NEWS - The African Mirror

Jun

22

2026

Inside Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba’s war on Uganda’s press, parliament and opposition

NEWS

GENERAL Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Uganda's Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and the only son of President Yoweri Museveni, has over the past fortnight escalated a years-long pattern of social media threats against the media, the judiciary, Parliament and the opposition into what critics now describe as an open campaign of intimidation against anyone who crosses him. In a rapid-fire series of posts on X, the General has vowed to shut down Daily Monitor and NTV Uganda, the country's two most prominent independent newsrooms, both owned by Nation Media Group, accusing the outlets of years of coverage he regards as hostile to…

Jun

20

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

Africa footballer of the year – PSG, Morocco’s Hakimi – to stand trial for rape

NEWS

ACHRAF Hakimi spent Thursday night marshalling Morocco's defence against Scotland in Foxborough, Massachusetts, wearing the captain's armband of a team chasing only its second World Cup knockout berth in history. Less than 24 hours earlier, a court in Versailles had settled a question that has trailed him for more than three years: he will stand trial for rape. The Versailles Court of Appeal confirmed on Friday that it had rejected Hakimi's bid to overturn a February ruling sending him to a criminal court on a rape charge, closing off the last avenue by which the Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco right-back…

Jun

20

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

Ebola outbreak threatens displaced communities in DRC as conflict, disease converge

NEWS

THE accelerating spread of the Bundibugyo Ebola virus in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is now a direct threat to more than 2 million forcibly displaced people, UNHCR warns, with the risk of cross-border transmission mounting across an interconnected region where fighting continues alongside the outbreak. “UNHCR is deeply concerned by the accelerating spread of Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and the growing risks it poses to displaced communities across the region,” said Dr. Allen Maina, UNHCR’s Head of Public Health, at a press briefing today at Geneva’s Palais des Nations. “For…

Jun

20

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

Bayede, Sir Wicknell: a king, a jet and passport number three

NEWS

THERE are men who measure a good month by a salary increase. Sir Wicknell Chivayo measures his in sovereign instruments. In the space of roughly a week, the Zimbabwean businessman first welcomed a Gulfstream G550 - list price US$34 million - onto the tarmac at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, then flew on to the Kingdom of Eswatini, where he was received in private audience by His Majesty King Mswati III at the Royal Palace. He left Mbabane a citizen of the kingdom, diplomatic passport in hand, and - by his own telling - newly adopted as the monarch’s “young,…

Jun

19

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENTS

Ex Nigerian Oil Minister cleared of criminal charges in UK court

NEWS

FOR eleven years, Diezani Alison-Madueke lived as a woman accused - her name a byword in two countries for the worst excesses of oil-fed power, her image fixed in the global imagination somewhere between “Oil Queen” and prime exhibit in the case against Nigeria’s plundered petroleum patrimony. This week, a London jury took that image apart, verdict by verdict, count by count, until nothing of the prosecution’s case remained standing. Six charges. Six not-guilty verdicts. Forty-six hours of deliberation to undo eleven years of accusation. 11YEARS OF INVESTIGATION46+HOURS OF DELIBERATION6CHARGES, ALL DISMISSED It is one of the most consequential corruption-trial…

Jun

20

2026

By The African Mirror

South African scientists make breakthrough in decoding cancer’s most effective survival strategy

NEWS

IN the intricate biology of the human body, organs such as the breast, the colon and the lungs are lined with a defensive barrier known as the epithelium. At the heart of this barrier sits a remarkable protein called Mucin-1 (MUC1). In a healthy body, MUC1 is like a sentinel. It stands on the cell wall, draped in a complex “armour” of long chains of sugar molecules (carbohydrates), where it serves as a physical shield against bacteria, viruses and toxins. Crucially, it communicates with the immune system, telling our natural defences when the body is under threat. But in the…

Jun

19

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

Tens of thousands march as South Africa scrambles to manage growing illegal‑migration crisis

NEWS

AS fresh anti‑immigrant marches erupt in Gauteng townships and towns across South Africa, Pretoria is confronting a mounting migration crisis that has strained domestic social cohesion and frayed relations with neighbouring states. This week, thousands marched across South Africa- the latest in a string of protests that have swept through communities since early 2026 - demanding tougher action against undocumented foreigners. At the same time, the Department of Home Affairs and other agencies are preparing to deport about 7,000 Malawian nationals who have volunteered for repatriation after being identified as in the country without legal status. Deputy President Paul Mashatile…

Jun

19

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

Zimbabwe’s Parliament tears up its own Constitution

NEWS

ZIMBABWE’S National Assembly has voted to shred the constitutional limits on President Emmerson Mnangagwa's time in office, passing the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 3) Bill — known as CAB3 — by a margin that left no room for doubt about who controls parliament: ZANU-PF. The result was emphatic. Two hundred and sixteen legislators voted in favour; only 42 voted against - comfortably clearing the two-thirds majority of 187 required under the constitution. Parliamentary Speaker Jacob Mudenda announced the figures to a chamber where police had tightened security ahead of the vote, a measure that itself spoke to the combustible…

Jun

19

2026

By JACKSON OKATA

Sixteen countries adopt Mombasa Declaration to advance fisheries transparency and combat illegal fishing

NEWS

FOURTEEN national governments from across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, and the Pacific today adopted the Mombasa Declaration at the 11th Our Ocean Conference, committing to advance global fisheries transparency and strengthen efforts to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The Mombasa Declaration is a call to action for coastal and flag States on fisheries transparency, with a particular focus on improving the collection and dissemination of vessel information and enabling better access to fisheries data. It builds support and momentum for the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency, which outlines 10 low-cost or no-cost policy principles that governments can…

Jun

18

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

The lawyer in the dock: How Uganda turned Besigye’s defence counsel into a co-accused

NEWS

THERE is a particular kind of message a state sends when it charges the defence lawyer with the same crime as the defendant. It is not subtle, and it is not meant to be. On Wednesday, Erias Lukwago - former Lord Mayor of Kampala, acting president of the People's Front for Freedom, and lead counsel for jailed opposition figure Dr Kizza Besigye - stood before the Makindye Chief Magistrate's Court and was formally charged with misprision of treason. He denied it. He was remanded to Murchison Bay Prison in Luzira until 22 June 2026, when the court is due to…