NEWS

Today in Africa — August 14, 2026: 650,000 Refugees in South Sudan Risk Losing All Food Aid, Nigeria's Super Falcons to Miss Women's World Cup for First Time

OkayAfrica has scoured the Internet for today’s major news stories, so you don't have to. On Aug. 14, coverage includes: a UN funding gap ending food assistance for South Sudan's most vulnerable refugees within weeks; how South Africa's Banyana Banyana ended the Super Falcons' run in a tense WAFCON play-off; and more.

Nigeria's Super Falcons huddle together on the pitch during a friendly match at Remo Stadium.
Nigeria’s women’s national football team, the Super Falcons, will miss next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time, after succumbing 2-1 to South Africa’s Banyana Banyana in a play-off at WAFCON.

Every day, OkayAfrica shares a roundup of news we’re following but haven’t published as full articles. These short updates cover what’s happening across the continent — in culture, politics, and beyond. For more on stories like these, be sure to check out our News page, with stories from across the regions.

RELATED

South Sudan's Refugees Face Total Loss of Food Aid Within Weeks

More than 650,000 refugees and asylum seekers in South Sudan could lose food aid access within weeks due to a severe funding shortfall, the United Nations warned on Friday, with some already asking for help returning to war-torn Sudan despite unsafe conditions there. The last food distributions for the most vulnerable 240,000 refugees — already reduced to half-rations — will go out in September unless urgent funding comes through. Without it, the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) says no refugees in South Sudan will receive food assistance starting in October.

What to know:

  • South Sudan is grappling with one of the world's worst hunger crises, with more than 7.8 million people — over half the population — facing acute food insecurity and 2.2 million children acutely malnourished.

  • The country is also absorbing about 3,000 refugees and returnees a week fleeing Sudan's conflict, which has driven mass killings, rape, and deliberate starvation since 2023.

  • Families are already skipping meals, selling belongings, pulling kids from school, and taking on debt, with women and children facing heightened risks of exploitation.

  • Food assistance for roughly 180,000 internally displaced people will stop in October, and about 600,000 people in famine-risk areas could lose support by November.

  • UNHCR has received only 28% of the $286 million it needs this year and faces a $37 million funding gap for refugee operations between October and December.

Nigeria's Super Falcons Miss the World Cup for the First Time Ever

Nigeria will miss the Women's World Cup for the first time in its history after South Africa’s Banyana Banyana beat the Super Falcons 2-1 in a play-off at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, ending a run that stretched back to the tournament's first edition in 1991. Goals from Thembi Kgatlana and Refiloe Jane put Banyana Banyana ahead, and despite Jane's late red card for a handball inside the box, goalkeeper Kaylin Swart held on with a string of key saves to seal the win. South Africa now joins Ghana, which came from behind to beat Ivory Coast 2-1, in FIFA's inter-confederation qualifying path.

What to know:

  • Nigeria entered WAFCON as defending champions and continental favorites but were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Cameroon after also losing to Malawi in the group stage.

  • The Super Falcons have won WAFCON a record 10 times, and star forward Asisat Oshoala's Thursday, August 13, showing may have been her last at the tournament.

  • South Africa and Ghana will compete in a six-team qualifying league this November and December against Uzbekistan, Chinese Taipei, Papua New Guinea, and Ecuador, with the top two advancing to a final inter-continental qualifier in February.

  • Ghana's win came a day after its players went public with claims that they were owed qualification bonuses, group-stage bonuses, and per diem payments — allegations the country's sports ministry partly disputed.

Zambia Halts Vote Count After Reports of Ballot Theft and Attacks on Officials

Zambia's Electoral Commission suspended vote counting in Thursday’s presidential election after reports of attacks on polling officials and stolen ballot papers, saying it would review the decision within 24 hours. Opposition leader Brian Mundubile claimed victory and alleged that military members had taken over counting stations in at least one town, though he offered no evidence. The commission did not say who was behind the alleged theft, and Lusaka remained calm with no signs of unrest.

What to know:

  • President Hakainde Hichilema, seeking a second term, faced 13 other candidates including Mundubile, the leader of an opposition alliance widely seen as his strongest rival.

  • About 8 million of Zambia's 22 million people were registered to vote at more than 13,500 polling stations for president, Parliament, and local councils.

  • Zambia has held largely peaceful elections since returning to multiparty democracy in 1991, though opposition and rights groups accused Hichilema's government of squeezing dissent ahead of the vote.

  • Mundubile's alliance said a law enforcement raid on its offices days before the election was meant to damage its campaign.

  • Results were originally expected on Monday, though the commission said they could come sooner before counting was halted.

In Brief: More Stories Today

DR Congo Confirms Ebola in Sixth Province 

The Democratic Republic of Congo's health ministry officially confirmed the Ebola outbreak has reached Bas-Uele province after a patient died in the provincial capital, Buta. The country's case count has climbed to 4,665, including 2,184 deaths, as delayed detection and conflict continue to fuel the virus's spread.

Chad Pardons Jailed Opposition Leader Success Masra 

President Mahamat Idriss Déby has pardoned Success Masra, the former prime minister and top opposition figure who was serving a 20-year sentence for inciting violence, along with eight other political prisoners. Masra's attorneys had requested the pardon, and he's expected to be released within days, though civil penalties from his conviction still stand.

Mali Pardons Frenchman Convicted in Destabilization Plot 

President Assimi Goïta pardoned Yann Vezilier, a French national sentenced in June to 20 years for allegedly plotting to destabilize Mali on behalf of French intelligence. Vezilier must leave the country immediately, and the pardon doesn't overturn the facts of his conviction — a case France has denied, and Mali's military government has used to justify its cooling ties with Paris.

American Missionary Pilot Freed After Nine Months in Niger Captivity 

Kevin Rideout, a missionary pilot kidnapped in Niger last October, has been released and is now in U.S. custody, according to his organization, Serving In Mission. He was reportedly in good health and traveling to the U.S. with FBI officials, though details of his release and which group held him remain unclear.

U.S. and Nigeria Restart Talks Over Religious Freedom Designation 

U.S. and Nigerian officials met this week for a second round of talks on Nigeria's designation as a "Country of Particular Concern" over religious freedom violations, a status Trump imposed in October 2025. The talks focused on counterterrorism cooperation and protecting communities threatened by groups like Boko Haram, ISWAP, and armed Fulani militants, though the CPC designation itself remains in place.

home womens football wafcon sudan war south sudan refugees nigeria super falcons nigeria news news latest womens world cup food aid ebola outbreak zambia election

MORE LIKE THIS