Ghana Opposition Slams 20-Year Illegal Mining Sentence
Ghana’s opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has condemned the conviction of its Ashanti regional chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as “Chairman Wontumi”, after he was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment with hard labour for illegal mining offences. Boasiako has been convicted of granting mineral rights without approval and facilitating unlicensed mining through his company, Akonta Mining. He is the first senior Ghanaian politician to be convicted since the government’s crackdown on illegal mining began in 2017. The NPP has said the verdict is politically motivated and it will appeal. Environmental campaigners have hailed the conviction as a major step in holding powerful people accountable for illegal mining, which has caused widespread environmental damage across Ghana.
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Nigerian Officers Arrested Over Alleged Extortion of Anti-Graft Chief
Four Nigerian police officers are facing disciplinary action after allegedly setting up an illegal checkpoint in Abuja to extort money from motorists, including the head of the country’s anti-corruption agency. Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission chairman Musa Aliyu alleged that the officers stopped him and forced him to withdraw $38 from an ATM after threatening to take him to court over a supposed traffic offence. Following Aliyu’s complaint, police launched an operation that led to the officers’ arrest. The Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Sanusi, said that the alleged abuse of power will not be tolerated, and officers who commit criminal acts will have no place in the police service.
Senegal Backs Macky Sall’s UN Chief Bid
President of Senegal, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, has endorsed former President Macky Sall’s bid to become the next secretary-general of the United Nations. It is a major turnaround in the relations between the two leaders. The endorsement follows a meeting between Faye and Sall and comes despite years of political tensions after Sall’s controversial presidency and the 2024 election that brought Faye to power. Faye has instructed his government to rally support for Sall’s bid as “Senegal’s candidacy in the service of Africa.” The decision has drawn criticism from opposition figures, civil society groups and victims’ families, who argue Sall’s record of alleged political repression makes him unsuitable for the UN’s top post.
DR Congo Battles Fastest-Growing Ebola Outbreak
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is battling its fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record, with 2,423 confirmed cases, 967 deaths and 469 recoveries reported as of 19 July. The outbreak, driven by the Bundibugyo virus variant, has spread across five eastern provinces, with Ituri accounting for more than 90% of infections and 80% of deaths. The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that ongoing insecurity, population displacement and the absence of an approved vaccine or treatment are hampering efforts to contain the disease. In some areas, including Kisangani, rapid response actions have helped stop further spread. Early detection, contact tracing and community engagement remain central to the response.
144 Migrants Dead or Missing Off Mauritania Coast
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has said that at least 144 migrants are dead or missing after a series of maritime tragedies off the coast of Mauritania. Many of the migrants, including refugees, had spent 25 days stranded at sea after departing from The Gambia headed for Spain’s Canary Islands. Rescue efforts culminated in an operation on 18 July where teams found 38 survivors and 143 dead or missing. Among the survivors that day were two children who lost their entire families at sea. UNHCR said the tragedy highlights the urgent need for safer legal migration pathways. It urged countries to consider “meaningful and quicker access to legal pathways through higher resettlement quotas, increased labour opportunities and education pathways as alternatives to the dangerous sea crossings.”
Africa Now World’s Hunger Hotspot, UN Warns
A new United Nations report has found that global hunger declined for the third consecutive year in 2025. But Africa has become the epicentre of the world’s food crisis and the continent now has the largest number of hungry people worldwide. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2026 report estimates that 645 million people globally went hungry last year. Two-thirds of Africans could not afford a healthy diet and more than half suffered moderate or severe food insecurity. The global number of hungry people decreased by almost 14 million compared with 2024 and by 43 million since 2022. The UN warned that progress remains fragile and far too slow to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of ending hunger by 2030. The UN warned that conflict, climate shocks and declining humanitarian funding continue to threaten progress. The group urged governments to invest in resilient food systems and make nutritious diets more affordable.
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