War against Sudanese army not over, says RSF chief; Niger withdraws from Lake Chad military force

Niger had quit an international force fighting armed Islamist groups in West Africa’s Lake Chad region as it seeks to shore up security around oil assets at home, said the government in a bulletin on state television.

Guinea’s junta leader has pardoned former military leader Moussa Dadis Camara for “health reasons” after a court last year found him guilty of crimes against humanity in a 2009 stadium massacre, according to a decree read on state television late on Friday.

Sudan’s paramilitary RSF chief says war with army is not over

The leader of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, said on Sunday that his war against the army was not over and his forces would return to Khartoum despite being largely driven out of the capital.

It was Dagalo’s first comment since the RSF were pushed back from most parts of Khartoum last week by the army in the latest development in Sudan’s devastating two-year-old war.

Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, conceded in an audio message on Telegram that his forces had left the capital last week as the army consolidated its gains.

“It’s true that in the past few days there was a withdrawal by forces [from Khartoum] to reposition in Omdurman. This was a tactical decision made by the leadership. It was a collective decision,” said Dagalo.

However, he vowed to return to Khartoum “stronger, more powerful and victorious”.

His comments came as the army continued to consolidate, taking control on Saturday of a major market in Omdurman, Khartoum’s twin city, which had previously been used by the RSF to launch attacks.

The army already controlled most of Omdurman, home to two big military bases. It appears intent on securing the entire capital area, which is made up of the three cities of Khartoum, Omdurman and Bahri, divided by branches of the River Nile. The RSF still hold some territory in Omdurman.

On Saturday, Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan ruled out any reconciliation with the RSF, vowing to crush it.

The war is the result of a power struggle between the army and the RSF ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule.

The fighting has ruined much of Khartoum, uprooted more than 12 million Sudanese from their homes, and left about half of the 50 million population suffering acute hunger.

Overall deaths are hard to estimate, but a study published last year said the toll may have reached 61,000 in Khartoum state alone in the first 14 months of the conflict.

Niger withdraws from Lake Chad military force

Niger had quit an international force fighting armed Islamist groups in West Africa’s Lake Chad region as it seeks to shore up security around oil assets at home, said the government in a bulletin on state television.

The Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), which also includes soldiers from Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon, has been working to stem the insurgency since 2015, but progress has been hobbled by division and poor coordination, allowing armed groups to flourish across the region’s sparsely populated scrublands.

MNJTF has yet to comment on Niger’s withdrawal, and it is unclear how the step will affect the mission’s future.

The Lake Chad region has been repeatedly attacked by militant groups, including Islamic State in West Africa and Boko Haram, whose insurgency erupted in northeast Nigeria in 2009 and has killed tens of thousands of people.

Last year, Chad threatened to pull out of the MNJTF after about 40 soldiers were killed in an attack on a military base.

And Niger has become increasingly withdrawn since a military junta overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum in 2023. Along with Burkina Faso and Mali — neighbouring states where juntas also snatched power in recent years — it withdrew from regional bloc the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) in 2024.

Niger’s junta, which last week announced a five-year transition to constitutional rule, has promised to restore security in the country, whose vast desert in the north is crossed by migrants and traffickers.

But the army has little control over large parts of the country. Islamist militants killed at least 44 civilians and severely injured 13 others during an attack on a mosque in the southwest this month. Its energy infrastructure, including an oil pipeline that links the Agadem oilfield to Benin’s coast, has come under attack.

Guinea junta chief pardons former military leader over stadium massacre

Guinea’s junta leader has pardoned former military leader Moussa Dadis Camara for “health reasons” after a court last year found him guilty of crimes against humanity in a 2009 stadium massacre, according to a decree read on state television late on Friday.

Camara, who seized power in a 2008 coup, was, on 31 July  2024, sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in the massacre of at least 157 people during a pro-democracy rally in a stadium in the capital, Conakry.

On September 28, 2009, tens of thousands of people gathered to press Camara not to stand in a presidential election the following year. Many were shot, stabbed, beaten or crushed in a stampede as security forces fired tear gas and charged the stadium.

At least a dozen women were raped by security forces, prosecutors said during the trial.

Camara (61) was convicted alongside seven other military commanders.

The West African nation’s current military government announced on Thursday that it would pay the compensation to victims that the court had ordered Camara and the other accused to cover.

That includes at least $2-million to rape victims and $18-million to the families of those killed or missing, according to Reuters calculations.

Junta leader Mamady Doumbouya himself seized power in a 2021 coup.

World Court to hear Sudan genocide case against UAE

The World Court said on Friday it would hear a case brought by Sudan demanding emergency measures against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and accusing the Gulf state of violating obligations under the Genocide Convention by arming paramilitary forces.

Sudan has accused the UAE of arming the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have been fighting the Sudanese army in a two-year-old civil war — a charge the UAE denies, but UN experts and US legislators have found credible.

The Sudanese Armed Forces’ actions at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) “are nothing more than a political game and publicity stunt — an attempt to drag a longstanding friend of Africa into the conflict they themselves have instigated and fuelled”, said a UAE official.

“Despite this, the UAE remains resolute in its humanitarian commitment towards the people of Sudan, focused on alleviating the humanitarian disaster inflicted by both warring factions.”

Sudan’s complaint to the Hague-based ICJ — known as the World Court — is in connection with intense ethnic-based attacks by the RSF and allied Arab militias against the non-Arab Masalit tribe in 2023 in West Darfur, documented in detail by Reuters.

Those attacks were determined to be genocide by the US in January.

Sudan has asked for the court to impose emergency measures to order the Emirates to prevent genocidal acts in Darfur.

The court said it would hear Sudan’s request on 10 April.

As cases before the ICJ can take years to reach a conclusion, states can ask for emergency measures that are meant to ensure the dispute between the states does not escalate in the meantime.

Chinese nationals missing off Ghana after ‘piracy kidnapping’

Three Chinese nationals were missing from Ghanaian waters and believed to have been kidnapped after a “suspected pirate attack” on their Ghanaian-registered fishing vessel, said the West African nation’s military on Saturday.

Seven armed people boarded the ship and fired warning shots shortly before 6pm on Thursday, said the military in a statement, adding that they had stayed on board for about three hours while some crew members hid.

After the suspected pirates left and the crew came out of hiding, they discovered that the ship’s captain, chief mate and chief engineer were missing, according to the armed forces.

The vessel, MENGXIN 1, was now docked at Tema Fishing Harbour, said the statement, adding that Ghana’s navy was investigating a “suspected pirate attack”.

Uganda signs deal with UAE investment firm over oil refinery

Uganda on Saturday signed an oil refinery agreement with UAE-based Alpha MBM Investments for a 60% stake in a crude oil refinery in Kabaale, Hoima District, said President Yoweri Museveni’s office in a statement.

The country’s state-run Uganda National Oil Company will retain the remaining 40% stake in the 60,000-barrel-per-day refinery, according to the statement.

Earlier this year, Uganda’s energy minister said the country was in negotiations to develop a planned $4-billion oil refinery with Alpha MBM Investments.

The UAE-based investment firm’s website says it is led by Sheikh Mohammed bin Maktoum, a member of Dubai’s royal family.

Discussions on key commercial terms between the Ugandan government and Alpha MBM Investments began on 16 January and had been expected to conclude within three months, according to the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development Ruth Nankabirwa.

The 60,000-barrel-per-day refinery is a cornerstone of Uganda’s emerging hydrocarbons industry, playing a vital role in the country’s energy strategy. DM