United News of Bangladesh

Guineans are set to vote on Sunday in the country’s first presidential election since the military seized power in a 2021 coup, with analysts widely expecting junta leader Gen. Mamadi Doumbouya to secure victory amid a weakened opposition. Doumbouya, who overthrew longtime president Alpha Condé, is seeking a seven-year term under a new constitution that allows military leaders to run for office and extends the presidential mandate from five to seven years. Critics say the vote is taking place in a tightly controlled political environment that favors the incumbent. About 6.7 million registered voters are expected to cast ballots at around 24,000 polling stations nationwide. Results are anticipated within 48 hours, with a runoff planned if no candidate wins a majority. The regional bloc ECOWAS has deployed election observers. Nine candidates are contesting the race, but Doumbouya faces little-known challenger Yero Baldé, a former education minister. Several prominent opposition figures were either barred on technical grounds or forced into exile, further weakening competition. Rights groups and activists say Guinea has seen growing restrictions since the coup, including the silencing of civil society leaders, censorship of the press and the dissolution of more than 50 political parties last year. Many voters remain skeptical. Political analyst Alioune Tine said the election appears designed to legitimize military rule rather than restore democracy. Some residents in the capital, Conakry, have vowed not to vote, calling the process unfair. Despite criticism, Doumbouya retains support among segments of the population who credit him with infrastructure development and reform efforts. His campaign highlights major projects, including the Simandou iron ore mine, which began production last month and is being promoted as a driver of economic transformation and job creation. With state backing and extensive media coverage, Doumbouya’s campaign has dominated the race, leaving rivals with limited visibility and resources.

Libya’s top military commander and seven others were killed on Tuesday when a private jet crashed shortly after taking off from Turkey’s capital, Ankara, Libyan and Turkish officials said. The aircraft was carrying Libya’s military chief, four senior officers and three crew members. Libyan authorities said a technical malfunction caused the crash. Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah confirmed the death of Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad, describing the incident as a “tragic accident” and a “great loss” for the country. The delegation had been in Ankara for high-level defense talks aimed at strengthening military cooperation between Libya and Turkey and was returning home when the crash occurred. Al-Haddad was the top military commander in western Libya and played a key role in U.N.-brokered efforts to reunify Libya’s divided armed forces. The other officers killed were Gen. Al-Fitouri Ghraibil, head of Libya’s ground forces; Brig. Gen. Mahmoud Al-Qatawi, chief of the military manufacturing authority; Mohammed Al-Asawi Diab, an adviser to the chief of staff; and Mohammed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub, a military photographer. The identities of the three crew members were not immediately released. Turkish officials said the Falcon 50 business jet went down near the village of Kesikkavak in the Haymana district, about 70 kilometers south of Ankara. Air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane about 40 minutes after its 8:30 p.m. departure from Esenboga Airport. At least 7 killed as small plane crashes in central Mexico According to Turkish authorities, the aircraft reported an electrical fault and requested an emergency landing before disappearing from radar while descending. Security camera footage broadcast on local television showed a flash resembling an explosion lighting up the night sky over the crash area. Ankara’s airport was temporarily closed and flights were diverted. Turkey’s Justice Ministry said four prosecutors have been assigned to investigate the crash. Libya announced it would send a team to Ankara to assist with the investigation. The incident comes amid renewed diplomatic and military engagement between the two countries. Turkey has long supported Libya’s western-based government and recently extended the mandate of Turkish troops deployed in Libya under a 2019 security agreement. Source: AP 

Sudan’s Prime Minister Kamil Idris on Monday presented a comprehensive peace initiative to the UN Security Council aimed at ending the nearly 1,000-day war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), while the United States urged both sides to immediately accept a humanitarian truce. Idris, head of Sudan’s transitional civilian government, said his plan calls for a UN-, African Union- and Arab League-monitored ceasefire, the withdrawal of RSF troops from all occupied areas, their placement in supervised camps, and full disarmament. Sudan descended into chaos in April 2023 after a power struggle between the military and the RSF erupted into widespread fighting, including mass killings, rapes, and ethnically motivated violence, which the UN and international rights groups classify as war crimes and crimes against humanity. Observers said the RSF is unlikely to accept Idris’s plan, which would effectively strip the paramilitary force of its power. Idris emphasized that his proposal is “homemade — not imposed” and called on the 15-member Security Council to back it. “This initiative can mark the moment when Sudan steps back from the edge,” he said, urging the council to act as a “partner in recovery.” US Deputy Ambassador Jeffrey Bartos, speaking before Idris, reiterated the Trump administration’s call for an immediate humanitarian truce and urged both parties to accept it without preconditions. Bartos condemned atrocities committed by both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, saying the perpetrators must be held accountable. UAE Ambassador Mohamed Abushahab, part of the US-backed Quad mediators, stressed that unilateral efforts by either side are unsustainable and warned that a humanitarian truce must be followed by a permanent ceasefire and a path toward civilian rule. UN Assistant Secretary-General for political affairs Khaled Khiari highlighted growing council concerns, condemning countries that continue supplying weapons to the warring parties and urging both sides to de-escalate. “The backers of both sides must use their influence to help stop the slaughter, not to cause further devastation,” he said. The war in Sudan has killed over 40,000 people, according to UN estimates, and has created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, displacing more than 14 million people while spreading famine and disease.  

At least nine people were killed and 10 others wounded early Sunday when a group of gunmen opened fire at a pub in Bekkersdal, a township 46 kilometers west of Johannesburg, authorities said. The attack marks the second mass shooting in South Africa within three weeks. Police said around 12 unidentified suspects arrived in a white mini-bus and a silver sedan, targeting patrons at KwaNoxolo tavern in the Tambo area before firing indiscriminately as they fled. Some victims were shot outside the pub on nearby streets. Maj. Gen. Fred Kekana, acting provincial commissioner of Gauteng, told the AP that the assailants, some wearing balaclavas, were armed with one AK-47 rifle and multiple nine-millimeter pistols. Police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili confirmed that an e-hailing driver was among those killed after dropping off a client. Gauteng Serious and Violent Crime Investigations, together with the Crime Detection Tracing Unit, launched a manhunt for the suspects. Mass shootings at bars, or shebeens, have occurred repeatedly across South Africa in recent years. Earlier this month, multiple suspects attacked an unlicensed bar near the capital, leaving at least 12 dead and 13 injured. In 2022, a similar attack in Soweto killed 16 people, while another left four dead in a separate province. South Africa recorded nearly 26,000 homicides in 2024, averaging more than 70 deaths per day, making it one of the countries with the highest murder rates globally. Firearms remain the leading cause of homicide, and while the country enforces strict gun control laws, illegal weapons are frequently used in violent crimes. Authorities continue to investigate the latest attack as the community reels from the deadly incident.

South African authorities have launched a manhunt following a deadly shooting at a licensed tavern in a township near Johannesburg that claimed nine lives and wounded at least 10 others. Police said around a dozen unidentified assailants arrived at the scene in two vehicles in Bekkersdal and opened fire on people inside the tavern. The attackers continued firing indiscriminately while escaping, leaving multiple casualties behind. The incident occurred at approximately 1:00am local time on Sunday, equivalent to 11:00pm GMT on Saturday, according to police officials. South Africa remains among the countries with the highest homicide rates globally. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime data for 2023–24 show the country records about 45 murders per 100,000 people. Source: BBC

Africa is bearing the brunt of the Trump administration’s newly expanded travel restrictions, yet reactions across the continent of 1.5 billion people were largely subdued Wednesday as governments assessed the impact and next steps. The updated measures, announced Tuesday, add 20 countries to the travel ban, making it broader and more punitive than restrictions during Trump’s first term, which mainly targeted Muslim-majority nations and were reversed in 2021. Of the five countries newly added to the full ban list, four are in Africa — Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and South Sudan, which already faced significant restrictions. Syria and holders of Palestinian Authority travel documents were also included. Other countries, including Sierra Leone and Laos, moved from partial to full restrictions. Twelve of the 15 countries under partial restrictions are African, including Angola, Benin, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The remaining partial restrictions apply to Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, and Tonga. The African Union urged the U.S. to implement border measures in a “balanced, evidence-based” manner, warning that the ban could harm educational, commercial, and diplomatic ties built over decades. Officials in affected nations expressed caution. Sierra Leone said it hoped to engage Washington for a review, while Mali’s foreign ministry described it as “too early to comment.” Analysts and citizens described the restrictions as unfair and likely to strain U.S.–Africa relations. “It paints all Nigerians with the same brush,” said Nigerian lawyer Ramlah Ibrahim Nok, highlighting concerns about educational, business, and tourism travel. Experts warned the measures may push African nations to seek partnerships elsewhere. The timing also raises practical concerns. Sports fans worry about attending the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the U.S., while in South Sudan, activists see the ban as a diplomatic warning over delayed peace agreement implementation. “The decision may penalize Malians who do business with the United States,” said resident Mohamed Keita, reflecting broader unease over the policy’s impact. Source: AP 

Attacks on hospitals and other medical facilities in conflict-ravaged Sudan have killed more than 1,600 people so far this year, the head of the World Health Organization said Wednesday, underscoring the scale of devastation caused by the war. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the agency has recorded 65 assaults on health centers since January, which have also left at least 276 people injured. The latest incident occurred Sunday, when a drone struck a military hospital in Diling, the capital of South Kordofan province — an area that has emerged as a major battleground between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). According to Tedros, the attack killed nine people and wounded 17. “Each attack further denies people access to health care and essential medicines,” he said in a post on X, adding that medical needs persist even as damaged facilities await repair and services struggle to resume. 34 dead, 80 injured as airstrike hits hospital in rebel-held Myanmar region The Sudan Doctors Network, a group of medical professionals monitoring the conflict, accused the RSF of carrying out the drone strike on the hospital in Diling. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said the casualties in Diling were part of a wider toll of at least 104 people killed in attacks across the Kordofan region since Dec. 4. Health facilities have increasingly been caught in the crossfire. In October, an RSF assault on the Saudi Hospital in the Darfur city of el-Fasher left at least 460 people dead, according to the WHO. The agency said armed fighters also abducted doctors and nurses during the attack. Sudan descended into violence in April 2023 after a power struggle between the military and the RSF erupted into open warfare in Khartoum and rapidly spread nationwide. Renewed fighting in central Sudan displaces 2,000 in 3 days: UN agency Now in its third year, the conflict has claimed more than 40,000 lives, according to U.N. estimates, though humanitarian groups warn the actual toll is likely far higher. The war has also triggered the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, displacing more than 14 million people and fueling disease outbreaks and famine in several regions. Source: AP 

Sudan has topped a global watchlist of humanitarian crises for the third consecutive year as a devastating war continues to ravage the northeastern African nation, an international aid group said on Tuesday. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) placed Sudan at the top of its annual Emergency Watchlist, which identifies 20 countries facing the risk of worsening humanitarian conditions in 2026. The IRC urged the international community to urgently scale up humanitarian funding, warning that global aid has dropped by about 50 percent this year and that 2025 is on track to become the deadliest year on record for aid workers. The occupied Palestinian territories and South Sudan ranked second and third on the list due to severe humanitarian challenges. Other countries on the watchlist include Ethiopia, Haiti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lebanon, Ukraine, Syria and Yemen. Although the listed countries account for only 12 percent of the world’s population, they represent 89 percent of people in need of humanitarian assistance, with 117 million displaced worldwide, the IRC said. It warned that these countries are expected to host more than half of the world’s extremely poor by 2029, describing the situation as a breakdown of the post World War II international order. The group said many of the conflicts are fueled by struggles for power and profit. In Sudan, it noted that warring parties and their international backers have benefited from the gold trade, with devastating consequences for civilians. David Miliband, president and chief executive officer of the IRC, said the watchlist reflects deep global misery but also serves as a warning, calling on the international community to act before 2026 becomes even more dangerous. The IRC also called for binding global actions, including suspending the use of veto power at the UN Security Council in cases involving mass atrocities. Sudan descended into chaos in April 2023 when tensions between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces erupted into open warfare. The conflict has been marked by mass killings, sexual violence and ethnically motivated attacks, which the United Nations and international rights groups have described as war crimes and crimes against humanity. According to UN figures, more than 40,000 people have been killed, though aid groups say the actual death toll could be far higher. The war has displaced more than 14 million people and triggered widespread disease outbreaks and famine in parts of the country, creating what aid agencies describe as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Both the military and the RSF have been accused of violating international law, with most atrocities attributed to the RSF. The United States has accused the group of committing genocide in the Darfur region. The latest wave of violence was reported in late October after the RSF captured el-Fasher, the military’s last stronghold in Darfur. Witnesses said RSF fighters went door to door, killing civilians and carrying out sexual assaults. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity were committed in the city. Satellite imagery analyzed by Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab indicated widespread and systematic killings, including attacks on civilians trying to flee or sheltering in residential neighborhoods. The RSF has not responded to requests for comment on the allegations.  

Nine African migrants died after being exposed to freezing temperatures near Morocco’s border with Algeria, according to rights groups in the North African country. The Moroccan Association of Human Rights said the bodies of seven men and two women were found in Ras Asfour, a remote mountainous area known for severe winter conditions. The group said the migrants died from extreme cold after their bodies were unable to withstand the temperatures. According to the organisation, one of the deceased was from Guinea, while the others were from different sub-Saharan African countries. Their identities have not been fully established. Morocco’s Interior Ministry did not immediately comment on the incident. Each year, thousands of migrants attempt irregular crossings from North Africa to Europe in search of improved living conditions. From Morocco, some try to enter Spain via the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla by scaling border fences or swimming, while others attempt to reach the Canary Islands through the Atlantic Ocean. Moroccan security forces regularly report intercepting such migration attempts. North Africa continues to serve as a major transit region for migrants seeking entry into southern Europe. Cooperation and security agreements between North African countries and the European Union have strengthened border controls in recent years. Many migrants who fail to cross initially remain in the region for extended periods, working in informal sectors such as construction, agriculture and domestic work, or relying on assistance while waiting for opportunities to attempt sea crossings. The Moroccan Association of Human Rights said six of the bodies were buried last week, while two were retained at the request of relatives. The group said it would continue to monitor the case. Earlier this week, the Moroccan Organization of Human Rights called for measures including more humane border management, the decriminalisation of irregular migration and residence, and the creation of a system to track missing migrants to help prevent similar incidents.  

Multiple women have accused members of a new Russian military unit operating in Mali of rape and other sexual assaults, according to an Associated Press investigation that sheds light on widespread but largely hidden abuses in the country’s protracted conflict. The allegations involve Africa Corps, a Russian force that earlier this year replaced the Wagner mercenary group and is assisting Mali’s military in operations against extremist groups. Refugees who fled to neighboring Mauritania told the AP they survived or witnessed sexual violence, including attempted rape and abductions, allegedly committed by fighters they described as “white men.” Victims and their families spoke anonymously, citing fear of retaliation. One reported victim was a 14-year-old girl treated for a severe infection linked to sexual assault. In other accounts, women described armed men entering homes, undressing them and threatening violence. One mother said she saw her 18-year-old daughter dragged away by armed men and has not seen her since. The U.N. and aid groups say sexual violence has been committed by all sides in Mali’s conflict, including extremist groups such as al-Qaida-linked JNIM. A women’s health clinic in central Mali reported treating 28 women in six months who said they were assaulted by militants. Abuses remain under-reported due to stigma, fear of reprisals and lack of access to medical care. Aid workers warn this silence hinders accountability and deepens trauma among survivors. Similar accusations were previously leveled against Wagner mercenaries. In a 2023 report, the U.N. documented dozens of rapes during a deadly operation in Moura village, after which Mali expelled the U.N. peacekeeping mission, making independent investigations more difficult. As fighting intensifies, more than 150,000 Malians have fled to Mauritania. Aid agencies say many survivors never seek help, despite growing humanitarian needs along the border.