NEWS - The African Mirror

Feb

18

2026

The long arm of justice: Three Kenyans await their day in American courts

NEWS

For three years, Peter Omari, Francis Asanyo, and Elvis Obaigwa lived with a secret. Somewhere across the Atlantic Ocean, in the marble corridors of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, warrants bearing their names had been sealed and filed. The dates on those documents - November 15, 2023 - marked the beginning of the end of their freedom. Now, in a Nairobi courtroom at Milimani, that long arc of justice has finally bent toward them. A magistrate has ordered the trio detained at Kileleshwa Police Station for two weeks while American authorities navigate the diplomatic channels…

Feb

17

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

Former MTN Group CEO calls for African renaissance as continent set to house quarter of humanity by 2050

NEWS

IN a sweeping new book that challenges both how the world sees Africa and how Africans see themselves, celebrated business leader Phuthuma Nhleko argues that the continent must urgently prepare for a demographic shift that will see one in four people on earth living in Africa by 2050. The Invisible People: How a Quarter of Humanity Can Thrive in Africa by 2050, published this month by Penguin Random House, presents a three-pillar vision for an African Renaissance grounded in reclaiming identity, unleashing economic development, and bolstering geopolitical influence. According to current projections, Africa's population is expected to nearly double from…

Feb

17

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

Cameroon becomes third West African nation to accept non-national deportees from US

NEWS

CAMEROON has emerged as the latest African country to receive deportees from the United States who are not its nationals, becoming the second West African nation to accept such transfers after Ghana. The Trump administration secretly deported nine individuals to Cameroon on January 14, despite many possessing U.S. court protections against deportation and none being Cameroonian citizens, the newspaper reported Saturday, citing government documents and attorneys for the deportees. The development marks a significant expansion of the administration's deportation strategy in West Africa, raising questions about bilateral agreements and the legal basis for sending non-nationals to third countries. Several deportees…

Feb

17

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

Madagascar: Cyclone Gezani’s brutal toll emerges: 59 dead, 16 000 homeless

NEWS

THE grim arithmetic of disaster is still being tallied across Madagascar's ravaged coastline, where Cyclone Gezani has carved a path of devastation that authorities are only now fully comprehending. What was already a humanitarian emergency has crystallised into a full-blown catastrophe: 59 people confirmed dead, more than 16,000 displaced from their homes, and nearly half a million lives upended by a storm that struck with terrifying ferocity. The numbers released Monday by Madagascar's National Bureau for Risk and Disaster Management paint a portrait of systematic destruction. Beyond the mounting death toll, 15 people remain missing—likely swept away by floodwaters or…

Feb

18

2026

By The African Mirror

Nigerian government unveils $5million relief for Kano Market fire victims

NEWS

The Federal Government has approved N8 billion in emergency relief for traders affected by a major fire that destroyed large sections of the Singer Market in Kano. Vice President Kashim Shettima announced the intervention on Monday when he led a federal delegation to the market on behalf of President Bola Tinubu. The package includes N5 billion from the Federal Government and N3 billion donated by state governors under the Progressive Governors' Forum. The fire raged through large sections of the popular commercial hub, affecting hundreds of traders. Senator Shettima sympathised with the victims and prayed for the prevention of future…

Feb

16

2026

By The African Mirror

Ghana moves to contain crisis as Russian national’s sex tapes spark outcry

NEWS

GHANA'S government is racing against time to limit the cascading damage from what has become one of the country's most disturbing digital exploitation scandals, as hundreds of secretly recorded intimate videos of Ghanaian women continue to circulate online despite official efforts to contain their spread. The crisis centres on Vyacheslav Trahov, a Russian national who allegedly used Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses - wearable cameras disguised as ordinary eyewear - to secretly film sexual encounters with between 300 and 400 women across Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa. Operating under the online persona "Yaytseslav," Trahov reportedly monetised the footage through Telegram channels,…

Feb

16

2026

By STAFF REPORTER

The murder that shocked SA, Nigeria and the double-edged power of social media

NEWS

ON the evening of February 11, 2026, Isaac Satlat, a 22-year-old automotive engineering student from Plateau State, Nigeria, picked up what he believed would be a routine fare at a hotel in Pretoria West, South Africa. It would be his last. The young man, who was using his father's car to supplement his income as a Bolt driver while completing his studies, was set to graduate next month with plans to relocate to Canada for further education. Instead of celebrating academic achievement, his family - including his father, a Christian missionary serving in South Africa - now prepares for burial.…

Feb

16

2026

By SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Rivers of Renewal: Tinubu’s triumph at Argungu 2026

NEWS

THE Matan Fada River doesn't flow on February 15, 2026 - it explodes. Under a sun that hammers the Kebbi flatlands into submission, the sacred waters churn with over 50,000 bare-chested warriors from across West Africa, their war cries piercing the air as they plunge into the muddy torrent for the climax of the 61st Argungu International Fishing and Cultural Festival. No rods. No nets. Just calabash gourds clutched as shields and hands hardened by generations of defiance against a river once deemed cursed. This is Kogin Argungu - the legendary fishing contest where 50-kilogram catfish become trophies, where muscle…

Feb

16

2026

By SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

African Union brokers watershed peace agreement for South Sudan as regional crises mount

NEWS

AFRICAN leaders on Sunday brokered a landmark agreement aimed at ending years of political deadlock in South Sudan, securing commitments from President Salva Kiir to hold long-delayed elections while releasing political detainees, including detained Vice President Riek Machar. The deal, hammered out during a high-stakes meeting of the Committee of Five (C5) on the sidelines of the 39th African Union Summit, marks the most significant diplomatic breakthrough in South Sudan's troubled transition since the 2018 Revitalised Peace Agreement. Under the six-point framework announced by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who chaired the session, Juba has agreed to implement an immediate…

Feb

14

2026

By OWN CORRESONDENT

Trapped in Russia’s war: the deadly deception of Africa’s forgotten fighters

NEWS

RUSSIA's war machine has consumed more than 1,400 African lives since 2023, transforming job-seekers into cannon fodder through a vast deception network spanning from Kenya to Cameroon. As the death toll surpasses 300 confirmed casualties, with a mortality rate exceeding 20 percent, the human cost of Moscow's recruitment drive has triggered international outcry and exposed the vulnerabilities of a continent where economic desperation meets geopolitical manipulation. Social media posts and local agents have targeted unemployed men across Africa with glittering promises: non-combat roles as drivers, security guards, or engineers in Russia, offering sign-on bonuses between $2,000 and $13,000, monthly salaries…