Fears of renewed war in the Horn of Africa hung over the continent on Tuesday. According to Addis Standard, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for respect for sovereignty and pointed back to the 2018 peace framework between Ethiopia and Eritrea. His remarks came as wider coverage reported Ethiopian troops moving into a border town and massing heavy weapons near the Eritrean frontier. Washington chose to cite the agreement that ended two decades of hostility, which suggests it sees that deal as the reference point for any de-escalation.
Further west, an alliance is changing the calculations in another long-running conflict. Al Jazeera examined what it means for eastern Democratic Republic of Congo now that former President Joseph Kabila has joined forces with M23 fighters. The move puts a former head of state on the same side as the rebel movement that Kinshasa has spent years fighting. In Sudan, the governor of Darfur urged Khartoum and Cairo to share what they have found about a deadly strike on the border, Sudan Tribune reported. That call adds pressure for transparency over an incident that touches both neighbours.
The region also faces a threat from the weather. The Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre reported that the ICRC has warned of potentially devastating El Niño floods in Somalia. Local groups say the rains could also put the country's cultural heritage at risk.
Politics elsewhere is already turning to 2027. In Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu inaugurated the All Progressives Congress presidential campaign council and urged members to deliver their polling units, while party leaders rallied supporters, Channels Television reported. In Kenya, The Standard followed the rise of Edwin Sifuna and Babu Owino as the contest over Raila Odinga's political legacy heats up.
In North Africa, political change looks more institutional. Morocco World News reported that Morocco's House of Representatives has elected a new bureau and named nine committee chairs, and Middle East Online said El Mansouri had briefed the king on talks to form a government. In Egypt, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said he does not plan to change the constitution, as reported by UA.NEWS citing The National. Algeria took a harder line. Death penalty provisions for forest arson and child kidnapping have now taken effect, Anadolu Ajansı reported. Algiers also restated its position that Western Sahara is an unfinished decolonisation issue and warned against imposed solutions, according to the Sahrawi Press Service.
The economic news was mixed. The Egyptian pound weakened to 53.18 per dollar, UA.NEWS reported, and Moroccan shares closed lower, with the Moroccan All Shares index down 0.22 percent, according to Investing.com. Libyan officials were in Riyadh to discuss energy partnerships, the Libya Herald reported, and Angola is trying to attract German tourists through a deal with DRV, the German travel association, which eTurboNews asked whether it will deliver.
In Uganda, the charcoal trade is caught up in regulatory confusion. Traders told the Daily Monitor that stock worth Shs2.4 billion is stuck at the South Sudan border, even though parliament has suspended the ban. NTV Uganda reported that health officers in northern Uganda are raising the alarm over gaps in care, and the same broadcaster said stakeholders are calling for guidelines on how technology is used in schools.
Culture and sport offered some lighter news, and much of it came from Morocco. The kingdom has opened a state-funded museum of Jewish culture, UA.NEWS reported citing the Jerusalem Post. Morocco's women's team will play France in a friendly as it prepares for the 2027 World Cup, according to Morocco World News, and the Morocco Royal Tour is hosting its first CSI5* showjumping event, World of Showjumping reported. At the Futsal AFCON, Algeria came from behind to draw with Libya, CAFOnline.com reported. Nigerian Afrobeat musician Seun Kuti and his band Egypt 80 released videos for "Na Dem" and "Problems," according to Ghettoblaster Magazine.
