Tanzania on Monday arrested the leaders of the main opposition party Chadema on accusations of inciting violence.

Chadema chairman Freeman Mbowe and the leader of the party’s youth wing John Pambalu were arrested by police at an airport in the southwestern city of Mbeya, where they planned to mark International Youth Day.

Chadema’s Vice-Chairman Tundu Lissu was arrested on Sunday alongside the party’s Secretary-General.

Police accused Chadema’s youth wing of seeking to promote unrest and violence. The party said over 400 people were in detention.

Despite relaxing restrictions on political parties, opposition leaders say violations have increased in the run-up to the 2025 election.

President Samia Suluhu who took over after the death of John Magufuli is expected to run for the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party.

The engine of a wooden boat exploded and sank in a river in south-south Nigeria, killing at least 20 people, local police said Thursday.

The explosion and sinking on the Ezetu-1 River a day earlier was the latest in a series of deadly boat accidents that increasingly point to regulatory failures.

It was unclear what might have caused the boat’s engine to explode Wednesday, Musa Muhammed, spokesperson for the Bayelsa police, said.

The boat was carrying traders from Ekeni, a small community in the state of Bayelsa to Yenagoa, the state’s capital city, when the engine exploded, Ipigansi Ogoniba, chair of the Maritime Workers Union in Bayelsa, said at a news conference. An ensuing fire burned some of the passengers before sinking, he said.

Ogoniba said emergency service providers could not respond quickly to the accident, because there is no telephone network in the area.

Boat disasters have become rampant in remote communities across Nigeria, where locals desperate to get their farm products to market end up overcrowded in locally made boats in the absence of good and accessible roads.

There is no record of the total number of deaths in these accidents, though there were at least five involving at least 100 passengers each in the second half of last year.

Past accidents have been blamed on overloading, the condition of the boat or a hindrance of the boat’s movement along the water. Intervention measures announced by authorities  such as the provision of life jackets or enforcing of waterway regulations  are usually not carried out.

China-Africa relations are expanding into green development, with key discussions planned for the September FOCAC summit. One expert notes that despite forecasts of slower growth, China’s expanding economy will continue to benefit its African partners.

Roya Rahmani, chair of Delphos joined us for more on the report. Delphos is a financial advisory firm that has been bringing large capital to Africa for financing projects.

Zimbabwe’s Shift: From Tobacco to Cannabis Gold

Facing a decline in tobacco demand, Zimbabwe is turning to medicinal cannabis as a promising new cash crop, aiming to tap into the growing $12 billion global market. The country’s climate and existing agricultural expertise position it well to produce cannabis for export.

DRC tax breaks win over entrepreneurs

Every cloud has a silver lining. In South Kivu, the silver lining comes as new tax exemptions and subsidies are set to end excessive taxation on young entrepreneurs, fostering a new generation of multimillionaires. This promise, announced at the Bukavu entrepreneurial launch, has brought relief and hope among local business owners

A military court in Congo on Thursday sentenced 25 people, including the leader of a rebel coalition, to death after a high-profile televised trial that started late last month.

Corneille Nangaa, leader of the Alliance Fleuve Congo, or AFC, was found guilty of war crimes, participation in an insurrection and treason. Naanga and 19 other defendants sentenced to death were absent from the trial as they are currently on the run.

“This nauseating judicial saga reinforces our struggle for democratic normality in Congo,” Nangaa told the Associated Press in a text message from an undisclosed location.

The AFC is a political-military movement launched by Nangaa in December with the aim of uniting armed groups, political parties and civil society against Congo’s government. One of its most renown members is the M23, an armed group accused of mass killings in eastern Congo’s decadeslong conflict.

Congo’s president Felix Tshisekedi, along with U.S. and U.N. experts, accuse neighboring Rwanda of giving military backing to M23. Rwanda denies the claim, but in February it effectively admitted that it has troops and missile systems in eastern Congo to safeguard its security, pointing to a buildup of Congolese forces near the border.

The court’s decision against Nangaa follows the announcement of a cease-fire between Congo and Rwanda last week following talks mediated by Angola. The cease-fire took effect on Sunday but prospects are slim with previous truces not lasting more than a few weeks and fighting having already resumed near the border with Uganda.

The death sentence against Nangaa might be a way to have more leverage in possible future negotiations with Rwanda or the armed groups themselves, Yvon Muya, a conflict studies researcher at Saint Paul University, said.

The decade long conflict in eastern Congo has produced one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with over 100 armed groups fighting in the region, most for land and control of mines with valuable minerals. Some are fighting to try to protect their communities.

Many groups are accused of carrying out mass killings, rapes and other human rights violations.

The violence has displaced about 7 million people, including thousands living in temporary camps. Many others are beyond the reach of aid.

Nigerian police are investigating the death of a transgender TikToker known as “Abuja Area Mama,” whose body was discovered on a highway in Abuja on Thursday.

The 33-year-old, who had a strong following on social media for her posts about life as a transgender woman and sex worker, was found beaten and bruised. She often referred to herself as Ifeanyi, but never disclosed her full name.

Nigeria, a conservative society, has strict laws against same-sex relationships, and the LGBTQ+ community often faces harassment and violence. Last year, Abuja Area Mama shared that she had been attacked and feared for her life.

In her final Instagram post on Wednesday, she mentioned plans to meet her boyfriend. Hours later, her body was found on the Katampe-Mabushi expressway in Abuja, in what police suspect is a murder.

Police have launched an investigation, with Abuja police chief Benneth Igweh ordering a “thorough and discreet” inquiry into the incident. Authorities noted that the victim was found dressed in female clothing but without any identification.

The news of her death has led to an outpouring of grief on social media, highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community in Nigeria, despite legal protections against discrimination. Journalist Martins Ifijeh condemned the act, calling it “the worst form of inhumanity.”

The Egyptian pound is falling against foreign currencies, approaching 50 per U.S. dollar after a recent increase in metro fares and fuel prices.

The currency hit 49.16 per U.S. dollar on Tuesday, the Central Bank of Egypt said on its website.

In June and July, the Egyptian pound fluctuated between 47 and 48 per dollar after its IPO in March and lost about 60% of its value, falling to around 30 per dollar.

The new exchange rates come a week after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed its third financial review of Egypt, authorizing the government to draw down $820 million . The amount is part of an $8 billion bailout loan to support Egypt’s struggling economy, which has been hampered by a shortage of foreign currency , soaring inflation and unrest in the Red Sea caused by attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

“Recent efforts by the Egyptian authorities to restore macroeconomic stability have started to show positive results. Inflation remains high but is declining. A flexible exchange rate regime remains the cornerstone of the authorities’ program ,” the IMF said last week.

Egyptians are grappling with runaway inflation, with the oil ministry announcing late last month that fuel prices would rise by about 10 percent.

The last fuel price increase took place in March, with the government attributing the price hikes to the rising cost of fuel due to the Red Sea attacks and the depreciation of the Egyptian currency.

The Houthis have attacked commercial ships in the Red Sea in retaliation for Israel ‘s war in Gaza. Oil, natural gas and grain, among other goods, travel through the sea lanes that separate Africa and the Arabian Peninsula to reach the Suez Canal , which typically carries 12% of world trade .

Cairo Metro fares also officially increased last week, according to the National Tunnels Authority, which manages and operates the Cairo Metro. The increased fares now range between 2 and 5 Egyptian pounds.

Egypt reached an agreement with the IMF in the spring to more than double the size of its bailout , which now stands at $8 billion. The price increases were deemed necessary to meet the IMF’s conditions for continued aid to the country.

Palestinian militant group, Hamas, has named Yahya Sinwar as the successor to its political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran a week ago.

Sinwar is seen by Israel as the mastermind behind the 7 October attack which more than a thousand Israelis were killed and over 200 others taken hostage.

The 61-year-old hardliner has been in hiding in Gaza since then, defying Israeli attempts to kill him.

The news of his appointment comes amid heightened tension in the region as Israel braces for a likely attack from Iran following the killing of Haniyeh.

It has not confirmed nor denied involvement in his death, but had pledged to kill him and other Hamas leaders.

Last week, Israel confirmed the death of the head of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammed Deif, in a July airstrike in Gaza.Hamas has not confirmed his death.

Haniyeh’s death makes Sinwar, who spent half his adult life in Israeli prisons, as the most powerful Hamas leader left alive.

On Israeli army spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, described said Sinwar as an “arch terrorist” and said Israel would continue to pursue him.

“There is only one place for Yahya Sinwar, it’s next to Mohammed Deif, next to a Ghandour, next to Ayman Nofal (Hamas commanders Israel claimed it has killed), next to all the terrorists that were responsible for the 7 October,” he said.

By choosing Sinwar as its new political leader, Hamas is sending a strong message of defiance to the Israeli government.

It also signals that the leadership on the ground in Gaza has taken over from the leadership in exile, which has traditionally navigated relations with foreign allies and diplomacy.

The death toll among Palestinians is now nearing 40,000, most of the population of Gaza has been driven from their homes, and large swathes of the enclave have been destroyed.

Tanzanian authorities have initiated an investigation following the widespread circulation of a video allegedly showing a gang rape, which has sparked nationwide outrage. Local media have reported that arrests have already been made.

The disturbing footage, featuring a young woman assaulted by multiple men, began to surface online on Sunday. Human rights organizations have been calling for swift action from the authorities.

In a statement, the police confirmed that their investigation is “progressing well,” but did not confirm any arrests. They assured the public that more detailed information will be released once the legal process is complete and urged everyone to remain calm.

Authorities also requested the public to be cautious about sharing content online, emphasizing the importance of protecting the victim and her family from further harm.

According to reports, Home Affairs Minister Hamad Masauni confirmed that some suspects have been apprehended but did not provide specific details.

The incident was first brought to the public’s attention by Boniface Jacob, the former mayor of Ubungo, a district in Dar es Salaam, on August 4 via a post on social media platform X. Jacob mentioned that the assault took place in another area of Dar es Salaam and alleged that the perpetrators might be linked to the Tanzanian military, though this has not been verified.

The Tanganyika Law Society condemned the incident, labeling it a severe breach of both legal and societal standards.

The Msichana Initiative, an organization focused on advocating for girls’ rights in Tanzania, also called for decisive action against what they described as “brutal acts.” They criticized the continued online sharing of the video, stating that it only adds to the humiliation of the victim.

The Legal and Human Rights Centre has urged President Samia Suluhu Hassan to publicly denounce the assault, warning that failure to address such issues could lead to their increase under the guise of authority abuse.

This incident is not isolated, as in 2019, several men were arrested in northeastern Tanzania following a series of gang rapes, according to local reports.