NEWS - The African Mirror

Jun

19

2026

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…

Jun

18

2026

By The African Mirror

Nigerian Army claims fresh breakthrough against Katsina bandit kingpin, but Kachalla Muhammadu Fulani remains at large

NEWS

THE Nigerian Army says it has rescued four kidnap victims in Katsina State in the latest exchange in a months-long campaign against one of the North-West's most elusive bandit warlords - underscoring both the military's incremental tactical gains and the limits of its ability to deliver a decisive blow against entrenched criminal networks. According to a statement on the operation, troops from the 17 Brigade Strike Group/Quick Response Force, backed by 8 Division Special Forces, stormed a hideout in Fafu Village along the Matazu-Musawa axis on Tuesday, acting on aerial surveillance gathered by the Air Component of Operation FANSAN YAMMA.…

Jun

19

2026

By The African Mirror

South Africa launches major purge of corrupt police after Madlanga Commission — Mashatile vows prosecutions, vetting and task teams

NEWS

DEPUTY President Paul Mashatile told Parliament on Thursday that the government has launched a major drive to purge corrupt elements from the South African Police Service (SAPS) after the Madlanga Commission exposed widespread misconduct — a move that marks one of the most far-reaching accountability efforts in the security sector since the commission’s report. Speaking in response to a question on the prevention of corruption at SAPS, Mashatile said the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) Cluster has begun implementing “corrective actions” aimed at detecting and preventing corruption across the police service. The actions, he said, include strengthened investigations, tighter…

Jun

17

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

NIGERIA: Court rejects ex-cabinet minister’s bid to quash arrest warrants in $1.3m graft case

NEWS

FORMER Humanitarian Affairs Minister Sadiya Umar Farouq suffered a major legal setback on Monday after a Federal Capital Territory High Court judge in Abuja refused to set aside bench and arrest warrants issued against her in a high‑profile graft prosecution. Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie, sitting in Apo, dismissed an application by Farouq’s lawyers to quash the warrants linked to charges brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The anti‑graft agency is prosecuting Farouq alongside Bashir Nura Alkali and Sani Nafiu Mohammed on allegations of criminal conspiracy, abuse of office and diversion of public funds amounting to about $1.3 million…

Jun

17

2026

By The African Mirror

‘Some people question whether Ebola is real’: trust is central in fighting DRC outbreak, humanitarians say

NEWS

IN Ebola-stricken Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), winning the race against the disease requires earning the community’s trust first and foremost, humanitarians said on Tuesday. Since the outbreak was declared on May 15, considerable progress has been made on testing capacities, Tarik Jašarević, spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO), told reporters in Geneva. Testing for the Bundibugyo virus responsible for the outbreak is available in six locations in the country, in Bunia and Mongbwalu in Ituri Province, Bukavu and Lwiro in South Kivu, Goma in North Kivu, in addition to the capital Kinshasa. Another four laboratories have been…

Jun

17

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

SA: Ramaphosa warns against afrophobia and xenophobia, challenges employers as Youth Day marks 50 years since Soweto uprising

NEWS

President Cyril Ramaphosa has used the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Soweto uprising to issue a stark challenge to South Africa’s youth and a blunt warning against afrophobia and xenophobia, saying the country must not allow migrants to be scapegoated for failures that stem from inequality and slow growth. The 50th anniversary was commemorated across South Africa, the official event hosted by the government, with many political organisations such as the Azanian People’s Organisation, the Economic Freedom Front, the Black Consciousness Movement United and many other civil society organisations holding separate events. Speaking at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg before tens…

Jun

17

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

Fifty years on: South Africa’s youth crisis takes centre stage as nation reckons with unfinished revolution

NEWS

HALF a century after the bullets of 16 June 1976 tore through Soweto's streets and ignited a generation, South Africa's political and intellectual establishment gathers on Wednesday at the Maslow Hotel in Sandton to confront a question that grows more urgent with every passing year: has the country delivered for the young people whose sacrifice made its democracy possible? The answer, on almost every measurable indicator, is a damning no. Youth unemployment in South Africa stands at over 45 percent among those aged 15 to 34. School dropout rates remain deeply entrenched. Skills mismatches widen by the year. And the…

Jun

16

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

The general above the law: Muhoozi Kainerugaba boasts of abducting lawyer who sought to serve him court papers

NEWS

IN a pattern that has become Uganda's most brazen hallmark of governance by coercion, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba - Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), son of President Yoweri Museveni, and a man courts have now formally directed to answer for his conduct - confirmed on social media platform X that his forces had seized Advocate Erias Lukwago from his home in the Wakaliga suburb of Kampala. Lukwago was preparing to serve Muhoozi with a High Court summons at the very moment armed men, acting on the General's orders, scaled his perimeter fence and bundled him into what witnesses described as a…

Jun

15

2026

By The African Mirror

Abdullah Ibrahim 1935 – 2026: A musical titan who painted South Africa’s soul

NEWS

ABDULLAH Ibrahim, the revolutionary South African jazz pianist who transformed music into a language of resistance and hope, has passed away at 91, leaving behind a legacy that transcends notes and melodies. Born in Cape Town's vibrant District Six as Dollar Brand, Ibrahim was more than a musician - he was a storyteller of South Africa's complex history, weaving the pain of apartheid, the resilience of his people, and the promise of freedom into every keystroke. His piano was an instrument of liberation, speaking truths that words could not capture. From the experimental sounds of the 1960s to the deeply…