Every day, OkayAfrica shares a roundup of news being followed but not yet covered as full articles. These updates cover happenings across the continent—in culture, politics, and beyond.
Uganda’s army chief, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, stated he was praying for the death of opposition leader Bobi Wine and gave him 48 hours to surrender to police. This occurred days after President Yoweri Museveni was declared the winner of a disputed presidential election, extending his rule into a fifth decade. Wine, who finished second, says he fled a military raid on his home and has since issued statements from undisclosed locations, rejecting results he called fraudulent. Police later stated Wine was not being sought. Kainerugaba, Museveni’s son and widely seen as the president’s preferred successor, made these threats in social media posts, claiming security forces had killed opposition supporters during post-election unrest. Authorities reported scattered violence after the vote, including deadly incidents involving opposition supporters, though large-scale unrest did not materialize. At least 118 members of Wine’s National Unity Platform were charged with election-related offenses, which party leaders denied, while Museveni accused the opposition of seeking to overturn the vote through violence. Wine told the BBC he would not challenge the results in court, citing a lack of confidence in the judiciary, and instead urged peaceful protests. Election observers from the African Union criticized the military’s role and a days-long internet shutdown, but saw no evidence of ballot stuffing. Separately, concern grew over the health of jailed opposition figure Kizza Besigye, whose party says his condition is deteriorating, a claim prison officials deny.
Togo has arrested and extradited Paul-Henri Damiba, Burkina Faso’s former president, sending him back to Ouagadougou after authorities there accused him of attempting to destabilize the country. Two sources told Reuters that Damiba was arrested in Lomé, where he had been living in exile, and flown out after Burkina Faso formally requested his return earlier this month. Togo later confirmed the extradition, citing charges that include embezzlement, illicit enrichment, corruption, and money laundering. Damiba seized power in a 2022 coup but was later that year ousted by Ibrahim Traoré, who remains head of the military-led government. Burkina Faso recently said it had foiled a plot to kill Traoré that it linked to Damiba, though Togo’s statement did not mention a coup attempt. The case unfolds against a backdrop of repeated coup claims by Traoré’s government and a region shaken by nine military takeovers since 2020, underscoring ongoing instability across West and Central Africa.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) says Somalia is facing a deepening health and nutrition emergency, driven by failed rainy seasons, soaring water prices, and sharp cuts to humanitarian aid. The group reports growing numbers of children arriving at overcrowded displacement camps with severe acute malnutrition and preventable illnesses, including measles, diphtheria, and acute watery diarrhoea, often after travelling for days without food or water. Aid funding has fallen to its lowest level in a decade, forcing the closure of more than 200 health and nutrition facilities nationwide and slashing food assistance, even as displacement and disease rise. MSF says admissions for severe malnutrition have surged in camps in Baidoa and Mudug, where access to clean water is increasingly unaffordable, warning that without urgent scale-up of nutrition, vaccination, and water services, deaths from preventable causes will continue to climb.
Patrice Lumumba’s family hopes for long-awaited justice as a Belgian court considers whether to put the sole surviving suspect on trial over the 1961 murder of the former Congolese prime minister. Relatives have spent 15 years pushing for accountability for what they say was Belgian complicity in Lumumba’s unlawful detention, transfer, and mistreatment before his execution, with the body later dissolved in acid. The case centers on 93-year-old Etienne Davignon, a former Belgian diplomat accused by federal prosecutors, though he has denied involvement. The court in Brussels is expected to decide within weeks whether the case will proceed, a move the family says is about truth and historical reckoning, not revenge.
The International Sports Press Association has condemned the behavior of some journalists following Sunday’s turbulent Africa Cup of Nations final between Morocco and Senegal, after scenes of walkouts, arguments, and scuffles disrupted the post-match press conference in Rabat. Videos showed Moroccan journalists leaving as Senegal coach Pape Bouna Thiaw entered with his daughter, with clashes between Moroccan and Senegalese media continuing until Thiaw also walked out. AIPS says the incident “tarnished the dignity” of the profession and has asked its Africa section for a full report. The fallout followed a dramatic final overshadowed by Senegal’s on-field walk-off protest over a late penalty, before Pape Gueye’s extra-time goal sealed a 1–0 win after Morocco’s Brahim Diaz missed from the spot.
Nigeria’s police have rejected reports that worshippers were abducted from churches in Kaduna state on Sunday, calling the claims false and accusing unnamed actors of spreading misinformation to incite unrest. Kaduna police say security teams visited Kurmin Wali, spoke with community leaders and residents, and found no evidence of an attack, a position echoed by local government and state security officials as well as religious leaders who toured the area. The denial followed earlier claims by community figures and social media posts alleging mass kidnappings during church services, which authorities challenged critics to substantiate with verified details. Conflicting accounts have fueled debate in a country already grappling with widespread kidnapping fears and multiple security crises.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will meet U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Egypt’s presidency says, marking their first meeting since Washington announced a second phase of its plan to end the war in Gaza. The talks follow an October meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh during a ceasefire summit hosted by Egypt. Trump has also said he is ready to restart U.S. mediation between Egypt and Ethiopia over a disputed dam that Egypt and Sudan see as a threat to Nile water supplies. Separately, Egypt is reviewing a U.S. invitation to join Trump’s Board of Peace, while intelligence chief Hassan Rashad already sits on the Gaza Executive Board, which the White House says will support governance and service delivery in Gaza. The World Economic Forum has been taking place since Monday, January 19, until January 23.
Authorities in South Africa have revised the death toll from the school transport crash near Johannesburg yesterday to 12 children and arrested the minibus driver, who will face criminal charges. Officials in Gauteng province said all 12 children — nine girls and three boys — died at the scene when the privately operated minibus collided head-on with a truck while taking pupils to school. Five children, the driver, and a truck passenger were hospitalized. Police said the 22-year-old driver has been charged with 12 counts of culpable homicide and reckless and negligent driving after witnesses reported the bus was overtaking other vehicles before the crash. Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi says the driver’s operating permit had expired, renewing scrutiny of South Africa’s widespread reliance on privately run school transport services.
President Salva Kiir has dismissed Interior Minister Angelina Teny, the wife of detained First Vice President Riek Machar, in a move that further strains South Sudan’s fragile power-sharing deal. Kiir gave no reason for the decision and named Aleu Ayieny Aleu, a longtime ally and former interior minister, as her replacement, weakening provisions of the 2018 peace agreement that allocated the post to the opposition. The opposition accused Kiir of undermining the unity government as Machar remains in detention on treason charges tied to violence in Upper Nile state, while fighting has intensified in Jonglei and other regions after forces linked to Machar captured the strategic town of Pajut. Observers warn the dismissal adds to fears that the peace deal is unraveling amid widening clashes and stalled security reforms.
A Nigerian court has adjourned until February 25 the trial of the driver involved in a crash that killed two members of Anthony Joshua’s team and left the boxer briefly hospitalized. The accident happened on Dec. 29 on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, when a car driven by Adeniyi Kayode collided with a stationary truck, killing Joshua’s personal trainer, Latif Ayodele, and strength coach, Sina Ghami. Kayode, who has been granted bail, faces multiple charges, including dangerous driving causing death, reckless and negligent driving, and driving without a valid license. The Sagamu Magistrates’ Court says the case file has been sent to the Attorney General’s office for legal advice before proceedings continue.
The Arab Parliament initiated an international campaign to address a recently approved Israeli law concerning…
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has elected Geordin Hill-Lewis as its new leader. The announcement followed…
Veteran journalist Jim Lemon has pleaded not guilty to charges related to a protest at…
The number of Black-owned employer businesses in the United States surpassed 200,000 in 2023, marking…
Ghana is recognized by the World Bank as one of a few African economies expected…
The Principal Secretary for Interior and National Administration, Dr. Raymond Omollo, has condemned the recent…