Today in Africa — December 2, 2025: Rwanda & DRC Leaders in US, Sudan Clashes, Guinea-Bissau Coup Update

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 on 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.

U.S. to Host Rwanda–DRC Peace Signing as Fighting Surges in Eastern Congo

The White House says U.S. President Donald Trump will host the presidents of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday, December 4, to sign a peace agreement aimed at easing the conflict in eastern DRC. The meeting follows a U.S.-brokered deal signed by both countries’ foreign ministers in June and a regional economic framework agreed in November. The U.S. hopes the talks will help stabilize a region central to global mining supply chains.

But on the ground, little progress is visible. Today, Tuesday, December 2, days before the meeting, Congolese forces and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group accused each other of violating ceasefire commitments, with new clashes erupting across South Kivu today, including in Kaziba, Katogota, Lubarika, and other towns. The DRC military says M23 and its allies launched coordinated attacks to undermine ongoing peace efforts, while rebel leaders claim government forces and regional troops struck first. The renewed fighting has displaced more residents and deepened concerns about the durability of any agreement.

M23’s rapid advance this year — including its seizure of major cities in North and South Kivu — set the stage for heightened U.S. and Qatari mediation. Rwanda denies backing the group, though United Nations experts have previously said Rwanda exercises command and control over M23. As the presidents prepare to travel to Washington, Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi says Rwanda must withdraw its troops for regional integration to move forward. The White House maintains it is ready to welcome both sides “at the appropriate time” to finalize the accord.

Sudan’s Warring Forces Clash Over Control of Strategic Babanusa

Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said yesterday, Monday, December 1, they had seized full control of Babanusa, a key transport hub in oil-producing West Kordofan, after repelling what they called a surprise army attack in violation of a humanitarian truce. The army rejected the claim today, Tuesday, December 2, insisting RSF fighters have continued daily drone and artillery strikes on the town and that troops pushed back a fresh assault this week. Neither side’s statements could be independently verified.

The dispute comes as international mediation falters. Earlier in November, the U.S., UAE, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia proposed a three-month truce followed by peace talks, which the RSF publicly accepted before launching new attacks. The army has dismissed the RSF’s ceasefire declaration as a political maneuver meant to conceal troop movements and foreign backing. The RSF’s push on Babanusa follows its capture of El Fasher in October, tightening its hold across Darfur as Sudan’s war enters its nineteenth month.

Guinea-Bissau Electoral Process Botched by Armed Attackers as Regional Bodies Seek Return to Democracy

A senior officer in Guinea-Bissau’s electoral commission says that it was unable to complete the vote-counting and compilation process of last month’s elections. “We do not have the material and logistic conditions to follow through with the electoral process,” Idrissa Djalo said, accusing armed men of stealing ballots and vote tallies from its offices. Soldiers took over the West African country a day before the results were scheduled to be announced, stating that they were saving the country from destruction sponsored by narcotraffickers. Major-General Horta Inta-a was inaugurated as head of state for a transitional period of one year.

Inta-a unveiled a new cabinet earlier this week, mostly composed of close allies to deposed president Umaro Sissoco Embaló. The main opponent at the election, Fernando Dias, has accused Embaló of fabricating the coup in order to avoid defeat; both men claimed victory in the election. Nigeria has offered protection to Dias at its embassy in Bissau, citing imminent threats to his life. Meanwhile, Embaló is in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, after leaving Bissau for Senegal over the weekend. Multiple regional bodies, including the West African bloc ECOWAS and the African Union, have suspended Guinea-Bissau in condemnation of the coup, with the latter stating that it’s demanding “restoration of constitutional order.”

African Talent Shines at 2025 Gotham Awards

African filmmakers and actors had a standout night at the 2025 Gotham Awards in New York yesterday, Monday, December 1, with multiple wins across major categories. British Nigerian actor Sopé Dìrísù won Outstanding Lead Performance for My Father’s Shadow, the first Nigerian film to be officially selected by the Cannes Film Festival, while Nigerian filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr. earned Breakthrough Director for the same film, which has picked up honors in multiple awards this year, including receiving a Special Mention for the Caméra d’Or prize and Best Director at the British Independent Film Awards. Nigerian British actress Wunmi Mosaku won Outstanding Supporting Performance for Sinners, and Guinean actor Abou Sangaré took home Breakthrough Performer for Souleymane’s Story, marking one of the strongest showings yet for African talent at the independent film awards.

Former Army General Nominated to Take Over Nigeria’s Defense Ministry

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has appointed a former army general as the country’s new defense minister. General Christopher Musa served as Chief of Defense Staff from 2023 till October, and he’s set to replace Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who resigned earlier this week on health grounds. A former governor of Jigawa state between 2015 and 2023, Abubakar didn’t cite the health reasons that led to him tendering his resignation, and it coincides with an uptick in abductions in Nigeria’s ongoing insecurity problems. Tinubu’s office said it accepted the resignation. A government spokesman said that Tinubu’s letter to the Nigerian senate “expressed confidence in General Musa’s ability to lead the Ministry of Defence and further strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.”

Former Police Officers Found Guilty of Killing South African anti-Apartheid Activist

Two former apartheid-era police officers have been found guilty of killing South African activist and student leader Caiphus Nyoka back in 1987. Abraham Engelbrecht and Pieter Stander are set to be sentenced for Nyoka’s killings, months after ex-policeman Johan Marais was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the crime; Marais confessed publicly in 2019. Nyoka was killed when officers from the Reaction Unit and Special Branch unit broke into his home and shot him at least 12 times. In the immediate aftermath of the killing, the police were exonerated on self-defense grounds despite a pathology report that showed that Nyoka likely died from gunshot wounds. This development is the latest in a string of reopened cases into the killings of anti-apartheid activists.

Zambian-American Influencer Jailed 18 Months for Hate Speech Against President Hichilema

A Zambian-American political vlogger known as “One Boss Lady” has been sentenced to 18 months in prison in Lusaka after pleading guilty to hate speech for online insults directed at President Hakainde Hichilema. Ethel Chisono Edwards, a 42-year-old estate agent based in New York with a large social media following, was arrested three months ago upon arriving in Zambia for her grandmother’s funeral. She admitted to publishing the statements under the country’s new Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes laws and issued a public apology, but the magistrate said the court needed to send a strong warning as hate speech cases rise. Edwards’ jailing has divided opinion in Zambia, with supporters citing accountability and critics arguing it infringes on free expression, even as criminal defamation against the president has been abolished.

Germany Transfers Libyan Ex-Commander to ICC to Face War Crimes Charges

Germany has surrendered Libyan national Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri to the International Criminal Court, where prosecutors accuse him of overseeing murder, torture, rape, and other abuses at Tripoli’s Mitiga prison between 2015 and 2020. El Hishri, arrested in July on a sealed ICC warrant, is the first Libyan suspect to be sent to The Hague, marking a major step in the court’s long-running investigation into crimes committed during and after Libya’s 2011 uprising. Judges will hold an initial hearing to confirm his identity before deciding whether the prosecution’s evidence is strong enough to send him to trial, a process expected to take months. The ICC still has warrants out for nine other Libyan suspects, including one of Moammar Gadhafi’s sons.

Nearly 100,000 People Displaced in Two Weeks as Northern Mozambique Violence Spreads

Close to 100,000 people have fled their homes across northern Mozambique in the past two weeks as armed groups expand attacks into new districts, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says. UNHCR’s Xavier Creach warned that needs are rising faster than humanitarian and government systems can respond, with families escaping nighttime raids in Cabo Delgado and now Nampula Province, often for the second or third time this year. Many arrive at makeshift sites without documents, shelter, or services, and women and girls face heightened risks of abuse in overcrowded schools and churches. Creach said the sudden influx is straining fragile host communities and urged urgent international support, adding that tackling the conflict’s root causes is essential to breaking the cycle of displacement.