West Bank Annexation: Decades of Settlements, Control, and Expansion

By Hassan Fakih

Source: Al Mayadeen English

From the Allon Plan to Smotrich’s annexation push, the West Bank has been shaped by decades of settlement expansion, military control, and territorial consolidation.

The West Bank has long been the center of Israeli colonialist dreams, serving as both a geographic and political battleground between settler violence and Palestinian self-defense measures. 

Despite international opposition, successive Israeli governments expanded control through settler construction projects, military orders, and administrative measures that have reshaped the occupied Palestinian land. 

Israeli control of the West Bank developed into a system of permanent territorial control following its military occupation, with settlements and Israeli infrastructure splitting Palestinian communities from one another. 

This process accelerated under "Israel’s" current regime, with Finance Minister and former settlement administrator Bezalel Smotrich playing a key role in advancing policies aimed at annexing the occupied West Bank.

Smotrich openly called for the extension of Israeli sovereignty over the territory and oversaw the transfer of key administrative powers over settlements from military authorities to settler government bodies.

These measures are a move toward formal annexation, transforming what has long been considered de facto control into a permanent system of settler governance.

The roots of this ongoing process extend back to the aftermath of the 1967 war, when Israeli political and military planners began formulating strategies for maintaining long-term control over the occupied territory.

The decades-long annexation process

While the West Bank is officially under Palestinian rule, "Israel" has maintained de facto control over the plot of land since its military seizure in 1967. 

Following the 1967 war, Israeli politicians were faced with two options, the first being the Jordanian option, transferring control of most of the West Bank to Jordan under King Hussein bin Talal, or the Palestine option, which declared that the Palestinians would get autonomy or an independent state.

Israeli politicians opted for the latter.

"Israel" continued to invest resources into gaining more land in the Palestinian territories by establishing and expanding the settlements both by means of land grabbing and increasing the population of these sites, under the Allon Plan doctrine. 

The Allon Plan indicated that Israeli sovereignty over a major part of the occupied Palestinian territories was essential for "Israel's" defense and survival. 

Yigal Allon, of whom the doctrine was named, stated following the 1967 war that the last thing "Israel" should do is "return one inch of the West Bank" back to the Jordanians who ruled over the land until the war. 

"We must not view Hussein as existing forever – today it is Hussein, but tomorrow it is [Suleiman] Nabulsi, and the day after that some Syrian will take hold of them and following that they will make a defense pact with the Soviet Union and China and we'll find ourselves in a much more difficult position," Allon said. "We are talking about a matter that is not forever, and we are placing it on a phenomenon that is flesh and blood, and perhaps will remain for a maximum of 60 years, if he does not get shot before that."

He added that he was "taking the maximum possibility. Not a canton, not an autonomous region, but an independent Arab state agreed on between us and them in an enclave surrounded by Israeli territory – independent even in its foreign policy."

This has largely been the dynamic of the West Bank under occupied skies; Palestinian natives would be able to elect an administrative body, but the Israeli occupation remains in control of public order, meaning that Palestinians will continue to be treated as second-class citizens when compared with the Zionist settlers. 

Settlements, which the UN rightfully called colonies in a 1979 bulletin, quickly sprang up. The bulletin noted a plan formulated by the Jewish Agency and the Zionist Organization, which noted that its objectives over a 20-year period (1975-1995) were to inhabit the Jordan Rift with at least 8,000 "Israelis" by 1995 and to "exploit the natural resources of the area – mainly land, water and climatic conditions – for the benefit of the Israeli colonies."

"Israel" continues to use complex legal and bureaucratic procedures to take control of the land in the West Bank, seizing it by military needs or claiming allegedly undeclared land to belong to "Israel".

After the Oslo Accords were signed in 1993, the Palestinian Authority was established as a transitional governing body tasked with managing areas of the West Bank and Gaza. 

However, instead of ending the Israeli occupation of the land, the West Bank was split into three administrative zones, Area A, B, and C.

When the Oslo II Accord was signed in 1995, Area A was placed under full Palestinian civil and security control, while Area B was placed under Palestinian civil administration with "Israel" maintaining overriding security authority. Area C, which comprises approximately 60% of the West Bank, remained under full Israeli civil and military control. This area included the majority of the territory's natural resources, open land, strategic areas, and all Israeli settlements outside occupied East Jerusalem.

Although the agreement described Area C as a temporary arrangement pending final status negotiations, control over the territory was never transferred. Instead, successive Israeli governments continued expanding settlements, developing infrastructure connecting them to "Israel," and restricting Palestinian construction through military orders and planning regulations.

The settlement movement continued to grow throughout the Oslo period despite the framework being presented internationally as a pathway toward Palestinian statehood. Per European Union figures, the settler population in the occupied West Bank more than doubled between the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993 and the mid-2010s.

The structure created by Oslo allowed the Palestinian Authority to administer population centers while leaving control over borders, airspace, security, movement, and most of the territory in the hands of the Israeli occupation.

This transformed the occupation from direct military administration over the entire population into a fragmented system where Palestinian authorities managed civilian affairs while "Israel" retained control over the wider territory.

This arrangement became increasingly evident through the expansion of Area C settlements, military zones, bypass roads, and restrictions on Palestinian development. Rather than serving as a transitional phase toward full Palestinian sovereignty, the division of the West Bank created a framework through which "Israel" could maintain control over the territory while allowing limited Palestinian self-administration.

The system accelerated in recent years, as Israeli politicians openly advocated for formal annexation and the extension of civilian authority over settlements.

"Israel" has been committed to officially annexing the Palestinian land in recent years, accelerating the already rapid settler movement there alongside the violence against Palestinians. 

Geographic importance of the West Bank

The West Bank is a landlocked plot of about 5,660 km², mainly comprised of a generally rugged mountainous terrain. Its elevation spans between the Dead Sea shoreline at -408 m and the highest point, Mount Nabi Yunis, at 1,030m above sea level.

Geographically, its hills and mountains give it strategic importance, as they allow whoever controls them to command the high ground of the coastal plain on the western ridge and the Jordan valley to the east. 

Israeli regime officials have long linked the need to take over the West Bank for the sake of security needs. Israeli War Minister Israel Katz said previously that, "The renewal of the land settlement in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) is an essential security-administrative move designed to ensure control, enforcement, and full freedom of action by the State of Israel in the territory."

"Regulating the land prevents the establishment of unilateral facts, reduces illegal takeover attempts, and harms terrorist infrastructures that undermine stability and security," the Israeli politician said. "This is a necessary step to create operational and legal certainty, allowing the IDF and the defense establishment to act with determination to protect Israeli citizens and safeguard national interests."

The Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs noted that despite its small size, the West Bank is situated adjacent to where a majority of the Israeli settlers and the occupation's industrial capacity are located. 

It notes that a military force located in commanding positions along the West Bank could show itself to pose a major military threat to "Israel," crippling or bringing the occupation's economic life to a standstill.  

The West Bank is relatively small, covering 2,123 square miles (5,500 square kilometers), but it is situated immediately adjacent to the Israeli coastal plain where more than 70 percent of Israel’s population and 80 percent of its industrial capacity are located.

"Incapacitating and overrunning the coastal plain would terminate Israel’s very existence," the institution wrote. "This is the primary factor affecting the strategic importance of the West Bank for Israel from a military perspective."

The annexation of the West Bank allows the Israelis the ability to overlook the western plain, making a potential Resistance movement harder, especially if a future operation seeks to link the West Bank with Gaza's resistance.

Actors behind the land grab 

The main force paving the way for Israeli annexation of the West Bank is the violent settlers who abuse and bully Palestinians. 

These settlers are often armed, work in packs, and have some member of the IOF guarding their movements in case a Palestinian dares to protect themselves or their families. 

Plans to take over the land for military means are being hidden behind the language of religious and historical rights, as is often the case when it comes to Israeli political decisions. Settlers see the abuse of Palestinians as a Divine right they have to let loose on whichever obstacle is in their way. 

The use of Israeli settlers rather than IOF personnel directly in the usurping of Palestinian land in the West Bank follows in line with "Israel's" war tactics. Tel Aviv, before launching an aggressive war on whoever they deem to be adversaries, conducts immense diplomatic, political, and armed pressure campaigns until the other party responds and takes that as justification for a full-blown military operation, which can be deemed to be carried out in self-defense. 

The West Bank is a fuse waiting to burn out, as Israeli politicians give settlers free rein to take over land violently stolen from Palestinians, living on their farms and taking their livestock as treasures of a successful colonial campaign. 

B'tselem, in a 2021 report, stated that "settlements for all intents and purposes, which were built without formal authorization by the government and without plans that enable construction in them – receive support from the Israeli authorities and remain standing. Israel has ordered the military to defend the outposts or paid for their security, as well as paved roads and laid down water and electricity infrastructure for most of them."

We can see this dynamic plainly throughout this month, as a surge in settler attacks intensified fears that violence is being used to accelerate the annexation process. 

The most recent of which comes from the Palestinian village of Tell, west of Nablus, wherein four Palestinians were martyred as they attempted to defend their land from the zionist colonizers. 

Settler attacks spread to nearby Palestinian communities shortly after, including assaults on villages and the burning of mosques, while Israeli forces launched widespread military operations and arrests across the West Bank.

The colonialist nature of these events can be summed up as such: settler violence creates instability on the ground, forcing Palestinians to defend their communities, and the resulting confrontation is then used to justify expanded military intervention and further restrictions on Palestinian movement by transferring their land into military outposts or security zones.

The United Nations documented that settler attacks in recent weeks have increasingly targeted not only individuals but also agricultural land, water systems, electricity infrastructure, and other resources essential to Palestinian livelihoods.

From the Allon Plan after the 1967 war to the present-day policies of Israeli actors like Smotrich, the West Bank has remained central to Israeli occupation plans. The land's geographic importance, settlement expansion, and political fragmentation made it a focal point of "Israel's" regional aggression campaign.

Diego Garcia: The British Base Built on Exile and War

By Al Mayadeen English

26 Jul 2026 18:48

Britain forcibly expelled the Chagossian people from their homeland to build Diego Garcia, a secretive US-UK military base later used to support wars and rendition operations, amid accusations of war crimes.

Britain transformed Diego Garcia into a military fortress by first erasing its people from official records and then physically removing them from their homeland.

Before the runways, bomber facilities, and warships, the remote Indian Ocean atoll formed part of a thriving Chagossian community whose families had lived across the Chagos Archipelago for generations.

A Times of India explainer published on July 25 has renewed attention on the human cost concealed beneath one of the most important US military installations outside American territory: the deliberate expulsion of an entire population to satisfy Washington’s strategic demands.

The displacement was not an accidental consequence of constructing the base. It was a calculated British-US policy. London removed the islanders, destroyed their ability to sustain themselves, and repeatedly denied them the right to return, creating what Human Rights Watch has described as “crimes against humanity that continue to the present.”

An island emptied for the United States

Diego Garcia is the largest island in the Chagos Archipelago, situated south of the Maldives and roughly midway between eastern Africa and Southeast Asia.

The archipelago had been administered by Britain as part of its colony of Mauritius. As Mauritius approached independence, however, the United States identified Diego Garcia as an ideal location for a military installation capable of supporting operations across Africa, West Asia, and Asia.

Washington approached London in 1964. Britain subsequently separated Chagos from Mauritius in 1965 and created a new colony under the name British Indian Ocean Territory.

The International Court of Justice later found that the separation was unlawful and that Mauritius had not been in a position to consent freely while still under British colonial rule. According to the court, the decolonization of Mauritius was therefore never lawfully completed.

Britain’s purpose in retaining the islands was explicit. Official documents showed that London wanted complete control so that Britain or the United States could clear any island of its population whenever land was required for military facilities.

The people living there were treated not as a community with rights, but as an obstacle standing between two imperial powers and a strategically valuable military outpost.

Britain made the Chagossians disappear on paper

Removing the population required Britain to conceal the fact that a permanent community existed.

The Chagossians were descendants primarily of enslaved Africans and people brought from Madagascar to work on coconut plantations under French and British colonial rule. Over generations, they developed their own Creole language, music, traditions, and collective identity.

Nevertheless, Britain informed the United Nations that the archipelago had no permanent inhabitants. Chagossians were recategorized as temporary plantation laborers despite families having been born, raised, and buried on the islands over several generations.

This deception allowed London to avoid acknowledging that it was creating a new colony and displacing a population entitled to international protection.

Declassified documents also exposed the racism behind the policy. One British memorandum envisioned islands with “no indigenous population except seagulls.” Another official referred to the inhabitants as “some few Tarzans or Man Fridays.”

The language was not incidental. It reflected the colonial calculation that a predominantly Black island population could be deprived of its home without meaningful political consequences.

Hunger, intimidation, and the destruction of community life

Britain removed the Chagossians gradually, making the operation less visible while ensuring that normal life on the islands became impossible.

Beginning in 1967, Chagossians who traveled to Mauritius or the Seychelles for medical treatment, holidays, or family visits were prevented from returning. Some learned only when attempting to board a ship home that they had permanently lost access to their houses, possessions, and relatives.

British authorities then reduced the ships delivering food, medicine, and other essential supplies.

Families remaining on Peros Banhos and Salomon watched basic provisions disappear. Milk eventually ran out, forcing women to feed children mixtures of coconut milk and sugar. Some residents were warned that no food would be available unless they agreed to leave.

On Diego Garcia, the authorities ordered the killing of the island’s dogs. More than 1,000 animals, including family pets, were reportedly poisoned, shot, or gassed using exhaust fumes from US military vehicles.

The killings terrorized residents and demonstrated what could happen to living beings considered inconvenient to the construction of the base. Some Chagossians understood the slaughter as a warning intended to drive them from the island.

The principal deportations from Diego Garcia occurred in July and September 1971. By 1973, Britain had removed the entire Chagossian population from the archipelago.

Around 1,500 to 1,750 people were affected, with approximately 1,360 living on the islands shortly before the operation began. They were transported mainly to Mauritius and the Seychelles, often without secure housing, employment, or adequate compensation.

Many arrived to find that promises of jobs and accommodation were false. Families who had previously produced food and relied on the sea were reduced to hunger, overcrowded housing, and extreme poverty.

Chagossians later described deaths, family breakdown, illness, and profound psychological suffering caused by the displacement. They used the term sagren to describe the grief and devastation of being torn from their homeland.

A launchpad for destructive US wars

Once the population had been removed, Diego Garcia was converted into an enormous air and naval installation operated jointly by Britain and the United States.

Its isolated position allowed Washington to deploy bombers, store weapons and supplies, monitor maritime routes, and conduct operations while remaining far from public scrutiny.

The US Navy has described Diego Garcia as the “tip of the spear” for American bombing missions against Iraq and Afghanistan. US Air Force records confirm that B-1, B-2, and B-52 bombers operated from or through the island during the war in Afghanistan, with millions of pounds of explosives dropped during the campaign.

The International Criminal Court subsequently authorized an investigation into claims of war crimes committed in Afghanistan, including torture, cruel treatment, outrages upon personal dignity, and sexual violence carried out by members of the US armed forces and the CIA.

Diego Garcia also supported US operations during the invasion and occupation of Iraq, another war associated with unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detention, and other grave abuses.

The history of the base therefore cannot be separated from the wars it has enabled. A homeland emptied through colonial violence became a platform from which overwhelming military violence could be projected against populations thousands of kilometers away.

Diego Garcia’s role in the US rendition program

The island was also connected to the US “extraordinary rendition” system, through which detainees were secretly transferred between countries and facilities outside ordinary judicial procedures.

For years, British authorities repeated US assurances that Diego Garcia had not been used for rendition flights.

In 2008, London was forced to acknowledge that those assurances were false. Two US aircraft carrying detainees had stopped to refuel on Diego Garcia in 2002.

A British parliamentary committee later concluded that the disclosure damaged confidence in Britain’s control over its own territory and severely undermined the credibility of US assurances.

The identities and destinations of those transported through the base were not publicly disclosed. Rendition operations were widely associated with secret detention, torture and transfers to locations where prisoners faced serious risks of abuse.

Diego Garcia’s remoteness, secrecy, and restricted access made it especially valuable to a system designed to operate beyond public and legal scrutiny.

Britain fought for decades to keep the islanders out

The Chagossians never abandoned their demand to return.

In 2000, Britain’s High Court ruled that the ordinance used to expel them was unlawful. Rather than accept the judgment, the British government introduced new orders preventing permanent resettlement.

Further court victories were eventually overturned in 2008 by the House of Lords, then Britain’s highest court. London continued to insist that Chagossians could not return, citing military, financial, and environmental considerations.

The dispute later moved beyond British courts.

In February 2019, the International Court of Justice ruled by 13 votes to one that Britain’s separation of Chagos from Mauritius had been unlawful. It said the United Kingdom was obligated to end its administration of the archipelago as rapidly as possible.

The court also recorded that between 1967 and 1973, Britain prevented Chagossians who had left from returning and forcibly removed those who remained.

London initially dismissed the opinion as advisory and continued administering the territory. Formal negotiations with Mauritius began only in November 2022, after years of increasing international isolation over Britain’s claim.

A sovereignty treaty that again sidelined the victims

Britain and Mauritius signed a treaty on May 22, 2025, recognizing Mauritian sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago.

Under the agreement, Britain would retain authority over Diego Garcia for an initial 99-year period, with possible extensions. The UK would pay Mauritius approximately £3.4 billion in 2025–26 prices over the initial term.

Mauritius would be permitted to establish a resettlement program on other islands, but Diego Garcia—the birthplace and homeland of many Chagossian families—would remain closed to them.

Many Chagossians said they had not been adequately consulted. Once again, governments negotiated the future of their homeland while treating the displaced population as a secondary consideration.

Even the treaty has not yet completed the transfer of sovereignty. The British legislation required to implement it failed to pass before Parliament was prorogued on April 29, 2026, and can make no further progress in that parliamentary session. The agreement consequently remains in abeyance, although Britain has said it hopes negotiations can eventually be revived.

London’s own explanation exposed its priorities.

“Ensuring its long-term operational security is and will continue to be our priority — it is the entire reason for the deal,” the British government said after the legislation was suspended.

More than half a century after Britain starved, intimidated, and deported the Chagossians, the military installation created through their suffering remains protected above their right to return.

The flags over the territory may eventually change. The colonial logic governing it has not.

Sudanese Army Retakes Key North Kordofan Towns in Advance Against RSF

By Al Mayadeen English

Source: News websites

27 Jul 2026 16:00

The Sudanese Armed Forces announce the recapture of Bara, Umm Sayala and Jabra al-Sheikh in North Kordofan, disrupting RSF supply routes between Darfur and central Sudan.

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have announced the recapture of the strategic towns of Bara, Umm Sayala and Jabra al-Sheikh in North Kordofan following a large-scale military operation against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The advance marks one of the army’s most significant gains in Kordofan this year and comes as both sides continue competing for control of key supply routes connecting central Sudan with Darfur.

The operation was carried out by the SAF with support from the Joint Force of allied armed groups and other pro-army formations, according to military sources.

The offensive followed weeks of clashes in northern North Kordofan, where the RSF had reinforced its positions north and west of El Obeid in an effort to secure logistical routes used to move fighters, weapons and supplies between Darfur and central Sudan.

Military sources said army forces advanced toward Bara after entering Umm Sayala, launching clearing operations against RSF positions in the area. The SAF later announced that it had secured Bara and surrounding areas while pursuing RSF fighters who withdrew westward.

Strategic corridor between Darfur and central Sudan

Bara holds strategic geographic importance along the road connecting El Obeid with northern North Kordofan and Darfur. Umm Sayala lies along the same route, which has served as a key corridor for RSF movements in recent months.

Military analysts said the army’s control of the two towns could reduce the threat of further RSF pressure on El Obeid, the SAF’s main stronghold in North Kordofan, which has faced repeated drone and artillery attacks.

The gains also strengthen the army’s ability to secure the Export Road and routes leading towards White Nile state and Khartoum, while providing a potential launch point for further operations towards Darfur.

The North Kordofan state government said the offensive followed an RSF attack in the Barbir area south of El Obeid, accusing the group of killing 15 civilians, injuring others and looting residents’ property.

Authorities said SAF forces pursued the attackers, forced their withdrawal and secured the area to prevent further incursions. Meanwhile, residents reported drone strikes targeting water stations in Rahid al-Nuba and Umm Nabaq, disrupting supplies relied upon by thousands of displaced people who fled Umm Sayala, Jabra al-Sheikh and eastern Bara.

North Kordofan emerges as major battlefield

North Kordofan has become one of the central fronts in Sudan’s war, which erupted in April 2023 between the army and the RSF.

The RSF had used Bara’s location to maintain links between its forces in Darfur and central Sudan, while El Obeid remained a key SAF military base in the region. The army has frequently sought to cut RSF supply lines from Darfur, while the paramilitary group has attempted to preserve its logistical corridors towards West Kordofan and western Sudan.

Umm Sayala has witnessed repeated clashes due to its position along a major military route connecting central Sudan with Darfur.

Despite the army’s latest gains, fighting continues along approaches to Darfur, with clashes reported along the Kordofan-Darfur boundary as the RSF attempts to reorganize its defensive positions and reinforce its forces in western Sudan.

Field sources said fighting has intensified along routes leading towards El Fasher and other western areas, with both sides deploying combat vehicles and drones.

The developments indicate that the battlefield focus is gradually shifting from the outskirts of El Obeid towards the wider front between Kordofan and Darfur. Analysts said the capture of Bara and Umm Sayala provides the SAF with an operational advantage by restricting RSF mobility in North Kordofan and disrupting one of its main overland supply routes.

The advance could allow the army to consolidate its position in North Kordofan before attempting further operations towards West Kordofan and Darfur, where the RSF maintains its main military and administrative strongholds.

However, fighting is expected to continue as both sides seek to strengthen their positions ahead of the next phase of the conflict, with Darfur increasingly emerging as a decisive battleground following major shifts in territorial control across Sudan.

Sudan Rejects US Truce Plan, Fears Libya-style Partition

By Al Mayadeen English

26 Jul 2026 21:01

A senior Sudanese official affirms that Khartoum will not accept a US-backed truce that risks legitimizing RSF control or partitioning the country.

Sudan's political leadership has rejected a US-backed proposal for a 90-day ceasefire, warning that any deal built around freezing the current front lines risks entrenching Rapid Support Forces control over Sudanese territory and setting the stage for the country's partition.

"We cannot hand over our people to the political ambitions of the RSF. At the same time, we cannot accept partition like the Libya scenario," Amgad Fareid Eltayeb, political and foreign affairs adviser to the chairman of Sudan's Sovereignty Council, told Anadolu Agency.

What Washington is proposing

The plan, presented by Massad Boulos, the US president's senior advisor for Arab and African affairs, calls for an immediate 90-day humanitarian truce accompanied by a UN-led mechanism for limited withdrawals by the Rapid Support Forces, prioritized in North Darfur and North Kordofan.

Broader military arrangements, including a full RSF pullback and disarmament, would be negotiated later as part of a permanent ceasefire. The proposal also envisions a civilian-led political transition toward elections and a unified national military.

Khartoum has consistently rejected that sequencing. The Sudanese government insists any truce must begin with a complete RSF withdrawal from all cities and areas under its control, along with enforceable guarantees, before political or security arrangements are even discussed.

Officials view the alternative, RSF forces relocating into defined zones during a truce, as a step toward legitimizing the group's territorial gains rather than a step toward ending the war.

El Obeid, the new flashpoint

Eltayeb pointed to El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, as the current center of gravity in the conflict, three times the size of El Fasher, the North Darfur capital the RSF seized in October 2025 amid mass killings that, according to the United Nations, amounted to acts of genocide. He accused the RSF of attempting a similar campaign against El Obeid and said government forces had repelled the group's attacks and retained control of the city.

He rejected framing the war as a civil conflict between two equal parties, describing it instead as an assault by "fascist militias" on the Sudanese state, its government, and its people. He also accused the RSF of using drones supplied by unnamed regional backers to target civilians and called on the international community to designate the group a "terrorist organization".

Why 'freezing' the lines is the real dispute

For Khartoum, the core objection to the US proposal is not the idea of a truce itself but what would happen during it. Eltayeb said Sudan would not accept proposals that "freeze" the current military situation, arguing that doing so would effectively legitimize RSF control over civilian areas and leave the Sudanese people hostage to the group.

That concern echoes what has driven the government's position throughout the negotiations. If the RSF retains control over large parts of Darfur and Kordofan during a truce period, officials fear, today's battle lines could evolve into tomorrow's political boundaries, producing a Sudan that resembles other conflict states where an internationally recognized government coexists with a de facto authority controlling its own territory.

The absence of a binding timetable for ending any redeployment and restoring full state authority only deepens that fear.

Washington, for its part, has framed the proposal around three narrower goals: halting hostilities, enabling humanitarian access, and creating conditions to restart a political process. Analysts tracking the talks acknowledge that both sides suspect a ceasefire would simply let their opponent regroup, and that any credible agreement would need enforceable monitoring mechanisms that remain, at this stage, poorly defined.

Tensions between Khartoum, Washington

The dispute is unfolding against a backdrop of wider friction between Khartoum and Washington. The United States imposed a new round of sanctions on Sudan in July over allegations that government forces used chemical weapons during the war, a charge Khartoum has repeatedly denied as baseless and politically timed to coincide with battlefield setbacks for the RSF.

At the same time, Sudan has been deepening ties elsewhere, with Khartoum and Saudi Arabia moving to activate a Supreme Council for Strategic Cooperation and Coordination, part of a broader reassessment of foreign relations based on how other countries have positioned themselves during the conflict.

An unresolved initiative

Analysts following the negotiations read the latest US proposal as a recognition in Washington that neither side is likely to achieve a decisive military victory, pushing the mediation effort from seeking an outright end to the war toward managing it through phased arrangements. But that approach carries its own risk. An agreement that lets both sides hold stable territorial zones could turn a temporary military reality into a lasting political one, the very outcome Khartoum says it will not accept.

Whether the initiative survives will depend on whether mediators can offer credible guarantees on the duration of any redeployment, a workable monitoring mechanism, and a clear path back to full state authority. Absent that, Eltayeb's own framing suggests Khartoum sees only one outcome on offer, a ceasefire that quietly draws a new map of the country rather than ending the war that produced it.

Europe’s Approaching Dangerous Point, Sanctions, New Ideas of Ukraine: Russian Diplomat

According to Maria Zakharova, Russia will soon announce its response to the 21st package of the European Union’s sanctions

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova Sofya Sandurskaya/TASS

© Sofya Sandurskaya/TASS

RZHEV /Tver Region/, July 27. /TASS/. Europe’s militarization is bringing the world to a dangerous point, while people are becoming more and more aware of how fragile peace is, the Russian foreign ministry’s official spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said.

She stressed that attempts to use sanctions to undermine Russia's energy cooperation with its partners amid the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz will destabilize global markets. According to the diplomat, Russia will soon announce its response to the 21st package of the European Union’s sanctions. She also called on Washington to clarify the situation surrounding the Anchorage agreements before proposing new

Revival of Nazism in the West

Eighty years after being liberated from Nazism, Europe is again trying to turn itself into a "neo-Nazi militarized monster."

The West justifies barbaric acts against civilians, "they hush up acts of terror, they whitewash the neo-Nazi nature of those responsible."

Ukrainian settlement

Moscow calls on Washington to clarify the situation surrounding the Anchorage agreements before proposing new ideas: "Before discussing something new, something that has not yet been voiced or articulated, it would probably be risght to clarify the old issues first, particularly the discussions that have already taken place regarding these ideas."

"A logical question arises, one that, for some reason, has not been addressed by the State Department or anywhere else, namely, who exactly was to blame for the failure of the so-called Anchorage formula, which truly had the potential to bring peace."

Russia is ready to discuss ideas on how to settle the conflict in Ukraine diplomatically: "We once again reaffirm our readiness for potential discussions, proposals, ideas we will be ready to consider. We have never refused from this."

Anti-Russian sanctions

The ineffectiveness of the sanction pressure on Russia is clearly seen. "As for our response, retaliatory measures to the 21st anti-Russian sanctions package will be announced soon."

The EU's decision to impose sanctions against Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky is vile and cowardly, driven in part by his efforts to restore the memory of the Great Patriotic War.

The European Union's actions regarding the Russian oil price cap "can only be described as a farce."

Attempts to use sanctions to undermine Russia's energy cooperation with its partners amid the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz "will inevitably lead to further market destabilization, fragmentation of global trade, inflation, a decline in welfare, and worsening growth prospects in most nations, hitting hardest the poorest countries that depend on energy, fertilizer, and food imports."

US President Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans are doing him a disservice by pushing for sanctions against Russia. The United States will shoot itself in the foot if it passes Republican Senator Lindsey Graham’s sanctions bill, which is intended to rein in the White House.

Mirotvorets extremist site

For some reason, the Kiev regime’s extremist website Mirotvorets has never been the subject of discussion among Western human rights organizations "as something utterly reprehensible and shameful for all of humanity." It operates openly, "without any criticism from the West."

The extremist website cynically publishes information about children, "accusing them - and I quote - of attempting to undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and of deliberately violating Ukraine’s state border."

More than 100 children were put on the Mirotvorets database in 2025, with the entire list numbering "dozens and hundreds of names."

The United Kingdom’s anti-Russian policy

The destructive anti-Russian course of London will not change with the change of the cabinet of ministers in the country: "Whoever may be in power in Britain, its desire to inflict maximum damage on Russia and provoke a confrontation dangerous for Europe, regardless of any costs, including for its own country, apparently is not subject to revision, based on what we have heard."

Relations between Moscow and London have been wrecked due to the anti-Russian steps by the British authorities: "All of this has happened solely at the British side’s initiative."

All of London's actions aimed at damaging relations with Moscow "were accompanied by steps to turn Ukraine into an ‘anti-Russia’."

Fragility of peace

Europe’s militarization is bringing the world to a dangerous point while "ordinary people are becoming more and more aware of how fragile peace is."

The real threat to Khersones Tavrichesky "comes precisely from the Kiev regime," which regularly carries out attacks on Crimean monuments: "Crimea’s unique monuments are regularly subjected to Ukrainian terrorist attacks and the threat of drone strikes; debris from missiles and drones, which the Kiev regime receives from its Western sponsors, is regularly found in the protected area."

Ukraine’s attacks on civilians

Russia strongly condemns the brutal attacks committed by the armed forces of Ukraine against targets in the southern Russian Rostov Region and calls on "all responsible governments, related international organizations and independent media to publicly and unequivocally condemn Kiev’s atrocities in the Rostov Region," she said. "Remaining silent will imply complicity in terrorist activities of Ukrainian neo-Nazis, and will encourage them to commit new crimes."

Western countries have been turning a blind eye to the Kiev regime’s deliberate attacks targeting children, encouraging such behavior by all means: "Not only do they turn a blind eye, they encourage it in different forms - by sending more and more diverse weapons, and by providing them with political and informational support."

Russia’s army and law enforcement agencies will punish the Kiev regime for its terrorist attacks against civilians: "They are targeting civilians. Punishment will follow for that. Both through the efforts of the Russian Armed Forces and through the work of law enforcement agencies that continue to gather evidence to bring Kiev regime officials, Ukrainian military commanders, and foreign mercenaries to criminal liability for war crimes and terrorism."

The anti-Russian remarks made by the new commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Mikhail Drapaty, are a manifestation of Nazism: "Perhaps this (the anti-Russian remarks - TASS) has convinced even the greatest skeptics of who we are up against. They are Nazis."

Betrayal of Ukraine’s interests by the Kiev authorities

Ukrainian statehood would be thriving if it weren’t for all "these Western European politicians": "Of course, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was given her own segment. How Ukrainian statehood could have survived without her? But I can tell you this: it would be thriving if it weren’t for all these Western European politicians."

The President of the European Commission has ties to financial groups: "The point is that Ursula von der Leyen has nothing to do with her homeland, Germany, or the European Union, but rather with those financial groups to which she is directly connected, groups that couldn’t care little about the fate of Europe, whether Western, Central, or Europe as a whole. All they care about is lining their own pockets."

Denmark and Germany’s anti-Russian actions

Denmark’s groundless allegations about Russia’s malicious activity in cyberspace "are utterly absurd."

Copenhagen is fueling Russophobia: "The true motive behind such propaganda campaigns is to whip up Russophobia and panic in society in order to justify the hostile anti-Russian policy, expand the powers and budgets of relevant agencies, and, naturally, justify exorbitant spending on the militarization of Denmark."

Ukrainian hackers use Danish infrastructure to stage cyberattacks against Russia and carry out fraudulent activities against Russians: "Copenhagen is providing practical assistance in the digital sphere to the Kiev regime and has helped turn Ukraine into a launching pad for cyberattacks."

Moscow intends to urge international sports organizations to take appropriate measures against Germany, which barred children from Russia from participating in the European Deaf Youth Games: "We will continue to uphold our country’s principled approach, oppose politicization and discrimination in sports, and ensure unimpeded access and full participation of athletes in international competitions."

Kiev’s policy against the Russian language

The Kiev regime is failing on the language front and, in desperation, is resorting to "blatant repression" against Ukrainians who use the Russian language: "They're resorting to real repression, you know, blatant repression, in the worst sense of the word."

"Despite the unprecedented pressure, Russian-speaking residents of Ukraine, and they constitute the majority, continue to speak and think in their native language, Russian, the language of their ancestors, their childhood, their parents, and their schools."

Japan’s militarization

Moscow "keeps a close eye" on Tokyo’s statements on nuclear weapons.

Russian calls on Japan "to remember the lessons of history it is trying so hard to forget, I mean the history of World War II, and get back on the peaceful path."

Japan should organize an open discussion on preserving the memory of who used nuclear weapons against the country: "You just quoted Japan’s defense minister, who stated that Japan needs an open discussion on nuclear weapons. I just want to clarify: doesn’t Japan need the same kind of an open discussion to preserve the memory of who and how used these nuclear weapons against Japanese citizens back then, 80 years ago?"

Russia sees the revival of the spirit of Japanese militarism in an environment when "no one threatens" its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Japan poses potential threats to Russia’s security because of its intentions to add a nuclear component to the "already accelerating process."

Japan will inevitably be faced with "tough response from a range of regional countries" if it deploys nuclear weapons.

Russia’s MFA Slams EU's Actions on Oil Price Cap as ‘Farce’

According to Maria Zakharova, Moscow has long been accustomed to the EU arbitrarily changing any rules of the game regarding the Russian fuel and energy complex and other sectors

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova Alexander Shcherbak/TASS

© Alexander Shcherbak/TASS

RZHEV /Tver Region/, July 27. /TASS/. The European Union's actions regarding the Russian oil price cap are a farce, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a briefing.

"What Brussels has orchestrated around the oil price cap situation can only be described as a farce. We have long been accustomed to the European Union arbitrarily changing any rules of the game regarding the Russian fuel and energy complex and other sectors, without considering the consequences for its member states and populations, much less for third countries," she said.

Zakharova pointed out the absurdity of Brussels "rewriting even anti-Russian sanctions on the fly."

"They agreed to a freeze on the current price cap for a year ahead, because otherwise, market conditions would have led to its automatic upward adjustment," she went on. "This says a lot about the long-term planning abilities of EU eurocrats and the effectiveness of Brussels' sanctions mechanisms. I believe this speaks primarily to their intellectual capacity. Or, better yet, their lack thereof."

Putin Increases Russian Troop Strength by 25,000 Service Members

The decree comes into force on August 1

© Alexander Reka/TASS

MOSCOW, July 27. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed an executive order to set the size of the Russian armed forces at 2,426,130 people, including 1,535,000 service members.

The executive order instructs to "establish the staff number of the Russian armed forces at 2,426,130 people, including 1,535,000 service members."

Therefore, the overall number grew by 27,000 people, including 25,000 service members.

The decree comes into force on August 1.

Also, the decree sets the maximum number of the Russian Defense Ministry’s central office personnel at 13,400, not including security guards and other auxiliary workers. Of them, 4,930 are to be civil servants.

Peskov Reflects on Russia’s Difference from US, ‘Might Makes Right’ Rule

Dmitry Peskov noted that Western countries had destroyed independent and dissenting media as soon as the conflict with Russia had begun

Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov Valery Sharifulin/TASS

© Valery Sharifulin/TASS

SOLNECHNOGORSK /Moscow Region/, July 27. /TASS/. Russia maintains its obligations in the social sphere and, therefore, it cannot afford spending hundreds of billions of dollars on social networks like the United States does, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told the Territory of Meanings forum.

There is no law in the information sector, so the "might makes right" rule is widely used there, he added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin studies every subject that he is working on in detail, and is ready to discuss matters with related specialists on an equal footing, the Kremlin spokesman said.

Below are Peskov’s key remarks made at the forum.

Spending on social networks

Russia sticks to its social commitments, and, therefore, cannot afford spending hundreds of billions of dollars on social networks. "Americans spend hundreds of billions of dollars to develop their social networks. We cannot afford that: we do not have such funds, and, unlike them, we are a welfare state. Our state bears an enormous load of responsibilities to its citizens."

Being unable to direct vast funds to the sphere of information technologies, Russia should bet on making unique products instead: "The success of an information product is not always defined by the amount of money invested. We need to take a different approach, to aim at adding some unique elements."

Illusion of media freedom

The much-touted media freedom "remains in place as long as it corresponds to the views of owners of this or that media platform." "As soon as it starts to contradict with interests of [media] bosses or the government’s interests, the independence is over."

The only rule in the information sector is the ‘might makes right’ approach: "There are no laws and no rules, what matters is only who is the strongest and most technologically advanced."

"Information is being suppressed. They launch their own algorithms that push any information that you try to send to the very bottom [of the search list]."

Western countries destroyed independent and dissenting media as soon as the conflict with Russia began: "What happened when the conflict started? Despite claims of unquestionable media freedom, which they professed to us for decades, they simply closed and prohibited [undesirable media outlets]."

Informational and technological sovereignty

"There is no information sovereignty as such, information knows no borders or boundaries."

Russia should rely on sovereign media technologies and instruments: "We should have at our disposal the entire array of instruments allowing us to bring about our own meanings."

Sovereignty in the area of information and technologies develops best during crises: "This experience is useful, because any sovereignty, particularly in the sphere of information, can hardly develop within the zone of comfort, when everything is calm. It needs a crisis to thrive."

The current crisis only made the Russian society stronger: "We are now in the midst of an ideal crisis, which strengthens our sovereignty and which <…> filled our lives with unity and consolidated our ranks."

About Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin closely studies every subject he has to deal with: "Every time, Putin studies the subject from a to z, to the point where he is capable of engaging in a meaningful discussion with specialists, who have been studying the subject for their whole life. And his ability to learn <…> always makes me admire him."

"This is a quality of exceptional importance, and I advise you all to learn."

Russia’s development

Russia will always have to resist flows of information from countries that are angered by its clout, power or independence. During the current difficult period, Russia will achieve its goals "and enter the period where it will start to develop at a rapid pace.".

Russian Ambassador Rejects Romania’s Accusations Related to Drone Incidents

Vladimir Lipaev noted that "Russia has never targeted combat drones at facilities in Romania and is not doing this, and that any speculations on this topic are absolutely groundless, whoever they come from"

Russian Ambassador to Romania Vladimir Lipaev The Russian embassy in Romania

© The Russian embassy in Romania

BUCHAREST, July 27. /TASS/. The Romanian foreign ministry summoned Russian Ambassador to Bucharest Vladimir Lipaev to lodge a protest over the alleged violation of the country’s airspace by Russian drones and announce the expulsion of an embassy employee, the Russian embassy in Bucharest said.

"The diplomat categorically rejected the groundless accusations against Russia, slamming them as another propaganda show meant to prevent further strikes by the Russian armed forces against Ukrainian port infrastructure on the Danube and in the Black Sea, which is actively used by NATO for supplying the Ukrainian army with weapons and equipment via Romania’s territory," the embassy said in a press statement. "No evidence was presented to prove that the drones belonged to Russia. None of the questions regarding the technical flight parameters was answered."

According to the statement, the Russian ambassador stressed that "Russia has never targeted combat drones at facilities in Romania and is not doing this, and that any speculations on this topic are absolutely groundless, whoever they come from."

"The Romanian side’s attention was drawn to the fact that support for the Kiev terrorist regime in any format is absolutely ‘inadmissible and unacceptable’ and leads to the conflict protraction and new human casualties," the statement underscores. "The ambassador warned against further escalation of confrontation with Russia and any attempts by Romanian air defense forces to conduct cross-border operations, which would mean Romania's involvement in direct combat operations on Ukrainian territory."

The unsubstantiated expulsion of a Russian embassy employee will not remain unanswered by Russia," the ministry stressed.

Romania’s foreign ministry said earlier that it had summoned Russian Ambassador Vladimir Lipaev in connection with "repeated violations of Romania’s airspace between July 24 and 26, 2026, when the Romanian army shot down three drones that had entered the national territory without permission." The Russian diplomatic envoy received a verbal note demanding that one of the Russian diplomats should leave the country within five days. Romania has also recalled its ambassador from Moscow to Bucharest for consultations.

Kiev, West Using 'Confidentiality' as Cover to Mask Lies About Russia — Diplomat

Russia receives "vague answers" that create a situation of "strategic uncertainty," Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large for the crimes of the Kiev regime Rodion Miroshnik said

Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large for the crimes of the Kiev regime Rodion Miroshnik Pavel Seleznev/TASS

© Pavel Seleznev/TASS

MOSCOW, July 28. /TASS/. Kiev and the countries and organizations supporting it are creating an atmosphere of "strategic uncertainty" in which it is easy to hide lies and manipulation by refusing to provide evidence for their accusations against Russia on the grounds of "confidentiality," Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large for the crimes of the Kiev regime Rodion Miroshnik told TASS in an interview.

"For three years, they have refused to answer our questions. 'Give us a list of the people killed in Bucha.' 'Well, how can we do that? That’s confidential!' 'What’s confidential? Are the details of a murder victim confidential?' Nevertheless, the UN Secretary General’s office allows itself to give such answers, claiming that these are 'highly confidential matters.' <…> The data has not been provided in a single official document. Repeated statements that independent expert examinations would be conducted have come to nothing. There are no official documents. In other words, no entity has stepped forward to take responsibility and present verifiable evidence," the diplomat said.

According to him, Russia receives "vague answers" that create a situation of "strategic uncertainty." "It’s very convenient. 'Strategic uncertainty' is a very convenient cover for lies, manipulation, and other tools used to propagate knowingly false information," Miroshnik concluded.

Ugandan Diplomat Olara Otunnu Joins Race to Lead the United Nations

Ugandan diplomat Olara Otunnu has become the seventh candidate to join the race to become the next leader of the United Nations.

The former UN under-secretary-general, who served as a special representative for children and armed conflict, was nominated by Kampala on Friday.

A previous opposition presidential candidate, he also served as Uganda's UN envoy, and as his country's foreign minister for a brief period.

At 75, he is the oldest of the current candidates to replace Antonio Guterres whose mandate as secretary-general comes to an end on 31 December after two five-year terms in the post.

The other potential successors in the running are from Chile, Ecuador, Argentina, Costa Rica, Guyana, and Senegal's Macky Sall.

The six other candidates, four of them women, participated in a televised debate on Thursday.

At the end of this month, the 15 members of UN Security Council are due to hold their first closed-door, anonymous vote on their preferences among the candidates.

That first "straw poll" will be followed by an unspecified number of similar votes until one person secures the required nine votes, without a veto from any of the five permanent members -- the United States, Britain, China, France, and Russia.

The name of the selected candidate will then be sent to the General Assembly for formal appointment to the position.

He or she will take office on 1 January 2027.

Tunisian Town of Sidi Bou Said Added to UNESCO World Heritage List

Famed for its cobbled streets and blue and white houses, the Tunisian coastal town of Sidi Bou Said on Saturday was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list.

Perched on a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and the ancient ruins of Carthage, the picturesque village is a major tourist stop.

It was built in the 18th century around the shrine of the revered Sufi master Sidi Bou Said al-Baji, who founded a spiritual sanctuary there in the 12th or 13th century.

But the popular site faces major challenges including pressure on land use and the geological stability of the cliff.

In January, the heaviest rainfall in over 70 years caused major damage, triggering landslides as mud swept down alleyways, destroying facades, and damaging homes.

The Tunisian cultural ministry says the town, 20 kilometres outside of the capital Tunis, was recognised for its outstanding universal value.

It hailed the announcement as a signal of "the universal exceptional value of Sidi Bou Said as a space of cultural, spiritual and artistic inspiration".

The ministry cited the town’s distinct architectural identity, rich cultural heritage, and centuries-long contribution to Mediterranean civilisation.

With the inscription of Sidi Bou Said, Tunisia now has 10 sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

Thousands Rally in Tunisian Capital Calling for End of President's Rule

Protesters during a demonstration against President Kais Saied, Tunis, Tunisia, 25 July 2026.

Tunisia

Thousands of Tunisians took to the streets of the capital, Tunis, on Saturday to demand the resignation of President Kais Saied.

Demonstrators held signs reading "Get out," "Game over," and "Only Kaïs remains happy," while chanting slogans against the president.

The protest came as the country marked five years since Saied suspended parliament and later dissolved it in order to rule by decree.

They were denouncing worsening living conditions, democratic backsliding, and mismanagement of the state.

Academic and sociology researcher, Mouldi Gassoumi, said the march was a call for citizens “to rediscover the values and principles of the Republic”.

“Unfortunately, these values began to be abandoned on 25 July 2021, since what I have repeatedly described as a 'coup d’état against the constitutional order',” he said.

The march was the latest in a string of demonstrations opposing crackdowns on dissent, the struggling economy, and limits on press freedom.

Protesters held up portraits of imprisoned journalist Mourad Zghidi, with his sister urging people to resist, saying people today are “oppressed and imprisoned”.

“And those who could bring added value to this country are behind bars. The country is facing great dangers, and we must take to the streets to defend its achievements," she said.

Saturday’s demonstration comes amid growing social tensions. In recent days, Tunisia has been hit by an intense heatwave.

It has sparked multiple wildfires and caused repeated power and water outages, deepening public frustration over the decline in basic services.

Climate Experts Say Super El Niño Will Negatively Impact African Economies

A family uses a canoe after fleeing floodwaters that wreaked havoc in Ombaka Village, Kisumu, Kenya, 17 April 2024.

Climate experts warn that an impending “super” El Niño will have a negative impact on African economies and trigger mass migration from hard-hit areas.

African Development bank specialists told Reuters news agency that it is likely to inflict a combined $10 billion to $20 billion hit on affected countries.

Its director for climate change and green growth, Anthony Nyong, said it will reduce the GDP of heavily impacted countries by one to two per cent on average.

He did not provide a country-by-country breakdown of the estimate, but warned it was unlikely to be a once-off either, with the effects potentially lasting for years.

Forecasters warn that the naturally occurring weather pattern could turn into one of the strongest ever seen if current Pacific Ocean warming trends continue.

A super El Niño is defined by sea surface temperatures more than two degrees Celsius above normal in the central Pacific.

The weather pattern typically brings drought to Southern Africa and heavy rains and flooding in East Africa.

In the 2023 to 2024 El Niño event, this ‌led to widespread crop failures, surging food prices, and record-breaking sea-level spikes along the continent’s coastlines.

The bank estimates that African farmers are already facing nearly $330 million in lost income ⁠this year, amid high energy prices and fertilizer disruptions due to the war in the Middle East.

It said the fishing industries could be ⁠hard hit due to rising sea temperatures and storms.

Conflicts, debt pressures, and cuts in international aid are also contributing to a weaker capacity in many countries to respond to external shocks.

The AfDB identified Sudan, South ​Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Mali, Burundi and even Nigeria as countries that could face particularly severe impacts.

Senegal’s President Faye Launches a New Party Over Deepening Split with Former Ally Sonko

President Bassirou Diomaye Faye addresses the 80th session of the UN General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Monday, Sept. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis, File)

By MARK BANCHEREAU

3:24 PM EDT, July 25, 2026

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Senegal ‘s president formally launched his own political party Saturday, cementing his rupture with former ally Ousmane Sonko, the head of the ruling Pastef party, and setting up a power struggle during a major debt crisis.

The creation of Bassirou Diomaye Faye ‘s Republican Patriots party makes official a split that had been building for months between the two men. They rose to power together in 2024 under the Pastef banner, an acronym for its French name, Patriotes Africains du Sénégal pour le Travail, l’Éthique et la Fraternité.

In the weeks leading up to the launch, a growing number of Pastef officials resigned from the party to join Faye’s camp, including several regional leaders and members of its youth wing. Several members of the opposition party Alliance for The Republic have also joined Faye’s movement.

Faye and Sonko’s alliance, forged ahead of the 2024 presidential election, unraveled amid disputes over key policy decisions, including how to approach negotiations with the International Monetary Fund over a loan program amid a severe debt crisis.

Faye dismissed Sonko as prime minister earlier this year, but Sonko’s party retained its large majority in parliament, and he was elected president of the National Assembly soon after.

A new prime minister, Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo, was appointed in May, and a new Cabinet was formed the following month without any ministers from Pastef, after Sonko announced his party would not take part in the government.

Faye and Sonko had campaigned together in 2024 on pledges to create jobs for young people, crack down on corruption and win Senegal a bigger share of revenue from its oil, gas and mineral wealth.

But those promises have grown harder to deliver, as Senegal’s debt burden has worsened since they took office, after officials discovered the previous administration had underreported billions of dollars in borrowing.

The formation of Faye’s new party sets up a political showdown between the former allies that is likely to play out in local elections in 2027 and could shape the campaign for the 2029 presidential race.

MARK BANCHEREAU

Banchereau covers 22 countries across West and Central Africa for The Associated Press. He is based in Dakar, Senegal.

Ebola Infections in DR Congo Surge to 3,200, with 1,405 Deaths

Cases have surged by 1,000 in just 10 days as outbreak continues to spread across five provinces.

27 Jul 2026

The number of people infected with Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has risen to 3,200, according to government data, including at least 1,405 deaths.

The data was released on Sunday as medics struggle to contain the DRC’s 17th Ebola outbreak, with infections surging by about 1,000 in just 10 days.

The outbreak, declared on May 15, is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment.

The World Health Organization said nearly 90 percent of cases have been reported in the northeastern province of Ituri, which borders South Sudan and Uganda.

The United Nations agency says the virus is in five provinces, including two new provinces where it has spread recently.

“In many cases the humanitarian community wants to help, but the real challenge is getting there”, said Hedley Tah of the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), which flies medics and response teams to crisis front lines.

In addition to moving aid workers to stricken areas, Tah added that UNHAS is “moving samples for lab testing to ensure traceability can continue”.

Authorities said that improved detection and testing had helped identify more infections.

The outbreak could last several more months, and strikes by healthcare workers demanding unpaid wages have disrupted response efforts in some hospitals.

Ebola, which spreads through contact with bodily fluids and causes hemorrhagic fever, has killed more than 15,000 people across Africa over the past 50 years.

Scientists are racing to develop vaccines and treatments against the Bundibugyo strain, with Oxford University saying on Friday that the first volunteer group had received an experimental vaccine targeting the strain.

Several other candidate vaccines are being fast-tracked for clinical trials, while two potential treatments are also under development.

What Experts Are Saying as Ebola Outbreak in DR Congo and Uganda Kills More than 1,000 People

World 

Jul 24, 2026 9:19 AM EDT

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history has killed more than 1,000 people in eastern Congo as health officials race to contain a virus with no approved vaccine or treatment.

An update from Congo's public health institute on Wednesday said there have been 2,536 confirmed Ebola cases and 1,033 deaths, with at least 738 patients in isolation or hospitalized.

The outbreak declared on May 15 is unlike most previous instances of Ebola spreading through communities because the Bundibugyo virus responsible has no approved vaccines or treatments.

It is mostly concentrated in remote Ituri province, which accounts for nearly 90% of cases, but there have been others confirmed in five provinces including one of Congo's largest cities, Kisangani, and in neighboring Uganda.

Here is what to know about the outbreak:

Outbreak is spreading despite signs of slowing

While Congolese officials say the sharp rise in cases appears to be slowing, they caution the outbreak has not yet peaked. The latest report by the country's public health institute says transmission remains sustained, with recent fluctuations in cases likely influenced by reporting delays and ongoing data consolidation.

Contact tracing continues to lag, with only around 77% of known contacts monitored nationwide, well below the 95% target health officials say is needed to interrupt transmission.

Responders are struggling to understand how far the Ebola outbreak has spread and how much worse it might become.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers last month used computer modeling and found that in a worst-case scenario, the current Ebola outbreak could approach the worst in history.

The West Africa epidemic in 2014-2016 caused more than 11,000 deaths and took about eight months from the first case to reach 1,000 deaths.

The new outbreak's origin is still a medical mystery. The vast majority of cases are emerging from unknown chains of transmission, the World Health Organization said.

Risk of the outbreak spreading globally remains low

The WHO continues to assess the risk from the outbreak as "very high" inside Congo and "high" in Uganda and neighboring countries, citing cross-border spread, frequent population movement and ongoing transmission in eastern Congo.

The agency says the global risk of spread is low, noting Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person rather than through the air, making it much harder to spread than respiratory viruses.

While WHO says additional imported cases are likely as the outbreak grows, those cases have so far been rapidly detected and contained without leading to sustained transmission outside the affected region.

The CDC echoed that assessment in its latest situation report, saying Ebola doesn't spread like respiratory viruses such as flu or COVID-19.

"You cannot get Ebola from being near someone," the agency said.

The CDC also notes that people infected with Ebola are not contagious until they develop symptoms, making case identification and contact tracing easier than with diseases that spread before symptoms appear.

The outbreak has spread little beyond Congo

The vast majority of Ebola cases are concentrated in Congo.

In neighboring Uganda, 20 cases have been confirmed, including two deaths. All cases were linked to imported infections from Congo and are concentrated in the capital Kampala. No new Ebola cases have been reported since June 21 and the WHO has discharged its final patient, beginning the 42-day countdown used to declare the end of an outbreak.

A positive case of Ebola was identified in France in a doctor traveling from Congo in June. He has since fully recovered and was discharged from the hospital earlier this month.

The United States currently bars most recent travelers from Congo from entering the country and requires U.S. citizens to spend 21 days outside Congo before returning, while travelers from neighboring Uganda and South Sudan who are allowed to enter are routed through designated airports for Ebola screening.

U.S. plans to build an Ebola quarantine facility in Kenya for Americans evacuated from Congo have been met with legal challenges and a series of protests in Kenya, including some that have turned violent.

Community resistance and lack of testing slow response

Lack of trust and resistance from locals remain one of the biggest obstacles to containing the outbreak, according to authorities and health workers.

Rumors about Ebola treatment centers, fears of isolation and resistance to safe burials have led some people to avoid testing or seek care only after becoming critically ill.

The response also has been hampered by conflict. Fighting involving the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, attacks by the Islamic State-linked Allied Democratic Forces and mass displacement have complicated surveillance, contact tracing and access to affected communities.

At least 16 people were killed in an attack Wednesday by suspected ADF rebels in a village in Ituri province, local authorities said Thursday.

Unlike previous Ebola outbreaks, the Bundibugyo virus driving the epidemic has no approved vaccine or treatment. Although testing capacity has expanded since the outbreak began, responders say the virus continues to spread faster than they can contain it.

"There's never been an Ebola outbreak that started with so many cases because it was so late to be identified," said Trish Newport, emergency program manager for Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), who has been working in Congo.

Earlier this month, researchers began the first clinical trial of potential treatments for the Bundibugyo virus, enrolling patients at an Ebola treatment center in Ituri province. The WHO said it could take months and as many as 1,000 participants to determine whether either of the two experimental treatments is effective.

Associated Press writers Mike Stobbe in New York and Prosper Heri Ngorora in Bunia, Congo, contributed to this report.

More Health Workers Strike as Ebola Cases in DR Congo Near 3,000, Including Over 1,300 Deaths

By PROSPER HERI NGORORA and CONSTANT SAME BAGALWA

1:19 PM EDT, July 25, 2026

BUNIA, Congo (AP) — Health workers at an Ebola treatment center in eastern Congo went on strike on Saturday, demanding their pay. The walkout disrupted care for patients in the epicenter of the country’s rapidly growing outbreak.

The number of confirmed cases of Ebola in Congo has reached 2,973, including 1,309 deaths, according to government data released on Friday in what authorities say is the fastest-growing outbreak on record.

The Elikya Ebola Treatment Center in Bunia, Ituri province, came to a standstill after doctors, nurses and security staff stopped work.

About a hundred health workers protested outside the treatment center on Saturday. They said the unpaid bonuses were undermining morale and disrupting patient care, and called on Congolese authorities to resolve the backpay so they could resume their work.

“We need to be paid, because in the meantime the disease is spreading at the treatment center,” Martin Bolombi, one of the health workers on strike said.

“I’ve already had five people die who are still inside there. A solution must be found for us,” he added.

In a statement issued Friday, staff said they had unanimously voted to strike until “concrete solutions” were found to resolve “two months of unpaid performance bonuses.”

The strike comes a day after Congo’s Prime Minister Judith Suminwa came to Ituri, touring major treatment hubs, in Rwampara and Mongbwalu, to assess the outbreak response. During her visit in Mongbwalu, she faced urgent demands from healthcare personnel protesting payment issues.

Dr. Adelard Lufungula, operations manager for the Ebola response, said Saturday the payment issue is “being resolved,” with workers now paid via mobile money instead of cash, and that the backlog “should be cleared” in the coming days.

Last week, health workers at Bunia General Hospital, the region’s largest medical center, had already gone on strike over unpaid salaries. Some told The Associated Press they had not received any payment since they started work at the onset of the outbreak.

The World Health Organization says more than 100 healthcare workers have been infected since the beginning of the outbreak.

The Central African nation has been battling the Ebola outbreak caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus since May 15. A total of 766 patients remain in isolation or in hospitals, while 540 have recovered so far, according to data from Congo’s Ministry of Health.

The eastern province of Ituri accounts for nearly 90% of confirmed cases.

The outbreak continues to spread faster than health officials can track despite an expanding response. A key challenge is that patient zero has yet to be identified in the outbreak while displacement from armed conflict and illegal mining in the region have made it difficult to trace thousands who have come in contact with infected individuals.

The response is also hampered by a funding gap, attacks on health centers, an ongoing conflict in eastern Congo and mistrust among local communities.

There is also a lack of approved vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo virus, unlike the more common Zaire virus for which there is a vaccine and which was responsible for most of Congo’s past 16 outbreaks of the disease.

Enrollment in a highly anticipated study of two possible Ebola treatments recently started in Ituri.

WHO says the global risk of the outbreak spreading outside Central Africa is low, noting that Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person rather than through the air, making it much harder to spread than respiratory viruses.

___

Associated Press writer Saleh Mwanamilongo in Bonn, Germany, contributed to this report.

Tanzania Bans Political Rallies Ahead of Planned Anti-government Protests

4:15 PM EDT, June 26, 2026

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (AP) — Tanzania’s government Friday banned political rallies ahead of planned protests against last year’s disputed election and the detention of an opposition leader.

Internal Affairs Minister Patrobas Katambi directed Police Inspector General Camillus Wambura to officially stop issuing permits for political activities across the East African country.

Tanzania witnessed its first-ever postelection protests in 2025. The general election was overwhelmingly won by the ruling party after the country’s main opposition party boycotted the polls and the presidential candidate for the second-largest opposition party was barred from running.

The country’s young people have said they plan to demonstrate on July 7 to protest President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s reelection and push for a new constitution.

Police have arrested people linked to the organizers of the planned protests, which have been mobilized through social media.

The country’s youth are also calling for the release of opposition party leader Tundu Lissu, who is facing treason charges after calling for reforms before last year’s elections.

They have also called for accountability over the widespread postelection violence, during which more than 500 people died.

Tanzania Law Society President Boniface Mwabukusi said the government had “no authority whatsoever to prohibit or permit meetings that are legally allowed.”

“We will convene to determine the legal measures we will take, both domestically and internationally, against anyone who attempts to enforce this unlawful and invalid directive in violation of the Constitution and the laws of the country,” Mwabukusi said.

President Hassan in 2023 lifted a six-year ban on opposition rallies imposed by her predecessor John Magufuli.

Opposition parties in Tanzania have described the ban as politically motivated and a violation of constitutional rights, asserting that political parties are constitutionally guaranteed the right to hold public meetings.

Opposition party Chadema’s chief legal counsel, Rugemeleza Nshala, said the ban was intended to “muzzle political freedom,” and that the party was “contemplating other legal actions locally and internationally to challenge the decision.”

The main opposition party ACT Wazalendo’s shadow minister for Defense, Internal Affairs and Security, Rashid Ali, said the directive was yet another move aimed at violating the Constitution.

51 Officials Arrested and Charged with Terrorism Over Planned July Protests, Opposition Says

Tanzania Army patrol the street during vote counting in Zanzibar, Tanzania, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga, File)

1:32 PM EDT, July 25, 2026

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Tanzania’s main opposition party on Saturday said 51 of its officials were arrested and charged with terrorism, accusing the government of using law enforcement to intimidate critics.

Chadema deputy chairperson John Heche said the officials were arrested over planned protests this month that failed to materialize because of a heavy police presence.

Tanzanians had planned to take to the streets on July 7, a date that commemorates the formation of the ruling party and is also associated with pro-democracy protests in neighboring Kenya. Protest organizers were calling for democratic reforms following the disputed October general election, in which President Samia Suluhu Hassan was declared the winner with 98% of the vote.

Heche said Chadema chairman Tundu Lissu had been denied his basic rights and was facing the same terrorism charges, which are not eligible for bail.

Terrorism charges in Tanzania carry severe penalties, with those convicted facing prison sentences ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment.

On Thursday, a university lecturer had charges against him upgraded from incitement to terrorism ahead of a scheduled bail hearing on the earlier charges.

“I urge all Tanzanians to unite and speak out against blackmail and intimidation,” Heche said.

Heche said the party’s lawyers would defend all the arrested officials and urged opposition supporters to visit and support their families.

The Tanzanian government has not commented on the latest terrorism charges but has previously denied allegations of political repression.

In June, the government banned all political rallies, citing security concerns, but did not specify how long the ban would remain in force.

During the October election, thousands of people took to the streets on polling day. Reports on the number of deaths vary significantly. The government said 500 people were killed but the opposition said the death toll was in the thousands.