Congo and M23 Rebels Agree on Peace Roadmap

Congo and M23 Rebels Agree on Peace Roadmap DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the M23-led rebel alliance agreed this week on a roadmap for peace negotiations after five days of talks in Switzerland, even as fighting continues in the country’s volatile east. In a joint statement over the weekend, the two sides said the roadmap establishes “sequenced steps and timelines for negotiations” under the Qatar-mediated framework agreement signed last year. The Swiss talks included representatives from the United States, Qatar, Togo, Switzerland and the African Union Commission. The parties also agreed on a standardized method for reporting ceasefire violations and a mechanism to address problems implementing the agreement. On Monday, a mission began observing implementation of the ceasefire in Minembwe, South Kivu province, marking the first field deployment under the monitoring mechanism established by the Qatar-mediated agreement. The area has experienced renewed fighting in recent weeks, with government forces and the rebels accusing each other of ceasefire violations. M23 rebels on Monday accused Congolese forces of shelling a village near Minembwe, causing civilian casualties and displacement. The Congolese military did not immediately respond. The conflict reignited in 2021 when M23 resumed its offensive in eastern DRC. The group has since captured large areas, including the provincial capitals Goma and Bukavu in early 2025. The fighting has killed thousands and displaced an estimated 5.3 million people. The DRC, the UN and Western governments accuse Rwanda of supporting the M23 with troops and weapons, which Kigali denies. The Doha process is proceeding alongside separate US-mediated talks between the DRC and Rwanda. Earlier this month, Congolese authorities also released 15 prisoners to the M23-led alliance in the first known prisoner transfer under the agreement.

South Africa's Land Seizure Law Challenged In Court

South Africa’s Land Seizure Law Challenged in Court SOUTH AFRICA South Africa A South African court this week began hearing a challenge to the country's land expropriation law, legislation that has strained relations within the governing coalition and was cited by US President Donald Trump last year as a reason for suspending aid to South Africa. The White-led Democratic Alliance (DA) – a senior partner in the ruling coalition with the African National Congress (ANC) – asked the Western Cape High Court to declare key provisions of the Expropriation Act unconstitutional. The party has argued that the law gives the government "vague and ​sweeping powers" to expropriate private property and undermines legal certainty over property rights. Signed last year by President Cyril Ramaphosa, the Expropriation Act allows the government to seize land in the public interest and, in some cases, without compensating the owners. The government insists that the legislation is aimed at redressing the economic inequality that is a legacy of the policy of apartheid, when millions of non-White South Africans were forcibly displaced from their lands. Despite the end of apartheid in the 1990s, around three-quarters of South Africa’s privately owned farmland today remains under the control of White South Africans – who make up less than 10 percent of the country’s population. No land has been seized so far, but the law has been the subject of lengthy debates and remains a major point of contention within the ruling coalition. The ANC and DA teamed up after the 2024 parliamentary elections, which saw the ANC lose its absolute majority for the first time since 1994. The legislation and other affirmative action policies have also heightened tensions with the Trump administration, which has accused South Africa of allegedly enabling a “genocide” against white South Africans. Last year, Trump signed an executive order suspending US financial aid to South Africa and creating a refugee program specifically for Afrikaners – most descendants of Dutch settlers – citing concerns they were being persecuted. South Africa has strongly rejected those claims. Analysts noted that the case will be heard alongside two similar legal challenges brought by groups representing Afrikaner interests. The court could take years to reach a verdict. Still, the proceedings come as the country gears up for pivotal local elections in November.

Why Didn't The Rhodesian Army Defeat The Insurgents?

Profile photo for Rick Brindle Rick Brindle · Follow Ex RAF Regiment, Registered Nurse, authorJun 4 If the Rhodesian soldiers were so effective, why did they lose the Bush War? Winning the battles but losing the war springs to mind. Let’s be clear, man for man, the Rhodesian soldiers were seriously effective. They were really well trained and highly motivated. They were also surrounded. At the time of the Bush War, there were about 300,000 white Rhodesians, controlling a country of 5 million black Rhodesians, and all of the power was in the hands of the whites. Faced with those kind of numbers, it was never going to end well for the whites, and it’s a tribute to the Rhodesian war machine that the minority regime lasted as long as it did. It’s worth noting though, that black soldiers made up a big part of the Rhodesian military, and they fought very well. At its peak, the Rhodesian Army numbered 20,000, the British South Africa Police, 40,000, the Air Force, 2,300. In total numbers, they faced a roughly equal number of insurgents/guerrillas/freedom fighters (delete as per opinion). The Rhodesians had to concentrate their forces to meet the insurgent threat, and they developed a tactic called Fireforce, which was very effective. Militarily, that worked. Politically, it didn’t. The black population had to be won over, and that was a problem that the military couldn’t solve, and in all fairness, that wasn’t really their job. There is a school of thought that the Bush War could have been won by both sides in 1979 with the Muzorewa government, and the Zimbabwe-Rhodesia situation. And looking back, maybe it should have been left at that. 99.8K views View 548 upvotes View 5 shares 1 of 6 answers

Gold And Geopolitics Continue To Fuel Sudan's Civil War

Gold and Geopolitics Continue to Fuel Sudan’s Civil War as It Imperils El Obeid SUDAN Sudan Nadjat Mohammed, a 43-year-old Sudanese civilian from Bara, in central Sudan, fled in September to El Obeid, the state capital, after the civil war reached her town. The fighting pitted the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), the national army, against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group battling the army for the country’s control. Now the RSF, accused by the United Nations and rights groups of crimes against humanity, is threatening El Obeid, too, leaving Mohammed facing the prospect of being uprooted again. “The war is hunting us down,” Mohammed told Le Monde. “We are being displaced like cattle.” The fighting has now spread deeper into central Sudan, leaving El Obeid under siege. The war, in its fourth year, has already displaced more than 14 million people and killed at least 59,000, though some estimates put the toll far higher. The war began in April 2023 as a power struggle between Sudan’s army and the RSF, but has evolved into a conflict sustained by foreign arms, illicit gold and regional rivalries. The United Arab Emirates, drawn by Sudan’s mineral wealth, has been accused of routing arms, fuel and mercenaries to the RSF through Chad, Libya and Ethiopia. The US and Britain have sanctioned RSF figures, but not the UAE, a key Gulf energy and finance partner of the West. Egypt, alarmed by instability on its border and the RSF’s rise, backs the army with military aid. Because of the politics involved and riches to be had, both in Sudan and outside of it, there is little chance of the war stopping anytime soon, analysts say. “Although its roots are domestic, it is non-Sudanese actors that have kept the war alive,” wrote British think tank Chatham House. “Externally procured weapons and cross-border logistical pipelines have sustained the battlefield capacity of both the SAF and RSF. … The UAE’s role in sustaining the war remains the most consequential, and the most documented.” “The multi-billion-dollar trade of gold sustains and shapes Sudan’s conflict,” it added. Human rights groups and UN officials have accused the RSF of mass killings, ethnic cleansing and other atrocities, warning that its advance on El Obeid could lead to another catastrophe, as occurred in El-Fasher, which the RSF captured after a brutal siege. The UAE’s role is especially explosive, even as it vociferously denies involvement. Its ties to the RSF predate the war, and its involvement is not just ideological, analysts say. RSF fighters served Emirati interests in Yemen and Libya, while analysts say Abu Dhabi now sees the force as a means to grow its power in Sudan and the Red Sea as well as keep it supplied in gold. The RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, built his wealth and power through Darfur’s gold trade with the UAE. Sudan produced about 80 tons of gold worth more than $6 billion in 2024, with more than half smuggled to countries including the UAE. “Dubai is the world’s largest gold market, and Sudan has immense reserves,” Marc Lavergne, emeritus research director at the French National Centre for Scientific Research, told Radio France Internationale. “Miners are controlled by the RSF, who collect the gold and bypass the central bank and official channels. The gold is then flown directly to Dubai to be refined. This ensures the prosperity of the RSF and, at the same time, that of Dubai.” Sudan sued the UAE at the International Court of Justice in March 2025, accusing it of complicity in genocide by the RSF in Darfur. The court threw out the case in May, citing a UAE opt-out that critics say weakens accountability for such crimes. The UAE continued to deny its role in the war during the case. Meanwhile, UN investigators and rights groups have accused the SAF of unlawful killings, indiscriminate airstrikes and other abuses, too, though the RSF has faced the most extensive allegations of ethnic cleansing and genocide in Darfur. The imbalance has raised questions about why the UAE has faced so little direct pressure even as its regional ambitions have fueled conflicts across the region, said a commentary in the Guardian. “But it has been supported in that by the US and the UK, not only political allies but financial beneficiaries,” it said. “Both countries have gone to farcical lengths to express concern over the war in Sudan while avoiding any mention of the UAE.” In the absence of pressure, El Obeid remains at grave risk of falling. In the meantime, it’s sheltering thousands of civilians who face daily drone strikes and hunger. “In El Obeid, families are starving while dodging indiscriminate attacks just to stay alive,” said Norwegian Refugee Council Secretary General Jan Egeland. “The world has been warned about this crisis and let it happen anyway.”

Sudanese Court Sentences RSF Leader To Death for War Crimes and Genocide

Sudanese Court Sentences RSF Leader to Death for War Crimes and Genocide SUDAN Sudan A Sudanese court on Sunday sentenced Rapid Support Forces (RSF) leader Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo and 15 co-defendants to death in absentia for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the killing of West Darfur Governor Khamis Abbakar. The ruling, issued by a court in the army-controlled city of Port Sudan, marks the first judicial conviction of the RSF’s senior leadership since Sudan’s civil war erupted in April 2023. The case focused on the June 2023 killing of Abbakar, who was slain hours after publicly accusing the RSF and allied Arab militias of targeting civilians in West Darfur. The charges also relate to widespread war crimes committed during the RSF’s capture of El Geneina, where United Nations experts estimated that between 10,000 and 15,000 people, predominantly from the Massalit ethnic community, were killed. Those sentenced include Dagalo’s brother and deputy, Abdel-Rahim Hamdan Dagalo, along with a number of RSF commanders and tribal leaders. The court announced it would forward the case to Sudan’s Supreme Court for review, as well as seek the arrest and extradition of those convicted through Interpol and other international mechanisms. The international community has accused the RSF of genocide and both the RSF and the Sudanese army of war crimes and other abuses, allegations both sides deny. The verdict represents a symbolic legal step by the Sudanese judicial system, although the defendants remain outside government custody and the likelihood of enforcement is uncertain. The ruling comes amid Sudan’s civil war, which began in April 2023 after a power struggle between army chief Abdel-Fattah Burhan and Dagalo following their joint role in the 2021 military coup. Now entering its fourth year, the conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced more than 11 million, and created what the United Nations describes as the world’s largest displacement and hunger crisis, with no political resolution currently in sight.

One Million South Africans Say Goodbye To Medical Aide

1 million South Africans say goodbye to medical aid Is the sun beginning to set on medical aids in South Africa? Recent data shows medical schemes have lost more than 1 million members. Author image By Mary Alson 09-07-26 16:53 in News Medical aid/ man in ambulance 4 Medical aid becomes to expensive for consumers. Image: Pexels Google Preferred Badge Google News Badge In the current economic climate, South Africans are opting out of expensive medical aid schemes. Rather than spend their salaries on medical aid, consumers are choosing hospital and healthcare plans. According to experts, this consumer action is making the model unsustainable. Medical Aid Membership Declines The tide is turning for medical schemes. Despite generating billions, these schemes have to extract value from a declining customer base. ADVERTISEMENT According to data from Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), fewer South African households have medical aid today than 10 years ago. Medical aid membership declined from 18.1% of the population in 2014 to 15.5% in 2024. Dr. Paula Armstrong, speaking at the Board of Healthcare Funders conference, explained, according to Business Day, that if membership grew in relation to population growth, there would be 10.4 million medical aid beneficiaries. However, there are only 9.17 million beneficiaries, a deficit of 1.24 million members. Medical Schemes Face Collapse In an interview with CNBC Africa, Luyanda Njilo, Senior Equity Research Analyst at Nedbank CIB, explained that medical schemes fund their business model through contributions. They rely on premiums from younger and healthier members to subsidise the cost of medical care for older members. But with youth unemployment rising, that model risks becoming unsustainable. When asked why membership is declining, Njilo noted that the “main issue is affordability.” ADVERTISEMENT The cost of living had increased, but salaries were lagging. If medical aid fees increased by 10% annually, but salaries only increased at the rate of inflation, young people couldn’t justify the cost of membership. Njilo explained that the thinking among younger people was to opt out while they were still in their 20s. Then, when they reach their 30s, they would join. Consumers Search for Alternatives to Medical Aid Medical aid typically costs R2 000 for the primary beneficiary. Despite this cost, members may still have to pay some medical expenses out of pocket. A growing number of working South Africans are choosing to self-fund their medical costs. Those who don’t want to rely on savings or credit are choosing to leverage health care plans and hospital cover. This type of health care cover, offered by the likes of Dischem, has helped make access to private medical care more affordable for thousands of South Africans. 4 comments WIN R5 000: Take The South African’s Winter Reader Survey Tags: Featured Important medical aid South Africa Post navigation Next Article Previous U.S. Privacy PowerBall jackpot winner yet to claim R179 million Discover Coloured Afrikaner ‘refugees’ in US speak out: ‘We’re tired of lies’ Discover USA Consumer California: Program Will Install Solar At No Cost If You Live In These Zip Codes Read More Skip Transfer report: Premier League club target Bafana Bafana star Mbokazi Discover Orlando Pirates let go of Sesane because they already have ‘the new Mbokazi’ Discover California: Program Will Install Solar At No Cost If You Live In These Zip Codes Fed up with rising energy costs? 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Seven Beautiful South African Small Towns

7 South African towns that look like they’re straight out of a postcard Some South African small town destinations are so picturesque they look like they’ve been lifted from a postcard. Take a look… Author image By Sundeeka Mungroo 10-07-26 11:45 in Travel south african towns small towns 0 Stanford, Western Cape. Image: Matt MacGillivray / Flickr Google Preferred Badge Google News Badge Some places simply stop you in your tracks. Whether it’s colourful cottages framed by mountains, whitewashed fishing villages overlooking turquoise water or tree-lined streets that seem frozen in time, South Africa is filled with towns so picturesque they hardly look real. They’re the kind of destinations where every corner seems made for a photograph and where even a quick coffee stop somehow turns into an afternoon spent wandering the streets. ADVERTISEMENT If you’re planning your next road trip or simply looking for inspiration, these seven towns are as close to postcard-perfect as South Africa gets. 1. Matjiesfontein Lord Milner Hotel, Matjiesfontein. Image: wikimedia commons Stepping into Matjiesfontein feels like stepping back more than a century. This tiny Karoo village has preserved much of its Victorian charm, with beautifully restored heritage buildings, red post boxes, old-fashioned street lamps and the grand Lord Milner Hotel standing proudly at its centre. Because so much of the town has remained unchanged, every street seems ready-made for a vintage postcard. 2. Kaapschehoop Landscape in Kaapschehoop. Image: canva Perched high above the Lowveld escarpment, Kaapschehoop is one of South Africa’s most enchanting villages. Wild horses roam freely through its quiet streets, mist regularly drifts between the trees, and sweeping viewpoints stretch for kilometres across the valleys below. ADVERTISEMENT On some mornings, the clouds sit beneath the town, making it feel as though it’s floating above the landscape. 3. Stanford south african towns small towns Winelands near Stanford, Western Cape. Image: canva Often overshadowed by nearby Hermanus, Stanford quietly delivers some of the Western Cape’s prettiest scenery. Historic white cottages line peaceful streets shaded by oak trees, while the nearby Klein River winds lazily through green farmland. The slower pace of life, combined with mountain backdrops and beautifully preserved architecture, makes every stroll feel like a scene from a storybook. 4. Franschhoek Franschhoek, Western Cape. Image: canva Few places combine natural beauty and elegance quite like Franschhoek. Nestled in a valley surrounded by towering mountains, the town is famous for its Cape Dutch architecture, vineyards and tree-lined streets. Every season offers something different. Summer brings green vineyards, autumn paints the valley in shades of gold and red, while winter often dusts the surrounding peaks with snow. Add world-class restaurants and boutique cafés, and it’s easy to understand why this South African town appears on so many travel bucket lists. 5. Hermanus south african towns small towns Hermanus, Western Cape. Image: canva While famous for whale watching, Hermanus is equally photogenic. Its dramatic cliffs, colourful fynbos, crashing waves and spectacular coastal walks create some of the country’s most beautiful ocean views. Whether you’re photographing the coastline or simply enjoying the scenery from one of the cliff-top benches, Hermanus rarely disappoints. 6. Wakkerstroom Wakkerstroom, Mpumalanga. Image: wikimedia commons Rolling grasslands surround one of South Africa’s most underrated towns. Historic buildings, quiet streets and nearby wetlands attract birdwatchers from around the world, while winter often blankets the landscape in frost before revealing bright blue skies. Wakkerstroom is a place where every season creates a different picture. 7. Cullinan south african towns small towns A sandstone house in Cullinan, Gauteng. Image: wikimedia commons Most people know Cullinan for its famous diamond mine, but the town itself is every bit as impressive. Its sandstone buildings, jacaranda-lined streets and beautifully preserved mining-era architecture create a timeless atmosphere just a short drive from Pretoria. Antique shops, cafés and boutique guesthouses add even more charm, making this South African town an easy weekend escape. Which other town would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments below. 0 comments