Recent media reports highlight a surge in state repression in Tanzania, Uganda, and South Sudan, where key opposition figures face treason charges. In Tanzania, Tundu Lissu was charged with treason for his “No Reform, No Election” slogan. In Uganda, Dr. Kizza Besigye was denied bail over alleged plots to forcibly remove President Museveni from power. Meanwhile, in South Sudan, Vice President Riek Machar was placed under house arrest, accused of inciting violence through ties to the White Army militia.

At the Paris 2025 Marathon last weekend, Ethiopia’s Bedatu Hirpa and Kenya’s Benard Biwott claimed victory in the women’s and men’s marathons, respectively. Hirpa clinched the women's title in 2:20:45, narrowly outpacing compatriot Dera Dida. In the men’s race, Biwott secured the crown with a personal best of 2:05:25, breaking away from the lead pack in the final 10 kilometers.

• Yinka Shonibare, a British-Nigerian visual artist, premiered his first major solo showcase in Antananarivo, Madagascar. His artistic style infuses Dutch wax fabric to tell narratives on collective identities and colonial history in a globalized world. The two-day event also featured complimentary exhibitions from 20 artists across Africa.
• Gabon’s Military Leader, Brice Oligui Nguema, has clinched the 2025 election against his main rival, Alain Claude Bilie-By-Nze. In 2023, Brice had ousted President Ali Bongo Ondimba, effectively ending the Bongo family’s 55-year rule.
• US President Donald Trump’s foreign policy in Africa continues to spark conversations about Africa’s dependency on aid. Maxwell Gomera, the United Nations Development Program Representative in Rwanda, reflects on the unique opportunity for Africa to leverage its natural resources for wealth creation.

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Image: Independence Arch in Greater Accra. 01 February 2023. Photo credit: Matti Blume, CC BY-SA 4.0.