South Sudan president fires head of electoral body months before country’s first election

By Deng Machol, JUBA South Sudan 

South Sudan President Salva Kiir on Tuesday night announced the removal of the head of the East African country’s electoral body only three months before the country’s first election.

Abednego Akok Kacuol was fired from his position as chairperson of the National Elections Commission without a reason being given publicly by Kiir. He will be replaced by Gabriel Bol Deng Majok, who served as the electoral commission’s secretary general.

Akok, 71, was appointed as chairperson of the electoral body in August 2012 and reappointed in November 2023 after the commission was reconstituted under a 2018 peace agreement that ended a five-year civil war. 

South Sudan has repeatedly postponed elections since gaining independence in 2011, citing delays in implementing the peace deal.

The transitional period and implementation of the 2018 peace agreement has been extended several times. Under the current road map, the transitional government is expected to be dissolved on Sept. 22 and elections are set for Dec. 22, ahead of the transitional period expiring in February.

Experts say the leadership change in the electoral body could impact the elections.

Political analyst Abraham Kuol Nyuon, dean of the University of Juba graduate college, said the leadership change could further complicate preparations, including voter registration.

“This is a delay tactic,” Kuol told The Associated Press, adding that “the people of South Sudan should forget about the Dec. 22 polls.”

The new chairperson will need time to become familiar with the position and make decisions needed to complete preparations, Kuol said.

The move also has raised questions over the legal process for the removal of an electoral body chairperson. The National Elections Act sets out a specific procedure and lists grounds for removal including proven partiality, inability to perform duties and gross misconduct.

South African President Ramaphosa taken ill after BRICS summit

PRETORIA, South Africa 

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has withdrawn from public engagements after returning from the BRICS summit in India, his office said on Wednesday, citing ill health.

His absence comes as Deputy President Paul Mashatile continues to recover from a minor medical procedure, leaving both of the country's top leaders away from public duties.

Ramaphosa, 73, returned from the BRICS summit in India on Monday and had been advised by his doctors to rest and recover, the presidency said.

Leaders of the BRICS bloc, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, concluded a two-day summit in New Delhi on Sunday, where discussions focused on inclusive global growth and the Middle East.

"Where possible, the president has asked the respective ministers to represent him at scheduled engagements," his office said in a statement.

Mashatile said on Tuesday that his "recovery is progressing well" and that he was "regaining strength each day".

"On the advice of my doctors, I will continue resting until advised otherwise while work and delegated responsibilities continue to be underway in the capable team in my office with other stakeholders in government, business and other sectors," Mashatile said.

The simultaneous absence of Ramaphosa and Mashatile comes as South Africa enters an increasingly busy political season ahead of local government elections on November 4.

At least 82 people killed in gold mine collapse in Sudan's West Kordofan

WEST KORDOFAN, Sudan 

At least 82 people have been killed in a gold mine collapse in Sudan’s West Kordofan state, with dozens more injured and others feared trapped beneath the rubble.

Rescue teams and fellow miners worked through the night using basic tools, recovering 60 bodies by dawn, with another 22 found on Wednesday. 

A local administrator says around 50 people were injured, while the number still missing remains unknown.

The collapse highlights the dangers of Sudan’s largely unregulated gold industry, where millions depend on small-scale mining for income. Miners often work in unstable shafts with little safety equipment and rudimentary tools.

Gold has also become a crucial source of funding for both sides in Sudan’s war, now in its fourth year. Much of the country’s gold is reportedly smuggled abroad, including to the United Arab Emirates.

With heavy machinery needed to reach those still trapped, rescuers face a difficult race against time in a region already devastated by conflict.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 17/9/2026

 

Tanzania's opposition leader to compete with 'Standing Together' in Sakharov Prize award

BRUSSELS, Belgium 

The EPP Group has nominated lawyer, human rights activist and politician Mr Tundu Lissu as a candidate for the Sakharov Prize.

After surviving a 16 bullets assassination attempt in 2027, Lissu returned to Tanzania to continue advocating democratic reform, only to face arrest, treason charges and exclusion from the 2025 presidential election, while his party was barred from participating.

His case reflects the wider erosion of democratic pluralism and political competition in Tanzania. 

For the EPP Group, the vibrant politician  represents a powerful combination of personal courage, democratic conviction and geopolitical relevance. 

His nomination affirms that Europe stands with those defending constitutional democracy and political freedom in Africa and in other partner countries of the EU.

Lissu embodies the defence of democracy, political pluralism, the rule of law and fundamental freedoms at extraordinary personal cost.

The EPP Group is the largest and oldest center-right political group in the European Parliament.

Founded in June 1953 as a Christian-democratic group in the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community, evolving into the largest group following the 1999 European elections.

The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is the highest tribute paid by the European Union to human rights work.

Other candidate is 'Standing Together' (Omdim Beyachad / Naqef Ma'an). 

Standing together is the largest Jewish-Arab grassroots movement in Israel, founded by Alon-Lee Green and Rula Daood to build a shared front of Jewish and Palestinian citizens for peace, equality and social justice.

US Military faces ammunition shortages amid ongoing Iran war

WASHINGTON, United States 

The United States military has admitted that its war on Iran has caused a shortage of ammunition and advanced weapons.

A report by the Department of Defence’s inspector general estimates that the war has cost 33.4 billion dollars, or 29 billion euros, between February 28 and June 30, including just under 20 billion spent on munitions.

It says the scale of weapons used resulted in “strategic inventory shortfalls” and exposed bottlenecks in the US defence industry’s abilitty to replenish supplies.

President Donald Trump dismissed the report and its concerns over supplies, insisting US ammunition stocks are “virtually unlimited”.

Experts however estimate it could take around three years to restore stocks of advanced missiles and defensive interceptors to pre-war levels.

The report also documents extensive damage from Iranian strikes on US bases across the Middle East, with hundreds of buildings and other structures damaged or destroyed. Those repair costs are not included in the 33.4 billion dollar estimate.

Clashes erupt between DR Congo opposition and pro-govt supporters in Kinshasa

KINSHASA, DR Congo 

Police fired tear gas as clashes erupted in Kinshasa on Tuesday between opposition supporters and pro-government activists during a rally against a proposed constitutional change, AFP journalists saw.

Tensions were running high in several other major cities around the Democratic Republic of Congo, with police firing warning shots and making arrests in some areas to disperse protests called by the opposition.

Opposition parties have joined forces in recent months to stand against President Felix Tshisekedi's attempt to change the constitution so he can run for a third term.

The "C64" coalition called for a day of nationwide action on Tuesday, and hundreds took to the streets in Kinshasa beneath a forest of flags bearing the colours of the main parties belonging to the movement.

Riot police were deployed in large numbers along the planned march route and at the major intersections in the capital, where traffic was unusually smooth.

Clashes soon broke out after the march set off between pro-government partisans and opposition supporters.

Police intervened with volleys of tear gas, forcing protesters to retreat in disarray, with at least two of them injured, AFP journalists reported.

In Lubumbashi, a major mining centre in the southeastern DRC, activists defied a protest ban by local authorities, gathering in the city centre before police dispersed them with tear gas and warning shots.

Several people were arrested by police, according to an AFP journalist on the scene.

"We were taken aback by the large deployment of the army and police to prevent this peaceful demonstration," said Mohamed Eyenga, provincial coordinator of the Envol opposition party and a senior figure in the C64 coalition.

"Many of our activists were unfortunately and arbitrarily arrested," he said.

General Blaise Kilimbalimba, the provincial police commander, insisted no "peaceful" demonstrator had been arrested.

"The police have taken measures to allow every citizen to go about their activities freely," he said.

"The situation has been calm since this morning."

In Mbandaka, capital of northwestern Equateur province, where authorities also banned protest, around 100 activists were dispersed by law enforcement officers brandishing weapons.

About 10 people were arrested, an AFP journalist on site said.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 16/9/2026

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 15/9/2026