The Committee to Protect Journalists posted on 30 July 2026 a press release titled "CPJ Calls for Release of Ailing Sudanese Journalists Held by RSF, Protection of Darfur 24 Reporters."
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces kidnapped three Nyala radio station journalists in February and threatened Darfur 24 reporters. The Committee to Protect Journalists called for the release of the journalists and condemnation of the threats against Darfur 24 reporters.
The Ichikowitz Family Foundation just published its massive African Youth Survey 2026. It held face-to-face interviews with about 5,000 Africans aged 18-24 from 16 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
It covers many issues, but the focus here is perceptions of China and the United States. African youth see China (79 percent) and the United States (81 percent) as the most influential foreign actors, although China's influence is seen as somewhat more positive.
The survey looked at the influence of the US, China, Brazil, EU, UK, Germany, France, India, and Russia. The only country whose influence was seen as less positive than the United States (85 percent) was Russia (83 percent).
About 3 in 5 youth are optimistic about Africa's future during the Trump administration, especially on military support and security. Just under half believe the closure of USAID will negatively impact their country, with healthcare and disease prevention seen as the areas most affected.
China and India are increasingly viewed as more favorable partners than the United States, a sentiment shaped in part by the return of the Trump administration.
Foreign Policy published on 8 July 2026 an article titled "Marco Rubio Burned Down the House to Fix a Sink" by Amanda Klasing, Amnesty International.
Secretary of State Rubio has led an assault on human rights in American statecraft by slashing humanitarian aid, decimating human rights programs, gutting human rights offices and bureaus, disengaging from global human rights systems at the United Nations and elsewhere, and threatening international justice mechanisms.
He has also changed the guidelines for the State Department's annual, global human rights reports by prioritizing political agendas over consistent accounting of human rights violations around the world.
The BBC posted on 7 July 2026 an article titled "Fears of a Massacre in This City on the Frontline of Sudan's War" by Akisa Wandera.
El Obeid, capital of North Kordofan has been under siege by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for 18 months. Most recently, the RSF has stepped up the use of drones.
The United Nations believes another human rights catastrophe like the one in El Fasher is unfolding in El Obeid. The Sudan Armed Forces continues to control the city, but its hold is weakening as it faces increasing RSF drone attacks.
Just Security published on 2 June 2026 a commentary titled "In Addition to Chinese Pressure, a Backsliding Democracy May Explain Zambia's Decision to Cancel a Major Human Rights Summit" by Jane Munga and Steve Feldstein.
Days before 2,600 human rights defenders, technologists, and policymakers were expected in Lusaka, Zambia, on April 30, the Zambian government called off RightsCon, the world's largest conference on digital rights.
According to the summit organizers, the cancellation was due to foreign interference from China "because Taiwanese civil society participants were planning to join us in person." But a closer look reveals a more complicated picture linked to Zambia's democratic decline and more repressive policies.
The International Crisis Group posted on 15 May 2026 a 35-minute podcast titled "Sudan, and a Region and World in Upheaval" with Alan Boswell and Nasrine Malik, journalist and author.
The long-standing problem in Sudan is the control over resources by a certain group and the marginalization of the rest. The old Sudan is gone and cannot be reconstructed. The country requires a whole new approach, which may take years or more to achieve.
The United States and United Kingdom lack either the interest or ability to bring the civil war to an end. As the United States withdraws from Africa, the European Union is drifting and not ready to replace the void being left by the United States.
Nasrine Malik discussed the impact of the war in Iran on Africa generally. It has the potential to destabilize African economies. The Western conception of human rights is on the wane and being replaced by an individualistic approach to certain human rights challenges.
The Associated Press published on 2 May 2026 an article titled "Taiwan's President Lands in Eswatini, under China's Shadow."
Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te finally made it to Eswatini, the only country in Africa that recognizes Taipei, on 2 May. He had to reschedule his original visit when three African countries, reportedly under pressure from Beijing, cancelled overflight permission for his aircraft.
Skift, a digital media company and travel website, posted on 1 May 2026 an article titled "China Quietly Cancels a Digital Rights Summit in Africa" by Miguel Neves.
Evidence is mounting that Beijing was behind Zambia's decision to cancel at the last minute RightsCon 2026 involving an estimated 2,000 international participants from over 150 countries. RightsCon bills itself as the "world's leading summit on human rights in the digital age."
Beijing's concern was apparently attendance by civil society representatives from Taiwan. The conference was scheduled to be held at the Mulungushi International Conference Center in Lusaka. China granted Zambia $30 million in 2022 to expand the facility, giving it considerable leverage to influence the cancellation of the summit by the government of Zambia.
The Zambian Observer published on 30 April 2026 an article titled "President Hichilema Cancels World's Largest Digital Rights Conference."
Zambia cancelled at the last minute the world's largest conference (2,000 delegates) on human rights in the digital age organized by Access Now, RightsCon scheduled for May 5-8 in Lusaka. A Zambian official said the "postponement" of the conference was "essential to ensure full alignment with Zambia's national values, policy priorities, and broader public interest considerations."
News Diggers published on 30 April 2026 an article titled "Govt Cancels RightsCon Summit Citing Security Concerns on Some Delegates" by Mwenya Mofya.
In 2025, the conference took place in Taiwan. The News Diggers account reported that the conference was cancelled because the program included Taiwanese delegates who could potentially speak ill of China at a venue donated by the Chinese government.
The Eastleigh Voice published on 17April 2026 an article titled "'Addis Standard' Editor Million Beyene Missing after Alleged Abduction in Ethiopian Capital" by Mwangi Maina.
Addis Standard managing editor Million Beyene remains missing after being abducted in Addis Ababa on 15 April, allegedly by security personnel. The Committee to Protect Journalists has called for his release and the holding accountable of those who seized him.
China-Africa Security Radar published on 21 December 2025 an article titled "Cameroon Goes All In on Chinese Safe Cities, but at What Cost?"
Huawei is providing up to 24,000 CCTV cameras nationwide. Facial recognition is a key part of the program. The system is equipped with AI and predictive analytics capabilities, purportedly to detect behavior deemed harmful by the government.
China-Africa Security Radar posted on 14 December 2025 a commentary titled "China's Weapons for Burkina Faso" by Paa Kwesi Wolseley Prah.
The author argued that China's large military equipment transfer to Burkina Faso last August raises the question as to what kind of order is Beijing constructing in the Sahel and at what cost to the region's long-term stability. China is exploiting the withdrawal of Western security partners from the Sahel and becoming the security provider of first resort. This is a transactional relationship: you need weapons, we sell weapons, and what you do with them is your business.
But the transaction creates a dependency on China, including providing ammunition and spare parts. In this transactional relationship, China gains influence, market access, diplomatic alignment, and a testing ground for its military equipment. Beijing offers states in the Sahel not liberation from Western paternalism but membership in a different form of asymmetric relationship.
Foreign Policy posted on 5 November 2025 an article titled "How to Stop the Genocide in Sudan" by Mutasim Ali and Yonah Diamond, both with the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights.
The authors attribute the genocide in Sudan's Darfur region to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) with the backing of the UAE. They argue the International Criminal Court should consider issuing arrest warrants for leaders suspected of complicity in the genocide and other atrocities and begin sanctioning the UAE.
CBS News posted on 5 November 2025 an article titled "Trump Administration Ending Protected Status for South Sudanese Nationals" by Nicole Sganga.
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that the protected status of some 5,000 South Sudanese nationals living in the United States lapsed on 3 November, triggering a 60-day grace period to depart the United States or face deportation. DHS is urging them to depart voluntarily in spite of difficult conditions in South Sudan. This marks a significant shift in U.S. policy towards South Sudan.
The Robert Lansing Institute, an American nonprofit public policy research group, published on 30 September 2025 a detailed report titled "Russia's Africa Corps: Wagner's Successor in Africa (2022-2025)."
This in-depth account concludes that the Africa Corps has effectively taken over the Wagner Group's Africa program since late 2023. The Africa Corps maintains a presence in the CAR, Mali, Libya, Sudan, Niger, and Burkina Faso. It has a small engagement in Equatorial Guinea and prospective deals in Togo, Benin, and Cameroon.
The shift from the Wagner Group to the Africa Corps marked an effort to align African operations with Russia's state strategy. The goals of securing allies, resources, and strategic positioning remain, but the execution is now more systematic and overtly tied to the Kremlin. The Africa Corps is the beginning of a more ambitious Russian expeditionary posture.
The International Crisis Group posted on 2 October 2025 a 7-minute video titled "Russia's Growing Influence in Africa."
This is a brief survey of African countries where the Wagner Group was engaged, and its activities increasingly are being taken over by the Africa Corps. The video ties Russia's interests to the extraction of natural resources such as gold and strategic access in eastern Libya.
UN News published on 16 September 2025 an article titled "Government Corruption Fuels Human Rights Crisis in South Sudan, Independent Panel Finds."
Two years of independent investigations revealed systemic corruption and the plundering of South Sudan by its government. Little of the country's $25.2 billion in oil revenue since 2011 has gone to essential services. The funds have mostly gone to patronage and private pockets.
China-Africa Security Radar posted on 24 August 2025 an article titled "China's Recasting of Safe Cities in Africa."
A Chinese safe city project in Sierra Leone is being described as a "concrete measure to implement the Global Security Initiative (GSI)." This raises questions as to how China defines security and views both GSI and safe cities in Africa.
NBC News posted on 12 July 2025 an account titled "Veteran U.S. Diplomats Baffled after Mass Layoffs at State Department" by Abigail Williams.
This is a report on the 11 July dismissal of more than 1,300 State Department civil and foreign service personnel. It focuses on the way the State Department conducted the firings and the response of those fired and those who kept their jobs.
Ethiopia Insight published on 5 June 2025 a commentary titled "Empowering Ethiopia's Judiciary" by Nagessa Dube, a lawyer in Seattle, Washington.
One of the most glaring weaknesses in Ethiopia's system of governance is the lack of an empowered, independent judiciary. Judges must be given the authority to strike down unconstitutional laws.
