NEWS - The African Mirror

Dec

25

2025

Senior Libyan military leadership eliminated in Turkish plane crash, threatening fragile unity efforts

NEWS

THE death of Libya's army chief of staff and four senior military officials in a plane crash outside Ankara on Tuesday has dealt a severe blow to the North African nation's already precarious efforts to establish unified governance after more than a decade of civil conflict. Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad, chief of staff for the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU), died alongside the commander of Libya's ground forces, the director of its military manufacturing authority, a chief of staff adviser, and an official photographer when their Dassault Falcon 50 jet crashed shortly after departing Turkey's Esenboga Airport at 5:10…

Dec

25

2025

By STAFF REPORTER

US give visa suspension notice to 13 African nations starting January 2026

NEWS

THE United States Department of State has reconfirmed sweeping restrictions on visa issuance that will affect 13 African countries, raising concerns about travel, education, and immigration pathways for millions across the continent. Under Presidential Proclamation 10998, titled "Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States," the US will suspend most visa categories for nationals of 19 countries globally, with African nations comprising the majority of those affected. The African nations subject to the new restrictions are Angola, Benin, Burundi, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, and…

Dec

25

2025

By The African Mirror

A different kind of battle: South Sudan supermodel Anok Yai’s fight for breath

NEWS

FOR years, Anok Yai commanded the world's most prestigious runways with grace and power. The 28-year-old supermodel, whose journey from Egypt to South Sudan to the United States became a testament to resilience, had spent her career proving that beauty transcends borders and challenges stereotypes. She fought to ensure her story - and that of her people - would be defined by strength and elegance, not by conflict or limitation. But behind the camera flashes and couture gowns, Yai was waging a battle of an entirely different nature - one that would test her in ways no runway ever could.…

Dec

24

2025

By SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Malawi VP Ansah embroiled in K2.3bn scandal over taxpayer-funded UK birthday party

NEWS

MALAWI’S newly elected government is reeling from its first major scandal as Vice President Dr Jane Ansah faces explosive allegations of misappropriating K2.3 billion (nearly $2 million USD) in public funds to attend her husband's 80th birthday party in the United Kingdom. The controversy, which erupted Monday morning, has sparked nationwide outrage and threatens to undermine the administration's credibility just weeks after taking office, with citizens and civil society groups demanding accountability for what they describe as a brazen abuse of taxpayer money during an economic crisis. Private Party, Public Price Tag According to a December 11 document from the…

Dec

24

2025

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

Where sequins meet shells: DRC’s defiant fashion statement

NEWS

THE bass thundered through the Serena Hotel's gilded ballroom as models glided down the runway in flowing evening gowns and reinvented traditional garments. Outside, beyond the hotel's fortified walls, a different percussion echoed through Goma's streets - the sporadic crack of gunfire and the distant rumble of artillery. This is the paradox of life in eastern Congo: where fashion shows and firefights coexist, where catcalls and conflict share the same soundtrack, where the human spirit refuses to be silenced by the din of war. Sunday's fourth edition of Kivu Fashion Week wasn't just a fashion show. It was an act…

Dec

24

2025

By SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Trump’s mass diplomatic recall signals fundamental shift in US-Africa relations

NEWS

THE Trump administration's abrupt recall of nearly 30 career ambassadors represents more than routine personnel changes - it marks a deliberate restructuring of America's diplomatic engagement with the developing world, particularly Africa. In a sweeping move announced last week, the US State Department is terminating the appointments of mission chiefs across 29 countries, with Africa absorbing the heaviest impact: 15 of the continent's American ambassadors will depart in January. This represents the largest single-continent diplomatic withdrawal in recent American history. Africa: The Primary Target The scale of the African recalls is striking. Ambassadors are being removed from Algeria, Burundi, Cameroon,…

Apr

17

2025

By The African Mirror

Botswana multimillion pula pension scandal: SA fugitive Marsland commits suicide

NEWS

IN a dramatic development that adds another tragic chapter to Botswana's largest pension fraud case, Tim Marsland - the South African businessman at the center of the scandal that saw former Permanent Secretary to the President, Carter Moropisi, imprisoned - has taken his own life. This shocking turn comes just weeks after Morupisi began serving his seven-year sentence for corruption. Marsland, who had been fighting extradition from South Africa to face trial in Botswana for the theft of millions in civil servant pension funds, chose to end his life rather than face justice. Authorities in Botswana had been vigorously pursuing…

Dec

23

2025

By SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Sahel military rulers launch joint force in defiant break from Western influence

NEWS

THREE military-ruled Sahel nations officially inaugurated a 5,000-strong unified military force on Saturday, cementing their alliance in a region where jihadist violence has claimed thousands of lives and driven a dramatic geopolitical realignment away from Western powers. At an airbase in Mali's capital, transitional President General Assimi Goita handed over the force's flag, weaponry, and equipment, including combat vehicles and ambulances, formalising what officials described as a strategic multinational force to combat terrorism across Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. The ceremony marks the most concrete military integration yet for the Alliance of Sahel States, formed in September 2023 after the…

Dec

23

2025

By STAFF REPORTER

SOUTH AFRICA: Deputy mayor fires gun at son’s celebration as children watch, igniting fury over political impunity

NEWS

SHE wore colourful isiXhosa traditional attire during a Sunday afternoon mgidi ceremony celebrating her son's graduation, but what should have been a joyous homecoming for young initiates descended into what authorities now call a criminal investigation. Deputy Mayor Nokuzola "Noksi" Kolwapi allegedly brandished a silver handgun and fired multiple shots into the air as community members - including children - gathered in the streets of this Plettenberg Bay township. Cellphone footage captured the moment: youngsters instinctively covering their ears against the sharp crack of gunfire, adults scrambling for cover, and a public official appearing to celebrate with flagrant disregard for…

Dec

23

2025

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

Christmas miracle in Nigeria: 130 children freed as kidnapping industry cripples nation

NEWS

JUST days before Christmas, 130 Nigerian schoolchildren will reunite with their families after enduring a month in captivity - a seasonal gift that underscores both government resolve and the devastating security crisis gripping Africa's most populous nation. The Sunday release of the remaining students and staff from St. Mary's Catholic School in Papiri marks the conclusion of one of Nigeria's largest mass kidnappings in recent years, but analysts warn it represents merely one chapter in a far darker narrative: the transformation of abduction into a sophisticated criminal enterprise generating millions in annual revenue. A Nightmare Month for 315 Families When…