Ceuta Authorities Report 88 Deaths Amid Mass Influx of Migrants — News Agency

On August 2, the Spanish Government’s Press Office Reported 72 Fatalities, and the Moroccan Authorities Reported 11 Deaths

© Adri Salido/ Getty Images

MADRID, August 3. /TASS/. The government of Ceuta, a Spanish city located on the northern coast of Africa, stated that the death toll from the influx of migrants into the autonomous city has risen to 88, the EFE news agency reported.

On August 2, the Spanish government’s press office reported 72 fatalities, and the Moroccan authorities reported 11 deaths.

In late July, tens of thousands of undocumented migrants reached the autonomous city by swimming or on foot, bypassing the breakwater separating Ceuta from Morocco. Amid the crisis, the Spanish government decided to deploy troops to ensure the city's security. It is assumed that the vast majority of migrants have already returned to Morocco.

Death Toll from Ukrainian Attack on Crimea Rises Further to Four

Governor Sergey Aksyonov offered his condolences to the family and friends of the deceased

MOSCOW, August 3. /TASS/. The death toll from a nighttime Ukrainian attack on the Republic of Crimea has increased to four, Governor Sergey Aksyonov said.

Earlier on Monday, he said that three people had been killed and two others injured as a result of the strike.

"According to updated information, one more person was killed in the nighttime attack on Crimea. I sincerely extend my condolences to the family and friends of the deceased. Every life lost is a great loss for all of us," he wrote on the Max messenger.

Russian Diplomat Points to Ukraine’s Attacks on Zaporozhye NPP

The Russian charge d'affaires outlined Moscow’s official position on Ukraine’s attacks against civilian facilities and infrastructure in Russia

© Alexander Polegenko/TASS

STOCKHOLM, August 3. /TASS/. Russia’s charge d’affaires, who was summoned to the Swedish Foreign Ministry on Monday, outlined Russia’s official position regarding Ukraine’s attacks on civilian targets on Russian territory, placing particular emphasis on the Kiev regime’s continued attacks on the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, the Russian embassy told TASS.

"On August 3, 2026, Russia’s charge d’affaires in Sweden was summoned to the Swedish Foreign Ministry, where the Swedish side lodged a protest over Russia’s strikes on Ukrainian territory. For his part, the Russian charge d'affaires outlined Russia’s official position on Ukraine’s attacks against civilian facilities and infrastructure in Russia. Special attention was drawn to the Kiev regime’s continuing attacks on the Zaporozhye NPP. It was stressed that such reckless actions are fraught with serious risks," it said.

Six People Injured by Mines Remotely Planted by Ukraine in Energodar Over Day

Mayor Maxim Pukhov said that medical workers are providing all necessary assistance to the victims

MELITOPOL, August 3. /TASS/. Six civilians of Energodar were injured over the course of a day as a result of mine explosions involving mines remotely planted by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the city's mayor, Maxim Pukhov, reported on his Max channel.

"According to updated data, six civilians were injured today as a result of mine explosions. All of them have been taken to the emergency department of Medical Unit No. 145 in Energodar, and all of them are civilians who were following their usual routes as they became victims of remote mining carried out by the Kiev regime," he wrote.

He added that doctors are doing everything possible to nurse them back to health. This is not the first such incident.

"Medical workers are providing all necessary assistance to the victims: some patients have been hospitalized, while others are receiving outpatient treatment. In addition, yesterday, city residents who had been injured in similar explosions involving unidentified explosive devices also sought treatment at the emergency department," Pukhov wrote.

Trump’s Polling Numbers Hit a New Low. Don’t Expect Him to Change Course.

By Peter Baker 

New York Times

August 2, 2026, 4:29 p.m.

Despite his assertions, President Trump's poll numbers are at or near the lowest they have been in some nonpartisan surveys. 

WASHINGTON — After a spate of bad polls earlier this summer, President Trump simply declared that they were not true. “MY REAL POLL NUMBERS ARE THE HIGHEST THEY HAVE EVER BEEN,” he wrote on social media, using capital letters as if they would shout away any contrary data.

In fact, his real poll numbers are at or near the lowest they have ever been in some nonpartisan surveys. A flurry of new samples in recent days found that Trump is at the nadir of his presidency, with support from just around one-third of Americans as a stalemated war in Iran and high gas prices take a political toll.

The latest surveys indicate that Trump is now all but the most unpopular second-term president at this stage of their tenure in the history of polling going back to the 1940s. The only exception is not one that would give Trump much solace: Richard Nixon had even less public support at this stage in his second term but at that point he was just days away from resigning over the Watergate scandal.

These kinds of poll numbers would throw a normal White House into panic mode, especially coming just three months before a midterm election. Someone might be fired. A speech might be written. A new set of policies might be devised. But Trump has never been a normal president, and he does not react to political circumstances in the same way his predecessors have. Through force of will and command over his MAGA base, he has traditionally played a weak hand strong.

“He’s always going to project strength regardless what the numbers are and he’ll say they’re fake anyway,” said Douglas Heye, a longtime Republican strategist, adding that he did not expect any switch in political strategy. “Short of him screaming and throwing something at a staffer, that’s it.”

It is, of course, hard to have a course correction if it is not entirely clear what the course was to begin with. The most impulsive president of modern times, Trump follows his instincts and can completely reverse himself by the day, or sometimes the hour.

It has worked well enough for him that he has dominated American politics for more than a decade. Even though he won a plurality in 2024, Trump has neither won a majority of the popular vote in any of his three elections nor enjoyed support from a majority in Gallup polling at any point of either term. Yet he has governed as if he were a more popular president.

Still, the latest numbers are particularly bleak and have Republicans increasingly rattled as they dread a Democratic wave that could cost them the House and possibly even the Senate in November. Trump has the support of just 34 percent of Americans in CNN’s latest poll, matching his lowest point just after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. He had the approval of just 33 percent in a new AP-NORC survey, tying his lowest since 2017, and 32 percent in Quinnipiac University data, falling to an all-time low in that poll.

By comparison, at this stage of their second terms, Bill Clinton was at 64 percent, Ronald Reagan at 61 percent, and Dwight Eisenhower at 58 percent, according to historical Gallup surveys. Those underwater included Barack Obama at 43 percent, Harry Truman at 39 percent, and George W. Bush at 37 percent, all of whom went on to see their party lose seats in midterm elections months later. Nixon, on the verge of resignation as he faced impeachment, was at 24 percent at this point.

The challenge for Trump and Republicans is that the president is underwater on issues almost across the board, including areas where he historically had been stronger, like the economy and immigration. As for the war in Iran, it was already the only US war in the history of polling that more Americans opposed from the very start — and what support there was has cratered further, with voters now against it 2-1.

Moreover, the worry for Republicans is not just that voters disapprove of Trump’s handling of the presidency but strongly disapprove, suggesting that they would be more motivated than Trump loyalists to show up this fall.

“Those people are going to vote,” said Douglas Sosnik, who was Clinton’s White House political director and senior adviser. “And the non-MAGA Republicans are not motivated to turn out.”

Having said that, politics are not the same as they once were. The way that House lines are drawn these days means that there are fewer genuinely competitive districts, suggesting that even a strong Democratic wave may not generate as many new seats as it might have in the past. That was cemented even more so by a wave of mid-decade redistricting in recent months.

Kristen Soltis Anderson, a Republican pollster, said political polarization means that “job approval trades in a narrow band these days” compared with the past. “Job approval in the low 40s or even high 30s is not the political catastrophe it would have been two or three decades ago,” she said. “Presidents barely start out at 50 percent to begin with.”

“But,” she added, “low 30s, if accurate, means pieces of the coalition have started to break away. You’re not just cutting loose swing voters at that point.”

Trump has to count on the opposition squandering its advantage. “The best thing Republicans have going for them is that the Democratic Party is going through its own issues and does not have a crisp message besides ‘Trump is bad,’” she said. “However, if the environment truly stays this grim, that may be enough.”

The White House did not address the president’s polls in response to a request for comment but boasted of his record. “No other president in history has accomplished more for hardworking Americans than President Trump, who is working tirelessly to create jobs, cool inflation, increase housing affordability and more,” said Davis Ingle, a White House spokesperson. “The president has already made historic progress not only in America but around the world, and this is just the beginning as his agenda continues taking effect.”

Trump himself has made clear that he sees a different reality than most independent pollsters and political strategists of both parties — and distrusts results that are not favorable to him.

“Polls are very dishonest, just like a lot of reporters,” he told journalists during a news conference at the Group of 7 summit in France in June. A week later, he made his claim that his approval ratings were “THE HIGHEST THEY HAVE EVER BEEN” on his social media site.

Political observers have counted Trump out before only to see him survive the kinds of controversies and poll numbers that would hobble other politicians. He seems unconcerned by the pleadings of Republicans who want him to end the Iran war and focus more on affordability. Instead, he is pursuing legacy projects like a new White House ballroom and a triumphal arch, no matter how much the polls suggest that voters are not as enthusiastic.

“He is YOLO,” said Heye, using the initials for You Only Live Once. “He’s not sitting there thinking, ‘Gosh, my powers are weakened because of this.’ It’s part of why he was reelected and why he’s impervious to some scandals.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Medical Journals, Law Reviews, and Literary Magazines are Grappling with AI-generated Submissions

By Aidan Ryan 

Globe Staff,

August 2, 2026, 6:00 a.m.

Ilana Zahavy for The Globe; Adobe

For more than 50 years, the political and cultural magazine Boston Review has given emerging and established writers a platform to go deeper than the headlines on the world’s most pressing issues: war, the rise of authoritarianism, growing inequality.

Typically, the publication’s three editors will receive 500 to 700 unsolicited submissions annually through its online portal. But in the past two years, the number of submitted drafts has exploded, tripling for the first six months of this year compared to the same period in 2023.

The new influx isn’t likely due to a revived interest in critical analysis. Editors at the Boston Review suspect a sobering reality: a flood of artificial intelligence-generated submissions.

“It’s a huge drain on our small staff,” said executive editor Matt Lord. “Practically speaking, there’s no world in which we can continue reading every single submission we get very closely and not make faster judgments in some cases.”

The people who run Boston’s prominent literary magazines, university-affiliated academic journals, and scientific publications, such as the New England Journal of Medicine, say they’re increasingly struggling to tell the difference between human and AI writing. While these publications serve relatively narrow audiences, their contributions are key for new thinking about the world. And their struggles are part of a broader battle over how to preserve human understanding in the age of AI.

“Embodied human experience will always remain a human strength,” said Bill Pierce, editor of the Boston-based literary magazine AGNI. He said AI-generated writing simply cannot convey the depths of what a person can.

“Someday maybe it will be able to tell us what the hell it is,” he said of AI. “But it would still not be telling us what we are.”

But some say AI can be beneficial for writing when the value of an article is the original, scientific research.

“If someone gets help with AI to do the writing, particularly if English isn’t their first language and it communicates authentic data, then fine. I’d rather have a well-written article,” said Dr. Eric Rubin, editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine. “There’s no question that articles from foreign authors have improved tremendously.”

That journal, however, also publishes opinion pieces and letters to the editor. That’s where AI writing can be harmful.

“We don’t really care about what ChatGPT’s opinion is,” Rubin said.

Up until very recently, the prospect of using AI to generate competent prose seemed far off. But new scandals have emerged, including one at The New York Times, which cut ties with a freelance book reviewer who used AI to help write a book review, and at a British Commonwealth short story competition, where an author was accused of using AI to write a prize-winning short story. AI-generated books are also flooding Amazon and even seeping into bookstores.

Even publications that haven’t seen a massive uptick are aware of the threat of machine-made submissions. Many are wrestling with what guidelines to implement for writers and researchers.

Like other publishers, MIT Press adopted general rules when large language models first began to take off. It prohibits applicants from listing AI models as an author, and requires authors to be completely transparent about how they used AI in the research and writing process (some individual MIT journals also have implemented more specific guidelines).

But editors across the organization’s 43 journals kept receiving papers they suspected were produced with the help of AI, minus the disclosures. Some of the signs are well documented, such as the frequent use of certain phrases, a heavy reliance on em dashes, and syntax such as “it’s not X, it’s Y.”

Not only has there been what Nick Lindsay, the MIT Press director of journals, calls “a significant uptick” in papers they suspect are written by AI, but also a few instances where an author has submitted up to five papers to a journal in a single day, which is a massive number.

“That can be a real problem,” Lindsay said. “Each submission actually costs the publisher something,” adding that the platforms MIT Press uses for submission, which help them manage a high volume of papers, typically charge the organization anywhere from $10 to $32 each time someone submits an article.

While AI is hampering some publications, others aren’t as concerned. And in some cases the tech can be beneficial, such as in fact-checking large datasets, and translations that Rubin, of the New England Journal of Medicine, referenced.

Shyam Madhani, editor-in-chief of the Yale Law Journal, said the publication took an open approach to crafting its first AI policy, which it created this year and requires writers to disclose how they used the technology, adding that its usage would not deter the journal from considering their work.

“There’s no consensus either inside the journal or outside in legal academia on how to evaluate AI use in scholarship,” he said.

He argued that some of the concerns typically raised, such as prose being too formulaic or arguments that have already been published by other authors, are not AI problems, but rather issues with the quality of writing or novelty of the paper itself. Those are factors for which the journal is already reviewing, so the use of AI is secondary.

Of course, that puts a greater emphasis on reviewing submissions to ensure that they are sound to publish.

“We’re trying to make sure we adapt as things go on,” Madhani said. The editorial staff has established an approach “mostly not on how to evaluate pieces that use AI writing, but how to enforce a policy where our main job as editors is to ensure the accuracy of the pieces.”

At the New England Journal of Medicine, Rubin said that editors are implementing AI into its own review process. That includes statistical editors, who use the tech to help fact-check models.

But there are other challenges. Rubin said there is little the journal can do if the science itself is AI-generated. Images are another problem.

In May, the NEJM had to retract a case study regarding black “bronchial casts” that were removed from a man’s lungs following a forest fire, after its authors admitted to using artificial intelligence to manipulate the image. At issue was a crooked ruler placed at the top of the samples that authors used AI to straighten.

“That was a kind of dumb one,” Rubin said. “It seems like we’re always adjusting to the last crisis.”

To help with the opinion pieces, Rubin said the journal is experimenting with AI detectors, but is unsure of their efficacy. He declined to disclose which tools his team is using, out of fear that researchers and experts would use them ahead of submitting their papers.

Despite the challenges AI is causing and the potential impact it could have going forward, Rubin believes people will always be at the heart of the journal’s work — a sentiment that was shared across publications of various disciplines.

“We’re primarily a clinical research journal. You can’t do clinical research without sitting down with patients,” he said. “Not everything is built into the literature.”

Aidan Ryan can be reached at aidan.ryan@globe.com. Follow him @aidanfitzryan.

Trump Wants to Overhaul the Smithsonian. Volunteers are Fighting to Preserve It.

Hundreds of ‘citizen historians’ are documenting Smithsonian exhibits before the Trump administration can alter them.

By Julian E.J. Sorapuru 

Globe Staff

August 2, 2026, 6:00 a.m.

WASHINGTON — Fresh off a week of heavy criticism from conservatives, staffers at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History who clocked in for work last Monday morning encountered about a dozen people on the National Mall who wanted a word.

But they weren’t there to add to the accusations against the museum — quite the opposite. They held signs with phrases such as “Keep the Smithsonian Independent!” and “Protect History,” while singing songs like “This Land is Your Land” and “America the Beautiful.”

The demonstration was organized by a group called Citizen Historians for the Smithsonian. Since August 2025, hundreds of volunteers with the group have taken more than 50,000 photos and videos documenting the art and artifacts on display at the Smithsonian’s 21 museums in Washington, D.C., and New York City, plus its traveling exhibits. The digital archive encapsulates everything from artworks by Banksy and Basquiat, the Wright Brothers’ first plane, photos of lynchings from the Jim Crow era, and the desk Thomas Jefferson used to pen the Declaration of Independence, to the skull of a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Their motivation, members of the group say, is to provide a check on an administration set on an unreasonably narrow view of history. On July 24, Trump had issued an executive order dictating that signs be erected near the museum to warn visitors “about the ideological capture at the National Museum of American History,” the latest action in an escalating battle between the White House and the Smithsonian Institution.

“I want my children to understand the full American experience,” Jessica Dickinson Goodman, a grad student with two young kids and one of the group’s cofounders, told the Globe. “I don’t need the government getting between me, my kids, and our own history.”

The Smithsonian has withstood Trump’s attacks so far. But the political pressure is mounting.

The White House did not return a request for comment.

The conflict over how the Smithsonian frames history kicked into another gear on Independence Day, when the White House Domestic Policy Council released a 162-page report accusing leaders of the National Museum of American History of using the country’s story “as a political instrument to divide, dispirit, and discourage our citizens.” Trump has often criticized the institution for adopting a posture toward the United States he views as overly negative.

Then, on back-to-back days in mid-July the history museum’s director, Anthea Hartig, was called to testify before two separate House panels. Republican lawmakers grilled her over exhibitions they found objectionable, such as ones that explored gender identity and LGBTQ culture and history, both of which had not been on display in years.

The GOP complaint is that the museum has “become infected by a woke ideology that’s seeped into public displays, educational materials, and planning documents,” said Representative Tim Burchett, a Tennessee Republican and chairman of a subcommittee that hosted one of the hearings.

The White House report, congressional hearings, and executive order made clear the fight over the Smithsonian was just beginning. Those new threats, said Chandra Manning, also a cofounder of the citizens group, motivated the group to expand its advocacy.

“Now, it is both a documenting community — a community creating an archive — [and] it’s also an outside-of-the-museum source of support for the museum,” Manning, a professor of American history at Georgetown University, explained.

It’s why the group has recast its focus not just on the contents of the museums, but on the people who keep the institutions functioning.

“If the point of all of this White House and congressional pressure is to produce a chilling effect, to get into the heads of the people who work at the Smithsonian,” Dickinson Goodman said, “we wanted to counter it with a warming effect, trying to remind them that there are people who deeply respect and appreciate their professionalism and their hard work.”

Citizen Historians for the Smithsonian has also expanded its documentary work beyond museum collections. The group now has campaigns to document the Kennedy Center, the Library of Congress, and the National Archives, and its ranks have swollen to about 700 volunteer photographers.

“If it could happen at the Smithsonian, it could happen somewhere else, too,” Manning said. “The urge to edit the story, to control culture — that seems to extend far beyond the walls of the Smithsonian, at least for this administration.”

The White House’s fixation on the nation’s premier assembly of museums has been brewing for over a year.

In March 2025, Trump signed an executive order directing Vice President JD Vance — in his role as a member of the Smithsonian Board of Regents — to remove exhibits promoting “improper ideology” and appoint citizen members to the board who will advance administration priorities.

Following that executive order, Manning launched the grassroots initiative to document Smithsonian exhibitions.

“It wasn’t just a case of the administration wanted happy history and the Smithsonian told sad history,” Manning explained. “It was that the administration was asking for false history that I thought was damaging because, one, it would prevent us ever understanding what really happened because it was so far removed from evidence. But two, it seemed to be a version that was intent on editing out certain groups, certain people, certain experiences, and the very existence of disagreement, which has so often been central to how history has happened in the United States.”

Fellow Georgetown history professor James Millward joined Manning, and the two sent emails seeking help with the project. Dickinson Goodman, a graduate student at Georgetown completing a foreign service degree, received one such solicitation and, drawing on her past experience as a political organizer in California, helped give structure to the mission.

Each of the 21 museums was assigned a captain responsible for leading a subsection of the small army of volunteers. Dickinson Goodman said she hasn’t even met many of the volunteers in-person.

Over the course of about seven weeks from August to October 2025, Dickinson Goodman, Manning, Millward, and about 200 other volunteers spent hours inside and outside Smithsonian museums documenting exhibits and artwork. Most of their archive isn’t currently available to the public, but it is stored on hard drives and online systems. The group is working on printing photos, too.

Manning called the project “a super low-tech way of creating a crowdsourced archive of the Smithsonian as it existed last fall.”

“That low barrier of entry,” she added, “was the really important thing. I was really invested in making it as easy as possible for people to participate because so many people were feeling appalled at what was going on, but not sure what to do about it and looking for an entry point.”

A passerby showed support for the Citizen Historians for the Smithsonian's demonstration. 

Though the Museum of American History has borne the brunt of the Trump administration’s criticism, Manning said it was imperative to document every Smithsonian museum, because “the target today might not be the only target tomorrow.”

“The Smithsonian, in its entirety, is the national treasure that we really are trying to steward and care for,” she explained. “It really does represent just the vast wealth of human wisdom, of human knowledge, of human endeavor.”

Although the Trump administration threatened to withhold federal assistance to the Smithsonian — which accounts for about 60 percent of its $1.25 billion yearly operating budget — the institution has so far managed to resist the White House’s more extreme wishes, given its Board of Regents is technically independent from the executive branch. If it continues to withstand the pressure, that’s all the better in Dickinson Goodman’s book.

“One of our highest hopes as a project,” she said, “is that this archive — in the end — will be useless.”

Julian E.J. Sorapuru can be reached at julian.sorapuru@globe.com. Follow him on X @JulianSorapuru.

Air Strike Kills at Least 24 Civilians in North Kordofan, RSF Attack Leaves Nine Dead

30/07/2026 20:33 BARA 

EL JAMAMA

Eyewitnesses told Radio Dabanga that Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) warplanes bombed the populated Sharshar area, causing heavy civilian casualties.

The Advocating for Darfur Victims organisation said the strike killed around 24 civilians and blamed the SAF, urging the UN Security Council to take immediate action to protect civilians. It also called on all parties to respect international humanitarian law and end the war.

The RSF-aligned Sudan Founding Alliance (Tasees) also condemned the bombing, saying women, children and elderly people were among the victims. Tasees spokesperson Ahmed Tagad Lisan called for an independent international investigation.

The Dar Hammar Emergency Room said the SAF carried out  air strikes against RSF positions in El Jamama, El Mazroub, Sharshar, and Abu Hadid, claiming dozens of RSF vehicles were destroyed and many fighters killed or injured. Radio Dabanga could not independently verify the claim.

RSF attack leaves nine dead Military

In a separate incident, the Sudan Doctors Network said an RSF attack on El Jamama, west of Bara, killed nine civilians, including two women, and injured 14 others.

The network said RSF fighters attacked the area after accusing residents of supporting the SAF, looting the local market, health centre and private property before forcing many families to flee.

The Emergency Lawyers group also accused the RSF of attacking civilians, looting homes and vandalising El Jamama market, describing the assault as a serious violation of international humanitarian law.

Hundreds of Migrants Are Swimming from Morocco to the Spanish Territory of Ceuta

By RENATA BRITO

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Hundreds of migrants are swimming from Morocco to the tiny Spanish territory of Ceuta at the country’s northern tip, overwhelming border security, local authorities said Wednesday.

While good weather usually brings a surge in migrant crossings by sea in the summer, Ceuta authorities said the current number of swimmers is unusual.

“In the last few days, more than 1,500 migrants, including adults and minors, have reached Ceuta by sea,” the leader of Ceuta’s government, Juan Jesús Vivas, told journalists. “The reception centers are collapsed and saturated.”

Vivas said migrants previously died in the attempt, with 60 bodies being spotted at sea in the last year.

Spain’s interior ministry, which oversees borders and tracks irregular migration, would not confirm the number of crossings or say how many migrants had reached the territory by swimming. It referred journalists to its bimonthly migration report, with the next one expected on Aug. 3.

Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, in an interview with Spanish television channel laSexta, acknowledged authorities were facing “an extraordinary, exceptional situation.” He asserted that “we are dealing with it with the means that we already have deployed there permanently.”

Spain’s Civil Guard, maritime Rescue Services and even the Red Cross have been using boats to pick up swimmers before taking them to Ceuta. Hundreds of migrants are now sleeping outside a migrant reception center that is over capacity.

Those attempting the crossing are mainly Moroccans, along with a small number of Algerians who had been living in Morocco while trying to migrate to Europe, according to activists in Morocco and Ceuta.

It was not clear what prompted so many migrants to swim to Ceuta.

Vivas lamented a Spanish Supreme Court ruling that earlier this month established that migrants who arrive by sea cannot be immediately pushed back across the border without due process, unlike those who cross into Spain by land — by climbing over the border fence, for example.

But some activists including Omar Naji, president of the Moroccan Association of Human Rights in Eastern Morocco, expressed doubt that the ruling was behind the surge. Most Moroccans would have been unaware of such legal decisions, he said.

The timing of the crossing, occurring after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez met with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune last week, reminded Naji of the border crisis of May 2021 when more than 8,000 migrants poured into Ceuta in just two days.

At the time, Morocco was accused of easing border controls and allowing migrants to cross into the enclave after Spain allowed Polisario Front leader Brahim Ghali to receive medical treatment at a Spanish hospital, triggering a diplomatic crisis between Rabat and Madrid. The pro-independence Polisario Front for decades has claimed to be the legitimate representative of the indigenous Sahrawi people of disputed Western Sahara.

On Wednesday, Spain’s interior minister praised Moroccan authorities, saying they were cooperating and that the relationship with the kingdom was “close and based on loyalty.”

“They are also limiting irregular departures,” he told laSexta.

___

AP journalist Akram Oubachir in Casablanca, Morocco, contributed to this report.

Tens of Thousands of Migrants Voluntarily Leave After Crossing into Spanish Territory of Ceuta

By SERGIO RODRIGO RUÍZ, RENATA BRITO and SUMAN NAISHADHAM

4:46 PM EDT, July 31, 2026

CEUTA, Spain (AP) — Tens of thousands of migrants who crossed into Spain’s tiny Ceuta territory returned voluntarily to Morocco on Friday, a day after the influx triggered chaos in the North African city and reignited the immigration debate in Europe and beyond. At least 57 migrants died on the journey.

Ceuta’s president put the number of migrants at 60,000, which was equivalent to 70% of the territory’s population. But most of them soon went back, the Spanish government said, after the sudden arrival of so many people sparked a humanitarian crisis.

Some migrants swam several miles through the sea and faced down authorities who tried to turn them back with water cannons, tear gas and warning shots. Those who died included some who drowned or were killed in a stampede to cross a breakwater barrier near a border checkpoint.

Spain deployed its armed forces and additional police to restore order in Ceuta, which sits on the Strait of Gibraltar at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea and has been a Spanish possession since 1580. On the Moroccan side of the border, security forces clashed with migrants. The chaos also had ripple effects abroad, with Italy and France pledging to tighten their controls on people arriving from Spain.

A migrant runs from Spanish police officers as they cordon off access to the beach for people crossing from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Friday, July 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Sempere)

A migrant runs from Spanish police officers as they cordon off access to the beach for people crossing from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Friday, July 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Sempere)

“The situation that Ceuta is going through is absolutely unsustainable,” Ceuta President Juan Jesús Vivas told journalists.

Meanwhile, migrants from Morocco also attempted to cross into Melilla, Spain’s other territory at the tip of North Africa, where they clashed with police.

Spanish prime minister condemns border breach

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited Ceuta on Friday and condemned the border breach, which he described as “a violation of Spain’s territorial integrity.”

Sánchez blamed human smugglers for the crisis, saying they “deceive so many young people and ultimately lead many of them to their deaths,” whether in the ocean or in the city.

The Spanish Interior Ministry released its own figures shortly after Vivas spoke, estimating that some 50,000 people had crossed from Morocco since Thursday. It added that 48,300 had already returned to Morocco by Friday evening, with hundreds more going back by the hour.

Rachid Sbihi, who leads a local workers association representing Civil Guard officers, described the situation as a “serious humanitarian crisis,” saying thousands of migrants, including unaccompanied children, were left sleeping in parks and on sidewalks, while others roamed the streets aimlessly.

“It’s chaotic,” Sbihi said.

The Moroccan Interior Ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the migrant figures released by the Spanish authorities.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the images from Ceuta were “unacceptable.”

“We cannot allow anyone to come to our Union without abiding by our rules,” she said Friday in an online statement. “Dangerous crossings must stop immediately. Smuggling networks must be dismantled. And returns must be swift, as our rules allow.”

Dozens died in the chaos

Some of the 57 people who died had drowned, Sbihi said, but some were also killed in a stampede to cross the breakwater fence at Tarajal Beach, an urban beach near a border checkpoint with Morocco. The waters near the border fence were littered with buoys, shoes and other abandoned belongings.

Many young Moroccans who crossed into Ceuta told The Associated Press that they had hoped to find better work opportunities in Spain but were returning given the mayhem in Ceuta.

“There’s nothing at home. I’d have to work 12-hour shifts for a meager wage. That’s why I came here,” said 21-year-old Abdulah Buji, who hails from the city of Tetouan. “But I haven’t found any opportunities here either, so I have to go back.”

Moroccan police used water cannons and fired warning shots into the air to prevent migrants from crossing into Ceuta, according to rights groups in Morocco.

Morocco’s ambassador to Spain said the situation in Ceuta had unfolded against Morocco’s wishes.

“We have always prioritized legal, orderly and safe migration for all,” Karima Benyaich said. She did not comment on what prompted the migrants to cross into Ceuta.

To reach Ceuta, on the northern African coast, migrants often swim from the Moroccan town of Fnideq, covering about 3 miles (5 kilometers) to reach Spanish territory. Others attempt the crossing from the nearby town of Belyounech, where the distance is shorter.

Authorities in Ceuta and Madrid have linked the border surge to a recent decision by the Spanish Supreme Court, which ruled that migrants arriving by sea could not be summarily deported, unlike those who cross by land or climb the border fence.

Sánchez said migrant smugglers misinterpreted the ruling.

The interpretation of the Supreme Court’s ruling “spread like wildfire over the past few hours through the networks of human trafficking organizations,” triggering the surge, Sánchez said.

Spain has bucked anti-immigration trend

Sánchez has bucked the anti-migration trend that has gained ground across Europe and in the U.S.

Earlier this year, his government moved to give residency and work permits to hundreds of thousands of migrants already living in the country without permission.

Sánchez, a Socialist, argued that it would be good for the economy and the demographics of an aging Spain. Migrants who entered irregularly after Jan. 1 this year were not included.

His critics jumped at the opportunity to attack his policy, saying it encouraged more migrants to come.

“Sánchez allows Spain to be invaded through Ceuta,” Spanish conservative politician Isabel Díaz Ayuso wrote on X.

The U.S. expressed its support for “the people of Spain, and all Europeans, against this egregious violation of their sovereignty and human rights.”

In a post on X, the State Department added that “this unacceptable incident is the direct result of the Spanish Government’s deliberate efforts to enable and facilitate mass illegal migration into Europe.”

Sánchez on Friday defended his migration policy and distanced it from the events in Ceuta.

In the tumult, Italy temporarily suspended its open-border Schengen agreement with Spain, reimposing border controls for air and sea. The Interior Ministry said the decision amounted to a “closure” of the borders, but experts said it was merely a resumption of border controls. The agreement allows travelers to fly between the two countries without presenting passports.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said France would also strengthen border checks with Spain.

The crisis in Ceuta “has nothing to do with the regularization of migrants adopted by the Government of Spain, as is being falsely claimed by some,” the Spanish government said in a statement late Thursday after Meloni’s announcement.

Pressure grows on second Spanish territory in Africa

Migrants from Morocco also attempted to cross into Melilla, the other Spanish territory at the tip of North Africa.

There was widespread chaos in Bni Nsar, the Moroccan town bordering the Spanish territory, where migrants clashed with police, throwing rocks and setting police vehicles ablaze, according to local media and rights groups. They reported injuries among security forces and the arrest of dozens of people attempting to cross.

Like Ceuta, Melilla is a self-governing Spanish city. Many Moroccans consider both cities to be occupied territory.

___

Naishadham reported from Madrid. Brito reported from Barcelona, Spain. Associated Press journalists Joseph Wilson in Barcelona, Spain; Akram Oubachir in Casablanca, Morocco; and Antonio Sempere in Ceuta, Spain, contributed.

Migrant Crossing in Spain’s Ceuta Breeds Unsubstantiated Claims

By JOSEPH WILSON and RENATA BRITO

3:58 PM EDT, July 31, 2026

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — A crisis at the border in Ceuta, a tiny Spanish territory in North Africa, has resulted in unsubstantiated claims about Spain’s migration policies and the causes of the border surge at the territory’s frontier with Morocco.

Some 60,000 migrants entered Ceuta from Morocco on Thursday and Friday, local Spanish officials have said, equivalent to 70% of the city’s regular population. At least 57 migrants died attempting the crossing either by drowning while trying to swim to Spanish territory or in a stampede.

Here’s a look at the facts.

CLAIM: Spain’s move to legalize the status of immigrants caused the rush.

THE FACTS: Spain’s government is carrying out an amnesty for immigrants without residency permits who could prove they had been living in the country for at least five months and arrived before Jan. 1, 2026. Over 1 million people applied before the window closed at the end of last month.

Critics, including U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration, say that the amnesty sparked the rush to the Ceuta border by sending the message that Spain is lenient on migrants.

Spain’s “weak law, bad management” was to blame, Trump said Friday. The U.S. State Department doubled down in a post on X, saying that “this unacceptable incident is the direct result of the Spanish Government’s deliberate efforts to enable and facilitate mass illegal migration into Europe.”

Spain’s government strongly rejects that premise, saying that criminal gangs were behind the border crisis. Madrid has tried to maintain a hard line on illegal attempts to cross its borders while encouraging orderly arrivals of workers, who the government says are needed to keep up the country’s strong economy.

Poverty and youth unemployment are high in neighboring Morocco, particularly away from coastal cities that have experienced some development in recent years. Gen Z-led protests last year called for social justice and better public services. The inequality has prompted many young Moroccans to attempt to leave for Europe in search of better economic opportunities.

Still, it isn’t fully clear what caused the sudden surge in crossings at Ceuta.

CLAIM: A misconstrued Spanish court ruling is to blame.

THE FACTS: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has pushed the argument that a recent ruling by Spain’s Supreme Court had been intentionally misconstrued by migrant smugglers to convince thousands of people to cross the border by swimming around the border fence.

That court ruling said migrants arriving by sea could not be summarily deported without due process, unlike those who cross by land or climb the border fence because they had not crossed a physical barrier.

Migration and human rights activists said social media posts and misinformation helped fuel the departures.

“The departures were promoted in a certain way. At first, people were hearing that the border was open, and then everyone started referring to the Spanish court decision. That contributed to the crossings,” said Achraf Maimouni, a human-rights activist.

CLAIM: Morocco intentionally opened the border

THE FACTS: In 2021, more than 8,000 people crossed the Ceuta border when Moroccan border officials dropped their guard, sparking a diplomatic crisis between the neighbors.

The move was broadly interpreted as retaliation from Morocco for Spain’s decision to allow a pro-independence leader from the disputed Western Sahara region to receive medical treatment at a Spanish hospital. Sánchez defused the crisis when he shifted his country’s long-standing position on Western Sahara, and met with Moroccan King Mohammed VI the following year.

In this most recent crisis, which dwarfs the one five years prior, the first response by Spanish officials was to say that Moroccan counterparts were working alongside them to stop the rush. Whatever those efforts were, they proved ineffective as migrants kept steadily coming from all over Morocco to the border, with thousands breaching the frontier on Thursday and Friday.

An Associated Press freelance photographer witnessed Moroccan gendarmes standing aside with their arms crossed on Thursday as thousands of migrants passed near them into Ceuta. Eventually, Moroccan security forces stepped up, employing tear gas, batons and water cannons to disperse large groups of migrants reaching the border on Friday.

Morocco’s ambassador to Spain expressed hope that those who crossed from Morocco into the Spanish territory would return, saying the situation had unfolded against Rabat’s wishes.

Yet Morocco has never officially recognized Ceuta and its sister Spanish enclave, Melilla, as European territories even though they have been under Spanish control for centuries.

CLAIM: The surge in migrants is payback for Sánchez’ position on Iran and Gaza.

The mass crossing has given birth to conspiracy theories online, including one take that sees Trump and Israel encouraging a friendly Morocco to let this happen as payback for Spain’s position on immigration and its harsh criticism of their joint attack on Iran and the Israeli military campaign in Gaza.

THE FACTS: Trump has for months raged against Spain and recently threatened to end trade with the European country, and the Israeli leader has accused Spain of waging a diplomatic war against his country. But there is no evidence to support claims of a U.S. or Israeli hand in the Ceuta crisis.

CLAIM: Those who crossed will end up in mainland Europe.

THE FACTS: The Ceuta crossings have led to political leaders in Italy, France and other EU nations to take measures that appear aimed at stopping people from entering their countries. Premier Giorgia Meloni threatened to suspend Italy’s open-border Schengen agreement with Spain even though Italy doesn’t share a border with Spain and receives many more migrants crossing the Mediterranean than Spain. French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said France would also strengthen border checks with Spain.

While the influx is clearly unmanageable for the city of Ceuta, the impact of the crossing will mostly be limited to the Spanish territory and have limited impact on mainland Spain.

By Friday evening, the majority of migrants had already returned to Morocco voluntarily, Spanish authorities said. Those who remain in Ceuta will either be sent back eventually or face a long period of legal limbo and possibly spells in government-run centers.

EU migration commissioner Magnus Brunner posted on X that “not a single person has crossed to mainland EU” and that the Schengen Borders Code already includes special border checks for people traveling from Ceuta and Melilla.

___ Associated Press journalist Akram Oubachir contributed to this report from Casablanca, Morocco.

Oprah Winfrey Says She Will Close Her School for Girls in South Africa Next Year

Oprah Winfrey talks to students at her Leadership Academy for Girls at Henley-On-Klip South Africa, Friday, Jan. 13, 2012 on the eve of the first graduation at her school. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell, file)

By MICHELLE GUMEDE

8:07 AM EDT, July 31, 2026

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Oprah Winfrey says she will close the school for underprivileged girls she set up in South Africa two decades ago at the end of next year.

Winfrey opened the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in 2007 after being inspired by conversations with former South African President Nelson Mandela about the transformative power of educating girls. He was among the guests at the school’s opening ceremony.

Winfrey’s charitable foundation ran and funded the school, but it was always part of the agreement that the academy campus near Johannesburg be ultimately handed over to the provincial education department, the academy said.

“The dream was never simply to build a school,” Winfrey said in a statement issued by the academy on Wednesday. “It was to invest in the limitless potential of young women. That mission doesn’t end with one campus. It continues in every girl whose future can be transformed through education.”

The academy said Winfrey’s commitment to educating South African girls would continue through an expanded national scholarship program supporting academically talented girls at leading schools across the country.

More than 500 girls have graduated from the academy and some have attended top universities in South Africa, the United States and Europe, according to the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation.

The Gauteng provincial government will take over the 52-acre academy campus, which has 21 classrooms, six science and computer laboratories, a 10,000-volume library and a 600-seat theater. It did not immediately say what the plans for the property were.

Gauteng Provincial Minister for Education Lebogang Maile said those currently enrolled in the school will be able to complete their education with uninterrupted financial support.

The academy drew international attention shortly after opening in 2007 when several students accused a dormitory matron of physically and sexually abusing them.

Winfrey traveled to South Africa to meet with students and parents, publicly apologized, and commissioned an independent investigation.

The matron was acquitted of criminal charges in 2010.

What to Know About the Conflict in Mali and the World’s Most Terrorized Region

By OPE ADETAYO

1:03 AM EDT, July 31, 2026

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Mali is facing its most serious security crisis in years as al-Qaida-linked militants and separatist rebels join forces to intensify attacks against its military.

The partnership between the JNIM jihadi rebels and the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) is the latest twist in a decades-long conflict in what is already the world’s most terrorized region.

It has resulted in some of the largest attacks Malian security forces and their partners have seen in years, analysts say.

The rebels and separatists launched massive simultaneous attacks across the country in April for the first time in a decade. Earlier this month, they partnered to ambush a Malian military convoy, capturing or killing dozens of soldiers, and mounting pressure on the ruling junta.

Fatalities from militant attacks increased by 35% to 3,435 in the first seven months of this year, compared with 2,546 in the same period in 2024, according to data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), an independent conflict monitor.

“The JNIM and FLA see the benefit of working with each other because they function as force multipliers for each other,” said Heni Nsaibia, a senior analyst for West Africa at ACLED.

Both groups, Nsaibia said, have the same goal of “finishing the common enemy,” which they see as being the Malian armed forces and its partner, Russia’s Africa Corps paramilitary group.

The relationship between the groups is “a form of tactical coordination” focusing on military operations, FLA spokesperson Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane told The Associated Press.

He said the groups had agreed that after securing independence of the northern region of Mali the communities would decide what version of sharia is applied.

The latest dimension to the Mali conflict began in 2012 with the northern Tuareg rebellion, which opened the field for jihadis, setting the country and the wider Sahel — a vast strip of semi-arid desert stretching from North Africa to West Africa — on a violent path.

Soldiers took over Mali’s civilian government in 2020, citing the security crisis, setting off a series of coups across the Sahel, which is considered the deadliest region in the world with a record of up to half of all terror-related deaths globally, according to the Institute for Economics and Peace.

The period of military rule has fared worse than previous civilian governments, analysts say, with armed groups increasing their footprint across the country and the Sahel.

Here is a guide to the groups fighting in Mali and their goals:

Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM)

JNIM is the most potent of the armed groups in the Sahel region and one of the deadliest local affiliates of al-Qaida globally, according to researchers.

It was formed in 2017 after the merger of four separate al-Qaida-affiliated groups in Mali, creating one bigger entity. One of its stated goals was to drive out French forces which, at the time, were helping Malian forces to fight the jihadis.

The group is led by Iyad Ag Ghaly, a veteran of the Tuareg rebel group and a former Malian diplomat. It operates across much of Mali in the north, south, west and central axis. Last year, it imposed a blockade on fuel imports into the country, disrupting fuel supplies to the capital Bamako to date.

JNIM is also active in neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso, and has been expanding its presence to coastal West Africa.

Analysts say JNIM has forced the Malian military to disperse across wider territories, stretching its operational capacity on multiple fronts. Recently, it has been presenting itself as an alternative legitimate authority to the government.

“JNIM has progressively expanded its influence, becoming an increasingly unavoidable interlocutor for some local communities and exercising de facto authority in certain areas where state institutions have only a limited presence,” said Beatrice Bianchi, an adviser for the Sahel-Sahara Security Strategies Centre.

Azawad Liberation Front (FLA)

The FLA, which was formed in 2024, is fighting for the independence of northern Mali. It is the latest iteration of the complex formations of several Tuareg separatist rebel groups that have emerged in the north.

Its roots date back to the 1960s following Mali’s independence from France, when it claimed that the central government marginalized the northern region politically and economically.

In April 2012, a coalition of Tuareg rebel groups under the Coordination of Azawad Movements declared independence and sparked a rebellion alongside Islamic militants.

A 2015 accord signed in Algeria between the Malian government and the rebels led to a cessation of fighting between the group and government forces. In 2024, however, the Malian junta exited the accords as tensions flared between the junta and the rebels, leading to renewed hostilities.

Several officials of multiple rebel groups then came together to form the FLA.

Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP)

The Sahel-based arm of the Islamic State group, the ISSP was formed by defectors from al-Mourabitoun, one of the four al-Qaida affiliates that came together to form the JNIM.

In Mali, it is considerably less prominent compared to JNIM, and most of its operations are in the Menaka region, which borders Niger.

The Islamic State group acknowledged the ISSP’s allegiance in 2022. Unlike JNIM, which tries to present itself as a better alternative to the government, ISSP’s stated goal is to build an Islamic caliphate in the region, and it’s considered more coercive in its relationship with civilians.

“Both organizations are responsible for significant violence against civilians, but JNIM has generally sought to combine coercion with efforts to build local acceptance, while the Islamic State has relied more heavily on overt violence and intimidation,” Bianchi said.

Both groups are also often at loggerheads as they violently compete for territories and differ on jihadi philosophies, reflecting the global rivalry between al-Qaida and the Islamic State.

Africa Corps

The Africa Corps is a Russian paramilitary group that succeeded the disbanded Wagner Group. After coming into power, the Malian military junta expelled French forces from the country in 2022, citing protection of national sovereignty and a worsening security crisis.

Mali then turned away from its traditional Western partners to Russia — first to the Wagner Group, a private organization that acted as Russia’s diplomatic proxy.

Russia has since replaced Wagner with the Africa Corps, answerable to the Russian Ministry of Defense. The Africa Corps fights alongside the Malian army and has been accused of gross human rights violations.

Other pro-government forces

Other smaller ethnic auxiliary groups support the government.

They include the Dozo militias, former hunters that have become militarized, and some Tuareg groups, such as the Imghad Tuareg Self-Defense Group and Allies (GATIA) and the Movement for the Salvation of Azawad (MSA), in the Menaka region.

The support can also be fluid. Dan Na Ambassagou, a militia group that fights against Fulanis, accusing them of harboring Islamist groups, was once embraced by the government but has now been denounced.

OPE ADETAYO

Adetayo is a West and Central Africa reporter for The Associated Press. He covers news and regional development across West and Central Africa.

49th Ordinary Session of AU Executive Council Wraps Up in Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa, July 29, 2026 (ENA) —A two-day 49th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Executive Council concluded in Addis Ababa after high-level deliberations on the continent’s development priorities, institutional reforms, and sustainable financing.

The session, held under the African Union’s 2026 Theme of the Year, “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safely Managed Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063,” focused on the AU’s policy agenda ahead of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government.

The meeting also explored ways to forge coordinated strategies to address Africa’s pressing development challenges while accelerating the continent’s long-term vision for integration, prosperity, and sustainable development.

The opening ceremony was attended by senior African and international leaders, including African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Ethiopia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Gedion Timothewos, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Claver Gatete, and Burundi’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation, Édouard Bizimana, who chaired the Executive Council session.

Foreign ministers from AU member states, senior government officials, diplomats, and representatives of regional and international organizations participated in the meeting.

During the two-day session, ministers deliberated on a wide range of strategic priorities aimed at deepening regional integration, strengthening cooperation among member states, and advancing the implementation of Agenda 2063, the African Union’s blueprint for an integrated, prosperous, and peaceful continent.

Key agenda items included reviewing progress in the implementation of Agenda 2063, assessing decisions and institutional frameworks adopted under both the former Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and the African Union, and evaluating achievements made under the AU’s 2026 Theme of the Year.

The Executive Council also formulated policy recommendations and draft decisions for consideration and adoption by the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government, reinforcing its central role in shaping the continent’s political, economic, and development priorities.

African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf welcomed the decision on enhanced member-state contributions, describing it as a demonstration of the commitment to financing Africa’s development agenda despite prevailing global economic challenges.

“I want to seize this opportunity to thank Kenya and Ethiopia for their decision to join Tier 1. This shows that, with the conviction of our member states to move Agenda 2063 forward, the Commission will have the necessary resources,” he said.

“I am particularly encouraged by the decision of our member states to revise the scale of assessment. I know that this decision is a difficult one given the economic situation and the impact of the current geopolitical environment on the continent. As the economic situation is difficult for everybody, these efforts are truly appreciated.”

Closing the session, Executive Council Chairperson and Burundi’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation, Ambassador Édouard Bizimana, praised the spirit of consensus demonstrated throughout the meeting and said the latest financing commitments reflected growing African solidarity and determination to build a stronger and more self-sustaining Union.

“I want to express satisfaction at a major achievement, namely the sovereign decision of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Republic of Kenya to increase their annual contribution and join the first category, Tier 1, for 2027–2029 under the Harmonized Scale of Assessment. 

This exemplary gesture of African solidarity and Pan-Africanism reaffirms their unwavering commitment to sustainable financing and strengthens our collective resolve to build a strong, united African Union capable of financing its own ambitions,” Bizimana said.

The decisions adopted during the two-day session will now be transmitted for implementation across the African Union Commission, AU organs, and member states, while also shaping the agenda for the upcoming AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government.

The resolutions are expected to guide the Union’s work on institutional reform, sustainable financing, regional integration, peace and security, and the implementation of Agenda 2063 in the months ahead.

National Dialogue Conference Delegates Say Process Catalyst for Shared Consensus, Unity

Addis Ababa, July 30, 2026 (ENA) — Participants of the National Dialogue Conference said that they are freely forwarding ideas that build the nation and bring about national consensus.

With every perspective given equal weight, this collective process is playing a pivotal role in shaping long-term consensus.

The participants emphasized that the forum will lay a solid foundation for a stronger Ethiopia, offering immense promise to usher the country into a new chapter of enduring peace and prosperity.

One of the participants, Mohammed Amin Mahadi highlighted the inclusive nature of the national dialogue, noting that representatives from all walks of life are taking part in a free discussion. 

 He emphasized that participants are freely forwarding constructive ideas that strengthen nation-building efforts and forge national consensus.

With every perspective given equal weight, this collective dialogue is playing a vital role in building long-term consensus on critical national priorities.

Mohammed added that the forum lays a solid foundation for a stronger Ethiopia, offering immense promise to guide the country into a new era of enduring peace and development.

For his part, Gizaw Kebede noted that the dialogue is progressing smoothly across all levels by ensuring that every viewpoint is integrated into the discussions and extensive are held.

 Nebiyou Mihretu underscored the inclusive nature of the consultation process, which involved broad cross-section of the society.

He added that the process is actively building trust, unity, and a shared sense of purpose as delegates work together to craft constructive solutions for the nation's future.

 Nebiyou expressed deep confidence that the talks will deepen solidarity and brotherhood among all Ethiopians, ultimately paving the way for enduring peace.

Saudi Arabia Executes 5 Ethiopians Over Drug-related Charges, Rights Group Says

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

9:39 AM EDT, July 29, 2026

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Five Ethiopians were executed in Saudi Arabia this week on drug-related charges following a trial that allegedly did not follow due process and lasted a few minutes without a translator, according to Human Rights Watch.

The rights organization said Tuesday at least 79 other Ethiopians remain at imminent risk of execution on similar charges. It cited the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights, which said at least 116 people have been executed this year.

Human Rights Watch said the five were charged with possessing hashish, a type of cannabis.

“Saudi authorities are executing marginalized Ethiopian migrants after court hearings that sometimes barely last a few minutes without a lawyer or a translator,” said Joey Shea, senior Saudi Arabia researcher at Human Rights Watch. Many Ethiopians migrate to Gulf countries in search of work.

“Dozens of vulnerable migrants remain at risk of imminent execution after trials that were barely trials at all, in a system that treats their lives as disposable,” she said.

There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia in response to the report.

Saudi Arabia is one of several countries in the Middle East, including Iran, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, that can levy the death penalty on drug-related charges. The kingdom remains one of the world’s top executioners behind China and Iran.

Last week, Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry said it remained “closely engaged” with Saudi authorities on matters affecting Ethiopians. The ministry said it was looking into individuals facing legal proceedings and judicial measures but did not specify whether they included people sentenced to death for drug offences.

In May, the patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church appealed to Saudi authorities to halt the execution of Ethiopian nationals.

Tsehay Wolay, whose son Kidane Angesom was executed by Saudi authorities on April 21, said she heard the news through his cellmate.

“They murdered my son,” she lamented in an interview last month. “I can’t even receive my son’s corpse so I can bury him properly.”

Kidane, 32, had stayed in Saudi Arabia for nine years, four of them behind bars. His mother never got to know what he was accused of.

“If they were going to kill him, why was all that suffering necessary?” his mother asked.

Human Rights Watch said Saudi Arabia’s use of the death penalty is contrary to international human rights law, which upholds every human being’s “inherent right to life” and limits the death penalty to “the most serious crimes.”

Ugandan Opposition Leader Besigye is Unconscious in Hospital After Collapsing in Court, Wife Says

Ugandan opposition leader and four-time presidential candidate Kizza Besigye, second left centre, arrives in a civilian court in Kampala, Uganda on Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda)

By RODNEY MUHUMUZA

4:14 AM EDT, July 30, 2026

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye has been hospitalized and is unconscious after he collapsed during a courtroom session of his treason trial, according to his wife and others who are urging authorities to set him free after repeated bail denials.

Besigye fell in the dock on Wednesday while protesting his trial without lawyers of his own choosing, after authorities detained his main attorney, Erias Lukwago, and charged him with alleged failure to report acts of treason.

Besigye’s wife, UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima, said in a post on X that Besigye is unconscious in an intensive care unit at a public hospital in the Ugandan capital of Kampala. “Before he collapsed, he cried out that he was being injured,” she said.

Ingrid Turinawe, a close confidant of Besigye, told The Associated Press that she and others were not allowed to see Besigye at the Mulago Hospital.

“He is in the ICU, and he is not responding to anything,” she said, adding that Besigye’s personal physician was able to see him several hours after he collapsed.

A spokesperson for the Ugandan prison system didn’t respond to a request for comment.

The case against Besigye is controversial as Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni and his son, military chief Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, have already weighed in against him.

Kainerugaba, alleging that Besigye plotted to kill his father, has previously described the opposition figure as “a dead man walking.” And Museveni himself has said Besigye must answer for “the very serious offenses he is alleged to have been planning.”

In recent days, prosecutors have moved to present evidence they say will prove Besigye and others plotted to overthrow the government. Besigye’s political party says the charges against him are fake and politically motivated.

Besigye, once Uganda’s most prominent opposition figure, last contested the presidency in 2016, later saying that elections were a waste of time in a country with an authoritarian leader who depends more on the armed forces.

Besigye went missing in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, in November 2024 but was later presented before a military tribunal in Kampala to face charges related to threatening national security. The criminal case was transferred to a civilian court and the charge amended to treason, which carries the death penalty.

Besigye once was a trusted ally of Museveni in the guerrilla war that propelled him to power in 1986, and even served as Museveni’s personal doctor and military assistant.

He later became a fierce critic of the president, condemning what he saw as a descent into authoritarianism that betrayed the democratic promise of Museveni’s early years. Term and age limits on the presidency have since been scrapped.

Museveni, who won reelection in controversial polls in January, is serving a seventh consecutive term in office. Bobi Wine, Museveni’s main opponent in that election, has since gone into exile out of fear for his safety.

DR Congo Says the Death Toll in Fastest-growing Ebola Outbreak Has Passed 1,500

By PROSPER HERI NGORORA and MARK BANCHEREAU

11:05 AM EDT, July 30, 2026

BUNIA, Congo (AP) — Ebola has killed more than 1,500 people in eastern Congo in the fastest-growing outbreak of the disease, data released Thursday showed, marking a 50% increase in around a week as the emergency continues to outpace response efforts.

As of Tuesday, 3,442 cases had been recorded, with 1,521 deaths, according to the latest government update. The sharp rise since last week partly reflects a backlog of cases and deaths that had not yet been confirmed or recorded, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.

The outbreak, declared on May 15, has been linked to the Bundibugyo virus for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments. Delays in contact tracing, difficulties accessing affected areas, mistrust from communities and violence by armed groups and some residents have hampered the response, the Africa CDC said.

The outbreak is mostly concentrated in eastern Congo’s remote Ituri province, which accounts for nearly 90% of cases, but there have been others confirmed in five provinces, including one of the country’s largest cities, Kisangani.

Neighboring Uganda declared itself free of Ebola on Tuesday following the discharge of the country’s last patient in mid-June.

Ebola is rare, but highly contagious and can be contracted via bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen. The disease it causes is severe and often fatal.

Africa CDC Director-General Dr. Jean Kaseya said Thursday that 63% of confirmed deaths in the last two weeks occurred outside of treatment centers.

Kaseya said this is largely due to the “unsafe handling of infected bodies” by residents. Traditional burial practices in some communities involve touching the bodies of the deceased, which can be highly contagious.

The restrictions that health authorities have placed on such funerals, along with widespread misinformation asserting that the deadly virus isn’t real, have angered some residents and led to attacks on health facilities.

In Ituri’s Nyakunde health zone, international partners supporting the Ebola response had to temporarily relocate after a July 15 attack on a hospital and a treatment center, sparked by a patient’s death.

Officials say the relocation of these partners, including Africa CDC and Mercy Corps, has disrupted surveillance, contact tracing and supplies.

Dr. Désiré Duabo, chief medical officer for the health zone, said foreign aid groups and agencies had provided much of the supplies, equipment and operational support, and warned that the small stocks left are “almost depleted.”

Attacks such as the one in Nyakunde are causing anxiety among health workers and making it difficult for them to carry out their duties, said Pierre Akilimali, the Ebola response incident manager at the National Public Health Institute of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“They are working amidst risks of infection as well as risks to their personal safety,” he said.

Local health officials say security has since stabilized and are urging partners to return, with Africa CDC saying teams could redeploy as soon as next week.

The latest outbreak has killed more people at a quicker rate than any previous outbreak, including in 2014-2016 when 28,000 cases were reported, of which over 11,000 people died. That outbreak took about eight months to reach 1,000 deaths.

The World Health Organization says the global risk of spread remains low because Ebola does not travel through the air, making it much harder to spread than respiratory viruses. Cases detected outside the affected region have so far been quickly identified and contained without leading to sustained transmission, the agency said.

In Congo, however, the risk of the spread remains “very high,” according to the WHO.

——

Banchereau reported from Dakar, Senegal.

Ebola Outbreak Is Now the Second-Deadliest Ever, and in Record Time

The disease has killed more than 1,500 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo in just over two months, causing deaths faster than officials have ever recorded.

By Zane Irwin and Stephanie Nolen

July 30, 2026

3:40 p.m. ET

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has already become the second-worst on record, and it is spreading much faster than previous outbreaks, the nation’s health ministry reported on Thursday.

The official death toll has jumped to 1,521 people in fewer than three months. Put another way, the species of Ebola behind the current outbreak, Bundibugyo, has killed more than five times as many people as previous outbreaks did in the same amount of time, officials from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said at a press briefing on Thursday.

The last outbreak, which began in 2018 and was declared over in 2020, took more than 10 months to reach the same death toll.

“I’m not in a position to tell you we are in total control of this outbreak today,” said Dr. Jean Kaseya, the director general of the Africa C.D.C.

The virus ripping through eastern Congo is on pace to surpass the number of infections and deaths of the 2014-2016 Ebola crisis in West Africa, the worst outbreak ever that killed more than 11,000 people.

On Tuesday, Uganda, which borders Congo, declared an end to its related Bundibugyo outbreak after four weeks with no new cases. There were 20 cases and three deaths in Uganda.

Swift action and rigorous contact tracing in Uganda are credited with quickly controlling its outbreak. But across the border in Congo, the situation is rapidly deteriorating.

Since the current outbreak was first declared in May, Congo has confirmed 3,442 cases. As of Wednesday, the nation’s health ministry had counted 797 people who were hospitalized or in isolation. More than 80 percent of beds in treatment centers are occupied, and officials warn they could soon be overwhelmed.

Early surveillance and testing failed to spot the disease’s emergence, delaying the response. Tracing the virus was also made harder by fighting in eastern Congo that has displaced millions of people.

Africa C.D.C. officials said on Thursday that contact tracing efforts remained far off target. More than 80 percent of new cases in the epicenter of the disease were “not linked to known contacts,” officials said.

Every confirmed case from an urban area is expected to have 40 contacts, which means the current roster of exposed people being followed should be 134,400 people. Instead, it’s only 17,558 people, just 13 percent of what it should be.

And of those on the list, about a fifth are not being followed, either because there is a lack of health personnel to do the job or because armed conflict makes it impossible to check on them regularly.

Sixty percent of those who have died of the virus succumbed in a community, not in a health center, Dr. Kaseya said, in another indicator that the virus is spreading unchecked.

Efforts to save lives and slow the virus are nevertheless progressing.

While there are no vaccines or treatments for Bundibugyo, clinical trials of possible treatments, and of a drug that could prevent infection in people exposed to the virus, have begun in Congo. More than 40 patients are testing a combination of therapeutics.

And in a separate trial, 19 people have been started on a 10-day course of an experimental anti-viral drug to prevent people exposed to the virus from getting sick. This trial aims to enroll 1,200 people. If data analysis after 600 patients show promising results, the goal will be to extend access to the drug to all contacts.

“This is the hope we have,” Dr. Kaseya said.

In addition, a clinical trial of a first-ever vaccine for Bundibugyo began at Oxford University this month, where the first of 50 adult volunteers was immunized and will be monitored for vaccine safety.

On Thursday, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations announced that it would fund a Singapore-based research firm, Hilleman Laboratories, to develop another potential vaccine and make doses for testing. The goal is to get it into swift clinical trials in Congo. This vaccine uses the technology behind one made by Merck, already approved by regulatory agencies to prevent another species of Ebola.

Zane Irwin is an international reporter and a member of the 2026-27 Times Fellowship, a program for journalists early in their careers.

Stephanie Nolen is a global health reporter for The Times.

State Department Map Mislabels African Countries at AIDS Conference

Nigeria, a coastal country in western Africa, was landlocked in the Sahara, among other errors. The department said it had been “hastily altered.”

A projector screen showing a map below a title saying “Current APS Funding Opportunities.” The map shows the continent Africa, with several countries highlighted in different colors.  

A map presented by the State Department at AIDS 2026, a conference in Brazil this week. Credit...Picture Obtained By Reuters/UGC

By Remy Tumin

July 30, 2026

3:53 p.m. ET

A senior health official with the State Department presenting at an international AIDS conference in Brazil this week used a map of Africa to illustrate U.S. government funding for H.I.V. programs on the continent.

There was only one problem. The map incorrectly identified several African countries:

Nigeria, a coastal country in western Africa, was landlocked in the Sahara;

Mozambique, a coastal state in southeastern Africa, was similarly landlocked and relocated to the Horn of Africa;

Ivory Coast, a coastal country in western Africa, was made into a southern African state;

Uganda and Malawi were roughly in the correct vicinity of the continent, but the borders were inaccurate.

The legend also referenced Cameroon, but the map did not include the country.

The map appeared to show where the State Department might direct health grants during a pre-conference event at AIDS 2026, which is being hosted by the International AIDS Society in Rio de Janeiro. The session focused on the status of U.S. government relations with governments in Africa.

An analysis by Reuters, which obtained images from the session, found that the map contained an artificial intelligence watermark associated with tools from OpenAI. Screenshots of the map were first published ​in a Substack post by Emily Bass, an AIDS expert and writer, and were widely shared on LinkedIn.

The State Department called the misprint “an unfortunate error” in a statement and said it resulted from a team member who “hastily altered” a slide before the presentation. The department said it took “full responsibility” for the misprint.

Kenneth Ngure, the president-elect of the International AIDS Society, called the use of the map at the conference “disheartening.”

“African countries must be taken seriously,” he said in a statement. “The African continent continues to bear the greatest burden of the H.I.V. pandemic, and our focus must now return to advancing the H.I.V. response.”

The Trump administration’s cuts to the largest global H.I.V. program last year have resulted in drastic drops in both prevention efforts and treatment. The program, known as the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, supported treatment for about 77,000 fewer children in 2025 than it had the previous year, a 14 percent decline, according to a study, the results of which are expected to be presented at the conference this week.

A State Department spokesman said the department was shifting away from a “legacy assistance model” to “genuine country ownership.”