Ivory Coast’s Former First Lady Simone Gbagbo Cleared to Run for President
Ivory Coast’s former First Lady Simone Gbagbo, 76, was unexpectedly cleared as one of five candidates to contest the 25 October presidential election. She is set to run against President Alassane Ouattara, 83, who took power after she and her former husband, Laurent Gbagbo, were captured in a presidential bunker during the conflict that hit the country after the 2010 election. Former Prime Minister Pascal Affi N’Guessan and ex-Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam were barred from the race, raising fears of instability and questions over the election’s legitimacy. Gbagbo’s candidacy is symbolic in a country where women are overwhelmingly underrepresented in leadership roles.
Sudan’s Warring Factions Accused of Torturing and Killing Civilians in ‘Slaughterhouses’
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A high-level independent rights probe into the brutal war in Sudan condemned the many grave crimes committed by all combatants, citing evidence indicating that civilians have been “deliberately targeted, displaced and starved”. Chair of the Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan, Mohamed Chande Othman, insisted that both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia had carried out atrocity crimes. Survivors from RSF detention sites described the locations as “slaughterhouses”. Investigators stopped short of labeling the atrocities genocide but said they amounted to crimes against humanity and extermination, warning that without accountability, such violations would persist.
Rights Groups Slam Tanzania’s Online Laws as Threat to Press Freedom
The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Tanzanian authorities to lift the 90-day suspension of the popular discussion and news platform JamiiForums and to ensure that media can operate freely in the countdown to October’s elections. The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) blocked access to the site on September 6, accusing it of publishing misleading and defamatory content that threatened national unity, allegedly linked to statements by opposition figure Humphrey Polepole and reports on President Samia Suluhu Hassan. JamiiForums founder Maxence Melo said the platform disagreed with the directive but had complied. CPJ and rights groups criticised Tanzania’s sweeping online content laws, warning they were being used to silence dissent and restrict press freedom as President Samia seeks re-election.
Ethiopia Bids to Host UN’s COP32 Climate Conference in 2027
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced that the country is bidding to host the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP32) in 2027. He described Addis Ababa as “Africa’s capital of diplomacy and climate ambition.” While speaking at the Second Africa Climate Summit, Abiy stated that hosting COP32 would highlight African solutions to global challenges. He said that the continent needs to shift from a narrative of deficit to one of leadership. He pointed out Ethiopia’s climate programs as evidence of progress . These include the Green Legacy Initiative, which has planted more than 48 billion trees since 2019, climate-resilient wheat production reducing food imports, and the opening of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), set to deliver over 5,000 megawatts of renewable power. He called on global partners to invest in Africa’s vision and emphasized the importance of “climate data sovereignty.” Ethiopia would be the second African country to host a COP in recent years, following Egypt’s hosting of COP27 in 2022.
Kenyan Health Committee Probes Alleged Malpractice in Kidney Transplant Sector
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The National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Health has widened its inquiry into alleged malpractice and ethical breaches in Kenya’s kidney transplant sector, with Mediheal Group of Hospitals at the center of the probe. The investigation arises from growing worries about poor regulatory oversight, accusations of unethical practices, and an increasing number of foreign patients, especially from Somalia, seeking transplants in the country. There have been reports of foreigners improperly accessing the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) benefits due to loopholes that expose patients and practitioners to exploitation. Experts also called for Kenya to transition to deceased donor transplantation to meet the rising demand. However, they admitted that the country lacks the systems, coordination, and laboratory speed required to harvest and transplant organs within the critical six-hour window.
