Mojtaba Khamenei, named Iran's new supreme leader

TEHRAN, Iran 

Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who was killed in US-Israeli strikes, has been chosen as his successor.

Unlike his father, the 56-year-old has largely kept a low profile. He has never held government office, nor given public speeches or interviews, and only a limited number of photos and videos of him have ever been published.

But for years there have been rumours that he held considerable influence behind the scenes in Iran.

US diplomatic cables, which were published by WikiLeaks in the late 2000s, described him as "the power behind the robes" who was widely regarded as a "capable and forceful" figure within the regime, according to AP news agency.

Yet his selection could still prove controversial.

The Islamic Republic was founded in 1979 after the monarchy was overthrown, and its ideology is based on the principle that the supreme leader should be chosen for his religious standing and proven leadership, not through hereditary succession.

During his reign, Ali Khamenei spoke only in general terms about the future leadership of the Islamic Republic.

One member of Iran's Assembly of Experts - the clerical body that selects the supreme leader - said two years ago that Ali Khamenei opposed the idea of his son being a candidate for future leadership. But he had never publicly addressed such speculations.

So, who is Mojtaba Khamenei?

Born on 8 September 1969 in the northeastern city of Mashhad, Mojtaba is the second of Khamenei's six children. He received his secondary education at the religious Alavi School in Tehran.

At age 17, Mojtaba served in the military for several short periods during the Iran-Iraq War, according to Iranian media. The eight-year bloody conflict made the regime even more suspicious of the US and the West, which supported Iraq.

In 1999, Mojtaba went to Qom, a holy city which is considered an important centre of Shia theology, to continue his religious studies.

It is notable that he did not wear clerical clothing until this time, and it is unclear why he decided to attend a seminary at 30, as it is more usual to do so in one's younger years.

Mojtaba remains a mid-ranking cleric, which could pose an obstacle to his ascendance as the supreme leader.

In recent days, some media outlets and officials close to centres of power in Iran have started referring to Mojtaba Khamenei as "Ayatollah", a senior clerical title. 

The shift appears to some observers as an attempt to elevate his religious standing and present him as a credible leader.

In the seminary system, holding the rank of "Ayatollah" and teaching advanced classes are regarded as indicators of a person's scholarly level and knowledge, and are considered one of the requirements and prerequisites for selecting a future leader.

But there has already been a precedent. Ali Khamenei was quickly promoted as "Ayatollah" after he became the second supreme leader in 1989.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 09/03/2026

 

Iranian authorities warn against ‘fifth column’, as no signs of war abating

By Maziar Motamedi,  TEHRAN  Iran

Iranian authorities have issued a series of warnings promising use of force against anyone in the country engaging in actions perceived to harm national security and aid “enemies”, as war with the United States and Israel enters its second week.

The Ministry of Intelligence told Iranians in a statement carried by state media on Saturday that a number of “American-Zionist mercenaries” have been photographing missile impact points to send the footage to “terrorist satellite networks” and online pages based outside Iran.

These “soldiers of Israel” were “acting as the fifth column of the Zionist regime and its eyes inside the country”, it said, adding that they will be severely punished in accordance with a law amended to dole out heavy sentences in the aftermath of the 12-day war with US-Israel in June 2025.

The ministry also renewed its call on people to report any suspicious activity through phone calls and local messaging services, as the global internet remains disconnected more than a week after the opening salvo of the war killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and top commanders in downtown Tehran.

The internet blackout has restricted Iranians’ news sources to state media, which do not cover many developments, including forced evacuation orders issued by the Israeli military, instead mostly focusing on successful Iranian strikes.

Many people are therefore following the news through a handful of foreign-based Persian-language channels that are widely available via satellite connections at home.

Authorities have been sending jamming signals to restrict the channels since shortly before the start of the war, because they consider some to be “terrorist” outlets funded by opponents to advocate for regime change in Iran.

In mass text messages sent on Saturday addressed to the “resistant people of Islamic Iran”, the police force, whose stations and headquarters have been bombed by Israel and the US across the country, also said footage of strikes is being sent to “masters” abroad and must be stopped.

Two military commanders suggested that the armed forces of the establishment have been given a greenlight to fire live bullets at any offenders to ensure state security.

Police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan told state television that his forces have been told to shoot down any “thieves” who may potentially pose a threat during war conditions, where many people have left their homes in Tehran and other big cities – as encouraged by officials – to seek safety in other cities.

Salar Velayatmadar, a senior commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who now acts as a member of parliament representing Qazvin, located west of Tehran, issued the most explicit warning yet on state television.

“Parents, if your son and daughter don’t listen to us, it’s not our fault,” he said during a live programme on Thursday night. “Anybody inside Iranian soil who lets a sound out of their throat that aligns with the enemy, their feet are in Tel Aviv and their head is with Netanyahu, so the order to shoot them has been issued.

“We do not want your children to be killed because your child is ignorant and foolish,” said the lawmaker, dressed in IRGC attire.

This comes after US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed Iranian citizens to remain vigilant in their homes and wait for a time when they can be told to take to the streets and overthrow the theocratic establishment that has been in power since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

They have also demanded that the armed forces of the IRGC, army and police lay down their weapons or die, a notion that has been firmly rejected by the military and political authorities of Iran as they fire projectiles across the region.

Iranian authorities have, in turn, called on the supporters of the establishment to remain in the streets and congregate in mosques at all hours of the day, despite the war, to mourn Khamenei, show support for the system and retain control of the situation on the ground.

State media at times broadcast such gatherings live, showing images of pro-state demonstrators chanting slogans against the policies of the US and Israeli governments and religious chants while waving flags or participating in motorcycle and vehicle parades.

The paramilitary Basij forces of the IRGC continue to patrol the streets of Tehran and cities across the country at all hours of the day. They have also set up numerous heavily armed checkpoints, especially around bombed bases.

Thousands of Iranians were killed during nationwide protests earlier this year, mostly on the nights of January 8 and 9. The government blames “terrorists” and “rioters” armed and trained by the US and Israel, but the United Nations and human rights organisations said the state was responsible for a lethal crackdown against peaceful protesters.

Messaging from the warring parties on Saturday continued to indicate that attacks will be ongoing for the foreseeable future.

Iranian armed forces said they would stop attacks on regional neighbours only if their territory is not used to launch strikes, while Trump demanded “unconditional surrender” as the US and Israel seek to assassinate more leaders.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 08/03/2026

 

Guinea dissolves 40 political parties including main opposition

CONAKRY, Guinea 

Guinea has dissolved 40 political parties, including its three main opposition groups, via a late-night decree, in the latest crackdown on civil liberties under longtime strongman Mamady Doumbouya.

Doumbouya, who came to power in a 2021 coup, was elected president in late December in a vote in which all major opposition leaders were barred.

As junta leader he has ruled Guinea with an iron fist, suppressing freedoms and banning protests.

Political opponents have been arrested, put on trial or driven into exile, while enforced disappearances and kidnappings have multiplied.

Guinea's minister of territorial administration and decentralisation ordered the dissolution of the parties late on Friday for "failure to fulfil their obligations".

The decree also stripped them of control of their assets.

Guinea's three main political parties are among those dissolved: the UFDG led by its exiled leader Cellou Dalein Diallo, the RPG led by exiled ex-president Alpha Conde, and the UFR.

"This dissolution entails the immediate loss of the legal personality and status of the parties concerned", the order said.

That includes "all political activities" as well as the use of "acronyms, logos (and) emblems" associated with the groups, it added.

The parties' assets have been placed under "sequestration" with a curator appointed to oversee their transfer, the decree said, without specifying to whom or to what entity.

Parties and civil society movements condemned the dissolution Saturday, slamming it as dictatorial.

UFDG communications coordinator Souleymane de Souza Konate said that "all red lines" had been crossed in "the final act of a true political farce whose objective is the establishment of a single-party state".

Ibrahima Diallo, a leader in the pro-democracy National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC), said the move "formalized a dictatorship now established as the mode of governance. The country is sinking into profound uncertainty."

 Two well-known FNDC activists, Oumar Sylla, better known as Fonike Mengue, and Mamadou Billo Bah, have been missing since July 2024.

Doumbouya, 41, came to power in 2021 when he toppled Conde, Guinea's first freely elected president.

Guinea's new constitution, approved in a referendum last September, allowed junta members including Doumbouya to stand for election and lengthened presidential terms from five to seven years, renewable once.

Doumbouya was sworn in on January 17.

Not only have opposition voices disappeared on Doumbouya's watch but so have their family members.

Earlier this week several relatives of Tibou Kamara, a former minister and spokesman under Conde, were kidnapped.

Four family members of exiled musician and opposition figure Elie Kamano were abducted in November and the father of exiled journalist Mamoudou Babila Keita was kidnapped in September.

Doumbouya returned to Guinea Friday following a three-week absence that had raised questions about his health.

He had left Guinea on February 13 to attend an African Union summit in Addis Ababa, but had not been seen since.

Guinea has had a complex history of military and authoritarian rule since its 1958 independence.

The country is rich in minerals, but more than half of its inhabitants live below the poverty line, according to World Bank figures for 2024.

Tanzania pushes out Burundian refugees, UN concerned

KIGOMA, Tanzania 

Refugees from Burundi are being forcibly evicted from camps as Tanzania destroys their homes and churches, pushing them to return, often after years in exile.

Burundi's Interior Minister Leonidas Ndaruzaniye said this week that more than 100,000 of its citizens would be repatriated by June under a deal with Tanzania, according to local media.

There were an estimated 142,000 Burundians in two camps as of late 2025, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), having fled years of civil war, political repression and entrenched poverty in their small country in the Great Lakes region of Africa.

Refugees have told AFP they are being forced out by violence, with Tanzanian security forces overseeing the destruction of their homes in the camps at Nduta and Nyarugusu.

"They started destroying our houses in early January," said Gerard, a 33-year-old former nurse, who lived in Nduta and like others in the camp gave only his first name for fear of reprisals.

"They come with large tree trunks... to break the walls of our adobe brick houses. We can't do anything because the police are shooting at us if we try to resist," he told AFP by phone.

Entire areas, including churches, have been destroyed, with schools and hospitals closed, according to several refugees, who also said they were prevented from leaving their homes to farm.

"It is 100 percent coercion, and in that way, very illegal," Stephanie Schwartz, a researcher at the London School of Economics, told AFP.

Several refugees told AFP they were shocked at the lack of intervention by UNHCR. In a statement to AFP, UNHCR said it "has observed and expressed serious concern over actions taken by Tanzanian authorities in the refugee camps that have put significant pressure on Burundian refugees to sign up for repatriation."

Jackson, 41, who lived in Nyarugusu, said the Tanzanian authorities were using Congolese refugees from a neighbouring part of the camp to carry out the demolitions.

"The agent of the ministry of internal affairs who supervises the operation knocks on the doors and tells the owners to leave immediately with their belongings. If you hang around, the (Congolese) don't hesitate to attack your house," Jackson told AFP.

Burundi and Tanzania initially signed an agreement in December to facilitate the return of up to 3,000 people per week, UNHCR said, and some 28,000 have gone back so far this year.

Tanzanian officials did not respond to multiple attempts to reach them for comment.

A senior Burundian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that the country was now a "haven of peace" and those speaking of forced repatriation were "liars".

"The refugees are returning because there is peace," the official said.

"The Tanzanians are only destroying the homes of those who have elected for repatriation." Rights activists say Burundians who go home are often targeted as dissidents by the authoritarian government.

Jackson said the refugees were left with a choice between "seeing their children at the mercy of rain, sun and cold... or being registered on the list of voluntary repatriates."

10 people killed in Nairobi as heavy overnight rains trigger floods

NAIROBI,  Kenya 

At least 10 people have died following heavy rains that pounded Nairobi overnight, with eight bodies recovered so far, including two victims who were electrocuted, police said.

The scale of the crisis prompted President William Ruto to deploy the military overnight to support search and rescue efforts as floodwaters cut off roads, submerged estates and left motorists and residents stranded in different parts of the city.

Most of the victims were swept into rivers by the raging floodwaters, with several bodies later found lodged along riverbanks and drainage channels across Nairobi.

Police said the bodies of a man and a woman were found stuck near Visa Oshwal Primary School in Parklands.

Three other bodies were recovered within Nairobi’s central region, including one in the Gikomba Kwa Mbao area, while three more victims were found in the Lang’ata area. A woman’s body was also recovered from a flooded section of Uhuru Park.

Nairobi police commander George Seda warned the death toll could rise as search and rescue operations continued on Saturday.

Authorities are also searching for the bodies of two people who drowned in Kitengela after their vehicle was swept away by floodwaters on Friday night.

Seda said rescue efforts were severely hampered by widespread flooding across roads and residential estates.

“Most roads and estates were flooded, making it impossible for rescue missions last night,” he said.

The downpour also caused extensive property damage across the city, with more than 100 vehicles damaged by floodwaters.

“In South C alone there are more than 50 cars affected. Others were overturned on the roadside and parking bays in many parts of the city,” Seda said.

The heavy rains triggered major traffic disruption, with several key roads flooded and motorists stranded for hours.

Similar incidents were reported in other parts of the country, especially in areas near rivers, with police confirming at least three additional drowning incidents outside Nairobi.

In response, the government activated emergency response mechanisms nationwide after the Kenya Meteorological Department warned that heavy rainfall will persist across much of the country, raising fears of further flooding, displacement and transport disruption.

Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku said the government is coordinating national disaster preparedness, response and recovery efforts as intense rains continue to affect several regions.

He urged Kenyans to remain vigilant and prioritise safety, especially when travelling near flooded roads or swollen rivers.

Iran president apologizes to neighboring countries for attacks

TEHRAN, Iran 

Iran President  Masoud Pezeshkian apologized for Iran’s attacks on regional countries, insisting that Tehran would halt them and suggesting they were caused by miscommunication in the ranks. 

His statement aired after repeated attacks Saturday morning on Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Pezeshkian made the statement in a prerecorded address aired by state television.

Iran’s president also said that a demand by the United States for an unconditional surrender is a “dream that they should not take to their grave.”

Trump demands 'unconditional surrender' from Iran as Putin speaks with Iran's president

WASHINGTON, United States 

United States President,  Donald Trump has demanded Iran's "unconditional surrender" as the American and Israeli military continued to launch strikes.

Trump said the US and allies would make Iran "economically bigger, better, and stronger than ever before" after it picked "acceptable" new leadership.

With the war close to entering a second week, it remains unclear who will lead Iran after the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei a week ago, or on what terms the US would end its offensive against Tehran, which has triggered region-wide retaliatory strikes.

Speaking on Friday, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the administration expected military operations to last four to six weeks.

Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump said: "There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!

"After that, and the selection of a GREAT & ACCEPTABLE Leader(s), we, and many of our wonderful and very brave allies and partners, will work tirelessly to bring Iran back from the brink of destruction, making it economically bigger, better, and stronger than ever before.

"IRAN WILL HAVE A GREAT FUTURE. MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN (MIGA!)."

Trump's latest intervention suggested he was not interested in a negotiated settlement to the war, though he stopped short of calling for regime change.

Since the beginning of the conflict, Trump has avoided the term "regime change", a sign he may be wary of drawing parallels between the attack on Iran and past US wars in the Middle East that he criticised before entering politics.

Other senior administration officials have made that argument on Trump's behalf in recent days, saying the president will not let the US get drawn into a protracted, open-ended conflict like in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Asked about the duration of the offensive, Leavitt told reporters: "We expect [the war] to last about 4 to 6 weeks, and we are well on our way to achieving those objectives, annihilating Iran's navy."

She also said Trump did not want Iran to be led by "a radical terrorist or a regime that chants death to America".

The White House press secretary told reporters: "[Trump] wants to take an interest in and pursuing who the next leader of the Iranian country is going to be. And that has yet to be seen, the president is discussing it."

Ugandan troops helped South Sudan with deadly airstrikes - UN

NEW YORK, United States 

Uganda helped South Sudan carry out airstrikes that killed and badly burned civilians a year ago, according to a U.N. inquiry.

Joint aerial bombardments by South Sudan and Uganda “targeted civilian-populated areas predominantly affecting Nuer communities in opposition-affiliated areas,” said the report by the U.N. Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, referring to South Sudan’s second-largest ethnic group.

Ugandan troops are deployed in South Sudan to help the government of President Salva Kiir against forces loyal to opposition figure Riek Machar, who was suspended as vice president in September after he faced criminal charges. 

Ugandan military authorities say troops are in South Sudan at the invitation of the South Sudan government and in accordance with a bilateral security agreement.

While Machar is currently on trial for offenses including treason, fighting has intensified in areas seen as his strongholds, where government troops are trying to disperse the rebels.

The attacks cited in the U.N. report involved widespread use of “improvised incendiary devices,” it said.

Ugandan forces entered South Sudan in March 2025 with military hardware, including tanks and armored vehicles. That happened shortly after a militia overran a military garrison near the Ethiopian border.

Weeks later, Machar was placed under house arrest for his alleged role in orchestrating the attack, charges that he denies. The government has since relied on aerial attacks to gain the upper hand in a widening conflict with Machar’s forces and other armed groups.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni sent his army to intervene in South Sudan’s 2013-2018 civil war on multiple occasions on behalf of Kiir’s forces, helping to turn the tide in his favor. Ongoing fighting threatens a 2018 peace deal.

During one attack in March 2025 in Wunaliet, 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the capital of Juba, homes were engulfed after planes dropped “barrels of liquid that ignited,” witnesses told the U.N. commission. Survivors said they saw “civilians set alight, including a boy burnt beyond recognition.” A barracks, housing opposition soldiers, was also struck.

A day after the attack, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Museveni's son who also serves as the top military commander, posted on X that Uganda had bombed opposition forces.

“Our air offensive will not stop until Riek Machar makes peace with my uncle Afande Salva,” he wrote. While Kiir is not actually Kainerugaba’s uncle, the term shows the closeness of the two governments.

The post, which was later deleted, accompanied a video appearing to show fiery explosions captured from an in-flight aircraft.

Flight tracking data shows that a turboprop plane that circled the area during the bombing had arrived earlier that day from Uganda and was operated by the Ugandan army, the U.N. report said.

The report does not state conclusively how many operations Uganda was involved in or the exact nature of their involvement, only that there appeared to be “high degrees of planning, operational integration and command-level authorization.”

In November, Uganda denied participating in any combat operations in South Sudan. It has also denied using “chemical weapons and barrel bombs” and said it does not attack civilians.

Last year, Amnesty International said that Uganda had violated a 2018 U.N. arms embargo that prohibits member states from providing most forms of military assistance to South Sudan, including weapons and personnel. 

An U.N. panel of experts echoed that assessment in November.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 07/03/2026