Iran Undermines United States Economic Warfare in West Asia

Efforts aimed bringing down the government in Tehran has been outmaneuvered through the controls exerted over the Strait of Hormuz and the work of the Yemen resistance in Bab al-Mandeb waterway

By Abayomi Azikiwe

Editor, Pan-African News Wire

Wednesday September 30, 2026

Geostrategic Analysis

Since January 2026 the United States administration of President Donald Trump has been attempting to crash the economy of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

There was the manipulation of the currency within the country by the Treasury Department while counter-revolutionary elements engaged in violent acts designed to prompt an uprising throughout the country.

These events proceeded the unprovoked war started by Israel and the US on February 28 when an elementary school was bombed in Minab killing school children and staff totaling approximately 175 people. Nonetheless, the Iranian military struck back severely damaging and incapacitating Pentagon military bases throughout the region as well as strikes deep inside the Israeli state. 

The Strait of Hormuz has been essential in the defense of the Iranian state. Iran has controlled traffic in the area blocking the passage of goods which are indispensable to the world economic system. 

Prices for energy resources, food and agricultural products have skyrocketed since March. The administration in the US has downplayed the escalation in prices saying that Trump will end the war after the midterm elections.

Maritime activity by the US has been largely unsuccessful in fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz to match what existed prior to the war. Trump says that the US Navy has prevented Iran from exporting its oil to trading partners.

However, Iran has rejected these claims by the US and its allies and continues to say that they are striking vessels which do not have permission to cross the Strait. Hossein Mohebbi, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesperson, noted on September 30 that the military was still involved in defensive operations in the Strait of Hormuz.

Qatar, which is attempting to mediate an agreement between Washington and Iran to reopen the strategic shipping route, said that a deal has not been reached. Despite the Trump administration efforts to minimize the damage done as a direct result of the war, Qatar, a close US ally, has a totally different assessment of the current crisis. 

Qatar has described the impact of the blockage by Tehran as being “unbearable.” They do not believe that the world economy can withstand the continuing actions by Iran without serious consequences.

Although the US wants to bring down the Iranian economy, it has been able to survive under the existing circumstances. Consequently, the tactics utilized by the White House have backfired onto the working and impoverished people of the US.

Key allies of the US in West Asia have suffered immensely due to the war. Military bases have been severely damaged in the Persian Gulf Arab monarchies as well as in Jordan. Recently, US soldiers have posted photographs of the physical damage done to Pentagon outposts and equipment.

In a report published by Press TV, it said of the economic situation inside the country:

“President Masoud Pezeshkian has highlighted the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz to regional and global security, saying Iran’s strong presence across maritime areas prevented the country’s vital economic lifelines from being disrupted. In a message marking World Maritime Day on Wednesday, Pezeshkian described the sea as more than a body of water for Iran, calling it a divine blessing and an integral part of the country’s history, identity, and way of life, as well as a major source of opportunities for its present and future.” (https://www.presstv.co.uk/Detail/2026/09/30/777323/Pezeshkian--Iran%E2%80%99s-strong-maritime-presence-Strait-Hormuz-kept-vital-national-lifelines-moving)

The reality of the economic situation in the US has placed the Trump administration in a precarious place. Opinion polls have shown that the majority of people are opposed to the war against Iran.

In addition, the majority of voters in the US on the eve of the midterm elections are showing strong disapproval of the way the administration is handling the national economy which has been marred by a failed tariffs policy and the large-scale transferal of wealth from working people to the ruling class.

Inevitably economic conditions will worsen by the January 2027 when the legislative measures passed by the Republican-dominated House of Representatives and Senate go into force. The cost of healthcare benefits will increase, enhancing the already existing household debt in the US. (https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personal-finance/healthcare/2026/09/12/health-benefit-cuts-disney-starbucks-2027/91671778007/)

Yemeni Resistance Playing a Major Role in Solidarity with Iran

The Ansur Allah Yemeni resistance movement has been firm in opposing the Israeli and US states along with their allies throughout the West Asia region. For more than a decade, Washington and its surrogates have sought to defeat the Ansur Allah movement.

Between 2015 and 2021, the Yemeni resistance forces waged an armed struggle against US and Saudi-backed interests inside the country. Weekly demonstrations have brought hundreds of thousands of people into the streets of the capital of Saana. Offensive actions by the Yemen resistance have resulted in the seizure of more territory on the coastline depriving Riyadh and the US of access to this strategic area.

In a report issued by graincentral.com, it emphasized that:

“As the war between the United States and Iran enters its eighth month, and the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, another global trade chokepoint is re-emerging. With the Iran-backed Houthi rebels now controlling almost all of Yemen’s Red Sea coastline, the conflict has an unimpeded extension into the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, disrupting trade, energy flows and threatening freedom of navigation in the crucial international seaway…. The economic consequences are both regional and global, raising fears of even higher oil prices, increased shipping costs, higher food costs and widespread disruption to international trade at a time when inflation is already elevated across much of the world.” (https://www.graincentral.com/markets/houthi-control-of-bab-el-mandeb-strait-poses-global-trade-threat/)

Therefore, Trump’s claims that he will end the regional war in West Asia after the midterms seems disingenuous. US soldiers are being killed and wounded in a war that was designed for purely imperialist aims and objectives.

Reports of a series of suicides among Pentagon soldiers highlight the failure of the war drive in West Asia. The only solution to the impasse is for Washington to withdraw its forces from the Persian Gulf and the entire geopolitical region.

US Announces Withdrawal of Remaining Troops from Iraq

The Pentagon has announced the withdrawal of its remaining troops in Iraq. This represents yet another failure in the imperialist project in West Asia.

Initially, in 1990-1991, there was a massive military build-up by the Pentagon and its allies after the usurpation of Kuwait by the former Iraqi government led by Saddam Hussein. Some twelve years later in 2003, the US invaded and occupied Iraq under the false premise of seizing and destroying “weapons of mass destruction” possessed by Iraq.

Iraq was never fully subdued due to the resistance of the people along with the launching of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The ISIS group merely provided a rationale for the continuing presence of Pentagon troops in the region. 

However, in recent years, the governments of Iraq and Iran have grown closer. Iran played a critical role in the defeat of ISIS along with volunteers from the Hezbollah resistance movement based in southern Lebanon. 

Press TV published an article on the situation in Iraq noting that:

“The formal drawdown of US occupation forces from Iraq on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, marks the end of a disastrous 23-year military project that began with a lie, was sustained by violence, and concluded in a defeat as profound as the one America suffered in Afghanistan.

What the US war machine presented as a mission to liberate Iraq from the Ba’athist dictatorship more than two decades ago and eliminate the so-called ‘weapons of mass destruction’ became a case study in imperial overreach, leaving behind a shattered country, millions dead, and a region destabilized for generations. The US-led coalition military presence in the Arab country started in early 2003, before they were forced to leave in 2011. However, three years later, in 2014, they returned as part of the so-called international campaign against the Daesh terrorist group.” (https://www.presstv.co.uk/Detail/2026/09/30/777325/iraq-long-dark-night-ends-23-years-us-lies-occupation-abuse-end-humiliating-withdrawal)

These developments will undoubtedly add to the discontent over foreign policy in the US among the electorate. According to the figures supplied by the Pentagon, more than 4,500 troops died on the battlefield in Iraq while nearly 32,000 were wounded. 

These numbers do not tell the complete story of the casualties since the occupation of Iraq. Many soldiers suffered mental breakdowns making them incapable of functioning within society over the last two decades. There have been tens of thousands more veterans who were rendered permanently disabled physically and mentally. 

The lessons of the imperialist wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran have proven that the long-term impact on the people of the US has been devastating. Until there is a fundamental shift in domestic and foreign policy, these military interventions will continue to the detriment of working and oppressed peoples of the US and indeed the world.

The Crisis in Northern Ethiopia and What the African Union Can do Better this Time Around

The Pretoria Agreement of 2 November 2022 stands as one of the African Union’s most consequential  mediation achievements in recent decades. It halted large scale combat in Tigray, restored federal authority and demonstrated that African institutions could address intricate intra state conflicts through African led processes. The agreement emerged from Ethiopia’s consistent emphasis on African solutions to African problems and from the AU’s deliberate choice to preserve national ownership while providing continental legitimacy. However the system that successfully ended open warfare left important gaps in mechanisms for sustained implementation. The renewed hostilities of September 2026 including the seizure of airports in Mekelle, Axum and Shire by Tigrayan forces and the emergence of a broader armed alliance highlight the need to reinforce those mechanisms rather than abandon the structure itself.

When the AU High Level Panel led by Olusegun Obasanjo Uhuru Kenyatta and Phumzile Mlambo Ngcuka facilitated the talks in Pretoria it achieved what protracted external pressure had not. The Permanent Cessation of Hostilities Agreement reflected careful design choices. Negotiations remained discreet reducing external performative pressures. The Panel of the Wise carried continental weight without imposing external solutions. Ethiopian ownership of the process was preserved throughout. Immediate results followed and Large scale operations ceased. Federal services returned to Tigray also Heavy and medium weapons were handed over under supervision. An interim regional administration was established in Mekelle. The AU Peace and Security Council authorized the Monitoring, Verification and Compliance Mission a team of African experts based in Mekelle tasked with observing adherence to the agreement’s provisions verifying compliance and reporting through a Joint Committee that included the AU, IGAD and the signatory parties. The AU also released funds from its Crisis Reserve Facility to support disarmament, demobilization and reintegration.

These steps confirmed the value of the African led approach that had guided the AU’s engagement since the outbreak of the 2020 conflict. Ethiopia’s insistence on African solutions created the political space in which the Pretoria process could succeed. The agreement itself was never designed as a complete political settlement. It was a cessation of hostilities instrument intended to stop the fighting and open space for dialogue on deeper issues of governance, territory and reconciliation. That subsequent dialogue did not fully materialize. Several practical limitations became apparent. The agreement designated the AU as mediator rather than guarantor with independent enforcement authority. The Monitoring Verification and Compliance Mission relied on the cooperation of the parties. When cooperation weakened, verification and reporting capacity were correspondingly constrained. Critical questions including the timeline and verification of the withdrawal of Eritrean and other non federal forces remained incompletely specified.

Eritrean forces had participated alongside federal troops during the earlier conflict however Eritrea was not a party to the Pretoria negotiations or the final text. The subsequent political rehabilitation of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and the formation of the interim administration were viewed in Eritrea as a shift in the regional balance. Parallel developments including Ethiopia’s public articulation of the need for reliable Red Sea access for a population of more than 150 million heightened sensitivities around Assab and the broader Ethiopia and Eritrea relationship. Over time these activities contributed to a more fragmented security environment in which northern Ethiopia became a space in which wider regional rivalries could be challenged indirectly. Addressing this dimension requires structured engagement rather than exclusion.

IGAD has consistently affirmed that the Pretoria Agreement remains the agreed structure and has pledged support for the AU’s diplomatic lead. This division of labor is appropriate. The AU’s continental mandate and the personal stature of the High Level Panel give it primacy. IGAD’s comparative advantage lies in its proximity to the sub region. Its member states share borders, economic linkages and security concerns with Ethiopia. IGAD is therefore well placed to maintain continuous channels with Eritrea coordinate practical border security measures along the Tigray Eritrea frontier and generate the early warning that continental structures based in Ethiopia have sometimes found more difficult to sustain. Empowering IGAD to address these sub regional dimensions while the AU retains overall custodianship would strengthen implementation without diluting African ownership.

The current situation requires the AU to consolidate three complementary measures that build directly on the structure already established. First the Monitoring, Verification and Compliance Mission should operate with clearer pre authorized access and transmit its findings systematically to the Peace and Security Council under a standing agenda item. Transparency that is regular rather than contingent on shifting goodwill would reinforce confidence and provide an objective basis for subsequent political engagement. Second a dedicated implementation fund managed by the AU and supported by international partners would convert repeated external affirmations of AU ownership into operational capacity. The earlier disbursement from the Crisis Reserve Facility showed that even modest rapidly available resources can unlock progress on disarmament and related tasks. Third the AU High Representative should be mandated to open a structured channel with Eritrea coordinated as appropriate with IGAD. The purpose is not to reward any particular behavior but to bring the Eritrean dimension into the same negotiating framework that has already demonstrated its value.

Western partners have repeatedly stated that the Pretoria Agreement must continue and that the African Union must retain ownership of the process. That political endorsement is best matched by concrete support for the monitoring, funding and diplomatic instruments that make ownership effective. The AU does not need to transform itself into a supranational enforcement authority. It needs only to equip the custodianship it already exercises with the practical tools of verification, resourcing and inclusive engagement. Pretoria stopped a devastating war through African diplomacy grounded in Ethiopian ownership. The task now is to ensure that the same structure delivers durable implementation. For Ethiopia’s stability in the north the integrity of its territory and the preservation of African solutions to African problems that step is both necessary and achievable.

By Hermela Kidane, Researcher, Horn Review

Egypt's Escalated Nile Rhetoric to Domestic Economic Pressures, Journalist Zahid Says

Addis Ababa, September 28, 2026 (ENA) —Egypt’s escalating media and political rhetoric over the Nile is partly aimed at diverting public attention from mounting economic and livelihood pressures, journalist and writer Zahid Zidan said.

In an exclusive interview with POA, Zahid pointed to rising living costs and economic difficulties in Egypt, saying the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and Nile water issues have increasingly featured in the country’s political and media discourse.

His comments come amid continued economic challenges identified by international financial institutions. 

In a September 21, 2026 assessment, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Egypt had shown resilience to recent external shocks but that significant vulnerabilities remained, including high public debt and large financing needs. 

The IMF has also projected inflation to rise to about 16.7 percent in the second half of 2026, citing higher energy prices, exchange rate pressures and other factors

“They want to manufacture anything, any kind of material, a dark weapon to distract the Egyptian public,” Zahid said, arguing that heightened rhetoric over the Nile is being used to shift attention from domestic challenges.

He cited what he described as claims in some Egyptian media outlets concerning the potential effects of GERD, as well as allegations that Ethiopia intends to transfer water to Israel.

 According to Zahid, such narratives contribute to keeping the dam at the center of public debate.

He stressed that his criticism was directed at Egyptian media platforms and political figures whom he accused of exploiting external disputes, rather than at the Egyptian people. 

He said ordinary Egyptians are primarily concerned with everyday challenges, including meeting basic needs, earning livelihoods and supporting their families.

The remarks come amid renewed exchanges between Ethiopia and Egypt over Nile water development. 

Ethiopia has consistently maintained that it has a sovereign right to develop its natural resources, including the Abay River, while advocating cooperation and shared development among Nile Basin countries.

In a September 22 statement responding to remarks by Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sewilam, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Water and Energy reaffirmed the country’s right to utilize its natural resources and said transboundary rivers should promote “cooperation, shared prosperity, and regional integration.”

The completion of GERD has also strengthened calls within Ethiopia for further investment in hydropower and irrigation projects along the Abay River. 

Supporters of additional development argue that the experience gained from GERD can help expand renewable electricity generation, strengthen energy security, support agricultural development and increase cross-border power connectivity.

Ethiopian Federal Forces Reportedly Advance Deep Into Tigray Toward Mekelle

Alemnew Mekonnen/DW

Alamata has changed hands several times (file photo).

30 September 2026

Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu)

Mekelle, Ethiopia — Ethiopian federal forces have reportedly advanced more than 150 kilometres into the Tigray region and are moving closer to Mekelle, according to sources cited by Al Jazeera, amid renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia.

The reported advance was confirmed by sources linked to Ethiopia's federal government and several people familiar with military movements in the area, Al Jazeera reported.

According to the sources, federal troops have retaken the towns of Mekoni, Wajena and Adi Gudom, which are reportedly about 39 kilometres from Mekelle, the regional capital.

If confirmed, the reported capture of the three towns would represent a significant advance by federal forces and bring them considerably closer to Mekelle, potentially altering the military situation in the region.

The reported movement comes after several days of heavy clashes in Tigray and neighbouring areas. The renewed fighting has raised concerns that the conflict could expand further and increase risks to civilians and regional stability.

Sources cited by Al Jazeera said federal troops had moved more than 150 kilometres into Tigray during the latest military operations, highlighting the depth of the reported advance.

Mekelle remains the political and administrative centre of Tigray and holds major strategic importance for both sides. Any further federal advance towards the city could significantly affect the balance of the conflict.

The latest developments mark a renewed escalation between Ethiopia's federal forces and Tigrayan forces, following years of conflict and a peace agreement that ended the previous Tigray war in 2022.

The reports could not be independently verified, and details of the fighting and territorial changes remain difficult to establish because of restrictions on access to conflict areas.

Read the original article on Shabelle.

Cholera Deaths Soared in 2025, Africa Having 90% of cases - UN

World Health Organization

A campaign in the Darfur region of Sudan by WHO, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Sudan’s Ministry of Health to deliver the oral cholera vaccines to targeted localities and protect over 1.8 million people

30 September 2026

allAfrica.com

By Peter Kenny

Geneva — Cholera deaths increased globally by 30 percent in 2025, despite fewer cases being reported to the World Health Organization, with five countries in Africa accounting for around 90 percent of all cases, the WHO said on Tuesday.

In 2025, 47 countries reported 451,499 cholera cases and 7,870 deaths to the Geneva-based WHO, the health agency of the United Nations, which also released data on meningitis and the plague.

This is the highest number of annual cholera deaths reported to WHO since 1999.

"No one should be dying from cholera today when we have the tools to prevent and treat this disease," said Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, executive director of WHO's Health Emergencies Programme.

WHO said the figures reflect surveillance data reported and not the actual global burden of cholera, which is estimated to be substantially higher as many cases go unreported.

Seven countries – Angola, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen – accounted for around 90 percent of all reported cholera cases and deaths globally.

Cholera deaths soared in Africa

The WHO African region reported the largest burden, with a 34 percent increase in cases and a 58 percent increase in deaths compared with 2024.

Dr Ihekweazu said that the concentration of cases and deaths in a small number of countries shows where targeted investments in safe water, sanitation and hygiene could have the greatest impact.

"Combined with stronger disease surveillance, community engagement, vaccination and access to quality care, these investments can help turn this trend around," said Ihekweazu.

Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal disease caused by Vibrio cholerae bacteria. The disease spreads through food and water contaminated with faeces, especially in areas without safe water and sanitation.

The WHO said that while cholera is preventable and treatable, it can be fatal if severe dehydration is not rapidly treated.

More than one in five reported cholera deaths occurred outside health facilities, highlighting that too many patients are still not reaching care in time.

Meningitis from Senegal to Ethiopia

Regarding bacterial meningitis, the WHO said that the disease continues to place a substantial burden on countries in the African meningitis belt, an area extending from Senegal to Ethiopia where epidemics occur regularly.

In 2025, 24 of the 26 countries in the region reported 21,526 suspected cases and 971 deaths to WHO, corresponding to a fatality rate of 4.5 percent.

Among countries reporting data for both years, cases declined by 5.9 percent compared with the previous year.

Meningitis involves inflammation of the tissues surrounding the brain and spinal cord, and bacterial meningitis is the most serious type.

For human plague, the WHO said that between 2019 and 2025, 10 countries reported suspected human plague cases, six of which reported confirmed cases.

Overall, 3,847 suspected cases and 423 deaths were reported to WHO, corresponding to a case fatality rate of 11 percent.

Most cases were reported from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Madagascar, where plague remains endemic in some areas.

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger Launch Tafouk TV Channel to Push Their Own Narrative

TafoukTV

Inside the Bamako studios of Tafouk TV, the new Russian-backed channel created by Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to promote their own coverage of events across the Sahel.

29 September 2026

By RFI

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger are stepping up their joint media push with Tafouk TV, a new television channel aimed at challenging Western coverage and promoting the three military-led Sahel states' own account of events.

Broadcasting from Bamako and available through Canal+, the channel is part of a wider media network being developed by the Alliance of Sahel States - or AES - as its members deepen ties with Russia and distance themselves from France and other Western partners.

"We had to strike back... to ensure that these platforms could spread our own narrative," Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop said this month.

Tafouk TV, whose name means "Sun" in Tamasheq, the language spoken by many Tuareg communities across the Sahel, began official programming on 16 September.

Its presentation draws heavily on regional imagery. The opening theme is inspired by the music of traditional Dozo hunters, while the logo of its Communication Intervention Brigade programme features a shield incorporating a camera, microphone and pen.

"When plotters attempt to destabilise the state, the battle plays out not just in the barracks, but also on our screens, in newspaper columns and on social media," said presenter Abdoul Niang, Tafouk TV's news director and a cyberactivist close to Mali's military authorities.

One programme featured pan-African influencer Franklin Nyamsi, a supporter of the Sahel juntas, analysing French media coverage of a thwarted mutiny in Niger in August.

Battle over the narrative

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have progressively broken with Western governments, particularly former colonial power France, while strengthening diplomatic and security ties with Russia.

Military leaders in the three countries justified their takeovers partly by citing the failure of civilian governments to contain years of jihadist violence. Armed groups nevertheless remain active across large parts of the region, with civilians and security forces continuing to be killed.

The juntas have also faced criticism over restrictions on political opposition and the media.

Foreign correspondents have been expelled and several major Western broadcasters suspended or banned after reporting military losses or accounts that contradicted official claims of battlefield successes.

How a disinformation network is destabilising the Alliance of Sahel States

Tafouk TV broadcasts three daily news bulletins focused on the three members of the Alliance of Sahel States, or AES.

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger created the alliance before withdrawing from the Economic Community of West African States, Ecowas, and have since sought to build common political, security and diplomatic structures.

Niger's state television said the launch meant Sahel populations were "no longer passive consumers of false and manipulated stories coming from fake news factories".

Tafouk TV plans programmes on fact-checking, geopolitics and frontline developments in French, English and regional languages including Bambara and Hausa.

Russia has openly supported the project. Moscow's ambassador to Mali, Igor Gromyko, praised its planned role in fighting "disinformation and cognitive warfare" in June.

A month later, Tafouk TV signed a cooperation agreement in Niamey with the parent company of Russian state-funded broadcaster RT, covering content exchanges, expertise and joint coverage of events in Russia and the Sahel.

Building an AES media network

The television channel follows the launch in December of Daande Liptako radio, broadcasting from Ouagadougou on a frequency previously used by Radio France Internationale.

RFI is now banned in all three AES states.

The alliance is also planning a joint official news agency based in Niamey, further extending a media network designed to give the three governments greater control over how their policies and security campaigns are presented.

But the project has also prompted calls for greater media pluralism.

A former Nigerien MP warned that the new service "must not become a propaganda tool".

"We also need genuine, open debates where any and all opinions can be expressed," the former lawmaker said.

(with newswires)

Read or Listen to this story on the RFI website.

Russia Views European Factories Producing Arms for Kiev as Military Targets — Diplomat

Maria Zakharova said no one should assume that military plants outside Ukrainian territory that manufacture weapons for the Kiev regime will be safe

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova Sofya Sandurskaya/TASS

© Sofya Sandurskaya/TASS

MOSCOW, September 30. /TASS/. European factories producing weapons for Ukraine are potential military targets for Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing, commenting on statements regarding Patriot production in Poland.

"Arms factories in European countries that produce weapons for Ukraine are potential military targets for Russia. No one should assume that military plants outside Ukrainian territory that manufacture weapons for the Kiev regime will be safe. Anyone who thinks so is mistaken," the diplomat said.

Targeted Kiev Communications Center, Energy Sites: What is Known About Overnight Strike

Kiev is facing water and power shortages after a series of explosions

© Russian Defense Ministry/TASS

MOSCOW, September 30. /TASS/. The Russian Armed Forces carried out a massive strike on Ukrainian facilities overnight, the Defense Ministry reported.

As a result, a communications center in Kiev, energy facilities supporting military production in the Kiev region, as well as infrastructure at the port of Izmail were hit.

TASS has compiled the main information about the aftermath of the strikes.

Defense Ministry statement

- The Russian Armed Forces launched a massive strike on Ukraine overnight with ground-based precision-guided weapons and long-range strike drones, the ministry said.

- According to its statement, as a result, a communications center in Kiev, Ukrainian energy facilities in the Kiev region that support military production, and infrastructure at the port of Izmail were hit.

- In addition, the Russian Defense Ministry posted a video of Russian servicemen using FAB-1500 air bombs with a unified glide/adjustment module to destroy a drone command post and a Ukrainian military deployment site in the Kharkov Region.

Targets

- The Defense Ministry later specified that as a result of the strike on Kiev, a De Novo data center, a major Internet traffic hub for data processing, storing, and transmitting data for the Ukrainian army, was hit.

- The Russian Armed Forces also struck the Kievskaya power substation in the Nalivaykovka settlement in the Kiev region, which ensured power transmission and distribution to regional defense industry facilities.

- In addition, Russian servicemen hit the Kiev Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) in Vyshgorod in the Kiev Region, which powered defense industry sites in the northern part of the region.

- The Russian military also struck the Tripolskaya Thermal Power Plant in the Kiev region, which supplied electricity to Ukrainian defense facilities in the southern part of the region.

- The Russian Armed Forces hit an energy storage battery park in the Gorenichi settlement in the Kiev region, which was used to store electricity to ensure the uninterrupted operation of regional military facilities.

- What’s more, Russian servicemen struck an industrial site in the port of Izmail in the Odessa Region that was used to receive, store, and transport military cargo and fuel for the Ukrainian armed forces.

- At the same time, the Russian military also hit a Ukrainian cargo ship in the northwestern Black Sea that was transporting military goods and dual-use equipment to the Odessa Region for the Ukrainian army.

Situation in Ukraine

- According to Ukrainian media, explosions occurred overnight and early in the morning in Kiev, Lutsk, Rovno, and Cherkassy.

- Kiev is facing water and power shortages after a series of explosions, the UNIAN news agency reported.

- According to its information, smoke from fires is shrouding the Ukrainian capital.

- Kiev is shrouded in thick smoke, and the Ukrainian State Emergency Service has called on residents to keep their windows closed and on car owners to drive carefully and maintain a safe distance.

- The Tripolskaya Thermal Power Plant and the Kiev Hydroelectric Power Plant caught fire, the Strana news outlet reported.

Putin to Speak at Valdai Discussion Club Annual Plenary Session

The club’s flagship conference brings together 120 participants from 40 countries

MOSCOW, October 1. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will take part in a plenary session of the 23rd annual meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club, titled "Responsibility for the Future: Limits of the Possible or Possibilities Without Limits?", which is being held in the Moscow Region from September 28 to October 1.

The club’s flagship conference brings together 120 participants from 40 countries, including Algeria, Brazil, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Pakistan, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Putin has been taking part in the club’s meetings since its establishment in 2004. The first conference was held in Veliky Novgorod, near Lake Valdai, which gave its name to the event. Since 2014, the club’s meetings had been held in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, but this year the Valdai session has been relocated to the Moscow Region as it is more convenient for most of its participants to get to Moscow.

12 People, Including Students, Injured in Ukrainian Attack on Bryansk Region

The regional prosecutor’s office is overseeing the protection of the rights of civilians injured in the attack and the provision of comprehensive assistance to them

© Kirill Kukhmar/TASS

BRYANSK, September 30. /TASS/. Ukrainian forces attacked Trubchevsk in Russia’s Bryansk Region, injuring 12 people, including nine students, Governor Yegor Kovalchuk said on Max.

TASS has compiled the main information about the aftermath.

Casualties

- Ukrainian forces attacked Trubchevsk in Bryansk Region, Kovalchuk said.

- Twelve people were injured, including nine students.

- According to the governor, all those injured are receiving medical assistance and have been taken to hospital.

- Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian presidential commissioner for children’s rights, said on Max that students of the Trubchevsk Polytechnic College were among those injured.

- Seven of them are minors.

- Lvova-Belova said one of the injured students is in serious condition.

- The others sustained shrapnel wounds and blast-related injuries.

Reaction

- The regional prosecutor’s office is overseeing the protection of the rights of civilians injured in the attack and the provision of comprehensive assistance to them.

- All relevant agencies are coordinating their efforts to ensure prompt medical and other assistance.

- Acting Bryansk Region Prosecutor Maxim Makoveyev is personally overseeing the situation.

Russian Troops Liberate Three Communities in Ukraine Operation Over Past Day — Top Brass

Russia’s Battlegroup East inflicted more than 280 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed four enemy motor vehicles in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported

© Alexey Konovalov/TASS

MOSCOW, September 30. /TASS/. Russian troops liberated three communities in the Kharkov, Sumy and Zaporozhye Regions over the past 24 hours in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported.

"Battlegroup North units liberated the settlement of Shabelnoye in a pocket of encirclement in the Kharkov Region through decisive offensive operations. <…> Battlegroup North units liberated the settlement of Tolstodubovo in the Sumy Region through active offensive operations. <…> Battlegroup East units advanced deep into the enemy’s defenses and liberated the settlement of Yegorovka in the Zaporozhye Region," the ministry said in a statement.

Kiev loses 1,505 troops along engagement line in past day – latest figures

The Ukrainian army lost roughly 1,505 troops in battles with Russian forces in all the frontline areas over the past 24 hours, according to the latest data on the special military operation in Ukraine released by Russia’s Defense Ministry.

The latest figures show that the Ukrainian army lost over 340 troops and three armored combat vehicles in the responsibility area of Russia’s Battlegroup North, more than 200 troops and a US-made armored combat vehicle in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup West and over 195 troops and a Canadian-made armored combat vehicle in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup South.

During the last 24-hour period, the Ukrainian army also lost over 455 troops and an armored combat vehicle in the responsibility area of Russia’s Battlegroup Center, more than 280 troops and four motor vehicles in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup East and roughly 35 troops and seven motor vehicles in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup Dnepr, the latest figures show.

Russia’s Battlegroup North fighting for four communities in pocket of encirclement in Kharkov Region

Russia’s Battlegroup North forces are fighting for the liberation of four communities in the northeast of the Kharkov Region and tightening the ring of encirclement of Ukrainian troops in that area, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup North units are tightening the ring of encirclement of Ukrainian armed formations in the northeast of the Kharkov Region and expanding the outer area of control. They are fighting for the communities of Grachevka, Nesternoye, Rublenoye and Reznikovo in the Kharkov Region. In addition, they are destroying enemy formations in areas near the settlements of Nefyodovka, Nikolayevka and Khatneye in the Kharkov Region. During the last 24-hour period, the Ukrainian military lost over 30 troops in the pocket of encirclement," the ministry said.

In their operations to expand the external area of control, Battlegroup North units continue battles for the liberation of the settlement of Prikolotnoye in the Kharkov Region, it said.

In addition, over the last 24-hour period, Battlegroup North units "inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of a mechanized brigade, a motorized infantry brigade, an unmanned systems regiment of the Ukrainian army, a territorial defense brigade and a National Guard brigade in areas near the settlements of Dergachi and Zarozhnoye in the Kharkov Region," the ministry reported.

In the Sumy direction, Battlegroup North units struck formations of three mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian army and two territorial defense brigades in areas near the settlements of Turya, Rovnoye, Boyaro-Lezhachi, Vakalovshchina and Khoten in the Sumy Region, it said.

Overall, the Ukrainian army lost more than 340 personnel, three armored combat vehicles and 25 motor vehicles in the areas of responsibility of Russia’s Battlegroup North over the past 24 hours, it specified.

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicts over 200 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicted more than 200 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed a US-made armored combat vehicle in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup West units improved their forward positions and inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of three mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian army, a marine infantry brigade and a territorial defense brigade in areas near the settlements of Grushevka, Berezovka, Osinovo and Izyumskoye in the Kharkov Region, Volchy Yar, Prishib and Mayaki in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost more than 200 personnel, a US-made HMMWV armored combat vehicle, 13 motor vehicles, three field artillery guns and an Anklav electronic warfare station in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it said.

Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicts over 195 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicted more than 195 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed a Canadian-made armored combat vehicle in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup South units gained better lines and positions and inflicted losses on formations of four mechanized brigades, a motorized infantry brigade, an airmobile brigade, an unmanned systems brigade of the Ukrainian army and two marine infantry brigades in areas near the settlements of Kramatorsk, Druzhkovka, Semyonovka, Nikolayevka, Vasilevskaya Pustosh and Vysokoivanovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost more than 195 personnel, a Canadian-made Senator armored combat vehicle, 20 motor vehicles and an artillery gun in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.

Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicts over 455 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicted more than 455 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed an enemy armored combat vehicle in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup Center units improved their tactical position and inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of five mechanized brigades, a jaeger brigade, an unmanned systems brigade of the Ukrainian army, a marine infantry brigade and four National Guard brigades in areas near the settlements of Chuguyevo in the Dnepropetrovsk Region, Belozerskoye, Staroraiskoye, Lidino and Roganskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

In Dobropolye in the Donetsk People’s Republic over the past 24 hours, assault groups of the 51st Army of the Battlegroup Center continued offensive operations in the town’s northeastern, central and southern parts. During the last 24-hour period, Battlegroup Center units liberated 164 buildings and destroyed as many as 35 Ukrainian troops in Dobropolye, the ministry reported.

Overall, the Ukrainian army lost more than 455 personnel, an armored combat vehicle, eight motor vehicles and an electronic warfare station in the responsibility area of Russia’s Battlegroup Center over the past 24 hours, it specified.

Russia’s Battlegroup East inflicts over 280 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup East inflicted more than 280 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed four enemy motor vehicles in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

During the last 24-hour period, Battlegroup East units "inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of an assault brigade, two air assault brigades, two assault regiments of the Ukrainian army and a marine infantry brigade in areas near the settlements of Nikolskoye in the Zaporozhye Region, Chaplino, Malinovka, Demurino and Kolomiytsy in the Dnepropetrovsk Region," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost more than 280 personnel and four motor vehicles in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.

Russia’s Battlegroup Dnepr eliminates 35 Ukrainian troops in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup Dnepr eliminated roughly 35 Ukrainian troops and destroyed seven enemy motor vehicles in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup Dnepr units gained better lines and positions and inflicted losses on formations of two mechanized brigades, a mountain assault brigade and an assault regiment of the Ukrainian army in areas near the settlements of Orekhov, Preobrazhenka and Yulyevka in the Zaporozhye Region," the ministry said.

"As many as 35 Ukrainian military personnel and seven motor vehicles were destroyed," it said.

Russian forces strike Ukrainian ammo, radio-electronic equipment depots in past day

Russian forces struck ammunition and radio-electronic equipment depots of the Ukrainian army and enemy deployment sites over the past 24 hours, the ministry reported.

"Operational/tactical aircraft, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops and artillery of the Russian groups of forces struck transport infrastructure facilities used by the Ukrainian army, ammunition and radio-electronic equipment depots, sites storing unmanned aerial vehicles, and also temporary deployment areas of Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries in 154 locations," the ministry said.

Russian air defenses intercept 768 Ukrainian UAVs, three smart bombs in past day

Russian air defense forces intercepted and destroyed 768 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and three smart bombs over the past 24 hours, the ministry reported.

"Air defense capabilities shot down three guided aerial bombs, a rocket of the US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system and 768 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles," the ministry said.

Tally of Ukrainian army’s losses

Overall, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 674 Ukrainian combat aircraft, 284 helicopters, 248,344 unmanned aerial vehicles, 672 surface-to-air missile systems, 31,079 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,783 multiple rocket launchers, 36,594 field artillery guns and mortars and 73,244 special military motor vehicles since the start of the special military operation, the ministry reported.

United Nations General Assembly 81st Session Highlighted the Worsening Global Situation

Reforms needed within the august body as the threats of war and economic deterioration heightens international tensions and military conflict

By Abayomi Azikiwe

Editor, Pan-African News Wire

Tuesday September 29, 2026

Geostrategic Review

Midtown in New York City was the scene of the annual United Nations General Assembly debates and discussions over the future of the international community.

Nonetheless, since the gathering is held in the United States the government has sway over who is allowed to participate in this meeting.

For the second year in a row the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, has been denied a visa to enter the country and represent his people in the UNGA. In addition to Palestine, the Republic of Sudan de facto leader, Sovereign Council Chairman General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, was denied an entry visa to attend the meeting in New York.

The reasons behind these denials are related to the imperialist foreign policy of the US which is continuing its effort to maintain global hegemony. It is successive administrations in Washington which have implemented policies that keep the peoples of Palestine, West Asia and the African continent in perpetual underdevelopment, impoverishment, destabilization and military conflict.

US President Donald Trump in his address issued threats against the Islamic Republic of Iran saying if Tehran does not accept his ever shifting program that he will destroy the country and its people. The unprovoked war waged by Israel and the US beginning on February 28 has not been able to overthrow the Islamic Republic while people in the international community are facing higher prices for fuel, food, fertilizer and other commodities.

President Masoud Pezeshkian refuted the claims made by Trump saying that the imperialists describe Iran as a “terrorist” state, yet Iran has been the victims of terrorism from the US and Israel. He held up a photograph of students in Minab killed as a result of the bombing of a primary school in the south of the country.

The bombing of the school which killed more than 150 people including school children has never been acknowledged by the Trump administration. Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and throughout the occupied territory are suffering from the lack of food, water, healthcare and housing. In neighboring Lebanon, the occupation forces from Tel Aviv have devastated areas in the south of the country and in the capital of Beirut. 

When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu entered the UNGA hall to address the gathering, the overwhelming majority of delegates walked out of the room in disgust over the policies of the zionist state which has killed over 73,000 in Gaza, wounded more than 175,000 and displaced the entire population of 2.2 million. Despite a purported ceasefire, Palestinians are being routinely killed as the Israeli regime is still blocking adequate aid from entering the Gaza Strip.

Outside the UN headquarters itself, thousands demonstrated against the presence of Netanyahu calling for him to be arrested for war crimes. These events illustrate clearly the crisis of legitimacy of the UN as a viable institution. 

The fact that Netanyahu was allowed into the US to speak at the UNGA while representatives of the Palestinian Authority were not, points to the double standards of the Trump administration regarding foreign policy. Washington remains the major backer of the regime which has been occupying Palestine since 1948. 

According to one report, there were Jewish American organizations involved in the protests as well stating they were in opposition to the Netanyahu government and the occupation as a whole, noting that:

“Jewish advocacy groups held protests outside the United Nations in midtown Manhattan on Sept. 24, criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government for continuing the Gaza war.  Hundreds of people gathered for a demonstration organized by T’ruah, a group of U.S. rabbis and religious leaders focused on human rights and justice, advocating that Netanyahu has yet to take responsibility for the estimated 70,000 Palestinian deaths since the war began. Roughly 20,000 of those were children, according to the Israeli military’s latest count in January. ‘Bushah, bushah, shame, shame,’ chanted Rabbi Jill Jacobs, chief executive of T’ruah, as she denounced Israeli leaders and demanded an end to what she said is ethnic cleansing.” (https://www.nycitynewsservice.com/2026/09/28/jewish-advocacy-groups-protest-netanyahus-un-speech/)

Other reports on the demonstrations have recognized the high-profile people who were involved. The opposition to US policy towards Palestine and its occupiers has grown exponentially since the October 2023 Al Aqsa flood and the subsequent renewed phase of genocidal reaction which has shaken the conscience of the world.

The highest legal body within the UN, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), ruled at the aegis of the Republic of South Africa, that claims of genocide against the Palestinians were plausible under the Convention. This ruling was accompanied by demonstrations on higher educational campuses in the US raised the level of awareness about the Palestinian question.

In another article on the demonstrations in New York outside the UN, it emphasized:

“Susan Sarandon and Hannah Einbinder were reportedly detained by the New York Police Department (NYPD) on Thursday after participating in a mass protest outside the United Nations headquarters in New York. The demonstration was held against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The protesters were protesting against him addressing the UN General Assembly, according to multiple media reports. Protesters staged a sit-in outside the UN complex, calling for an end to the war in Gaza. They also wanted an end to US military support for Israel. Local media reported that more than 100 demonstrators were taken into custody, although the NYPD did not immediately confirm the exact number of arrests. AP photographers captured Sarandon being escorted away by police officers. Separately, videos circulating on social media showed Hacks star Einbinder with her hands zip-tied behind her back as officers led her away from the protest.” (https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/susan-sarandon-hannah-einbinder-detained-update-on-anti-netanyahu-protest-arrest-outside-unga-101790293301058.html)

The Burgeoning Crisis in Sudan

With the US banning of Sudanese leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Foreign Minister Mohieldin Salim Ahmed Ibrahim represented the country at the UNGA 81. The Foreign Minister objected to the denial of an entry visa by the US saying it was a blatant violation of the charter governing UN operations. 

Ibrahim later went on to say that they will not allow foreign interests to impose a solution to the internal crisis inside the country. Since April 2023, a split within the military between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has resulted in a horrendous humanitarian crisis. 

Accusations of involvement by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in support of the RSF has been major cause of concern by the international community. Although the UAE has denied being a central player in the internal war in Sudan, the theft and marketing of gold from the country to Europe and other geopolitical regions has been well documented. (https://www.semafor.com/article/08/04/2026/uae-procured-100m-in-stolen-gold-from-sudan-investigation-finds)

The United Nations News Agency reported on the speech of the Sudanese Foreign Minister noting:

“The Sudanese Foreign Minister said repeatedly that ‘the terrorist militia’ was responsible for the civil war raging in the country since April 2023. He accused the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – former allies turned rivals of the de facto government – of attacks against civilians, medical centers and hospitals. He strongly condemned the international community for not recognizing the RSF as a terrorist organization, and for failing to cut the cross-border channels that supply it with weapons, ammunitions and mercenaries. ‘Silence regarding the atrocities committed by the terrorist militia in Sudan is not only shameful, unethical and complicit, it is a betrayal of the civilian victims,’ he said.” (https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/09/1168474)

The inability of Sudan and the regional organizations in Africa to resolve the war is major failure in diplomacy. Other internal conflicts are brewing in the Horn of Africa region particularly regarding the opposition alliance which has formed against the government in Ethiopia. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia is the headquarters of the African Union (AU) which could be severely damaged in the event of a wider war between the Ethiopian government and the opposition Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), among others.

AU Members Demand Greater Role in the UN

For many years AU member-states have demanded at least one permanent seat on the UN Security Council. There are an estimated 1.4 billion people residing on the African continent which outstrips many of the other population groups now sitting on the UNSC. 

The Federal Republic of Nigeria, the most populous state on the continent, raised once again the need for reshaping the UN. President Bola Tinubu in his address emphasized that it was long past due that these changes are enacted.

An article published in the Nigerian Sun newspaper said of the situation:

“Tinubu specifically called for a radical reorganization of the UN, insisting that reforms must start with reconstituting the UNSC to grant Africa permanent seats, warning that Africa can no longer afford to fill the Council’s agenda from the margins. The President demanded at least two permanent seats for the Continent—including full rights, responsibilities, and veto power—along with a total of five non-permanent seats. ‘The reform of this institution must begin with the reconstitution of the Security Council, for the world of 2026 cannot remain captive to the distribution of power in 1945. Africa cannot continue to fill the Council’s agenda while remaining absent from its permanent membership’, he said.” (https://thesun.ng/africas-demand-for-unsc-permanent-seats/)

These remarks are indicative of the continued marginalization of the African people in international politics and economic affairs. Until these issues are resolved within the UNGA there cannot be any meaningful form of multipolarity in international affairs.

DR Congo’s Ebola Outbreak Tops 8,000 Confirmed Cases as Disease Remains Out of Control

4:28 PM EDT, September 28, 2026

BUNIA, Congo (AP) — The number of confirmed cases of Ebola virus in Congo has surged past 8,000, as the country runs out of health workers to contain the deadly disease, officials said Monday. The outbreak is the country’s 17th and its deadliest.

Congo announced an outbreak on May 15, caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which has no known treatment or vaccine, and has struggled to contain it.

The latest data from Congo’s health ministry released Sunday showed that 8,067 cases have been confirmed, with 3,901 deaths as of Sept. 26 across 63 health zones in seven of the country’s 26 provinces, with a fatality rate of more than 48%.

“The continuously high crude case fatality ratio, and especially the continuously high rate of deaths occurring in communities, highlights the seriousness of the disease and the persistent challenges in timely case detection and access to early and adequate patient care,” the World Health Organization said in its latest report.

It means that a large percentage of those infected were dying, without taking into account factors like delays in seeking help or hidden cases.

Official of ruling party attacked for defending Ebola measures

An official of Congo’s ruling party UDPS, Marie-Célestin Karondwa, was attacked by unknown suspects Sunday for defending the government’s measures against Ebola on a radio program and was in critical condition, according to the UDPS.

Karondwa is the acting president of the party’s federal executive in Butembo in North Kivu province, one of the hot spots of the outbreak. He was attacked “by alleged troublemakers from his neighborhood, Vulindi,” the party said. The party called on the government to investigate the attack.

The rapid spread of Ebola has been aided from the onset by widespread skepticism among locals who have dismissed the disease as a hoax, even attacking health workers and health facilities on multiple occasions.

Ebola measures impacting other health services

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Monday that the outbreak has begun to have an impact on other essential services in the hot spots as resources are mobilized toward fighting Ebola. According to OCHA’s report, routine primary healthcare services fell by 13% between April and June in Ituri province alone.

“The indirect impact of the outbreak reflects both reduced health service availability — as a result of staffing and operational pressures — and reduced demand, as fear of infection and isolation discourages care-seeking,” OCHA said.

Last week, WHO said that Congo was running out of health workers to contain the disease. Health workers have complained about delayed or missing payments, triggering several strikes. According to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 50 health workers have died since the outbreak was announced.

Some areas have shown signs of improvement, with fewer confirmed cases in the past several weeks, including in Ituri province and Haut-Uele, but officials say the disease is spreading further in other areas, expanding its geographical reach.

According to data from the Africa CDC, the current outbreak has outpaced the two-year West Africa regional outbreak in terms of spread in the same time. By week 19, the regional outbreak between 2014 and 2016 recorded 3,781 cases, while the current outbreak recorded 7,840. WHO said that it’s on track to surpass the regional outbreak, which killed 11,000 people.

Containment efforts have also been hamstrung by insecurity, displacement, a health workers’ strike and intense population movements.

Morocco’s King Appoints the Country’s First Woman Prime Minister

By AKRAM OUBACHIR

1:26 PM EDT, September 29, 2026

CASABLANCA, Morocco (AP) — Morocco’s King Mohammed VI on Tuesday named Urban Planning Minister Fatima Zahra Mansouri as the country’s prime minister, making the 50-year-old attorney the first woman to hold the position in the Muslim kingdom.

Mansouri, who until her nomination also was the mayor of Marrakech, was tasked with forming a new government, the Royal Palace said in a statement. The announcement came four days after results of parliamentary elections were announced, with Mansouri’s centrist Authenticity and Modernity Party, or PAM, the highest vote-getter.

Mansouri, the second woman to serve as prime minister in the Arab world after Najla Bouden in Tunisia, is expected to build a coalition in coming days to form a government. Morocco’s electoral system makes it difficult for a single party to win an absolute majority.

Her government is expected to make billions of dollars in investments linked to the 2030 FIFA World Cup, while seeking to deliver on promises to fight inflation, raise wages and create jobs.

The Moroccan Constitution gives the king, who is the country’s highest authority, the power to appoint the prime minister, but he must choose from the party that wins the most seats in parliamentary elections. That was a change successfully pushed by Arab Spring protesters in 2011. Before that, the king could name the prime minister without any such restriction.

Mansouri joined PAM upon its creation in 2008 by Fouad Ali El Himma, a childhood friend and close adviser to the king. A law graduate from the University of Montpellier in France, Mansouri became one of the party’s top leaders in 2024. She twice served as mayor of Marrakech and was a member of parliament.

Mansouri is the daughter of the “pasha of Marrakech” Abderrahmane El Mansouri, a senior local official who was also Morocco’s ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. He headed Marrakech’s bar association and was a landowner.

Mansouri faced accusations of conflict of interest after a group of unidentified hackers claimed she had used her position for personal gain regarding land transactions in Marrakech. Mansouri denied the allegations, called them defamatory and took legal action.

One million of the 15.8 million registered voters in last week’s election voted for the Authenticity and Modernity Party, marking its first win since its creation. The election was the first since the Ceuta migration crisis last July and deadly youth-led protests last year.

After the royal nomination, the focus shifts to the coalition that will form the next government. PAM has expressed its willingness to work with all parties, but some, including the moderate Islamist Justice and Development party and left-wing Federation of Democratic Left, have announced they will remain in the opposition.

Nigerian Billionaire Eyes US Investors Ahead of Groundbreaking for $16B Kenya Refinery

By EVELYNE MUSAMBI

1:09 PM EDT, September 29, 2026

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Nigerian billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote said on Tuesday that American investors would participate in a planned $16 billion East African oil refinery, while insisting that the project remain African-led.

Dangote was speaking in Kenya ahead of Wednesday’s groundbreaking ceremony for the refinery in the coastal city of Lamu. The facility is expected to process 700,000 barrels of crude oil a day.

American investors “will definitely come,” Dangote told journalists, pointing to U.S. backing for his previous projects.

He cited a proposed refinery in Brownsville, Texas, tied to what U.S. President Donald Trump called a $300 billion energy deal, as evidence of continued interest in the oil industry. The figure covers a long-term supply and product-distribution arrangement rather than solely the refinery’s construction cost.

He said three East African countries — Kenya and two others he declined to identify — would acquire a combined 30% stake in the Lamu refinery, which is expected to create 60,000 jobs.

The facility is expected to process crude from Uganda and other African producers that currently export their oil. Kenya does not produce oil commercially but plans to resume exploration in the country’s north in December.

Dangote cautioned against allowing Africans to lose control of major projects. He cited the public offering of shares in his Nigerian refinery, which he said was intended to give ordinary people an opportunity to own part of the business.

The Lamu project comes as Dangote Group plans to invest nearly $50 billion across Africa by 2030 under a strategy intended to put Africans at the forefront of the continent’s development.

Dangote said Africa needed foreign capital but argued that Africans must invest first, develop the continent’s resources and demonstrate the opportunities available to international partners.

He also called for greater use of technology to raise productivity while protecting employment, saying: “AI is not going to displace people.”

He said Africa must process more of its raw materials domestically and retain the resulting jobs and economic value, particularly as younger generations demand greater benefits from the continent’s natural resources.

The refinery is already facing local obstacles. A court this week ordered that the “status quo” be maintained at the site pending resolution of a lawsuit filed by residents claiming ownership of the land.

Dangote told investors that the groundbreaking ceremony would proceed and that his company was “ready” to respond to legal challenges.

EVELYNE MUSAMBI

Musambi is an Associated Press reporter based in Nairobi, Kenya. She covers regional security, geopolitics, trade relations and foreign policy across East Africa.

Burundi Says it Will Accept Migrant Deportees from the United States but Details are Vague

Burundi's President Evariste Ndayishimiye speaks during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

2:50 PM EDT, September 29, 2026

NGOZI, Burundi (AP) — Burundi has agreed to accept people deported by the United States who have no previous connection to the East African country, a spokesperson for the country’s president said Tuesday.

Nancy Ninette Mutoni said Burundi would accept only people who were not facing prosecution and had no links to terrorism. She spoke during an event attended by government officials in Ngozi.

Mutoni did not say when the deportees would arrive or how many people Burundi had agreed to receive. She said preparations were underway to provide accommodations and help the deportees live in local communities.

“Receiving them requires serious planning — where they will stay, what they will eat and how they will live alongside the local population,” Mutoni said.

The Trump administration has expanded third-country deportations as part of its immigration crackdown, sending people to countries where they are not citizens and may never have lived. The United States has sent deportees to several African countries, including Eswatini and South Sudan.

A U.S. appeals court ruling last week threw the program into question. Lawyers for immigrants said a flight carrying about 70 people had been scheduled to travel from Louisiana to Burundi, Rwanda and the Central African Republic but was canceled.

The ruling did not prohibit third-country deportations but required that people facing removal have a meaningful opportunity to raise concerns about possible persecution or torture. The Trump administration has defended the policy as necessary when deportees’ home countries refuse to accept them.

Inside Mamdani’s Fraught Effort to Rein in the NYPD Unit He Pledged to End

The mayor has quietly required the NYPD to seek his office’s permission before the unit conducts arrests.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani attends a news conference at the headquarters of the NYPD on January 06, 2026 in New York City. Mamdani, who was joined by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, discussed crime statistics and safety, including a historic drop in shootings in New York City last year. | Spencer Platt/Getty Images

By Chris Sommerfeldt

09/29/2026 04:53 PM EDT

NEW YORK — Mayor Zohran Mamdani suggested on Monday that he didn’t approve of the NYPD’s decision last week to deploy a controversial protest response unit to arrest scores of demonstrators, including several of his own political allies.

What Mamdani didn’t say: His office could have easily stopped the deployment.

Under a previously unreported directive issued by Mamdani in the early days of his administration, the NYPD must get City Hall’s permission before it sends the Strategic Response Group to conduct arrests at protests, a police department spokesperson confirmed to POLITICO.

The directive shows Mamdani sought to exert significant influence over a core function of the police department. Its existence also calls into question why the mayor hasn’t more frequently used that authority to stop the SRG from being deployed at protests — since he promised as a candidate to disband the specialized unit, which is primarily focused on responding to terrorist attacks and tumultuous protests.

The unit — which has long weathered criticism for its heavy-handed protest responses — just last week arrested activists protesting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s appearance at the United Nations General Assembly. Several politicians allied with Mamdani were among those put in handcuffs.

When asked about those arrests, the NYPD spokesperson revealed the pre-approval policy to POLITICO, confirming that the mayor’s office has the final say whenever the department wants to deploy SRG to detain protesters.

“We communicate with City Hall on this topic as we do on a host of things related to the department,” the spokesperson said.

The police spokesperson declined to comment on when exactly the mayor first instituted the SRG pre-clearance process. But a person familiar with the timing, who was granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive issue, said the policy was put in place during the first few months of Mamdani’s term.

The mayor signaled at a press conference Monday that he didn’t see a justification for using the SRG in last week’s arrests outside the U.N. “I’ve been clear that my vision is for the disbanding of the SRG,” he told reporters when asked if he thought it was an appropriate use of police resources.

A Mamdani spokesperson declined to comment Tuesday on why the mayor didn’t use his power to call back the SRG last week if he didn’t think its deployment was justified. The spokesperson also would not say if the mayor has ever used his authority to reject a request from the NYPD for SRG intervention.

Amanda Jack, The Legal Aid Society’s policy director for criminal law reform, laced into the Mamdani administration after being informed of the existing policy.

“It is deeply troubling that City Hall has the authority to stop SRG deployments, yet continues to approve them at demonstrations, including at the protests outside the United Nations last week where the mayor himself acknowledged that the deployment was an inappropriate use of police resources,” said Jack, whose group has long advocated for abolishing the SRG. “This further confirms that regulating SRG deployments isn’t the solution. City Hall must finally make good on Mayor Mamdani’s campaign promise to disband SRG for good.”

The future of the SRG is one of several sources of friction between Mamdani and Jessica Tisch, his politically moderate NYPD commissioner. It’s also an issue that the mayor risks disillusioning his leftist base with the longer he keeps dragging his feet on fulfilling his 2025 campaign pledge.

Tisch has defended use of the unit, saying it’s a key tool in the department’s network of crime-fighting strategies.

But Mamdani — a democratic socialist who, before launching his 2025 mayoral bid, supported calls to defund the NYPD — has long said the unit should be dismantled. Since taking office, he’s said he’s in active conversations with Tisch about finding a way to break up the unit, but those talks haven’t resulted in any tangible action nine months into his term.

Founded in 2015, the SRG was initially just tasked with counterterrorism work. The group’s responsibilities have since come to include responding to protests that turn chaotic or violent.

In arguing for abolishing the unit, Mamdani and other police reform advocates have pointed to SRG officers racking up disproportionately high rates of misconduct claims while responding to protests.

The SRG was subject to a court settlement in 2023 that put new guardrails around how the unit could be deployed during protests. But Mamdani and like-minded voices have contended that’s not enough and that the SRG should be broken up so it can return squarely to its original counterterrorism function.

In his remarks on Monday, Mamdani reaffirmed that view.

“I have made that promise, I will fulfill that promise,” he said. “The only question is the timeline of it.”

The Trump Brand Has Tanked. The G.O.P. May Pay the Price.

Sept. 29, 2026

NYT

Ms. Anderson, a contributing Opinion writer, is a Republican pollster and a moderator of Opinion’s series of focus groups.

In 1992, James Carville’s famous refrain — “It’s the economy, stupid” — compressed into four words what it might have taken a political scientist 400 words to explain: When family budgets feel tight, voters often go shopping for a new party to run things.

So as we approach the 2026 midterm elections, it’s hardly a unique insight for a pollster like me to say the election will hinge on the issues of our fragile economy and the high cost of living. Arguably, pocketbook issues led Donald Trump back to the White House for a second term: Poll after poll in 2024 showed the economy as the top issue and tended to show him with a significant advantage on who was more trusted to handle it.

Today, President Trump and Republicans haven’t merely lost that advantage; they’re underwater on the cost-of-living issue by an eight-point margin. And this year a second issue has been rising in my polling, ranking below the cost of living but ahead of other concerns. It’s not just the economy: “It’s the corruption,” too.

Voters don’t think the economy is working for them, and they think it’s being rigged more and more in favor of a precious few who are cozied up to our nation’s leaders. The combination of these two worries is putting Mr. Trump and Republicans in a terrible position on the eve of an election.

It’s also eating away at the winning brand that Mr. Trump cultivated over many years.

When Gallup asked Republicans back in 2016 what made Mr. Trump appealing, one in six alluded to his experience as a businessman. This was a product of his years in the public eye as a real estate mogul and as the star of “The Apprentice.” The top response? Mr. Trump was an “outsider.” A decade ago, that branding was understandable: He had never held elected office and was quite obviously not beloved by the G.O.P. establishment. His brand was so strong that in 2023, more than six years after he first took the oath of office, he was still considered an “outsider” by nearly seven in 10 Republicans.

Some of his voters are wondering if that’s still true. Robert, one of the Trump-voting Texas swing voters in a recent Times Opinion focus group for which I was a moderator, put it this way: “You used to think that you could count on the Republicans to be able to help out with the economy.” Now, he said, it feels as if “it’s going to be the top class or the certain friends that are getting the benefit of the economy, not the general folks.”

In my own polling, nearly two-thirds of voters say “most politicians are corrupt or just looking out for their own interest.” To borrow a phrase Mr. Trump used to be particularly fond of, voters think there’s a swamp that needs a lot of draining. Republicans howled, rightly, when President Bill Clinton was alleged to have traded stays in the Lincoln Bedroom for campaign contributions. They raised hell over Hunter Biden’s unseemly income streams during his father’s vice presidency.

For years, Mr. Trump got a lot of mileage out of his supporters thinking of him as a singular figure — a tycoon who put his glitzy life on hold in order to fix a broken Washington. Today, they see headlines about memecoin scams, inexplicable pardons and the enormous wealth that the president’s family and close associates are accumulating, and some of them are beginning to draw a different conclusion.

It would be one thing if Americans thought Mr. Trump were focused on fixing the economy and just hadn’t had enough time to deliver results. Sometimes voters give points for effort: In 2012, my research on young voters found that though they felt President Barack Obama’s economic record was lackluster, they still gave him credit for “trying.”

In January 2025, I asked voters what they hoped Mr. Trump would focus on in his second term, and they were clear that they wanted to see efforts to lower the cost of living and secure the border. By November 2025, more than seven in 10 said he had given a lot of attention to the latter, but only 43 percent said he had made reducing the cost of living one of his highest priorities. Today, that figure is down to four in 10, fewer than the number who think he has prioritized projects such as building a White House ballroom or renovating the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Even among Republican voters, only six in 10 think he has made the cost of living a top priority.

Many of Mr. Trump’s supporters grumble that he’s out chasing pet projects and feeding his ego, busy renaming buildings and bodies of water. As Pam, another of my focus-group participants, put it: “Those things to me are a waste, instead of spending time on what’s going on here in the U.S. and the fact that people are struggling.”

On its own, an economy that feels like it is leaving people behind would be a political problem for any incumbent. But add to it the gold leaf and vanity projects, and you wind up with a politically perilous one-two punch.

Some of the people who’ve believed in Mr. Trump over the past decade seem to be coming to the conclusion that the outsider businessman they voted for is just another typical politician. And while there are surely plenty of disillusioned Trump voters who wouldn’t dare cast a ballot for a Democrat, there’s no guarantee that they’ll bother to turn out on Election Day if they feel their own side is behaving poorly. Come November, that’s a slice of their coalition that Republicans can’t afford to lose.