… x revenues and reduced reliance on imported energy.The discovery of commercially viable shale gas reserves could also attract foreign investment and contribute to economic growth.South Africa’s national oil company, PetroSA, already invests in oil in Mozambique, Nigeria and Sudan …
For over a year, a forgotten war has been raging in #Sudan. Thousands of civilians have lost their lives and millions more have had to flee their homes. …
… Madagascar and Uganda have the highest number of public holiday observances – 19, while Eritrea, Mauritania São Tomé & Príncipe and Sudan have eight public holidays a year. …
… As a result China’s relations with countries such as Zimbabwe, Sudan, Ethiopia, Gabon, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda – to mention a few – have been buoyed by billions of dollars of investment. …
Africa Day is celebrated annually on 25 May to commemorate the 1963 founding of the Organisation of African Unity, now the African Union, marking the continent's progress and cultural heritage. The article questions whether the celebration holds meaning for ordinary Africans, noting that while the AU envisions an integrated, prosperous and peaceful continent, many Africans regard the day as merely another public holiday marked by political speeches.
Why it matters
Africa Day observations prompt critical reflection on whether continental celebration translates into tangible gains for ordinary Namibians.
Africa Day is celebrated annually on 25 May to commemorate the 1963 founding of the Organisation of African Unity, now the African Union, marking the continent's progress and cultural heritage. The article questions whether the celebration holds meaning for ordinary Africans, noting that while the AU envisions an integrated, prosperous and peaceful continent, many Africans regard the day as merely another public holiday marked by political speeches.
The Ministry of Home Affairs says Angolan nationals, including children on Namibian streets, do not qualify for refugee status under Namibian law and international conventions, as they left Angola seeking socio-economic opportunities rather than fleeing persecution.
Former Namibian editor Gwen Lister has urged the government to urgently operationalise Namibia's Access to Information Act, signed in 2022 but not yet in effect, warning that delays are exposing journalists to growing legal and digital harassment amid increasing global threats against the media.
American business advisory company Andersen Global has launched in Namibia following a merger with Windhoek Taxation and Advisory to form Andersen Namibia. The firm, one of the world's largest independent tax and advisory organisations with over 16,000 professionals across 170 countries, will provide integrated tax, advisory, accounting, and consulting services to businesses and institutions in Namibia and the Southern African Development Community region.
The UN aid chief reported that nearly 700 civilians were killed in drone strikes in Sudan in the first three months of 2024, as the three-year civil war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces has created what the UN calls the world's largest humanitarian crisis, with over 11 million displaced and nearly 34 million people requiring humanitarian support.
A Yale University research lab's analysis of satellite imagery and open-source data shows that an Ethiopian military base near the Sudanese border is providing support to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which has been at war with Sudan's army since April 2023. The researchers identified repeated deliveries of light pickup trucks and heavy weapons to the base that were later observed in RSF operations in Sudan's Blue Nile state, contradicting Ethiopia's denials of involvement in the conflict.
A drone strike on the paramilitary-controlled town of Kutum in Sudan's North Darfur state has killed 12 civilians, including six children, according to medical sources and local activists. The strike comes amid intensified drone attacks by Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which have been at war since April 2023.
Namibia is repositioning its foreign policy to compete in a world where economic strength defines global standing, with 69.5% of the International Relations and Trade Ministry's N$1.37 billion budget allocated to foreign missions. Minister Selma Ashipala-Musavyi warned of emerging "electro state nations" and called for diplomatic missions to act as economic engines protecting national interests amid global instability and competition over critical minerals and technology.
Doctors Without Borders reports that Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and allied militias are systematically using sexual violence against civilians in Darfur as a means of control and war weapon. Between January 2024 and November 2025, MSF facilities treated at least 3,396 survivors of sexual violence, 97% of them women and girls, though the organisation warns this figure represents only a fraction of the true scale of atrocities.
In Sudan's Kordofan region, caught in intense fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, civilians report near-daily drone strikes that have killed hundreds and spread fear, with both sides deploying cheap "kamikaze" drones and advanced strategic weapons supplied by foreign backers. The strikes on markets, hospitals, and homes have driven traders away, caused food shortages, and disrupted aid access in areas already threatened by famine.
A new Médecins Sans Frontières report based on 3,396 victims treated across Darfur documents rape and sexual assault as a persistent and defining feature of Sudan's civil war, with non-Arab communities systematically targeted and attacks continuing even in areas away from active conflict.
At a State House ceremony, Namibia's Head of State Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah addressed the nation's 36th Independence Day, reflecting on the country's sovereignty and the international solidarity that enabled its liberation. She reaffirmed Namibia's commitment to inclusive development, democratic governance, and peaceful coexistence while expressing gratitude to nations and movements that supported the independence struggle.
Fighting between government forces and rivals loyal to suspended First Vice-President Riek Machar has displaced over 280,000 people in South Sudan's Jonglei state, prompting UN warnings of a return to full-blown civil war. Civilians are bearing the brunt of indiscriminate attacks including aerial bombardments and killings, with the region already facing severe hunger affecting 60% of Jonglei's two million people.
The UK Home Office will stop issuing study visas to nationals from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan, citing widespread visa abuse and high rates of asylum claims filed after students arrived on legitimate visas. The measure takes effect this month as part of the government's effort to control immigration, with figures showing that about 95% of Afghans who arrived on study visas subsequently applied for asylum since 2021.
Ethiopia's Media Authority revoked the licence of independent online outlet Addis Standard on 24 February, citing violations of media ethics and endangerment of national interests. The action is part of a broader crackdown on press freedom ahead of legislative elections in June, with journalists from Reuters, Deutsche Welle, and BBC also having credentials denied or not renewed in recent months.
Sudan's civil war has intensified in the gold and oil-rich Kordofan region, with near-daily drone attacks killing civilians and shaping the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Both sides are accused of strikes on civilian infrastructure, and the fighting threatens to widen into a regional conflict as fighting spreads to the Blue Nile region.
Chad shut its eastern border with Sudan "until further notice" as a security measure after fighting in the border town of al-Tina killed at least eight people, with authorities citing repeated incursions by Sudanese armed groups and the spread of Sudan's civil war toward Chadian territory. The closure affects nearly a million Sudanese refugees already in Chad and humanitarian access to Sudan, though exemptions for humanitarian reasons may be granted.
A drone strike blamed on Sudan's Rapid Support Forces killed two children and injured 12 others at a traditional Koranic school in El-Rahad, in the Kordofan region, which has become the fiercest battlefield in the ongoing civil war between the RSF and the regular army since April 2023.
The Bank of Namibia has appointed Helvi Fillipus and Dr John Steytler to its Monetary Policy Committee. Fillipus, an economic advisor at the bank and its youngest MPC member, brings expertise in macroeconomic research and public finances, while Steytler, a distinguished economist and former senior BoN official, joins as the first independent member for a three-year term.
Somalia's defence minister and his Saudi counterpart signed a military cooperation agreement in Riyadh on Monday, part of broader strategic competition in the Horn of Africa between Gulf monarchies Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
National Council Chairperson Lukas Muha called on the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association to strengthen support for member countries facing political instability and conflict, citing Sudan and Zimbabwe as examples. He stressed that dialogue and cooperation among lawmakers are crucial to prevent disputes from escalating into conflict.
António Guterres has warned that the UN faces an "imminent financial collapse" due to member states not paying their assessed contributions, with money potentially running out by July. The crisis has been deepened by the United States refusing to pay its contributions and withdrawing from UN agencies, forcing the organisation to return funds it has not received and cutting humanitarian programmes worldwide.
USAID funding cuts under the Trump administration have deepened humanitarian shortfalls in Ethiopia's Tigray region, where aid organizations report up to 80% of the population needs emergency support and residents are dying from hunger and malnutrition. The closure of aid offices and reduced medical services have left internally displaced persons with minimal access to food, healthcare, and basic services, while the Ethiopian government denies the severity of the crisis.
The Central African Republic's constitutional court confirmed that incumbent president Faustin Archange Touadera won re-election with 78% of the vote, rejecting an appeal from runner-up Anicet-George Dologuele who alleged fraud. Touadera, who presented himself as a stability candidate in a nation recovering from prolonged civil conflict, becomes the third president to secure a third consecutive term under a new constitution adopted in 2023.
Sudan's military-led government has returned to Khartoum after nearly three years of operating from Port Sudan following the 2023 civil war outbreak between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The capital, which saw roughly five million residents flee and suffered mass destruction, now faces a lengthy recovery effort as the government pledges to restore electricity, water, healthcare and education services.