US approves sale of 500 Patriot missiles to Ukraine

WASHINGTON, United States 

The United States has approved the sale of 500 Patriot missiles to Ukraine, a critically-needed munition for defence against escalating Russian aerial attacks.

However Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned it could take "several years" for the deliveries to arrive.

The US State Department said the advanced PAC-3 interceptor missiles would cost $2.1bn (£1.6bn) and would be "funded entirely" by Kyiv's allies in Europe and Canada.

On Friday night Zelensky repeated his calls for the US to speed up the release of its Patriots - the only effective weapon in downing Russia's deadly ballistic missiles.

The latest move comes after a row between Zelensky and Donald Trump earlier this month when the US eased sanctions on Russia as part of a deal to secure Russian diesel.

The US president stated it was time for Ukraine to get a new leader to strike a deal to end the war with Russia. Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, having earlier seized Crimea and parts of Donbas in the east.

Tensions eased after Zelensky held talks with US envoys in Oslo on 20 October.

In Friday's statement, the State Department said "this proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a partner country that is a force for political and economic stability in Europe".

It said "Ukraine will pay for this purchase with donations from Canada, Germany, and Norway via the JUMPSTART program and national funds, financed by the European Union's Ukraine Support Loan".

The statement said the "principal contractor" would be American company Lockheed Martin, adding that "no US funds are involved in this sale".

Meanwhile, at the G20 foreign ministers' meeting European diplomats protested over the presence of Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov by refusing to stand for an official photograph.

The meeting is being hosted in Atlanta by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

"Let me say this directly to the Russian Foreign Minister: We all know who the aggressor in this war is," UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told Lavrov at the summit, accusing his government of killing innocent civilians in Ukraine.

In a post on X late on Friday, he welcomed the US announcement but said Ukraine needed the Patriot missiles "right now".

He said Russia was intensifying its attacks on key energy infrastructure ahead of winter with "more than 30 Russian strikes" on "critical parts" of Ukraine's power grid over the past two weeks.

Kyiv desperately needs the interceptors but there is a global shortage of the munitions due to their use by the US in its war against Iran.

It is not clear what the production schedule will be for the Patriots - but it is understood the order is for new builds rather than existing missiles, meaning there is unlikely to be any kind of rapid delivery to Ukraine.

Patriots also have lengthy production times, with only 600 missiles produced per year according to the US Department of Defence.

In July, Trump said Washington had "not agreed" to license Ukraine to produce Patriots - three weeks after offering the country such a right.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 31/10/2026

 

Kenya seeks compensation for its citizens recruited into Russian military

MOSCOW, Russia 

Kenya is seeking compensation for its citizens recruited into Russia’s military, following talks between President William Ruto and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

Ruto said Kenya has appointed a Defence Attaché in Moscow to work directly with Russia’s Ministry of Defence. The official will help process compensation claims for affected Kenyans and support efforts to bring them safely back home.

The compensation plan is at the centre of Kenya’s response to the recruitment of its nationals into Russia’s armed forces. It follows growing reports of Kenyans being recruited to fight in Russia’s war against Ukraine, with some killed and others still unaccounted for.

An investigation by Journalists for Justice identified at least 76 Kenyans killed while fighting for Russia. It also found that 841 Kenyan nationals were recruited between October 2022 and June 2026. Across Africa, the investigation documented more than 3,000 recruits from 40 countries, with 502 confirmed deaths by June this year.

Some Kenyans were reportedly promised civilian jobs in security and logistics before being required to sign military contracts after arriving in Russia. Kenya’s National Intelligence Service has separately told Parliament that more than 1,000 Kenyans were recruited.

President Ruto says the Defence Attaché will now coordinate with Russian authorities to determine how compensation claims are processed and to assist affected citizens and their families. The precise value, eligibility criteria and payment timeline have not yet been announced.

During the Kremlin talks, Ruto also said Russia had agreed to stop recruiting Kenyans into its armed forces. Kenya has been classified as a non-source country for military recruitment.

The agreement is intended to prevent further recruitment while Kenya pursues compensation and the safe return of its nationals.

Beyond the military issue, the two leaders discussed expanding Russian scholarships for Kenyan students from 70 to 300 and negotiating a bilateral labour agreement. They also discussed cooperation in transport, employment and diplomatic training.

Ruto invited President Putin to visit Kenya. If accepted, it would be Putin’s first official visit to the country and his first visit to Africa since 2018. Whether the invitation has been accepted remains unclear.

Tanzania still haunted by deadly election violence one year on

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania 

A year after Tanzania's bloody election, many remain traumatised by the violence, while government critics live in fear of abduction and arbitrary arrest, or facing treason and terrorism charges.

The October 29 election, in which President Samia Hassan won with 98 percent of the vote after most of the opposition was excluded, triggered days of protests that security forces brutally suppressed.

Rights groups and the opposition say thousands were killed, while a government-appointed commission put the death toll at 518. For 61-year-old Twaha Bomeza, life changed on election day when shrapnel lodged in his eye during a shootout to disperse protesters, leaving him in need of surgery he cannot afford. 

"I tried to save myself, but I was shot. I fell down here and lost four front teeth," Bomeza told AFP on the streets of the economic capital, Dar es Salaam, displaying his dentures. "I am still nursing an internal wound in my eyes," he said, adding that he now experiences shortness of breath and constant headaches.

"My blood was spilled here, but a year has passed, and there is no more blood here," he added. The Catholic Church held masses on Thursday to honour the victims, while the main opposition party, Chadema, announced a seven-day mourning period. 

"Tanzania has become a dictatorship -- an authoritarian state that neither upholds the rule of law nor guarantees human rights," Chadema said in a statement.

The streets of Dar es Salaam were quiet with a heavy police presence. "I feel sad today... As a nation, we need to learn that dialogue and negotiations are better than using massive force," churchgoer Noela Kigosi told our correspondent at one of the religious services.

Asma, 22, vividly remembers the "horrifying" day, witnessing someone being shot in front of her. "I was telling him to run, but as he tried to flee, he was shot in the neck and died," she said. "The situation was terrible. Many people died."

Tanzania has faced criticism from its Western partners over the killings, and the US ambassador warned on Thursday that they "will not be swept under the rug" in a post on X. 

President Hassan, who was represented by her prime minister in Moscow this week for a Russia-Africa summit, has responded by trying to build closer ties with Moscow.

Tanzania is "tense", multiple analysts said, with arbitrary arrests on the rise. Another potential flashpoint is the treason trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu, whose verdict is due on November 6.

Lissu, who began a hunger strike this week to demand access to his lawyer, was arrested ahead of the election for championing a "no reform, no election" campaign. "The country is not only in a mourning mood but also in a state of terror. We live in paranoia," rights activist Tito Magoti said.

Over the past week, another opposition official, John Pambalu, was charged with treason, while a Tanzanian dissident, Twaha Mwaipaya, was abducted in Kenya and remains missing. "The state is very nervous and they're ready to use a heavy-handed approach," Anna Bwana, director of civil society group Twaweza East Africa, said. "If you commemorate, then you're acknowledging what happened and you're acknowledging the numbers of those who lost their lives.

And how can you commemorate when you're still kidnapping others," she said, adding that many had still not been able to bury their loved ones. Fulgence Massawe, of the Legal and Human Rights Centre, said it was representing around 56 people facing terrorism-related charges as the state was trying to "silence all critics".

Tanzania formed a presidential commission to investigate the election violence. But critics say it was established in "bad faith" to help the government "clean Tanzania's image" internationally. "The state is trying to deny and delete the history of their complicity in the massacre that they conducted last year," Magoti said.

Amnesty International has criticised Tanzania for failing to hold those responsible to account, saying it was "weaponising counterterrorism laws to silence critics and instil fear" instead. Even if the state is suppressing the commemorations, many carry visible reminders. 

Joseph Zakayo, 37, shows off a huge scar in his thigh where he was shot during the unrest. He can no longer operate his motorcycle taxi business. "My life has taken a major step backwards," he said.

Israel election result shows no overall majority as vote count complete

JERUSALEM, Israel 

Vote counting is complete in Israel’s elections with neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc nor the opposition winning a majority in parliament, Israeli media have said.

As the provisional results were being published on Thursday, opposition politicians met to explore options for a coalition.

With more than 99 percent of Tuesday’s ballots tallied, Netanyahu’s bloc held 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset while the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot secured 48 seats, Israeli outlet Haaretz reported. The Arab list parties, meanwhile, held a combined 19 seats, it added.

Both Netanyahu’s bloc and the opposition parties fell short of securing the 61 seats required for a parliamentary majority.

The final results of the Knesset elections will be certified and announced by Wednesday. Until that date, the results are subject to change.

Tuesday’s elections – the first since the October 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel and the start of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza – were widely seen as a referendum on Netanyahu’s premiership.

Israel election 2026 results

No clear winner has emerged from Israel’s election, with 99 percent of ballots counted and both major political blocs falling short of the 61 seats needed to form a government.

Netanyahu bloc (53*)    Eisenkot bloc (48*)    Palestinian citizens of Israel (19*)  

Candidate	Benjamin Netanyahu
Party	Likud
Votes	1,159,791
Percentage	20.52% 20.52% 20.52%
Estimated seats	27
Candidate	Gadi Eisenkot
Party	Yashar
Votes	907,566
Percentage	16.05% 16.05% 16.05%
Estimated seats	21
Candidate	Naftali Bennett
Party	Together
Votes	527,064
Percentage	9.32% 9.32% 9.32%
Estimated seats	12
Candidate	Yousef Jabareen
Party	The Joint List
Votes	498,763
Percentage	8.82% 8.82% 8.82%
Estimated seats	11
Candidate	Yair Golan
Party	Democrats
Votes	364,053
Percentage	6.44% 6.44% 6.44%
Estimated seats	8
Candidate	Avigdor Liberman
Party	Yisrael Beiteinu
Votes	335,185
Percentage	5.93% 5.93% 5.93%
Estimated seats	7
Candidate	Mansour Abbas
Party	Ra'am
Votes	335,391
Percentage	5.93% 5.93% 5.93%
Estimated seats	8
Candidate	Itamar Ben-Gvir
Party	Otzma Yehudit
Votes	323,800
Percentage	5.73% 5.73% 5.73%
Estimated seats	7
Candidate	Yaakov Asher
Party	United Torah Judaism
Votes	311,473
Percentage	5.51% 5.51% 5.51%
Estimated seats	7
Candidate	Aryeh Deri
Party	Shas
Votes	297,889
Percentage	5.27% 5.27% 5.27%
Estimated seats	6
Candidate	Bezalel Smotrich
Party	Religious Zionism
Votes	286,934
Percentage	5.08% 5.08% 5.08%
Estimated seats	6
Candidate	Others
Party
Votes	305,269
Percentage	5.42% 5.42% 5.42%
Estimated seats	0

Votes counted: 5,678,811 | Eligible voters: 7,331,981 | Voter turnout: 77.7% 

Final results will be published by November 4. Until then, they are subject to change.

*Estimated seats

Source: Israel’s Central Elections Committee | October 29, 2026 | 17:00GMT