hard data.

In addition to a famine in and around Gaza City, the biggest built-up area of the territory and home to between 500,000 and 800,000 people, the report declares that the towns of Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis in the centre and south of Gaza are likely to experience famine “in coming weeks”.

The experts say the data is insufficient to declare a famine in the north of the territory, though aid officials say the conditions there are thought to be the most severe and have called for urgent steps to allow for a full humanitarian assessment.

Earlier this week, Amnesty International also showed that Israel was deliberately starving Gaza's Palestinians.

New testimonies provide compelling evidence that Israel’s starvation of Palestinians in Gaza is a deliberate policy

Israel is carrying out a deliberate campaign of starvation in the occupied Gaza Strip, systematically destroying the health, well-being and social fabric of Palestinian life, Amnesty International said on 18 August 2025 as it published chilling new testimonies of starved displaced civilians.

Their accounts underscore the organisation’s repeated findings that the deadly combination of hunger and disease is not an unfortunate byproduct of Israel’s military operations. It is the intended outcome of plans and policies that Israel has designed and implemented, over the past 22 months, to deliberately inflict on Palestinians in Gaza conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction – which is part and parcel of Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

“As Israeli authorities threaten to launch a full-scale ground invasion of Gaza City, the testimonies we have collected are far more than accounts of suffering, they are a searing indictment of an international system that has granted Israel a license to torment Palestinians with near-total impunity for decades,” said Erika Guevara Rosas, Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns at Amnesty International.

“To even begin reversing the devastating consequences of Israel’s inhumane policies and actions, which have made mass starvation a grim reality in Gaza, there must be an immediate, unconditional lifting of the blockade and a sustained ceasefire. The impact of Israel’s blockade and its ongoing genocide on civilians, particularly on children, people with disabilities, those with chronic illnesses, older people and pregnant and breastfeeding women is catastrophic and cannot be undone by simply increasing the number of aid trucks or restoring performative, ineffective and dangerous airdrops of aid.”

This research builds on Amnesty International’s recent documentation of the impact of specific Israeli policies and practices, including a total siege imposed for 78 days between March and May and the replacement of the longstanding UN-led humanitarian aid system with an imposed deadly and degrading non-neutral aid mechanism, fronted by the US-Israeli backed “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation,” which has further deepened the suffering of Gaza’s civilian population.

“The world cannot continue to pat Israel on the shoulder for trickling in aid and viewing these cosmetic measures as a sufficient response to its calculated destruction of the life of Palestinians in Gaza,” Guevara-Rosas concluded.

“In the face of the horrors Israel is inflicting on the Palestinian population in Gaza, the international community, particularly Israel’s allies, including the European Union and its members must uphold their moral and legal obligations to bring an end to Israel’s ongoing genocide. States must urgently suspend all arms transfers, adopt targeted sanctions and terminate any engagement with Israeli entities when this contributes to Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.”

In the meantime, a coalition of direct action groups has announced the largest attempt yet by civilians to break the siege on Gaza.

Activists from 44 Countries Plan Largest-Ever Gaza Aid Flotilla in September

The Global Sumud Flotilla aims to launch dozens of boats carrying humanitarian aid from Spain, Tunisia and elsewhere in early September, with delegates from at least 44 countries on board.

Coordinators, organisers, and participants from the Maghreb Sumud Flotilla, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, Global Movement to Gaza, and the Sumud Nusantara have united under a common goal: to break the illegal siege on Gaza by sea, open a humanitarian corridor, and end the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people.

On August 31st, the group are launching the "biggest attempt ever to break the illegal Israeli siege over Gaza", with dozens of boats sailing from Spain. They will meet dozens more ships on September 4th sailing from Tunisia and other ports.

They are mobilising more than 44 countries on simultaneous demonstrations and actions to break complicity in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Mandla Mandela is among the activists from these 44 countries preparing for the “largest civilian maritime mission to Gaza” to break the siege on Gaza.

They are still looking for qualified captains and crew.

You can still APPLY NOW from here: https://registration.gmtgaza.org/apply-crewcap/

Today, I also spoke to the founder and CEO of the British NGO Choose Love, ahead of one of the large popular events to take place in London in September and October to support Palestinians, ‘Together for Palestine’.

More on this soon.

More on these events soon.

Our efforts in solidarity are not lost.

And it’s powerful to hear strong voices from South Africa and Senegal unite to demand justice beyond the borders of the African continent.

With my best regards,

melissa

-

Melissa Chemam

Journalist, Writer, Podcaster

Blog: https://melissa-on-the-road.blogspot.com/

Website: https://sites.google.com/view/melissachemam

Dear readers,

Some perspective on world affairs this week, and on injustice.

I cover African news in much details, but this three examples reflect best how African news are actually world news sidetracked by the dynamics of mainstream media.

Everything is linked, trade, tariffs, previous exploitation, migration and even war.

If you have a moment this weekend, just skipping through this post will help see it.

Thanks.

Global trade and injustice

South Africa braces for heavy job losses as stiff US tariffs take hold

As sweeping new US tariffs take effect on Thursday, dozens of countries are facing sharp new duties on their exports. South Africa is among the hardest hit, with key goods now subject to a 30 percent tariff and up to 100,000 jobs on the line.

By: Melissa Chemam

The tariff hike, ordered by US President Donald Trump, is part of a wider effort to reset global trade on terms more favourable to Washington.

South Africa’s reliance on exports like cars, steel and citrus – combined with an already fragile economy – leaves it particularly exposed.

The South African government had spent months trying to negotiate a deal to avoid the penalty. It offered to buy US liquefied natural gas and invest $3.3 billion (€2.8 billion) in US industries in exchange for lower tariffs. The offer was rejected – even after a last-minute effort to improve it.

Trade and Industry Minister Parks Tau said the talks had been unusually difficult.

"These are very complex negotiations, certainly unprecedented," he said. "At this stage, we must focus on the task at hand and not on finding those responsible."

Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola called for unity. "We're talking about our economy. This is not the time for political calculations, whether in the opposition or within the national unity government," he said.

"We must all speak with one voice. And we can't just blame South Africa; this is a global phenomenon."

President Cyril Ramaphosa said last week that the government would act to ease the impact of the tariff.

Emergency support measures

Pretoria has launched a producer support programme to help exporters find new markets. Willem van der Spuy, head of exports at the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC), said the aim is to reduce dependence on a few major partners.

"Through this support office, we will connect producers with embassies and potential buyers to penetrate new markets. But also, in general, to help the country diversify its exports," he said on Tuesday.

The DTIC has also set up an Export Support Desk to advise affected companies. Tau described the move as part of a broader effort to help the country through "a trying moment".

He said the new tariff is a direct threat to jobs in key industries, including automotive, agro-processing, steel and chemicals.

"We are working with urgency and resolve to implement real, practical interventions that defend jobs and position South Africa competitively in a shifting global landscape," Tau said in a statement.

Trump’s executive order, signed on 31 July, set tariff rates ranging from 10 to 41 percent on dozens of countries. African states face duties between 15 and 30 percent.

Read also: Africa braces for fallout as US tariff deadline is pushed back a week

Almost 100,000 jobs at risk

Lesetja Kganyago, governor of South Africa’s central bank, said the tariff could cost up to 100,000 jobs. The country already has an unemployment rate of nearly 33 percent.

The United States is South Africa’s second-largest trading partner after China. Top exports to the US include cars, iron and steel, and citrus fruits.

Speaking on 702 Radio, Kganyago said farming would take a major hit. "Here the impact is on citrus fruit, table grapes and wines," he said.

About 6 to 8 percent of South Africa’s citrus crop is exported to the US. For farmers in Citrusdal, 200 kilometres north of Cape Town, that trade is vital.

"At the moment it's about 25 to 30 percent of our business," said Gerrit van der Merwe, speaking from his 1,000-hectare orange farm.

Until now, South Africa’s exports to the US had been tariff-free under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). That status now appears to be ending.

More than 70 percent of arable land in South Africa remains in the hands of the white minority, based on the latest figures from 2017. Many commercial farmers are among those most exposed to the impact of the new tariffs.

Some background: South Africa criticises US plan to resettle white Afrikaners as refugees

Diplomatic tensions

Officials in Pretoria say the tariff is not just about trade. It also reflects growing tensions with Washington over domestic and foreign policy.

Trump has falsely claimed that white farmers are having their land seized and has voiced strong opposition to South Africa’s land reform and affirmative action laws.

The White House is also angry over South Africa’s decision to file a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

South Africa currently holds the G20 Presidency and will host the first G20 leaders’ summit in Africa in November 2025. Officials had hoped Trump would attend, but he said late last month he might skip the event, citing frustration with South Africa’s foreign policy.

"Since the last 30 years, there have been disagreements with the US administration on a number of issues, but the diplomatic lines of engagement have always been open," Lamola told French news agency AFP on Tuesday. He said relations had "reached a low".

US - RWANDA

Rwanda agrees to take migrants from US in deal that includes cash grant

Rwandan authorities say they have reached an agreement with the United States to take in up to 250 migrants, as part of a new deal that includes a cash grant. The move is part of a wider effort by the Trump administration to remove migrants to third countries, and has raised fresh concerns over human rights, legality and the growing trend of wealthier nations paying others to take in deportees.

Issued on: 05/08/2025

By:Melissa Chemam

“Rwanda has agreed with the United States to accept up to 250 migrants,” said government spokesperson Yolande Makolo said on Tuesday. “In part because nearly every Rwandan family has experienced the hardships of displacement, and our societal values are founded on reintegration and rehabilitation.”

The agreement was signed by US and Rwandan officials in Kigali in June, according to another Rwandan official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, adding that Washington had already sent an initial list of 10 people to be vetted.

The White House, Department of Homeland Security and State Department had no immediate comment.

The deal comes as former US president Donald Trump pushes to deport millions of people living in the country illegally. His administration has sought to remove migrants to third countries, including deporting convicted criminals to South Sudan and Eswatini.

Read also about US deportations in South Sudan

Cash for refugees

Under the agreement, Rwanda will receive funding from the US in the form of a grant. The Rwandan official said the grant letter was signed in July but declined to say how much money was involved.

“This is the real surprise in this deal,” according to Phil Clark, a professor at SOAS University in the UK who studies Rwanda and the Great Lakes region.

“The previous announcement about this migrant deal showed that the US was trading this policy against a peace deal with the DRC,” Clark told me. “Now it shows that Rwanda will also profit financially from this scheme.”

The official said the two countries could agree to expand the scheme beyond the initial 250 people. Migrants sent to Rwanda would be free to leave the country if they chose to.

“Rwanda has already gained hundreds of thousands of British pounds from the failed deal with the UK and now seems to be able to profit from hosting refugees and migrants for years to come,” Clark said.

Rwandan authorities will have the final say on who can be resettled. Kigali has made clear it will not accept anyone who has served part of a prison sentence or who faces criminal charges.

The official said there is no plan to let deportees complete US prison terms in Rwanda, and that child sex offenders would not be accepted.

Makolo said approved migrants would receive job training, healthcare and housing support. “Giving them the opportunity to contribute to one of the fastest-growing economies in the world over the last decade,” she said.

The US Supreme Court ruled in June that the Trump administration could deport migrants to third countries. But the legal battle is ongoing. A federal lawsuit challenging the policy is underway in Boston and could reach the Supreme Court again.

The US has also pressed other countries to accept deportees. In March, more than 200 Venezuelans accused of being gang members were sent to El Salvador, where they were held until they were later exchanged in a prisoner swap.

Human rights worries

Talks between the US and Rwanda began earlier this year, according to Rwanda’s foreign minister.

While Western leaders often praise Rwandan President Paul Kagame for rebuilding the country after the 1994 genocide, rights groups accuse his government of abuses and of backing rebel groups in eastern DRC. Kagame denies the allegations.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has warned that some migrants deported to Rwanda could face forced return to countries they fled.

Rwanda, home to around 13 million people, has been criticised by international watchdogs for its limits on free speech and political opposition. Still, the government has promoted the country as a willing partner for Western countries seeking to offload asylum seekers and migrants.

It previously signed a deal with the UK under then-prime minister Rishi Sunak. But no one was deported under the plan due to years of legal challenges. It was officially dropped in July 2024 by the incoming Labour government.

Read also my interview with opponent Victoire Ingabire, from last year, about these deals on migrations: Rwandan opposition deplores UK deportation deal as 'modern slavery'

Clark added that the issue is not limited to Rwanda but reflects a wider shift in policy across the West.

“These countries have now decided that it is acceptable to spend more money sending migrants away than they used to spend in hosting them, which used to be seen as an immoral way to deal with refugees and economic migrants,” he said.

The Trump administration has defended third-country deportations as a way to remove people quickly, especially those with criminal records.

Supporters say it helps prevent threats to public safety. Critics say the policy is dangerous and inhumane, sending people to unfamiliar countries where they may face harm or have no connections.

Finally, hungry children in war-torn Sudan have been reduced to "skin and bones", and thousands of families are at risk of starvation in a western city under a months-long siege, the UN said this week, as war deepens and the rebels formed a parallel government, with no end in sight for the civilians' suffering. The country has been named as the worst humanitarian crisis of all time by UN organisations for months.

A lot of foreign power in implicated in that war, including the Arab Emirates, Russia and the United States. They could also stop the war in a few days by stopping arm delivery, increasing arms control, and pressuring the two Sudanese military leaders. They don’t do any of that.

Meanwhile…

Famine threatens El Fasher in Sudan's North Darfur, as fighting escalates

Months after famine was declared in nearby displacement camps, the besieged Sudanese city of el-Fasher is now seeing starvation deaths of its own, with no food aid entering and the UN’s World Food Programme warning of worsening conditions for the 300,000 people still trapped inside.

-

In Sudan, after almost 28 months of siege, the town of El Fasher in North Darfur is facing an imminent risk of famine. Alerts have been issued by the UN's children fund (Unicef) and the World Food Programme (WFP).

The residents are trapped, Leni Kinzli, spokesperson for WFP in Sudan, told my colleagues at RFI on Wednesday.

"The situation in El Fasher is completely catastrophic; the city's population is on the verge of starvation," Kinzli said. "It is besieged, cut off from the rest of the country, and humanitarian access is extremely difficult."

It has been over a year since WFP has been able to bring food aid into the city, she explained.

"In the meantime, we are carrying out cash transfers, but since the city is under blockade, the prices of basic necessities have skyrocketed, and people cannot even buy enough to make one meal a day," Kinzli said.

The UN agency once more called to let humanitarian convoys through.

"We are being told that some people in El Fasher are reduced to eating animal feed and garbage to survive," Kinzli added. "And this is despite the fact that we are ready to intervene with food trucks if we are allowed to pass."

Listen to my podcast on the aftermath of the war: Two years of devastation: Sudan’s war claims thousands and displaces millions

'Skin and bones'

The Sudanese army, at war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023, recaptured Khartoum state in May, but widespread hunger continues to grip the heart of Africa's third-largest country.

Hungry children in war-torn Sudan have been reduced to "skin and bones", and thousands of families are at risk of starvation in a western city under a months-long siege, the UN added this week.

As the epicentre of the crisis, the North Darfur state capital of El-Fasher, more than 1,000 kilometres west of Khartoum, is still besieged, thousands are in danger of starvation, WFP said on Tuesday, in one of its latest warnings.

"Everyone in El-Fasher is facing a daily struggle to survive," according to Eric Perdison, the WFP's regional director for eastern and southern Africa.

The RSF has besieged and sought to seize El-Fasher, the only major city in Darfur still under army control, since May 2024.

"People's coping mechanisms have been completely exhausted by over two years of war. Without immediate and sustained access, lives will be lost," Perdison added in his statement.

The WFP said food prices had soared by 460 percent compared to the rest of the country, forcing soup kitchens to shut while aid remains blocked.

"Malnutrition is rife, and many of the children are reduced to just skin and bones," Unicef's Sheldon Yett also said on Tuesday after visiting Sudan, where the world's largest hunger crisis is unfolding, with nearly 25 million people suffering dire food insecurity.

Read also: UN urges action on Sudan's 'forgotten war' as humanitarian crisis takes hold

Deepening hunger

Famine was first declared a year ago in the displacement camps surrounding El-Fasher, especially Zamzam, and the UN estimated it would take hold in the city itself by last May.

Only a lack of data has prevented an official famine declaration for the whole country.

Insecurity also prevents aid action, after an attack on a UN humanitarian convoy heading towards El-Fasher in June killed five aid workers.

"We have not had access to the horrible situation unfolding in El-Fasher, despite trying for months and months and months," Yett told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday, adding "we have not been able to get supplies there".

Nearly 40 percent of children under five are acutely malnourished, according to UN figures.

And civilians in El-Fasher, who often hide from shelling in makeshift bunkers, continue to come under fire as the RSF presses an assault to consolidate control over the entire Darfur region.

Its most recent major attack in April killed hundreds in the Zamzam camp, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee to the city and the nearby town of Tawila, where a devastating cholera outbreak now rages.

"Every day the conflict continues in Sudan, innocent lives are lost, communities are torn apart, and trauma continues to haunt generations," the UN's expert on human rights in Sudan, Radhouane Nouicer, said. "The ongoing war has devastated civilian lives and turned daily survival into a constant struggle."

Relative calm has returned to Khartoum, but children there still have only "limited, but growing access to safe water, food, healthcare and learning", according to Unicef's Yett.

In the two hardest-hit areas of Khartoum state, Jebel Awliya and Khartoum proper, "children and families in the neighbourhood are sheltered often in small, damaged or unfinished buildings", he added. "We are on the verge of irreversible damage to an entire generation of children."

The war, now in its third year, has killed tens of thousands across Sudan, displaced millions and left the country's healthcare system in ruins.

It has created what the UN describes as the world's largest displacement and hunger crises.

The Special Court for Combating Terrorism and Crimes Against the State indicted, in absentia, Mohamed Hamdane Dagalo, known as Hemedti, commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and two of his brothers, along with thirteen other people, on Monday, August 4.

They are accused of genocide and various crimes, including the murder of the former governor of West Darfur, Khamis Abdullah Abkar.

One more piece of news…

UN says Israel's plan for military takeover of Gaza 'must be immediately halted'

As I write this Friday, UN high commissioner for human rights Volker Türk said that “the Israeli government’s plan for a complete military takeover of the occupied Gaza Strip must be immediately halted”.

In a statement, Türk said:

It runs contrary to the ruling of the International Court of Justice that Israel must bring its occupation to an end as soon as possible, to the realisation of the agreed two-state solution and to the right of Palestinians to self-determination.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the Israeli security cabinet had approved a plan to take over Gaza City, marking another escalation of Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip.

The decision – early on Friday during a marathon meeting – came after the Israeli prime minister said Israel intended to take full control of Gaza and eventually hand it over to friendly Arab forces opposed to Hamas.

It is thought that the security cabinet’s decision to take over Gaza City as opposed to the entire territory could reflect the reservations of Israel’s top military officials.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has accused the Israeli government of sentencing the remaining living Israeli hostages and captives in Gaza “to death”, reports the Times of Israel.

Turkey urged the international community to prevent Israel’s plan to take control of Gaza City, saying it was a “heavy blow” to peace and security.

“We call on the international community to fulfil its responsibilities to prevent the implementation of this decision, which aims to forcibly displace Palestinians from their own land,” the foreign ministry said in a statement, reports Reuters.

This is a developing story, but this didn’t come out of nowhere… Some Israeli politicians have been eyeing on the Strip from day one, in 1948. David Ben-Gurion, in internal discussions, occasionally floated the idea of expanding into Gaza if it became possible or necessary from 1947.

And during the 1967 war, Israel occupied the Gaza Strip as well as the West Bank. Unlike East Jerusalem, Israel did not formally annex Gaza, but controlled it fully, establishing Jewish settlements, until the start of the First Intifada in 1987.

Palestinians regained limited self-rule over parts of Gaza (and the West Bank) after the signature of the Oslo Accords in 1995, Israel remaining in control of borders, airspace, and Jewish settlements in Gaza…

Since the Islamist group Hamas won Palestinian legislative elections in 2006, Israel has imposed a blockade.

For some cold-fact history: https://www.un.org/unispal/history/

The United Nations Security Council is to meet in a rare weekend session on Saturday to discuss Israel’s plan to take control of Gaza City, three diplomatic sources have told Agence France-Presse on Friday evening.

The meeting is scheduled for 7pm GMT. It had been requested by several members of the security council, a member of the council told AFP, as global concern mounts over Israel’s plan.

There would be more to say about the state of our world, but you also need to breath and stay strong, happy, active…

Thanks for reading, paying attention, caring…

with best wishes,

melissa

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Melissa Chemam
Journalist. Podcaster
African news: RFI English
Podcast: Spotlight on Africa
Blog: https://melissa-on-the-road.blogspot.com/

This Week in our World

Reporting the world, with a non-western gaze, and a regular African eye

By Melissa Chemam