Today in Africa — Feb 20, 2026: Hunger Fears Grow in Somalia, Tunisia Jails MP Over President Saied Criticism

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.

WFP Warns Somalia Food Aid Could Stop by April Without New Funding

The United Nations World Food Programme says its life-saving food and nutrition support in Somalia could be halted by April if it doesn’t secure new funding, putting millions at risk. About 4.4 million people are facing crisis-level hunger, including nearly 1 million facing severe food shortages, driven by failed rainy seasons, conflict, and shrinking humanitarian aid. Somalia declared a national drought emergency in November after repeated poor rains, and other countries in the region are also struggling.

WFP, the largest humanitarian agency operating in Somalia, has already cut the number of people it assists from 2.2 million earlier this year to just over 600,000 because of funding gaps. Nutrition programs for pregnant and breastfeeding women and young children have also been sharply reduced. The agency is seeking $95 million to keep operations running between March and August, warning that if support stops, the humanitarian, security, and economic fallout could be severe and felt beyond Somalia’s borders.

Tunisian MP Jailed for Mocking President Kais Saied

A Tunisian court has sentenced member of parliament Ahmed Saidani to eight months in prison over a Facebook post mocking President Kais Saied, in a move critics say points to a widening crackdown on dissent. Saidani, once a backer of Saied’s campaign against political opponents, had recently become a vocal critic, accusing the president of centralizing power while shifting blame for the country’s problems. He was arrested this month after calling Saied the “supreme commander of sewage and rainwater drainage,” and was convicted on charges of insulting others through communication networks.

Saidani was elected in late 2022 in a parliamentary vote marked by very low turnout, held after Saied dissolved parliament and dismissed the government in 2021. Since then, Saied has ruled by decree, a move the opposition describes as a coup. Many opposition leaders, journalists, and critics have been jailed since he consolidated power. Human rights groups say he has tightened one-man rule and turned Tunisia into an “open-air prison,” while Saied maintains he is enforcing the law and working to “cleanse” the country.

Five Miners Presumed Dead After Mudslide at South African Diamond Mine

Five diamond miners who went missing after a mudslide deep underground at the Ekapa mine in South Africa’s Northern Cape province are now presumed dead, Mining Minister Gwede Mantashe said today, Friday, February 20. The miners were trapped more than 800 meters underground early Tuesday morning during what the company described as a “mud-rush.” According to public broadcaster SABC, Mantashe says efforts have shifted to recovering their bodies.

Ekapa Minerals halted operations immediately after the incident and says rescue efforts are ongoing, though time is a major concern. General Manager Howard Marsden says the company is not giving up hope. Mantashe says an investigation will determine what happened. The miners’ families held a vigil near the mine last night. South Africa recorded 41 mine deaths last year, its lowest number on record, as part of an industry-wide “Zero Harm” campaign to reduce fatalities.

Mahamat-Saleh Haroun’s ‘Soumsoum’ Centers Chadian Women at Berlin Film Festival

Chadian director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun says his new film Soumsoum, the Night of the Stars, is a tribute to women, whom he calls the backbone of Chad’s social fabric. Speaking ahead of the film’s premiere in competition at the Berlin Film Festival, Haroun says women carry memory and tenderness in a country shaped by decades of civil war since independence from France in 1960. He describes friendship and care as a form of resistance to violence. The film follows 17-year-old Kellou, played by newcomer Maimouna Miawama, as she struggles with mysterious powers that leave her isolated in her village. She finds a connection with Aya, portrayed by Achouackh Abakar Souleymane, an older outcast trying to protect cultural and mystical traditions. Both actors spoke about the film’s focus on women’s strength and resilience. Soumsoum is one of 22 films competing for the festival’s top prize, the Golden Bear, which will be awarded on February 21.

Gambia’s FGM Ban Faces Supreme Court Test as Survivors Speak Out

A long-running legal fight over female genital mutilation in The Gambia is set to resume as religious traditionalists push the Supreme Court to overturn the country’s 2015 ban, despite testimony from survivors describing lifelong pain and trauma. FGM, recognized by the United Nations and the World Health Organization as a human rights violation, affects an estimated 73% of Gambian women and girls aged 15 to 49, according to the United Nations Children's Fund, yet has led to fewer than a dozen prosecutions since the law was passed. Islamic leaders backing the challenge argue the practice is a religious and cultural right, while activists and health advocates warn it causes severe physical and psychological harm, including complications in childbirth and death — concerns sharpened after two babies died last year. Survivors and campaigners say repealing the ban would strip protections for girls and mark a rare global rollback of laws meant to end the practice.

Cameroon Police Detain Journalists Reporting on U.S. Deportees in Yaounde

Police slapped a freelance journalist on assignment for the Associated Press and briefly detained him in Yaounde while trying to interview Africans recently deported from the United States, according to two sources who spoke to Reuters. Randy Joe Sa’ah says plainclothes officers confiscated equipment and took him, three other reporters, and a lawyer to the judicial police on Tuesday after they attempted to film the facility where deportees are being held. The equipment has not been returned. Cameroon’s Foreign Affairs Ministry and police did not respond to requests for comment, and the AP declined to comment. The latest deportation flights brought the total number of deportees in Cameroon to 17. The first group arrived in January, including nationals from Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Morocco, Angola, and Zimbabwe; two Moroccans have since returned home. A second group arrived on Monday with deportees from Ethiopia, Senegal, Kenya, Sierra Leone, and the DRC. All had been granted withholding of removal status in the U.S., which protects people from being sent back to countries where they fear persecution. Cameroon has not said whether it is participating in the Trump administration’s push to send migrants to third countries.

Lion DNA Used for First-Ever Poaching Conviction in Zimbabwe

For the first time globally, DNA from a specific lion has been used to convict poachers. In 2024, authorities in Hwange National Park grew suspicious when a radio collar on a tracked male lion stopped working. Investigators found a snare with lion fur, then uncovered three sacks of meat, 16 claws, and four teeth in a nearby village. Lab tests matched the DNA from those body parts to a blood sample previously taken from the same lion and stored in Zimbabwe’s lion database, built by the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust with about £250,000 in UK funding. Within 10 days, the evidence was presented in court; two men pleaded guilty and received 24-month prison sentences. The lion’s value was estimated at $20,000. Wildlife group Traffic and forensic experts say the case marks a major step in fighting the illegal trade, especially as lion killings tied to organized crime and trafficking continue to rise across the region.

Rights Groups Urge Senegal to Protect LGBT Community Amid Rising Homophobia

International rights groups are pressing Senegal to protect LGBT people after 12 men were arrested in Dakar earlier this month on charges of “acts against nature” and intentional HIV transmission. Those detained include a well-known TV reporter and a popular musician. Local media coverage of the arrests has intensified fear and stigma, with HIV health workers worried they could be implicated through contact tracing on the men’s devices. Homosexuality is already punishable by up to five years in prison in Senegal, and hostility has grown in recent years. While two parliamentary attempts to increase penalties have failed, a conservative Muslim group, And Samm Djikko Yi, is pushing for harsher laws and threatening a nationwide campaign if changes are not made by April. Human Rights Watch and other groups are calling on authorities to release those arrested and repeal discriminatory laws.

Burundi Border Closure Strains Life in Eastern DRC’s Uvira

Life in Uvira, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, has slowed to a crawl since Burundi shut its Gatumba land border post in December after AFC/M23 fighters briefly entered the town. The closure has halted the steady flow of traders crossing between Uvira and nearby Bujumbura, cutting off a key source of food, clothing, medicine, and income for families who rely on daily cross-border trade. Small-scale merchants say they are struggling to survive, while some residents report deaths linked to the loss of access to medical care in Burundi, which many relied on for treatment. Families split across both countries are also affected, with children who fled the fighting unable to return to school in Uvira. Though Congolese authorities have since regained control of the town and calm has largely returned, the border remains closed, leaving residents and civil society leaders urging both governments to reopen what they call a vital economic and social lifeline.

Moroccan Court Jails 19 Fans After Chaotic AFCON Final

A Moroccan court has sentenced 19 football fans — 18 Senegalese nationals and one French citizen — to up to one year in prison over hooliganism during last month’s Africa Cup of Nations final. The group was convicted of damaging sporting facilities and committing acts of violence after supporters tried to storm the field in protest of a late penalty awarded to host Morocco in a match Senegal won 1-0. Eleven defendants received one-year sentences and a $550 fine; four received six months and a $218 fine; and four received three months and a $130 fine. Chairs were thrown onto the pitch, stewards were attacked, and damage exceeded $476,000, prompting Senegalese players to briefly walk off in protest. One defendant fainted as the verdict was read, others refused to leave the bench, and lawyers say they will appeal. The case drew Senegalese and French diplomats to court and prompted high-level efforts to ease tensions, including a visit by Senegal’s prime minister to Morocco to sign investment deals.

Malawi Signs Minerals MOU Tied to U.S. Strategic Supply Chain

Malawi has signed a new minerals memorandum with U.S.-based Traxys North America and Australia-listed Sovereign Metals Limited to market graphite from the Kasiya rutile-graphite project in Lilongwe, a deal officials say could plug the country into Washington’s critical minerals strategy. Signed at the 2026 Mining Indaba, the non-binding MOU outlines plans to market 40,000 tonnes of graphite per year, rising to 80,000 tonnes, potentially for the U.S. Strategic Minerals Reserve under Project Vault. Rutile and graphite are both classified as critical by the U.S., but key details remain undisclosed, including pricing, royalties, and projected revenue for Malawi. Civil society groups are already pressing for transparency, local jobs, environmental safeguards, and clearer national benefits as the country weighs whether the deal will drive real economic gains or reinforce its role as a raw materials supplier.