Abayomi Azikiwe, PANW Editor, Featured on 1+1 with Youri Smouter Discussing the History and Contemporary Affairs of the Republic of South Africa

Watch this interview with Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire, with Youri Smouter of 1+1, discussing the history and contemporary affairs of the Republic of South Africa.

To view this episode in its entirety just click on the following link:1+1 E391 Youri talks to Abayomi Azikiwe of Pan-African Newswire on South Africa's past & present - YouTube 

The program recorded on May 29, 2026 examines the various stages of historical development from the rise of traditional cultures, societies, kingdoms and nation-states. 

We then look at the onset of enslavement, colonialism and settler-colonialism. 

The apex of white supremacist rule was represented by the apartheid system. 

Nonetheless, the mass resistance, labor insurgencies and armed struggle attracted worldwide attention during the later decades of the 20th century. 

The program places South Africa within a regional and international context. 

We conclude by reviewing the democratic transition and the continuing contradictions inside the country.

Sudanese Medical Group Accuses Paramilitary Force of Killing 27 in Attack Targeting Civilians

An empty checkpoint where a mannequin dressed as a soldier stands in downtown Khartoum, Sudan, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

By FATMA KHALED

9:01 AM EDT, May 29, 2026

CAIRO (AP) — A humanitarian organization on Friday accused forces affiliated with a Sudanese paramilitary group of targeting civilians in an area of Sudan free of any military presence during a major Muslim holiday, killing 27 people, among them elderly people.

Sudan Doctors Network, a group that tracks violence across the country, blamed forces affiliated with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces for carrying out the attacks on Thursday on villages in al-Murrah area located west of Barah town in North Kordofan.

It said the attacks worsened already “catastrophic humanitarian conditions that citizens are enduring due to the ongoing war.”

A full-scale war erupted in April 2023 after long-simmering tensions between the army and the Rapid Support Forces escalated. The Kordofan region has become one of the conflict’s main epicenters, with fighting intensifying on several fronts, including through drone warfare.

The paramilitary RSF and its allies control the western Darfur region and areas in the Kordofan region along the border with South Sudan — both regions rich in oil fields and gold mines. The RSF also repeatedly clashed with the army over Barah.

Thursday’s attacks were carried out during the second day of Eid al-Adha or “Feast of Sacrifice,” an Islamic holiday celebrated by millions of Muslims around the globe.

The doctors’ network said in its statement that “targeting villages and civilian areas and liquidating citizens in this horrific manner constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.”

North Kordofan’s governing administration condemned the attacks in a statement on Friday and said that “such crimes will only increase the citizens’ unity behind the armed forces in defense of the security and stability of the state and Sudan in general.”

Earlier this month, intense clashes in southern Sudan in South Kordofan between forces linked to the rebel group Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North and the Otoro tribe killed over 61 people, including nine children. Last week, a drone strike on a bustling market in central Sudan killed 28 people and wounded dozens more.

The war in Sudan broke out in April 2023 after long-simmering tensions between the army and RSF erupted into a full-out war. The conflict has killed at least 59,000 people, displaced some 13 million, and pushed many parts of the country into famine. More than 30 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance.

Both of Sudan’s warring sides have been accused by the United Nations and rights groups of committing atrocities, including ethnic cleansing, extrajudicial killings and sexual violence against civilians. Aid groups say the true toll could be much higher as access to areas of fighting across the vast country remains limited.

FATMA KHALED

Khaled is based in the Middle East region. She covers humanitarian crises, conflict, among other news beats for The Associated Press.

WHO Chief Lands in Congo, Saying Ebola Outbreak ‘Can be Stopped’

By JEAN-YVES KAMALE, JUSTIN KABUMBA and MARK BANCHEREAU

3:14 PM EDT, May 29, 2026

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — The head of the World Health Organization has arrived in Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, to support efforts against an outbreak of a rare type of Ebola virus, where he called on the international health body to work with the local community to stop the spread.

The WHO said Friday authorities have reported 125 confirmed cases in Congo, including 17 confirmed deaths. Additionally, there are 906 suspected cases and 223 suspected deaths.

Neighboring Uganda has confirmed nine cases and one death, the Ugandan ministry of health said Friday.

“To come here is to really show to the community that they’re not alone,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters at the airport in Kinshasa late Thursday.

“Pushing orders from my comfortable office in Geneva is easy, but I’m asking my colleagues to work with the community and I am asking communities to protect themselves,” he added.

The outbreak “can be stopped,” he said, but is “very complex.”

Challenges like the high number of people displaced by armed conflict in the region and food insecurity are complicating efforts, Tedros said. Aid supplies reached the heart of the outbreak this week but medical personnel continue to struggle with a lack of equipment, a distrustful population and armed groups in the volatile region.

Containment has been particularly difficult because the disease likely spread for weeks before it was first identified in mid-May.

Outbreak spreading faster than response

The outbreak continues to spread faster than the response, despite health facilities becoming more organized and more equipment arriving.

The Bundibugyo virus, the current kind of Ebola, has no approved treatment or vaccine.

Anaïs Legand, a researcher in the WHO emergencies program, cited a patient discharged Wednesday as a “positive development” since it is the only documented recovery of a confirmed Ebola patient during the current outbreak.

Legand said at a U.N. briefing in Geneva Friday that five other infected people were also likely to recover.

The average fatality rate of Bundibugyo virus is around 30 to 50%, she said.

Medical aid donated by the European Union arrived in Ituri, the heart of Congo’s Ebola outbreak, on Thursday, with more shipments expected over the next eight days. The U.S. announced $80 million in additional aid on the same day, bringing its total commitment to more than $112 million.

At Rwampara Hospital, where a treatment center has been established, the response looks far more organized than in previous days, with more staff deployed, stronger prevention measures and teams in protective gear visible across units — though patients continue to arrive around the clock, according to an Associated Press reporter in Bunia, the provincial capital.

The same progress was noted at Bunia General Hospital, where new medical kits, support personnel and emergency funding appear to be reinvigorating operations.

David Munkley, the eastern Congo director of World Vision, said more equipment and supplies are still needed.

“We know what is required in terms of personal protective equipment, in terms of supporting communities and ensuring proper sanitation hygiene practices,” Munkley told the AP. “So the moment of truth is, are we going to fund it or not?”

Congo’s Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba told reporters Thursday night they are exploring more drugs “that can help save even more lives, because ... this disease initially presents just like any other infectious disease we’re familiar with: dizziness, headache, fever, vomiting and diarrhea.”

The continent’s top public health body will “ensure that we have a vaccine and a treatment for Bundibugyo” by the end of the year, Africa CDC chief Jean Kaseya said Thursday.

Distrust, travel bans could complicate response

Dangers faced by health workers have been heightened by anger among residents over the stringent medical protocols for handling the victims’ bodies, which clash with local burial rites. Residents have launched at least three attacks against health centers.

Attacks in Ituri by the Allied Democratic Force, a rebel group allied with the Islamic State group, and a coalition of ethnic militias have also hindered the response.

The illness also has been reported in the Congolese provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu, south of Ituri, where the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group controls many key cities, including Goma and Bukavu. The rebels have reported two cases.

After Uganda closed its border with Congo, the WHO chief said Thursday he discourages countries from imposing travel bans. “There are ways to manage workers and to manage cases without having a strong, restricted travel ban,” Tedros said.

The Trump administration last week announced a temporary ban on the entry of people without U.S. passports who have visited Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the past 21 days. A Kenyan court Friday suspended a U.S. plan to house Ebola-exposed Americans at a facility in Kenya rather than flying them home, following backlash from medical workers and activists.

More than 230 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention staff are working on the Ebola response, including screeners at four U.S. airports and personnel deployed to Congo and Uganda, the agency said Friday.

But current and former staffers say many have unaddressed safety concerns, particularly over whether the Trump administration would repatriate infected personnel.

“The U.S. government refusing to repatriate first responders who may contract Ebola would be an abandonment of our government’s duty,” said the National Public Health Coalition, a group of current and former CDC workers.

___

Kabumba reported from Bunia, Congo, and Banchereau from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writers Jamey Keaten in Geneva and Monika Pronczuk in Dakar and Mike Stobbe in New York contributed to this report.

South Africa Court Weighs Feud Over the Body of Zambia’s Former President Lungu

By MICHELLE GUMEDE

11:11 AM EDT, May 29, 2026

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A bitter feud over whether the body of Zambia’s former President Edgar Lungu should return to his country for a state funeral or stay in South Africa for burial went before a South African appeals court Friday, nearly a year after his death.

Lungu, who was Zambia’s leader from 2015 to 2021, died of an undisclosed illness in a South African hospital on June 5, 2025 at the age of 68.

He has not yet been buried because of a tug-of-war between his family and his long-time rival, current Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema.

Hichilema wants Lungu’s body returned for a state ceremony, and his government won a ruling in August from the Pretoria High Court that the remains be turned over to Zambian diplomats for repatriation.

However, Lungu’s family wanted to bury him in South Africa because they objected to any funeral arrangements involving his bitter rival Hichilema, and appealed the ruling before South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal.

In arguments Friday in the city of Bloemfontein, family lawyer Tembeka Ngcukaitobi argued that the Zambian government’s claim to a state burial was unwarranted since Lungu’s presidential benefits were revoked prior to his death. He insisted that a widow’s wishes should take precedence in burial decisions.

A lawyer for the Zambian government, Ben Stoop, argued that the family and the government previously had agreed that Hichilema would attend the funeral and receive dignitaries, and that the family later violated this agreement.

The five justices who heard the appeal questioned the absence of any explicit instructions that Lungu intended to be buried in South Africa, even though it may be true that he would not have wanted his successor to conduct his funeral.

The court did not say when a ruling would be issued.

Eight Students Are Suspected of Arson After a Deadly Fire at a Girls School in Kenya

By EVELYNE MUSAMBI

2:46 PM EDT, May 29, 2026

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Police in Kenya have arrested eight female students on suspicion of arson, authorities said Friday, after a fire destroyed a dormitory at a boarding school, killing 16 children and injuring dozens of others. The motive is still unknown.

Police held 30 students overnight for questioning. Authorities said school administrators would face disciplinary action for safety violations after an exit door was found to be locked during the panicked rush to escape the building. At least 79 people were injured.

Education Minister Julius Ogamba said two teachers were aware that students were planning something but failed to take appropriate action, without elaborating.

A full day after the blaze, some parents said they had still not been told whether their children were under arrest or just being questioned.

“We have not even been told about the eight that police have arrested,” a parent, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of fear that her daughter could be victimized, told The Associated Press. “We are just here and no one is giving us any information.”

At a hospital morgue some 28 kilometers (18 miles) from the school, other parents awaited DNA tests to identify their children. A distraught father, John Muiruri, said they were being given conflicting information about the location of the bodies.

“They have just been doing some sideshows, trying to prevent us from knowing the truth, but the reality we have come to know is that we have lost our children,” he said. “What we want to know is where are the remains of our daughters.”

The Utumishi Girls School, located about 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the capital, Nairobi, is managed and sponsored by the police, and many of the students are daughters of police officers.

“Investigators have conducted extensive interviews with students, teaching staff and other witnesses, while forensic teams carry out a detailed review of available CCTV footage,” John Marete, a spokesman for the investigative arm of the national police, said in a statement.

Education Minister Ogamba said the school’s board of management had been dissolved and the principal would face disciplinary action for failing to comply with safety regulations.

“In particular, there was congestion in the dormitory and one exit door was locked, contrary to the prescribed safety requirements,” he said.

Fires at schools have long been a cause of concern for education officials in East Africa, where classrooms and dormitories are often crowded and firefighting equipment is rarely within reach.

Fires are sometimes attributed to electrical faults but there have also been cases of students burning down schools because of disciplinary issues.

___

Associated Press journalist Zelipha Kirobi in Gilgil, Kenya, contributed.

US Spends Over $95.2 Billion on Military Operations in Iran — News Outlet

The website's real-time counter is based on a Pentagon briefing to the US Congress on March 10, which stated that Washington had spent $11.3 billion during the first six days of hostilities in the Middle East

NEW YORK, May 29. /TASS/. US spending on the military operation in Iran has exceeded $95.2 billion, the Iran War Cost Tracker reported.

The website's real-time counter is based on a Pentagon briefing to the US Congress on March 10, which stated that Washington had spent $11.3 billion during the first six days of hostilities in the Middle East and planned to spend an additional $1 billion for each subsequent day of the conflict.

The United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were struck. The White House justified the attack by citing alleged missile and nuclear threats from Iran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a retaliatory operation, targeting sites in Israel. US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were also hit. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and some other key Iranian leaders were killed in the joint US-Israeli attack.

Medvedev Lashes Out at EU Countries for Direct Involvement in War Against Russia

The Russian Security Council deputy chairman stressed that nobody disputes this anymore

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev Vladimir Gerdo/TASS

© Vladimir Gerdo/TASS

MOSCOW, May 29. /TASS/. European Union countries are directly involved in the war against Russia – Ukraine is just a proxy, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said.

"European countries are direct participants in the war against Russia, and no one disputes this anymore. Indeed, they are using the Banderites as proxies, but what difference does it make for us?" the politician wrote on Russia’s national messenger Max.

"European drones, their components, and other weapons – to say nothing of intelligence – are part of everyday attacks on our country. What they do leads to damage to homes and civilian casualties," Medvedev stressed.

"The responsibility for all this, including the terrorist attack on Starobelsk, lies with wretches like Ursula [von der Leyen], Merz, Macron, Starmer and other bastards," he added.

Armenia Should Weigh its Gains, Losses While Choosing Between EAEU, EU — Lukashenko

The Belarusian leader said that Russian President Vladimir Putin promised to inform the world community about this

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko Alexander Kazakov/Russian Presidential Press and Information Office/TASS

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko

© Alexander Kazakov/Russian Presidential Press and Information Office/TASS

ASTANA, May 29. /TASS/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has called on Armenia to weigh its potential gains and losses while choosing between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the European Union.

"Armenia’s leadership and especially people should understand what they will gain and what they will lose (if they hold a referendum on whether the country should join the EU or remain in the EAEU – TASS). The Russian president [Vladimir Putin] has promised to inform the world community, those who will be willing to listen, about this," he said as quoted by the BelTA news agency. "He will dwell in detail again – Russian specialists have prepared a report on this for him – on what it will mean for Armenia to refuse from the Eurasian Economic Union, of which it is a member, and opt for joining the European Union."

Earlier, the leaders of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan voiced their support for the idea of Armenia holding a referendum on whether to remain within the EAEU or joining the EU.

Ukrainian Drones Entered Various Countries, with Reports Claiming 'Russian Attack' — Putin

The Russian president said the initial reaction was exactly the same as it is now in Romania

ASTANA, May 29. /TASS/. Ukrainian drones have previously entered the airspace of various countries, and initial reports consistently claimed it was "a Russian attack," President Vladimir Putin said in response to a TASS question about the drone incident in Romania.

"We know that Ukrainian drones have flown into Finland, Poland, and several Baltic states. The initial reaction was exactly the same as it is now in Romania. 'Oh no, the Russians are coming, it’s a Russian attack!'" Putin recalled.

Ukrainian drone attack on car in Russia’s Belgorod Region kills two

An FPV-drone attacked a car in the locality of Oktyabrsky in the Belgorod municipality

BELGOROD, May 30. /TASS/. Two people were killed and two others were injured as Ukrainian troops launched a drone on a car in the locality of Oktyabrsky in the Belgorod Region, the bordering Russian region’s operational headquarters said in a post on Max.

"As a result of a targeted Ukrainian strike, two civilians were killed and two others were wounded. An FPV-drone attacked a car in the locality of Oktyabrsky in the Belgorod municipality. Two men died on the spot from their injuries," the post reads.

The car caught fire as the drone detonated, the operational headquarters specified. Two men suffered acoustic ear injures and fragmentation wounds in their necks.

Romania uses UAV incident for confrontation as part of NATO-EU playbook — Russian embassy

Romania openly follows the EU and NATO’s foreign policy course, the Russian embassy to Bucharest said

MOSCOW, May 30. /TASS/. Romania exploited the incident with a falling drone in Galati to implement NATO and the EU’s foreign policy course toward confrontation with Russia, the Russian embassy to Bucharest told Izvestia.

"Romania openly follows the EU and NATO’s foreign policy course toward confrontation with Russia, and, judging from how things developed today [on Friday], it used the Galati incident as a pretext to implement a pre-arranged decision," the diplomatic mission said.

In an interview with TASS earlier, Russian Ambassador to Bucharest Vladimir Lipayev called the Romania drone incident a provocation by the Kiev regime which he said is doing everything it can to drag NATO into a war with Russia and district attention from what he described as a barbaric Ukrainian crime in Starobelsk, referring to the May 22 attack on a college there that killed 21 students.

On May 29, the Romanian Defense Ministry reported that a drone crashed onto the roof of an apartment building in Galati. Bucharest blamed the incident on Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in response to a TASS reporter’s question that the incident involving a UAV in Romania was most likely caused by a Ukrainian drone. He noted that that there have already been instances of Ukrainian drones crashing in European countries. According to the president, Russia is ready to conduct an impartial investigation if the wreckage of the drone that crashed in Romania is handed over to it. "Only then will we be able to assess what has happened," he concluded.

Ukrainian drone attack on car in Russia’s Belgorod Region kills two

An FPV-drone attacked a car in the locality of Oktyabrsky in the Belgorod municipality

BELGOROD, May 30. /TASS/. Two people were killed and two others were injured as Ukrainian troops launched a drone on a car in the locality of Oktyabrsky in the Belgorod Region, the bordering Russian region’s operational headquarters said in a post on Max.

"As a result of a targeted Ukrainian strike, two civilians were killed and two others were wounded. An FPV-drone attacked a car in the locality of Oktyabrsky in the Belgorod municipality. Two men died on the spot from their injuries," the post reads.

The car caught fire as the drone detonated, the operational headquarters specified. Two men suffered acoustic ear injures and fragmentation wounds in their necks.

Russian Troops Liberate 10 Communities in Ukraine Operation Over Week — Top Brass

Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicted more than 2,250 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed an enemy tank and 22 armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the week, the Defense Ministry reported

© Alexey Konovalov/TASS

MOSCOW, May 29. /TASS/. Russian troops liberated 10 communities in the Kharkov, Sumy, Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye Regions over the week of May 23-29, including four communities over the past 24 hours in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Friday.

"On May 23-29, Battlegroup North units took control of the settlements of Granov and Novovasilevka in the Kharkov Region, Zapselye and Ryasnoye in the Sumy Region through decisive operations. Over the past 24 hours, they liberated the settlements of Budarki and Karaichnoye in the Kharkov Region. <…> Over the past 24 hours, Battlegroup Center units liberated the settlement of Novopodgorodnoye in the Dnepropetrovsk Region," the ministry said in a statement.

"Battlegroup East units liberated the settlements of Vozdvizhevka in the Zaporozhye Region and Dobropasovo in the Dnepropetrovsk Region through active offensive operations. Over the past 24 hours, they liberated the settlement of Lesnoye in the Dnepropetrovsk Region," it said.

Russian troops deliver six precision strikes on Ukrainian military sites over week

Russian troops delivered one massive and five combined strikes by precision weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles on Ukrainian military-industrial enterprises, energy and transport facilities and military airfields over the week, the ministry reported.

"On May 23-29, in retaliation to Ukraine’s terrorist attacks on civilian facilities on Russian territory, the Russian Armed Forces delivered one massive and five combined strikes by air-launched, seaborne and ground-based precision weapons and attack unmanned aerial vehicles, hitting enterprises of Ukraine’s military-industrial sector, fuel and energy, transport and port infrastructure used to support the Ukrainian army’s operations and military airfields," the ministry said.

The strikes also targeted workshops for the assembly and sites for the storage and launch of unmanned aerial vehicles, and also temporary deployment areas of Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries, it said.

Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicts over 1,245 casualties on Ukrainian army in week

Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicted more than 1,245 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed 10 enemy armored combat vehicles in its areas of responsibility over the week, the ministry reported.

Over the week, Battlegroup North units "inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of three mechanized brigades, a motorized infantry brigade, an airmobile brigade, an air assault brigade of the Ukrainian army, two territorial defense brigades and a National Guard brigade," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost more than 1,245 personnel, 10 armored combat vehicles, 110 motor vehicles, seven field artillery guns and four electronic warfare stations in those frontline areas over the week, it specified.

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicts over 1,340 casualties on Ukrainian army in week

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicted more than 1,340 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed an enemy tank and 37 armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the week, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup West units continue active offensive operations. Over the week, they inflicted losses on formations of three mechanized brigades, two assault brigades of the Ukrainian army, two marine infantry brigades and a territorial defense brigade," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost more than 1,340 personnel, a tank, 37 armored combat vehicles, 128 motor vehicles, nine field artillery guns and five electronic warfare stations in that frontline area over the week, it specified.

Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicts over 950 casualties on Ukrainian army in week

Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicted more than 950 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed three enemy tanks and 26 armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the week, the ministry reported.

"Over the past week, Battlegroup South units improved their tactical position and inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of six mechanized brigades, a motorized infantry brigade, an airmobile brigade, a mountain assault brigade of the Ukrainian army, a marine infantry brigade and a territorial defense brigade," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost more than 950 personnel, three tanks, 26 armored combat vehicles, 111 motor vehicles, 17 field artillery guns, three Grad multiple rocket launchers and two electronic warfare stations in that frontline area over the week, it specified.

Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicts over 2,250 casualties on Ukrainian army in week

Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicted more than 2,250 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed an enemy tank and 22 armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the week, the ministry reported.

Over the week, Battlegroup Center units "inflicted losses on formations of four mechanized brigades, an infantry brigade, a jaeger brigade, an airmobile brigade, an assault brigade, two air assault brigades, two assault regiments of the Ukrainian army, two marine infantry brigades and four National Guard brigades," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost more than 2,250 personnel, a tank, 22 armored combat vehicles, 58 motor vehicles, 15 field artillery guns and seven electronic warfare stations in that frontline area over the week, it specified.

Russia’s Battlegroup East inflicts over 1,970 casualties on Ukrainian army in week

Russia’s Battlegroup East inflicted more than 1,970 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed 16 enemy armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the week, the ministry reported.

Over the past week, Battlegroup East units "inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of three mechanized brigades, two assault brigades, four air assault brigades, three assault regiments of the Ukrainian army, a marine infantry brigade and a territorial defense brigade," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost more than 1,970 personnel, 16 armored combat vehicles, 49 motor vehicles and four field artillery guns in that frontline area over the week, it specified.

Russia’s Battlegroup Dnepr inflicts over 375 casualties on Ukrainian army in week

Russia’s Battlegroup Dnepr inflicted more than 375 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed five enemy armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the week, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup Dnepr units inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of three mechanized brigades, a mountain assault brigade, an unmanned systems brigade of the Ukrainian army, a marine infantry brigade and two territorial defense brigades," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost more than 375 personnel, five armored combat vehicles, 70 motor vehicles, three field artillery guns and 18 electronic warfare stations in that frontline area over the week, it specified.

Russian air defenses intercept 2,628 Ukrainian UAVs, 23 HIMARS rockets over week

Russian air defense forces intercepted and destroyed 2,628 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and 23 US-made HIMARS rockets over the week, the ministry reported.

"Air defense capabilities shot down 44 guided aerial bombs, three British-made Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles, three French-made SCALP airborne long-range missiles, 23 rockets of the US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system and 2,628 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles," the ministry said.

Overall, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 671 Ukrainian combat aircraft, 284 helicopters, 153,332 unmanned aerial vehicles, 661 surface-to-air missile systems, 29,538 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,727 multiple rocket launchers, 35,121 field artillery guns and mortars and 62,799 special military motor vehicles since the start of the special military operation, the ministry reported.

AfDB Cuts Africa 2026 Growth Forecast to 4.2% Amid US War on Iran

By Al Mayadeen English

27 May 2026 17:10

Disruptions to global energy and fertilizer markets fuel inflation, weaken currencies, and threaten food security across the continent.

The African Development Bank warned Tuesday that the economic fallout from the US-Israeli war on Iran is increasingly weighing on African economies, as disruptions to global energy and fertilizer markets fuel inflation, weaken currencies, and threaten food security across the continent.

In its latest economic outlook presented during the bank’s annual meetings in Brazzaville, the AfDB projected Africa’s growth rate at 4.2% for 2026, down from 4.4% recorded last year, while warning that a prolonged war could trigger an even sharper slowdown.

The bank linked the weaker outlook to supply chain disruptions and soaring import costs triggered by the expanding Middle East conflict, particularly after Washington’s military escalation against Iran intensified instability around the Strait of Hormuz, a corridor through which roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies and a major share of global fertilizer exports transit.

"The impact of this shock on growth and macroeconomic stability will depend on the duration of the supply chain disruptions and their effects on global energy and fertilizer prices," the report said.

Growing fears of wider economic crisis

A separate report issued jointly by the AfDB, the African Union, and UN agencies earlier this year warned that Africa could lose at least 0.2 percentage points of growth in 2026 if the war drags on for more than six months. The report said higher fuel and food prices could rapidly evolve into a continent-wide cost-of-living crisis.

The economic strain is already prompting governments to seek emergency financial assistance. A Reuters report published last week revealed that 27 countries have activated or are preparing to activate World Bank crisis-financing mechanisms since the outbreak of the war on February 28.

Kenya has acknowledged seeking rapid World Bank support to manage rising fuel import costs, while multiple governments across Africa are facing mounting debt and inflation pressures amid fears of IMF-linked austerity measures.

East Africa among hardest hit

East Africa, traditionally the continent’s fastest-growing region, is expected to be among the hardest hit as fuel and transport costs surge. Reports from several countries point to worsening economic stress linked to the conflict.

In Kenya, fuel prices reached record highs in April, forcing transport operators to raise fares by roughly 25%, while exporters faced shipping delays linked to rerouted maritime traffic.

In Ethiopia, authorities reported severe fuel shortages after diesel supply volumes were nearly cut in half, contributing to sharp increases in the prices of cooking oil, eggs, and other basic goods.

Fertilizer and food security concerns deepen

The crisis has also intensified concerns over fertilizer access. The Gulf region remains central to global ammonia, LNG, sulfur, and urea exports essential for agricultural production, with analysts warning that disrupted supplies during planting seasons could reduce crop yields across vulnerable African states.

The World Food Programme warned Wednesday that the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran is contributing to historic levels of global hunger, with rising oil and transport costs pushing millions deeper into food insecurity, including populations across Africa already struggling with inflation and humanitarian crises.

AfDB pushes domestic financing strategy

Despite the worsening outlook, the AfDB said Africa remains among the world’s fastest-growing regions alongside Asia, and forecast growth could recover to 4.4% in 2027 if the Middle East crisis subsides within several months.

AfDB President Sidi Ould Tah said the continent must reduce dependence on shrinking foreign aid and mobilize domestic capital to shield itself from future geopolitical shocks.

"Achieving sustained and inclusive growth will require a substantial increase in investment," Tah said in the report.

Tah added that Africa would need to maintain annual growth above 7% over decades in order to generate sufficient employment opportunities and significantly reduce poverty across the continent.

RSF Drone Strike Kills 14 Civilians in Sudan Border Town

By Al Mayadeen English

27 May 2026 22:31

An RSF-linked drone strike killed 14 civilians, mostly women, in Sudan’s border town of al-Tina as violence and displacement continue to worsen across Darfur.

A drone strike blamed on the Rapid Support Forces killed at least 14 civilians in the Sudanese border town of al-Tina, as violence and displacement continue to escalate across the Darfur region.

A survivor and a local government official told AFP that the strike struck a market area on Monday in al-Tina, a town near the border with Chad that has repeatedly come under attack this year.

Locals recovering victims from the scene “found 14 bodies at the bomb site, most of them women,” the survivor said via satellite internet due to an ongoing communications blackout.

The witness, who requested anonymity for security reasons, said the attack “targeted a gathering of women selling food and tea in the al-Tina market.”

A Sudanese official also confirmed the strike and said authorities were “working to tally the number of casualties.”

Darfur crisis deepens

The attack comes as fighting intensifies between the Sudanese army and the RSF, whose war since April 2023 has devastated large parts of Sudan and triggered what humanitarian organizations describe as one of the world’s worst hunger and displacement crises.

Al-Tina lies in North Darfur, where famine conditions are worsening and large numbers of civilians have fled toward Chad. The RSF consolidated control over most of Darfur last year, although armed groups allied with the Sudanese army continue to hold several positions near the frontier, including areas around al-Tina.

The conflict has increasingly involved drone warfare, with both sides relying on unmanned strikes as fighting spreads across the country. According to the United Nations, at least 880 civilians were killed in drone attacks between January and April alone.

Meanwhile, survivors fleeing the RSF’s recent takeover of El Fasher have continued arriving at the Tine refugee transit center along the Sudanese-Chadian border, recounting abuses allegedly committed during the assault.

Siege horror unfolds

The famine-stricken city, once home to nearly one million residents, had endured an 18-month siege before RSF forces launched a major offensive on October 25.

Witnesses cited by Reuters described civilians escaping through the desert under severe conditions, with many arriving wounded, barefoot, or traumatized after days of walking.

According to testimonies from survivors, RSF fighters carried out executions, beatings, detentions, and looting during the operation.

“They could do nothing but watch as fighters from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) opened fire on their loved ones and killed them,” survivors said, adding that civilians “were taken hostage and severely beaten. Their phones, shoes, and lifelong savings were stolen.”

Mohamed Adam, one of the displaced civilians, said he lost his wife, a former member of parliament, in a drone strike, while other survivors reported seeing relatives killed during mass executions allegedly carried out by RSF fighters.

Videos circulated online in recent days also appeared to show killings attributed to commanders affiliated with the paramilitary group.

US Global Dominance Faces Mounting Structural Pressures: FT

By Al Mayadeen English

Source: Financial Times

Mounting debt, militarization, tariffs, and weakening trade structures are raising concerns over the long-term stability of US global dominance.

The United States’ position as the world’s dominant power is increasingly facing pressure from mounting debt, weakening trade structures, and shifting geopolitical realities, according to an opinion analysis by Pimco co-founder Bill Gross for the Financial Times.

Gross argues that the foundations of US “hegemonic” power, built over decades through free trade, military supremacy, and dollar dominance, are showing signs of structural deterioration amid deepening fiscal and geopolitical strains.

It describes American global leadership as dependent on continuous economic and political maintenance rather than permanent superiority, warning that several of the conditions that historically enabled Washington’s dominance are now eroding.

“Pax America requires continued maintenance and favourable government policies that promote its number-one status,” Gross states.

Debt expansion and military spending strain US power

The analysis identifies expanding fiscal deficits as one of the clearest indicators of declining US stability, pointing to widening trade and budget deficits that have reached roughly 6% of GDP annually in recent decades.

Structural obligations linked to healthcare and social security spending are also expected to place additional long-term pressure on US finances, alongside sustained military expenditures.

Citing Congressional Budget Office projections, Gross notes that US public debt is expected to rise from 101% of GDP in 2026 to 120% by 2036, exceeding levels recorded immediately after World War II.

Gross further links these pressures to military expansion and overseas confrontations, including the costs associated with the war on Iran.

The article argues that the financial burden of war “is likely to far exceed” the $29 billion estimate already discussed by US military officials, while warning that Washington’s long-term military commitments will continue driving expenditures higher.

Tariffs and protectionism weaken free-trade foundations

Gross states that another central pillar of US dominance, free trade, has been significantly undermined through tariffs and protectionist economic measures introduced during the Trump era.

While tariffs were promoted domestically as part of an industrial revival strategy, the analysis states that they have failed to meaningfully reduce trade and fiscal imbalances.

“The reversal of free-trade policies has led to a weak dollar,” the piece states, noting that the trade-weighted DXY dollar index had declined by roughly 10% over the past 18 months.

Gross also argues that current US economic growth is disproportionately dependent on artificial intelligence-driven capital investment rather than broad industrial expansion.

China challenge and the 'Thucydides Trap'

The FT opinion piece further links concerns over the US decline to the rise of China as a competing global power.

It references a reported discussion between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump earlier in May, during which Xi invoked the concept of the “Thucydides Trap”.

The phrase references the ancient Greek historian Thucydides’ argument that war between Athens and Sparta emerged from the fear generated by the rise of Athenian power.

According to Gross, the reference signaled Beijing’s long-term strategic outlook regarding global leadership, contrasting with what it characterized as the short-term orientation of current US policymaking.

Financial markets reflect concerns over decline

The FT article argues that financial markets are increasingly reflecting concerns over what it describes as “hegemonic decay”.

It notes that yields on 30-year US Treasury bonds have risen in recent months despite historically weak inflation-adjusted returns.

According to Gross, growing concerns over future government liabilities and long-term structural instability, not inflation alone, are contributing to investor anxiety surrounding US debt markets.

The article further warns that continued erosion of confidence in US fiscal stability could weaken one of Washington’s central instruments of global influence: the dollar’s reserve currency status.

AI and the future of global power

Gross speculates that future global dominance may ultimately move beyond traditional nation-states altogether.

While acknowledging China’s geopolitical ambitions, he argues that artificial intelligence could emerge as a defining hegemonic force depending on who controls its development and infrastructure.

“Another hegemon may replace America and China as well,” the article states. “It goes by the name of AI.”

'Israel' Expands Strikes on Lebanon, Strikes Area South of Beirut

By Al Mayadeen English

Israeli airstrikes across southern Lebanon killed and injured civilians, including children, amid intensified raids on Saida, Tyre, and surrounding areas.

"Israel" has ramped up its aggression on Lebanon overnight and into the afternoon, targeting major population centers like Tyre, Saida, and the Choueifat area south of Beirut.

Israeli forces carried out a series of wide-ranging strikes across southern Lebanon during the night and early hours of Thursday, resulting in multiple deaths and injuries, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.

The agency reported that six people were killed, including children, in a massacre after a vehicle was struck on the Adloun highway.

In a separate incident, three people were killed and five others injured when an Israeli airstrike targeted a residential apartment in the Qaya’a area of Sidon Saida.

According to the National News Agency, the apartment was sheltering a displaced family from southern Lebanon at the time of the attack. Emergency teams and civil defense crews transported victims to nearby hospitals.

Motorcycle strikes and additional casualties

The agency also reported that two people were killed in an Israeli strike targeting a motorcycle on the Masaken al-Shaabi road in Tyre, while another motorcycle in the village of Bazouriyeh was also struck.

In addition, an airstrike on the village of Jebchit left three people injured, according to field reports cited by local media.

Israeli forces also targeted multiple towns overnight, including Deir al-Zahrani, Zibqin, Al-Mansouri, Toul, Ghassaniyeh near Saida, and Qaaqaiyat al-Snoubar.

Intensified strikes on Tyre

Strikes on the city of Tyre intensified, with reports of multiple buildings and civilian sites being hit, including structures on Hiram Street, Al-Halwani Street, Al-Rifai neighborhood, and areas near the Jabal Amel roundabout. Additional strikes reportedly targeted camps in Al-Rashidieh and Al-Bass.

The latest casualties add to the broader toll of the ongoing Israeli aggression on Lebanon. According to figures published by the Lebanese Ministry of Health, the total number of people killed since March 2 has reached 3,269, while 9,840 others have been injured.

IOF issue threat for whole South Lebanon

Israeli warplanes carried out a series of intense airstrikes on Wednesday, striking multiple locations across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa region, as the Israeli occupation forces issued a displacement threat for the entirety of South Lebanon.

The displacement threat constitutes a violation of international law, particularly international humanitarian law, which prohibits the mass forcible transfer of civilians and collective punishment during wars.

Israeli airstrikes hit several towns, including Qsaybeh, Houmine al-Fawqa, Jarjou', Haddatha, Yater, Qaaqaiyat al-Jisr, and Kfar Houna, along with Kfar Joz, Mleekh, and al-Luwaizeh in the south. The heights of Ali al-Taher were also repeatedly targeted.

In the Bekaa region, Israeli warplanes targeted the highlands of Hrabta and Brital, as well as the area between the Brital and al-Khraibeh hills. Fresh raids were also reported on the outskirts of Hermel in northern Bekaa.

Concurrently, Al Mayadeen's correspondent in southern Lebanon reported that three people were killed, according to a preliminary toll, following an Israeli aggression on the town of Shoukine in the Nabatieh district.

Israeli Strike Kills Former Correspondent for Iran's al-Alam TV, Three Refugees in Southern Lebanon

Thursday, 28 May 2026 11:12 AM

 Former correspondent for Iran's al-Alam Arabic-language al-Alam television news channel, Hussam Zaidan.

An Israeli airstrike has killed a former correspondent for Iran's Arabic-language al-Alam television news channel alongside three other civilians in southern Lebanon, as the Tel Aviv regime's military continues its atrocious campaign in the area despite a ceasefire in effect since April 17.

Journalist Hussein Ezzeddine said on Thursday that an Israeli air raid targeted a residential building in the Qiya’a neighborhood of the southern Lebanese city of Sidon late last night.

He explained that the assault resulted in the martyrdom of Hussam Zaidan, in addition to three civilians, who were internally displaced persons.

The refugees had come from the town of Qalila in southern Lebanon to take refuge in Sidon, thinking it was a safe city and immune from recurrent Israeli attacks.

"We will try to document everything that happened in this crime to shed light on the extent of aggression perpetrated against the residential building, where Hussam was staying alongside some displaced people," Ezzedine pointed out.

The exact number of casualties remains unknown. Some reports suggest that while four people lost their lives in the aerial raid, another six sustained injuries.

Meanwhile, Zaidan's son lies in intensive care unit (ICU) as a result of the Israeli forces' aggression on Sidon.

Hussam Zaidan worked as a correspondent for al-Alam TV’s office in Syria from 2009 until the fall of president Bashar al-Assad's government in December 2024.

He extensively covered battles between government forces and foreign-sponsored Takfiri militants in the Syrian cities of Deir al-Zawr, Hama and Aleppo at the peak of the Arab nation's crisis.

Zaidan used to work as a news editor for the al-Alam TV in Tehran after the fall of the Assad government in Syria.

Iran Urges ‘Unconditional’ Release of all Its Frozen Assets; US Defies

Thursday, 28 May 2026 8:48 AM

Deputy Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Bagheri Kani

A senior Iranian security official urges the United States to “unconditionally” release all the country’s frozen assets, describing the demand as the “legal right” of the Iranian people.

“We are seeking the release of all Iranian assets frozen by the United States, and this is the legal right of the Iranian nation,” Deputy Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Bagheri Kani said in an interview with Russia's RIA Novosti news agency, Tasnim reported.

He added that Iran’s frozen assets must be returned to the country “in full and unconditionally.”

For 47 years, the United States has held billions of dollars of legitimate Iranian wealth: oil revenues, central bank reserves, and commercial assets, seized through illegitimate executive orders and maintained through political pressure.

Days after a ceasefire halted the joint US-Israeli aggression on Iran that began on February 28, the question of Iran's frozen assets emerged as the central test of American sincerity at the negotiating table.

Fars news agency on Tuesday cited a source close to the negotiating team with the US as saying that the issue of Iran's frozen assets remains a key sticking point in the talks between Tehran and Washington, and that negotiations cannot proceed without the release of these funds.

Meaningful negotiations cannot begin without the release of Iran's frozen funds, the source said.

Despite suggestions that indirect talks between Iran and the US, mediated by Pakistan, is close to lead to a memorandum based on the Islamic Republic's 14-point proposal to end the war, American officials continue to make conflicting statements.

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iran would not receive any sanctions relief as a result of the negotiations.

“We’re not talking about any easing of sanctions or giving money,” Trump told the cabinet meeting.

In an interview with PBS News earlier in the day, the US president also reiterated his claim that Iran would surrender its reserves of enriched uranium but added that Iran would not receive any sanctions relief as a result of the negotiations.

“They’re going to give up their highly enriched uranium, not for sanctions relief. No, no, not at all,” Trump said.

US' excessive demands detached from reality: Bagheri

In an interview with RT, Bagheri Kani, who served as acting foreign minister in 2024, criticized the US for making “excessive demands” in talks with Iran, saying it indicated that officials in Washington are “detached from reality.”

He said the US is making unacceptable demands during the negotiations after failing to defeat Iran militarily.

The IRGC warns the enemies that it will give decisive response to any act of aggression against the Islamic Republic.

Pointing to Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, he added that the conflict shows that the status of the strategic waterway is vital to national security.

“Iran, like other independent countries, believes in peace through dialogue and negotiations. The US does not believe in peace through diplomacy. It believes in peace through force, aggression, and barbarism,” the Iranian official emphasized.

He also held the US accountable for current tensions in the region, reiterating that there is “no problem” in relations between Iran and the Persian Gulf states.

The military presence of the US and Israel is an obstacle to peace in the region, he noted.

Bagheri Kani participated in a security conference in Moscow and met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Georgi Borisenko.

The United States and Israel launched their unprovoked war of aggression against Iran on February 28. They assassinated Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and struck nuclear facilities, schools, hospitals and civilian infrastructure.

Iran’s Armed Forces responded with retaliatory strikes under Operation True Promise 4, launching hundreds of ballistic and hypersonic missiles, as well as drones, against American military bases across West Asia and Israeli positions throughout the occupied territories.

Iran also shut down the Strait of Hormuz to enemies and their allies following the unprovoked aggression targeting the Islamic Republic.

It began exercising far stricter controls after Trump announced an illegal blockade of Iranian vessels and ports in continuation of the aggression and in violation of the terms of a ceasefire the US president, himself, had declared earlier.

The Islamic Republic has consistently maintained that its retaliatory operations were legitimate self-defense under international law, targeting only American and Israeli military assets while avoiding harm to civilian infrastructure. 

Iran also maintains that it seeks to ensure the security of the Strait of Hormuz through enforcing Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei's "historic" directive concerning the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian Armed Forces Inflicted ‘Historic Defeat’ on Enemies in Imposed Wars: Acting Foreign Minister

Thursday, 28 May 2026 6:40 AM

Iranians chant slogans and wave national flags as they celebrate the victory over Israel in the June war, at Enqelab Square in the capital Tehran on June 24, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

Iran’s acting defense minister says the country’s armed forces, backed by the nation’s support, managed to inflict a "historic defeat" on the US and the Israeli regime in their two imposed wars.

Brigadier General Majid Ibn Reza made the remarks in a message sent to his counterparts in Muslim countries on Wednesday, on the occasion of Eid al-Adha (the Feast of the Sacrifice) which marks the end of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran was invaded by the United States and the Zionist regime two times in less than a year. These acts of aggression led to the martyrdom of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and a group of military commanders, political officials, civilians, innocent children and students, destroying parts of the country's civilian infrastructure,” he said.

“However, with the divine grace and support of the heroic Iranian nation, as well as the world’s Muslims and freedom-seeking people, the Iranian Armed Forces were able to inflict a historic defeat on the enemies’ prestige and credibility.”

He also noted that the United States’ priority is to support the "ominous" Israeli regime that has over the past seven decades desecrated the holy city of al-Quds by occupying Islamic lands, killing the innocent, and carrying out other heinous acts.

He further emphasized the need for reinforcing Muslim unity and cooperation aimed at solving problems and upholding rights.

Meanwhile, the general said that strengthening dialogue and consensus among Muslim countries should be the most important priority of the Islamic Ummah in the current circumstances.

The US and the Israeli regime waged their first illegal war of aggression against Iran, which lasted 12 days, in June 2025. Their second invasion began in late February and was halted in early April as part of a Pakistani-brokered ceasefire.

In the face of threats, Iran, however, has asserted that it stands ready to repel any fresh act of aggression. 

Analysts say Iran's brave resistance and successful retaliatory operations have created a sense of pride among Muslims.

Iran Condemns Repeated US Truce Violations, Urges UN Intervention

Thursday, 28 May 2026 9:41 AM

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei (Photo by Tasnim news agency)

Iran has strongly condemned the United States’ repeated threats against the Islamic Republic and violations of the ceasefire that halted the recent illegal war of aggression, urging the UN to intervene.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the US military aggression against areas in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas on Thursday violate Iran's territorial integrity and national sovereignty in flagrant breach of international law and the UN Charter.

“The UN Security Council is obligated to uphold its legal responsibility to hold American aggressors accountable,” he added.

The spokesman also pointed to the US’s continued violations of the ceasefire with Iran, especially attacks on commercial shipping in the Persian Gulf region and high seas, as well as aerial assaults on the country’s southern regions over the past few days.

He emphasized the Islamic Republic's determination to take all necessary measures to defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter.

In response to the US aggression, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) launched retaliatory attacks on a US base in the region. 

The IRGC warns the enemies that it will give decisive response to any act of aggression against the Islamic Republic.

Meanwhile, Baghaei denounced the threatening rhetoric of American officials against Iran and some other regional countries, expressing solidarity with the friendly and brotherly country of Oman.

On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump said he would “blow up” Oman if it agreed to work with Iran to share control of the Strait of Hormuz.

“Threatening to ‘blow up’ a UN member state, which has always played a constructive, effective, and responsible role in regional peace and security, spent many years as a mediator in diplomatic processes, and made endeavors to serve regional peace and stability, not only violates the principle on the prohibition of threat or use of force, but is another dangerous sign of the normalization of lawlessness and bullying in international relations,” Baghaei said.

Iran has restricted transit through the Strait of Hormuz since the early days of the unprovoked US-Israeli aggression on the country that began on February 28 and came to a halt as part of a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire on April 8.‌

However, coordinated passage through the strategic waterway is allowed for all ships except for those linked to the US and the Israeli regime and associated entities.

Iran Forces Trespassing US Tanker Back After Illegal Attempt at Crossing Strait of Hormuz: Report

Thursday, 28 May 2026 3:16 AM

File photo shows an Iranian serviceman manning a post on the country's coastline along the Persian Gulf.

A report says the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)'s Navy has forced an American tanker trying to illegally cross the Strait of Hormuz, despite Iran's restrictions, to turn back.

Tasnim News Agency published the report on Thursday, citing an informed military source.

"Several hours earlier, an American oil tanker had attempted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz after switching off its tracking system," the report said.

"However, following a swift and decisive response by the IRGC Navy, including warning fire directed towards the vessel, the tanker was forced to stop and retreat," it added.

In response, US forces fired at an open ground near the port city of Bandar Abbas, the source noted, adding that earlier reports about the sound of explosion heard in the area was related to that incident.

The remarks followed reports about sound of explosion ringing out from the direction of areas lying to the city's east.

Iran shut down the strait to enemies and their allies following the launch on February 28 of the United States' and the Israeli regime's latest bout of unprovoked aggression targeting the Islamic Republic.

It began exercising far stricter controls after Donald Trump announced an illegal blockade of Iranian vessels and ports in continuation of the aggression and in violation of the terms of a ceasefire the US president, himself, had declared earlier.

The IRGC's Navy has pledged to enforce Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei's "historic" directive concerning the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

Through the directive, Ayatollah Khamenei has asserted that foreigners with "ominous" plots targeting the Persian Gulf have no place in the region "except at the bottom of its waters."

On May 20, the Iranian authority controlling the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf defined the supervisory management zone of the waterway.

It has defined the management zone as "the line connecting Mount Mubarak in Iran and southern Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, on the eastern side of the strait, extending to the line connecting the end of Qeshm Island in Iran and Umm Al Quwain in the United Arab Emirates, on the western side of the strait."

So far, the IRGC's Navy has issued passage permits for scores of vessels for transit through the waterway in line with the Islamic Republic's instructions.

‘Stern Warning’: IRGC Announces Retaliatory Attack on US Base Following American Aggression

Thursday, 28 May 2026 8:31 AM

Screengrab from footage released by the IRGC on May 28, 2026, shows missiles being prepared before launch against a US base in response to an earlier American aggression against Bandar Abbas in southern Iran.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) warns the enemies that any act of aggression against the Islamic Republic will not go unanswered.

In a statement on Thursday, the IRGC issued a “stern warning” to the enemies after US forces launched strikes against the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.

Following the US military attack on a point on the outskirts of Bandar Abbas Airport with aerial projectiles, the IRGC carried out new strikes targeting the US air base from which the attack originated in the wee hours of Thursday, it added.

“This response is a serious warning to the enemy that they should know the act of aggression will not go unanswered,” the IRGC emphasized.

The elite military force warned of a “more decisive” response if the enemy repeated any act of aggression.

It also said the responsibility for the consequences of any IRGC response lies with the aggressor.

The statement comes after the IRGC Navy on Thursday forced an American tanker to turn back. The tanker was trying to illegally cross the Strait of Hormuz after it had switched off its tracking system, despite Iran's restrictions.

"Following a swift and decisive response by the IRGC Navy, including warning fire directed towards the vessel, the tanker was forced to stop and retreat," Tasnim news agency reported.

A report says the IRGC

Iran shut down the strait to enemies and their allies following the launch on February 28 of the United States' and the Israeli regime's latest bout of unprovoked aggression targeting the Islamic Republic.

It began exercising far stricter controls after US President Donald Trump announced an illegal blockade of Iranian vessels and ports in continuation of the aggression and in violation of the terms of a ceasefire the US president, himself, had declared earlier.

The IRGC's Navy has pledged to enforce Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei's "historic" directive concerning the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

Kuwait air defenses activated

Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti Armed Forces announced early Thursday that the country had activated its air defenses in response to what it called "hostile missile and drone threats."

It did not say where the attacks originated from but added, "Any explosions that may be heard are the result of air defense systems intercepting hostile targets."

Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak in Central and East Africa Causes Alarm

Since early May the World Health Organization and the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are working to contain the spread of this rare and virulent strain 

By Abayomi Azikiwe

Editor, Pan-African News Wire

Wednesday May 27, 2026

Geostrategic Analysis

Beginning in early May, healthcare workers and medical scientists noticed a new outbreak of a suspected rare strain of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Ebola was first detected a half century ago in the-then Zaire, now the DRC, as a potentially deadly disease with an extremely high mortality rate.

Since 1976, several waves of EVD have erupted in Central, East and West Africa. Between late 2013 and early 2015, over 11,000 people died in the West African states of Guinea-Conakry, Liberia and Siera Leone in what has been so far the worst outbreak of the disease.

By the end of May, it has been reported that over 200 deaths have occurred in the latest outbreak of EVD, which is one of most dangerous of a number of Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (VHF). Other similar VHFs include Marburg and Lassa Fevers. 

Due to the continuing conflicts in the Eastern DRC, the capacity of the healthcare sector in the region is hampered by the fighting between the government’s military forces and rebel organizations. Although the United States President Donald Trump through his Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed that they had ended the war between the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel grouping and the Congolese defense forces, fighting is continuing. 

This purported peace agreement brokered by the State Department was ostensibly based upon access by U.S.-based firms to strategic minerals so abundant in the DRC. Yet, transnational corporations including those based in the U.S. have long exploited the natural resources and labor of the Congolese people. 

Despite the wealth of the DRC in regard valuable minerals and metals, the overwhelming majority of the people remain impoverished. As a former Belgian colony, since its independence in 1960, the system of neo-colonialism has encapsulated the DRC. It is impossible to separate the level of socioeconomic underdevelopment from the recurrent outbreaks of infectious diseases and the inability to effectively respond through the existing emergency services.

Even though the United Nations has peacekeeping forces in the Eastern DRC totaling more than 13,000 soldiers and police, the fighting and instability have continued. The UN Security Council has extended the mandate of the UN Peacekeeping Mission to Congo (MONUSCO) until December 2026, although the ability to halt the war and restore some form of normalcy remains elusive. 

In specific regard to the latest EVD outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) says of the current situation:

“On 5 May 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) was alerted of a high-mortality outbreak of unknown illness in Mongbwalu Health Zone, Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), including deaths among health workers. On 14 May 2026, the Institut national de recherche biomédicale (INRB) Kinshasa analyzed 13 blood samples from Rwampara Health Zone, Ituri Province. Laboratory analysis confirmed Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) in eight of these samples on 15 May, a species of Ebola. The case fatality rates in the past two BVD outbreaks have ranged from 30% to 50%. Unlike Ebola virus disease, there is no licensed vaccine or specific therapeutics against Bundibugyo virus, though early supportive care is lifesaving.” (https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2026-DON602)

The announcements by the WHO has caused alarm internationally particularly within the African continent. Memories of previous outbreaks, particularly in the 2013-2015 period, prompted imposition of policy measures which would limit and soon arrest the spread.

Due to the threat which has emerged in Ituri province on the border with neighboring Uganda, the border with the DRC has been closed by government officials based in Kampala. A smaller number of cases of the Bundibugyo strain have been reported in Uganda as well.

The same above-quoted statement from the WHO goes on to say:

“On 17 May 2026, WHO Director-General, after having consulted the States Parties where the event is known to be currently occurring, determined that the Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus in DRC and Uganda constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), as defined in the provisions of IHR. Response measures include deployment of rapid response teams, delivery of medical supplies, strengthened surveillance, laboratory confirmation, infection prevention and control assessments, the set-up of safe treatment centers, and community engagement. WHO is supporting the coordination of the response, case management, and cross-border preparedness. WHO advice has been issued to countries.” 

The African Response to the Outbreak

On May 23, the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (ACDC) held a press conference to put forward a continental response to the public health crisis engendered by the Bundibugyo outbreak. The ACDC is an affiliate of the 55 member-states African Union (AU) based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

During the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020-2022, the ACDC played an important role in cooperation with the WHO in coordinating responses across the continent. These efforts were important in circulating information about the level of infections while advocating for an equitable distribution of vaccines. 

In the present outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of EVD, the world economic crisis is worsening as a result of the U.S.-Israel unprovoked war against Iran. The escalating costs for fuel, fertilizer and food stuffs have compounded the already undeveloped conditions prevailing in various regions of the African continent.

According to a statement issued by the ACDC on its website notes:

“Building on the extensive Ebola response experience of both the DRC and Uganda, Africa CDC is scaling up technical and operational support across the region, including the deployment of additional expertise and strengthened coordination mechanisms. Priority measures include enhanced surveillance, laboratory testing and sequencing, contact tracing, infection prevention and control, and cross-border collaboration to rapidly contain transmission and protect communities. Africa CDC is continuing to work closely with national health authorities, the World Health Organization and other partners to support a coordinated response aimed at interrupting transmission, strengthening preparedness in neighboring countries and safeguarding regional health security. The response also reflects growing efforts to strengthen Africa’s collective capacity to detect, prepare for and respond to public health emergencies through stronger regional coordination, resilient health systems and faster deployment of expertise and resources where they are most needed.” (https://africacdc.org/news-item/africa-cdc-weekly-brief-11-17-may-2026/)

U.S. Has Largely Ignored the Recent Outbreak

These initiatives by the ACDC working alongside the WHO will undoubtedly be impacted by the policies of the current U.S. administration. One of the first executive orders of the Trump White House was to withdraw Washington’s membership in the WHO. 

This is the second time that Trump has dropped out of an international agency whose purpose is to engage in coordination efforts involving global health. The policy towards the WHO as well as United Nations Climate Agreements are a reflection of the priorities and ideological orientation of the far-right in the U.S. 

In the U.S., Trump appointed Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as the Secretary for Health and Human Services (HHS). Kennedy has been a longtime anti-vaccination advocate and holds views which are at variance with the scientific community in the U.S. and internationally. 

Although the U.S. was the most devastatingly impacted country during the COVID-19 pandemic leaving in excess of a million people dead with millions more infected, the MAGA grouping has remained in denial over this and other potential global health crises. This view easily explains the lack of response by Washington to the current EVD outbreak.

For example, many of the leading universities in the U.S. have had their research grants suspended by the White House pending their ideological vetting by the White House. The Trump administration has accused universities of promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) which they have issued executive orders terminating programs designed to bring more people of color and women into academia. 

Moreover, during 2024 when students, staff and faculty members demanded the full disclosure and divestment of financial holdings by the higher educational institutions from corporations and institutions with ties to the State of Israel. These demonstrations held on the campuses across the U.S. were in response to the ongoing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza.

During the final year of the administration of former President Joe Biden in 2024, a federally coordinated campaign smashed many of the encampments on the campuses erected in solidarity with Palestine. Under the Trump regime this anti-Palestine atmosphere has continued and expanded where the administration has urged a complete ban on not only academic research and instruction related to West Asian Studies it is also attacking and eliminating funding for African, African American, Asian, Latin American and Gender Studies programs. 

Consequently, the U.S. has appeared quite unconcerned about the recent EVD outbreak in Central and East Africa. These developments should compel the WHO and the ACDC to encourage programs based on self-reliance for Africa and other regions of the Global South.

International Airlines Urged to Stick to Safety Measures in Wake of Ebola Outbreak

Michael Castofas/WFP

WFP staff and responders handle boxes of supplies at a logistics site in DR Congo during the Ebola outbreak.

26 May 2026

UN News Service

As a deadly Ebola strain continues to spread in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with cases confirmed in neighbouring Uganda, the UN aviation agency is urging governments and flight operators to closely follow guidelines put in place following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The outbreak of the Bundibugyo (BVD) strain is a major cause for concern in the DRC, where there have been more than 900 suspected cases and around 220 suspected deaths.

So far, there have been seven confirmed cases in Uganda. The World Health Organization (WHO) says that the outbreak, which it has declared a public health emergency of international concern, is spreading faster than health workers can contain it.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) will update its guidance as necessary in light of the evolving situation, but for now it insists that international air services remain safe.

Clear guidance in place

On Tuesday, the UN agency called on governments and aviation stakeholders to adhere strictly to WHO recommendations to mitigate any Ebola-related risks.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused massive disruption to air travel, prompting ICAO to establish new protocols for rapid, standardised information sharing among States, airlines, airports, and health agencies.

Digital innovations such as electronic health declarations and contactless border processes have been integrated into ICAO's recommendations to track and manage health risks more effectively, and the agency is coordinating with WHO and its Member States to provide measures to prevent the transmission of the disease through air travel.

These measures are also designed to protect the health of aviation personnel and passengers, reassure travelers, and keep flight cancellations to a minimum.

Read the original article on UN News.

Trump Will Send Americans Exposed to Ebola While Abroad to a New Facility in Kenya

By ALI SWENSON and MIKE STOBBE

3:49 PM EDT, May 27, 2026

NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration is planning to send Americans who are exposed to Ebola while abroad to a new facility in Kenya instead of flying them to the United States, an administration official said Wednesday.

The quarantine and treatment center being set up by the Departments of Defense, State and Health and Human Services will be designed for Ebola patients who need to get out of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and receive care quickly, said the official, who insisted on anonymity to share the Republican administration’s plans. The person said the plan would help patients avoid an hourslong medical evacuation to the U.S.

It was unclear where in Kenya the new facility will be built or whether the Kenyan government has signed off on the plan.

The official said the facility will be able to care for the full spectrum of Ebola, a rare but severe disease that is often fatal in people. But the official said people may be transported elsewhere for more advanced care as appropriate.

Kenya’s health minister confirmed officials there were talking with the U.S. about “preparedness and response mechanisms for Ebola” but didn’t address whether the country would establish a treatment facility for Americans.

“Any arrangements regarding international health cooperation will be guided by Kenya’s national laws, public health regulations, biosafety and biosecurity standards, and the government’s responsibility to safeguard the health and welfare of Kenyans,” Health Minister Aden Duale said in a statement.

For decades, medical experts have suggested moving patients suffering from Ebola and similar illnesses as little as possible in case their condition worsens, said Dr. Ali Khan, the public health college dean at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. But, he added, the quality of care must be equivalent to what someone would receive in American facilities.

“You’ve got to make sure the patient gets the best quality care, and you need to ensure excellent infection control,” said Khan, who earlier in his career led international responses to Ebola and other outbreaks for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Craig Spencer, a public health professor and emergency medicine doctor at Brown University who survived Ebola in 2014, said he doesn’t expect the facility in Kenya to provide the same quality of care that dedicated facilities in the United States do. He said refusing to consider bringing American Ebola patients home for treatment is “a moral abdication of what this country owes its own.”

An earlier outbreak

During a massive Ebola outbreak in west Africa in 2014 and 2015, more than a half dozen infected Americans were brought back to the United States. That experience prompted the establishment of a U.S. network of quarantine and isolation facilities across the country.

But during that earlier outbreak, Trump, then a businessman and reality TV star, repeatedly criticized then-President Barack Obama, a Democrat, for bringing infected Americans home for care.

“The U.S. cannot allow EBOLA infected people back. People that go to far away places to help out are great — but must suffer the consequences!” he wrote in a 2014 tweet.

He also suggested a plan similar to the one described to the AP by the administration official: “Treat them, at the highest level, over there,” Trump wrote in July 2014.

During a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the State Department and other agencies were working “very, very hard to contain this crisis to the countries where it’s currently located, particularly the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”

“We cannot and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States,” he said.

Americans who’ve been exposed to Ebola

Earlier this month, an American doctor working in Congo tested positive for Ebola and was sent to Germany for medical care. Serge, a Christian missionary organization, identified him as Dr. Peter Stafford. Stafford’s wife and four children did not have symptoms but also were flown to Germany and placed in isolation at Berlin’s Charite University Hospital.

On Wednesday, the hospital said the patient was in stable condition.

“The viral load measured in the patient has dropped very, very rapidly over the course of the week,” likely thanks to antiviral therapy, Dr. Leif Erik Sander, director of the hospital’s infectious diseases department, told reporters.

Another American medical missionary, Dr. Patrick LaRochelle, was transported to the Czech Republic for isolation after he was exposed to Ebola, though he did not have any symptoms, according to the missionary organization.

Health authorities in Congo have been struggling to contain the outbreak, which the World Health Organization has said is outpacing them.

The number of suspected Ebola cases in eastern Congo is nearing 1,000, with at least 220 suspected deaths. Congo’s health ministry on Tuesday said 101 cases have been confirmed and it’s looking into more than 3,000 possible contacts.

Challenges include the threat of armed groups in eastern Congo, a large number of displaced people and poor infrastructure.

The Wall Street Journal was first to report the Trump administration’s plan for the Kenya facility.

US officials expand airport screening

Meanwhile, officials have been expanding the number of U.S. airports where CDC staffers are screening and monitoring incoming passengers from outbreak countries. Enhanced screenings began last week at Washington Dulles International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. CDC staff began screenings at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston this week, and are being dispatched to start screenings Friday at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.

The CDC’s acting director, Jay Bhattacharya, sent an email Monday to CDC employees asking for volunteers from across the agency to work the screening stations. CDC veterans say it’s not unusual to see a call for volunteers for staffing major epidemic responses.

The government also has temporarily banned the entry of people without U.S. passports, as well as U.S. green-card holders, who have visited Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the last 21 days.

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AP journalists Evelyne Musambi in Nairobi, Julie Walker in New York and Kerstin Sopke in Berlin contributed to this report.