NEWS - The African Mirror

Jan

09

2026

Millions of African babies at risk as Nestlé contamination scandal expands across continent

NEWS

A contamination crisis involving some of the world's most trusted infant formula brands has spread across Africa, placing countless babies at potential risk as Swiss food giant Nestlé scrambles to contain what Austrian authorities are calling the company's largest product recall in history. The recall, which now spans at least 37 countries across Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe, involves popular formula brands including NAN, SMA, BEBA, and Alfamino - products that millions of African families depend on daily to nourish their infants. South Africa's National Consumer Commission confirmed this week that contaminated NAN infant formula produced in June 2025…

Jan

08

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

The humbling of power: The fall Nigeria’s ex justice minister and the irony of justice

NEWS

THERE is a particular species of political downfall that carries with it the weight of tragic irony - when those who once wielded the machinery of justice find themselves crushed beneath its wheels. The case of Abubakar Malami, Nigeria's former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, represents precisely such a moment: a powerful legal architect spending Christmas and New Year behind bars, now fighting desperately for the very freedom he once held in his hands to grant or deny to others. For a man who served as Nigeria's chief law officer, the dispenser of prosecutorial discretion, and the guardian of legal…

Jan

08

2026

By SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS

Peace Prayers: Ethiopia, Egypt, ancient Christians celebrate Orthodox Christmas

NEWS

AS darkness descended on January 7, millions of Orthodox Christians across three continents turned toward centuries-old traditions, seeking solace and solidarity in a world fractured by war and uncertainty. Egypt: A Ten-Million-Strong Vigil In Cairo's Archangel Michael church, the air thick with incense and fervent prayer, Egypt's Coptic Orthodox faithful - one of Christianity's most ancient communities - gathered for Christmas Eve Mass with urgent supplications on their lips. "We hope that the conflicts around us in the Arab region and globally pass and are solved in a peaceful way," said Emad Sarkis, his words capturing the anxieties of a…

Jan

07

2026

By The African Mirror

Trafficking ring busted: ten teenage boys rescued from suspected predator in Johannesburg

NEWS

A 47-year-old foreign national has been arrested following the dramatic rescue of ten teenage boys found half-naked on Johannesburg streets, in what authorities suspect is a major child trafficking operation. The rescue unfolded Sunday when Johannesburg Metro Police officers on patrol in Mulbarton encountered eight partially clothed teenage boys walking along Broad Street. The victims, all foreign nationals who could not speak English, appeared disoriented and distressed. Officers quickly learned two additional boys had been taken away in a blue Volkswagen Jetta. A high-speed chase ensued through Johannesburg’s streets, ending on Commissioner Street, where the suspect fled on foot before…

Jan

07

2026

By The African Mirror

The calculus of justice: Manuel Chang’s bid for freedom

NEWS

ONE year into an American prison sentence that was supposed to last eight and a half years, Manuel Chang is already seeking early release. The 69-year-old former Mozambican finance minister, convicted in August 2024 for his central role in the $2 billion "tuna bonds" scandal, now faces a grim calculus: having spent six years in custody between South Africa and the United States before sentencing, he apparently believes he has paid enough. The arithmetic tells a damning story. Chang pocketed $7 million in bribes between 2013 and 2016 to sign government guarantees on fraudulent loans that devastated one of the…

Jan

07

2026

By The African Mirror

Five more African nations hit by US visa bond requirement as economic barriers mount

NEWS

THE Trump administration has expanded a controversial visa bonding system to include five additional African countries, bringing the total number of African nations subject to the requirement to eleven out of thirteen countries worldwide - a move that effectively prices most citizens out of US travel. Botswana, the Central African Republic, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Namibia were quietly added to the bond requirement list by the State Department last week, with the designations taking effect January 1. The additions, posted without fanfare on the travel.state.gov website, mean that passport holders from these nations must now post bonds ranging from $5,000 to…

Jan

06

2026

By OWN CORRESPONENTS

Uganda silences opposition as security forces launch “Brutal campaign of repression” ahead of elections

NEWS

UGANDA has banned live broadcasts of protests and "unlawful processions", as international human rights groups documented a systematic crackdown on opposition supporters involving torture, arbitrary arrests, and deadly force ahead of the January 15 presidential election. The move by President Yoweri Museveni's government comes as Amnesty International released evidence of security forces unleashing tear gas, pepper spray, and live ammunition on peaceful campaign rallies supporting opposition candidate Robert Kyagulanyi — the pop star known as Bobi Wine — who is challenging the 81-year-old leader's four-decade grip on power. The Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology justified the broadcast ban by…

Jan

06

2026

By SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

26 die, 14 missing in Nigerian river tragedy

NEWS

THE rivers that snake through Nigeria's landscape are more than geographical features - they are the arteries of survival for millions. Along their banks, entire communities rise with the sun to cast nets, transport goods to distant markets, and ferry children to school. These waters provide fish that feed families, routes that connect isolated villages to the wider world, and fertile soil that yields crops when the floods recede. For people like those in Adiyani village, the river is not a choice but a necessity. It is the road where there are no roads, the highway that carries traders laden…

Jan

06

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

The elusive peace: Another diplomatic gambit in the DRC’s endless war

NEWS

THE New Year has brought a familiar scene to Central African diplomacy: President Felix Tshisekedi, once again, making the journey to Luanda to meet with Angola's President Joao Lourenço. This is neither his first nor second such visit, but rather the latest chapter in what has become a recurring pattern of hope, proposal, and disappointment in the quest for peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo's war-torn east. On Monday, Angola floated what it diplomatically termed "proposals" to end the conflict that has ravaged eastern DRC for decades. Tshisekedi reportedly found them "very interesting" and suggested they could "contribute significantly"…

Jan

05

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

Why only the AU and only two countries condemn Trump’s Venezuela strike, abduction

NEWS

THE African Union's condemnation of US military strikes on Venezuela and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro arrived swiftly on January 3, calling the action a violation of state sovereignty. South Africa's government followed with even stronger language, demanding an emergency UN Security Council session. But across a continent of 54 nations, the silence from individual African leaders has been deafening. No presidents have issued personal statements. Foreign ministers from Nigeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Kenya have stayed silent. Even countries like Algeria and Namibia - traditionally vocal supporters of anti-imperialist causes - have remained conspicuously quiet as one of the…