Gold, and the violence that follows it, dominated the continent's news on Monday. At least 72 Sudanese gold miners were killed in a strike that has been blamed on Egypt, according to The National, a death toll that makes it one of the gravest single incidents reported from Sudan's mining areas. An analysis in horn review traces what it calls the long road that led to the attack on Sudan's gold mines, treating the strike as the product of tensions that have been building for some time. Further south, the Horn's other standoff is hardening. Eritrea has urged the United Nations to intervene in its dispute with Ethiopia, Africanews reports, with the two neighbours accusing each other of starting a war over Tigray, where Addis Ababa says Asmara is backing rebels. Ethiopia, for its part, had a different gold story to tell, because the prime minister announced the launch of the country's first gold refinery, according to [CNBC Africa](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMimAFBVV95cUxNd1hLd3U5MjBvQldNTkJPT1dnVzc5R25uQUdkaWtHemFJbVJDY1F3MkVsdUFxX2R5S1dkNWd6UUtmcXJkUDNxcUV0NGZDS3lncnF5bDRUTDZWNUIyQTBCVjF2Uk5IVVUxU2lWa29XTHFVRUFYMklkcGdkVXpTN2VjZzZvUDNicl9za3VyZ2ZzOUhja05icGI3cw?oc=5).
The accusation over Sudan lands at a moment when Cairo is projecting confidence abroad. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said that 20 agreements and memoranda of understanding were signed during his Asia tour, which he presented as evidence of Egypt's global stature, Egypt Today reports. The tour saw Egypt and Malaysia elevate their strategic relations, according to Egypt Independent, while Egyptian Streets reports that Egypt and Indonesia deepened their strategic partnership and jointly backed Palestinian statehood. The two countries are also targeting $5 billion in trade by 2030, as carried by UA.NEWS. Closer to home, Egypt joined Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye in condemning Houthi attacks on the Kingdom, Arab News reports.
The economic numbers gave Cairo more to point to. Foreign currency reserves have risen to US$57.35 billion, according to Egypt Independent, and S&P has kept the country's 'B/B' ratings with a stable outlook, as reported via TradingView. The World Bank Group has mobilised $6.7 billion in private capital for Egypt, Utilities Middle East reports.
If Egypt supplied the day's diplomacy, Zambia supplied much of its development news. The country's solar capacity has doubled as it targets 10,000MW by 2031, according to Businessfront, and a power interconnector with the Democratic Republic of Congo is targeting 550 MW to boost regional electricity trade, Africa Sustainability Matters reports. Lusaka is also piloting an AI career guidance platform that is meant to bridge the youth skills gap, according to TechAfrica News, and has unlocked digital earnings for its creators, ITWeb Africa reports.
That interest in artificial intelligence is spreading. Chad advanced its national AI strategy at a pre-validation workshop in N'Djamena held with the support of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, and Zanzibar is preparing to host 800 delegates for an AI conference, according to the Daily News. The technology sector's news was not all upbeat, however. Morocco's YoLa Fresh has shut down after raising $9 million, Techpoint Africa reports, while TechCabal leads its daily briefing with Standard Bank's investment in OPay and notes that the Airtel Money IPO fell slightly short.
The health stories were a reminder of how much depends on money that is no longer guaranteed. In Somalia, a mother's three-day walk with her sick daughter has come to illustrate the country's child malnutrition emergency, as told by The Washington Post. Tanzania is stepping up local HIV services in Dar es Salaam as external funding shifts, according to IPP Media. In Zimbabwe, a discreet caravan at a Harare-area hospital is giving teenage girls private access to contraception amid aid cuts, Africanews reports, with experts saying that access is vital to preventing unintended pregnancies and reducing dangerous childbirth risks. The country's Gender Commission has separately launched a 90-day national campaign against intimate partner violence, according to Pan African Visions.
Domestic politics rounded out the day. In Nigeria, the chairman of the ruling APC said that the party's own polls show President Bola Tinubu will win the 2027 presidential election, Premium Times Nigeria reports. In Kenya, MPs have shortened the publication period for the Tax Laws Amendment Bill to 10 days, according to Capital FM Africa, while The Star, Kenya names Njuki and Lusaka among the contenders for the chairmanship of the Council of Governors.
