Author: WAJ Editor

Libya’s Minister of Economy and Trade, Mohammed Al-Huweij, met with Turkish Ambassador to Libya, Güven Begeç, on Thursday to discuss a range of economic matters of shared interest. According to a statement from Libya’s Ministry of Economy and Trade, the meeting was held in preparation for the upcoming visit of the Turkish Minister of Trade to Libya. It aimed to further strengthen economic and trade ties between the two countries. Talks focused on advancing trade and investment relations, encouraging partnerships between public and private sectors, and expanding cooperation in investment, trade exchange, and industry. Both sides emphasized the need to…

At least 25 civilians lost their lives after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched an attack on the Zamzam displacement camp in El Fasher, the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur state, a local committee reported on Friday. According to a statement from the El Fasher Resistance Coordination Committee, the RSF targeted the camp from the southern and eastern sides early in the morning, but the attack was eventually repelled. Resistance committees and emergency teams, formed largely after Sudan’s civil conflict erupted two years ago, consist of volunteers who provide emergency medical assistance, aid distribution, and general support to civilians. Fighting…

Military experts from the Confederation of Sahel States gathered in Ouagadougou from April 8 to 11, 2025, to discuss defense and security matters within the confederation’s territory. Representatives from Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali evaluated ongoing joint military operations and reviewed progress made so far. They also discussed practical arrangements for establishing a unified force, in line with the vision and directives of the three countries’ leaders. The meeting marked a new step toward strengthening collective defense cooperation and enhancing combined security capacities to address common threats in the Sahel region.

Jean Bernard Padaré, the President of Chad’s Constitutional Council, publicly announced his conversion to Islam on Friday, April 11, 2025, during a ceremony at the Martyrs’ Mosque, also known as the “President’s Mosque,” in N’Djamena. Following his conversion, he revealed that he has changed his name to Yahya Padaré, describing the move as a major milestone in his personal and spiritual journey. Yahya Padaré is a well-known figure in Chadian politics. He started his career as a lawyer, gaining recognition for his work in human rights advocacy and high-profile legal cases. He later held key government positions, including Minister of…

As global concerns over wildlife trafficking grow, Nigeria, once a major hub for illegal animal trade, is intensifying its crackdown on traffickers, particularly those dealing in endangered pangolins. Driven by high demand in Asia, where native pangolin populations have plummeted, smugglers have increasingly turned to Africa. In response, Nigerian authorities have recently made notable arrests, including that of a Chinese national linked to a major trafficking network. A raid this month at a Lagos market resulted in five additional arrests and the seizure of over 8,000 pounds of pangolin scales — representing around 1,900 killed animals. Michael Awe, head of…

Morocco’s social security agency confirmed that a major cyberattack this week led to the theft and leak of sensitive personal data on Telegram, marking one of the most serious breaches in the country’s history. The agency, responsible for managing pensions and insurance benefits for millions of private sector workers, said in a statement on Wednesday that hackers had successfully bypassed its security measures. While the agency did not identify who was behind the attack, it claimed that many of the leaked documents were “misleading, inaccurate, or incomplete.” Hackers who shared the stolen information on Telegram said their actions were retaliation…

Tunisian authorities have released 11 Russian nationals who had been detained since November on suspicion of involvement in terrorist activities, Russian state media reported on Friday. The group was arrested near Tunisia’s border with Algeria. While Russian media described them as tourists, Tunisian police reportedly seized equipment from the group that did “not correspond to declared tourist purposes,” according to a previous statement from Russia’s embassy in Tunis. No formal charges were brought against the individuals, and both Tunisian and Russian officials have provided few details about the case. The Russian state news agency TASS cited the embassy saying that…

Zambia is set to resume construction on a long-delayed electricity transmission line connecting it to neighboring Tanzania, a move expected to strengthen regional energy integration and create one of the largest interconnected power markets in Africa. Speaking at a signing ceremony on Friday, Achim Fock, the World Bank’s country manager for Zambia, confirmed that work on the Zambia–Tanzania Interconnector Project will recommence this month, with completion targeted for 2028. The project, valued at $320 million, is being financed by the World Bank, the European Union, and the United Kingdom. Of the remaining $298 million required to complete the work, the…

A new military unit is being established in Mauritania with the support of Czech soldiers, as part of NATO’s growing focus on security in the Sahel region. For the Czech Republic, this initiative marks its only military presence in the Sahel since the withdrawal of its trainers from Mali. The mission has been praised by the country’s President Petr Pavel, who is visiting Mauritania this week. During his trip to Nouakchott, President Pavel — a former general and ex-NATO leader — highlighted Mauritania’s relative stability in a region often marked by unrest. Around twenty Czech soldiers are currently involved in…

Three Americans who were repatriated from the Democratic Republic of Congo this week have been charged in the United States for their alleged roles in a failed coup attempt against the Congolese government last year, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on Wednesday. A fourth individual, identified by prosecutors as an explosives expert, has also been charged with aiding the plot. The charges stem from the same events that saw the three men detained in Congo, where they were initially sentenced to death before their punishments were reduced to life imprisonment. They were transferred to U.S. custody on Tuesday. Their…

More than 50 people have died and dozens remain missing after a boat capsized earlier this week on the Congo River in Equateur province, Democratic Republic of Congo, according to a report by national television on Thursday. The vessel, carrying around 100 passengers, sank overnight from Monday to Tuesday near Mayita, about 40 kilometers from the city of Mbandaka. Provincial Red Cross head Maitre Kolomba Mampunia told national broadcaster RTNC that the provisional death toll has surpassed 50. The boat, named Fortune HB Jado, was en route from Mbandaka to the Mobenzani market in Bomongo territory when its roof collapsed…

Namibia’s fishing sector is taking significant strides toward safer working conditions, driven by leadership from industry figures like Willem Buckle, Head of Safety at Merlus Fishing. Buckle, a former sea captain with over a decade of experience, shifted to a land-based role in 2003 to oversee occupational health and safety across the company’s fleet. Although Merlus Fishing had historically met only the minimum requirements of the Merchant Shipping Act, a joint safety inspection for fishing vessels in late 2023 revealed widespread health and safety violations. The inspection, reaching nearly 480 fishermen in Walvis Bay and Lüderitz, recommended stronger risk management…

Egypt and the European Union have successfully completed negotiations for Egypt’s association with Horizon Europe, the EU’s leading research and innovation funding programme. The agreement was initialed in Brussels in the presence of EU Commissioner for Start-ups, Research, and Innovation Ekaterina Zaharieva and Egypt’s Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Mohamed Ayman Ashour. Association with Horizon Europe is the highest level of international collaboration offered to non-EU countries in the fields of research and innovation. It will grant Egyptian researchers access to top European research facilities and networks. With a budget of €95.5 billion for the 2021–2027 period, Horizon…

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has once again urged for reforms to the World Trade Organization (WTO), warning of rising risks to the global economy as tariff disputes intensify. Speaking on Thursday at the event marking the 30th anniversary of the WTO, Ramaphosa stressed the urgent need to fix shortcomings within the global trading system. His remarks come as world leaders grapple with a new wave of tariffs introduced by US President Donald Trump, who recently announced a 10 percent baseline tariff on all imports into the United States. Although Trump paused plans for even higher tariffs on certain nations,…

A team of European Union experts is investigating a series of unexplained fires that have affected dozens of homes in western Libya over the past two months. According to a statement from the Libyan government on Wednesday, the EU team is carrying out fieldwork in the town of Al-Asabi’a as part of a coordinated response to the fires. Their deployment was made possible through the activation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism by Libyan authorities. The experts are conducting on-site evaluations to assess both environmental and human impacts and to determine the technical causes behind the fires, the statement said.…

Tanzanian opposition figure Tundu Lissu was arrested on Wednesday shortly after addressing supporters at a rally in the southern Ruvuma Region, according to his party, fueling concerns over a deteriorating political climate ahead of the country’s general elections later this year. Lissu, a high-profile member of the opposition party Chadema and a vocal critic of President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration, was reportedly detained along with senior party officials in Mbinga District. Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd gathered for the rally, which was part of the party’s ongoing “No Reforms, No Election” campaign, advocating for comprehensive changes to…