NEWS - The African Mirror

Jan

14

2026

Armed groups weaponize rape in eastern Congo as US aid cuts leave survivors without care

NEWS

SEXUAL violence has surged across eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as armed groups systematically deploy rape as a weapon of war, while abrupt cuts to U.S. funding have left thousands of survivors without access to life-saving medical care, according to a report released Sunday. The Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group, the Congolese military, and at least five other armed factions have committed widespread sexual violence against women and girls in North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri provinces, Human Rights Watch and Congolese women's rights organization SOFEPADI documented. The United Nations recorded over 80,000 rape cases in the region between January and…

Jan

13

2026

By The African Mirror

From badge to dock: Lesotho’s fallen top cop grapples with murder charge in bail rollercoaster

NEWS

IN a stunning reversal of fortunes, retired Police Commissioner Molahlehi Letsoepa – once the iron-fisted guardian of Lesotho's law and order – now sits uncomfortably in the accused's dock, staring down a murder charge that has flipped the script on his storied career. Accused alongside a cadre of former officers in the 2025 slaying of Police Constable Mokalekale Khetheng, Letsoepa was granted bail Monday by the High Court in a ruling that underscores the kingdom's turbulent quest for justice amid allegations of police-on-police violence. Justice Mafelile Ralebese, presiding with unflinching resolve, slapped Letsoepa with a M7,000 bail deposit, ordering him…

Jan

13

2026

By SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

High-stakes showdown: billionaire’s million-dollar promise fuels Super Eagles’ AFCON dream

NEWS

NIGERIAN industrialist Abdul Samad Rabiu has thrown down a financial gauntlet that could transform Wednesday's AFCON semi-final into the most lucrative 90 minutes in Super Eagles history. In a bold declaration of faith that has sent shockwaves through African football, Rabiu has pledged a staggering $500,000 to Nigeria's squad if they overcome hosts Morocco in Rabat, with an additional $50,000 bonus for every goal that ripples the Atlas Lions' net. The stakes climb even higher should the Eagles soar to continental glory - a cool $1 million awaits the champions, supplemented by $100,000 per goal in the final. This extraordinary…

Jan

13

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie takes legal action: a death that demands answers

NEWS

IN what has become a searing indictment of private healthcare standards in Nigeria's commercial capital, internationally acclaimed author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has initiated legal proceedings against Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital, alleging catastrophic medical negligence that led to the death of her 21-month-old son. The case, which has prompted gubernatorial intervention and ignited nationwide debate about medical accountability, centres on a series of alleged protocol violations so egregious that the family's legal team has characterised them as "criminally negligent." Master Nkanu Nnamdi Adichie-Esege died in the early hours of January 7, 2026, following what should have been straightforward diagnostic procedures. The child,…

Jan

12

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

US crackdown on Somali community based on debunked viral video, investigators find

NEWS

A viral video used to justify a sweeping crackdown on Somali Americans in Minnesota has been thoroughly debunked by state investigators, who found the claims of widespread fraud at Somali-run child care centres to be baseless, according to a fact-check published by The 19th News. The video, posted on 26 December by right-wing YouTuber Nick Shirley, accused Somali American day care operators in Minneapolis of defrauding the state by collecting public funding whilst providing no services to children. The footage became a cornerstone of the Trump administration's decision to freeze child care funding across five US states and intensify immigration…

Jan

13

2026

By The African Mirror

Somalia cancels all major, multimillion dollars deals with the UAE

NEWS

The diplomatic earthquake that began with Israel's unprecedented recognition of Somaliland in December has triggered a cascade of consequences that threatens to fundamentally destabilise the Horn of Africa. Somalia's dramatic severing of all ties with the United Arab Emirates marks not just a bilateral rupture, but the opening salvo in what could become a protracted regional crisis with global implications. The Breaking Point On January 12, Somalia's Council of Ministers took the extraordinary step of terminating every agreement with the UAE - from port operations in Berbera, Bosaso, and Kismayo to security and defence cooperation frameworks. The message from Mogadishu…

Jan

10

2026

By SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

How AFCON’s ‘Lumumba’ became football’s most powerful statue

NEWS

WHILE 40,000 fans jumped, screamed, and lost their voices across Morocco's stadiums, one man stood absolutely, defiantly, gloriously still. Michel Nkuka Mboladinga didn't need to move. He was already making history. Draped in suits so bright they could guide ships to shore - electric blues, sunshine yellows, eye-watering greens - this self-appointed guardian of memory transformed himself into a living sculpture. His right arm thrust skyward, his gaze fixed on some distant horizon of justice, he channelled the spirit of Patrice Lumumba, the martyred hero of the Democratic Republic of Congo's independence, murdered in 1961 by Belgian colonial interests who…

Jan

10

2026

By OWN CORRESPONDENT

Former Ghana Finance Minister one step from justice after US detention

NEWS

GHANA's former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta is now one step away from facing corruption charges in the country he fled, after being detained by United States immigration authorities on Wednesday. The 66-year-old former minister, who had evaded Ghanaian prosecutors for months while reportedly seeking medical treatment in the US, was taken into custody over issues related to his immigration status. He is currently being held at a detention facility in Virginia, according to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement database. Ofori-Atta's lawyer confirmed the detention late Wednesday, stating he expects "the matter to be resolved expeditiously." However, the arrest brings…

Jan

10

2026

By The African Mirror

Uganda election: UN details “Widespread repression” one week before vote

NEWS

UGANDA's presidential election next week will occur "in an environment marked by widespread repression and intimidation," according to a United Nations report published today that catalogues systematic restrictions on opposition activities, media freedoms, and civil society in the lead-up to the January 15 vote. The report from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights details how Ugandan authorities have used legislation enacted or amended since the 2021 election to "entrench repression and impunity, particularly against the opposition," and restricted fundamental rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly. "High Commissioner Volker Türk calls on the Ugandan…

Jan

10

2026

By SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Madagascar: From apartheid’s outpost to Trump’s strategic prize

NEWS

THE dispatch of three American emissaries to Antananarivo signals a dramatic escalation in Washington's courtship of Madagascar, transforming the Indian Ocean island from a diplomatic backwater into contested strategic terrain. The mission, shrouded in secrecy and lacking official confirmation from either the U.S. embassy or Madagascar's presidency, reveals how desperate the Trump administration has become to secure critical mineral supplies and counter Chinese influence in a region where America once held sway. The irony is inescapable. Madagascar, a country that apartheid South Africa once courted for similar reasons during the Cold War, now finds itself at the centre of another…