Today in Africa — January 27, 2026: Africa Now Pays China More Than It Receives, Nigeria Prepares Trial Over Alleged Coup Plot

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.

Africa Is Paying China More Than It’s Getting Back in Loans

China’s role in financing developing countries has shifted over the past decade, with new loans dropping sharply while debt repayments keep rising, according to new analysis from ONE Data. The report shows that many low- and middle-income countries now send more money to China in debt service than they receive in fresh loans, with Africa hit hardest. Between 2015 and 2019, Africa received about $30 billion more from China than it paid back. By 2020–24, that reversed, with Africa paying out about $22 billion more than it received as debt repayments overtook new loans.

As China’s role shrank, multilateral lenders stepped in to fill the gap. Over the past decade, funding from institutions like the World Bank and IMF more than doubled, rising 124%. Between 2020 and 2024, they provided over half of all global development funding, totaling about $379 billion. ONE Data’s David McNair says the trend is a “net negative” for African countries already struggling to fund public services, a challenge likely to deepen as aid cuts take effect from 2025. At the same time, separate research from the Griffith Asia Institute shows China’s Belt and Road Initiative rebounded in 2025, reaching $213.5 billion in deals, with Africa emerging as the largest recipient.

Alleged Coup Plotters to be Tried by Nigerian Military Judicial Panel

A group of Nigerian soldiers is set to be tried for an alleged plot to overthrow the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government. At least 16 officers were arrested last October over “acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations.” Army and government officials had previously denied local media reports that the officers were arrested for a coup attempt. Major General Samaila Uba, a military spokesperson, told the press that findings from an investigative panel “identified several officers with allegations of plotting to overthrow the government, which is inconsistent with the ethics, values, and professional standards required of members of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.”

The officers implicated in the plot will be tried in front of a military judicial panel. Since its return to democracy in 1999, coup attempts have been basically nonexistent, limiting the need for military court proceedings. In the past, officers found guilty in alleged coup attempt trials were regularly sentenced to death or severe prison terms. It isn’t clear if all the arrested officers will face trial for the coup attempt. Tinubu reshuffled the military’s leadership shortly after the arrests, including dropping current defense minister General Christopher Musa as chief of defense staff. Uba said measures are being taken to preserve order and discipline across military ranks.

Kenya Cult Leader Hit with Additional Charges for Allegedly Instructing Followers to Starve

Former cult leader Paul Mackenzie is set to face new charges in connection with last year’s discovery of 34 bodies and over 100 body parts in the remote village of Binzaro, Kilifi County. Mackenzie was arrested in 2023 shortly after 429 bodies were dug up from mass graves in the Shakahola forest, about 30km away from Binzaro. He’s been on trial since 2024 on charges of murder, manslaughter, and child torture, on allegations that the hundreds of bodies were those of his followers who starved themselves to death under his instruction. The newly added charges are based on claims that he lured the latest set of victims to their deaths using written notes from his cell.

Kenya’s public prosecutor announced the new charges in a statement, stating that Mackenzie used “radical teachings” in passing instructions to those who eventually died. “Investigators recovered handwritten notes from cells occupied by Mackenzie, allegedly detailing transactions conducted through mobile phones.” Mackenzie has been accused of forcing his followers to starve themselves to “meet Jesus,” with some survivors claiming that children starved themselves first, followed by the unmarried, then women, men, and church leaders. Earlier this year, Enos Amanya Ngala pleaded guilty to charges related to the deaths of 191 children dug up from Shakahola. Ngala was head of security in the remote forest.

Sudan Army Says It Has Broken the RSF Siege of al-Dalanj After Months of Hunger

Sudan’s army says it has broken a long-running siege of al-Dalanj in South Kordofan, a city residents say endured months of drone and artillery attacks, severe hunger, and medicine shortages under RSF control. Survivors tell Reuters people were reduced to eating leaves and animal skin, with children dying from hunger and others from untreated illness. The siege began soon after the war erupted in April 2023 and worsened last year after the RSF allied with the SPLM-N rebel group. While the RSF did not comment, residents reported fresh drone strikes even after the army announced it had reopened the road to the city. If the breakthrough holds, it could mark a shift after recent RSF gains, though fighting continues across Kordofan, where more than 25,000 people have been displaced and parts of the region are already facing famine, according to the United Nations.

Rwanda Takes UK to Arbitration Over Scrapped Asylum Deal Payments

The government of Rwanda has launched arbitration proceedings against the United Kingdom, saying London failed to honor payment commitments under their now-canceled migrant deal. Kigali filed the case with the Permanent Court of Arbitration after Prime Minister Keir Starmer scrapped the policy in 2024, arguing that future payments — which the UK says it no longer owes — were part of binding obligations. The agreement, signed under the previous Conservative government, aimed to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda and included hundreds of millions of pounds in payments. UK officials say they will fight the claim to protect taxpayers, while Rwanda says it is seeking a legal ruling on each side’s rights under the treaty.

Faith Kipyegon to Build Maternity Ward in Her Kenyan Hometown

Olympic runner Faith Kipyegon has announced plans to build a maternity facility in her hometown of Keringet, turning her focus off the track after a decorated athletics career that includes three Olympic gold medals and five world titles. The new Dare to Dream Maternity Ward aims to reduce the risks faced by local women, who currently travel about 35 kilometers to reach hospital care. Kipyegon said the lack of nearby, quality facilities has led to preventable deaths of mothers and newborns. The project, backed by her shoe sponsor Nike, was launched with a groundbreaking ceremony on Sunday and is being framed as a legacy effort following her unsuccessful attempt to break the four-minute mile last year.

Ilhan Omar Claps Back at Trump’s “Conspiracy Theories” about her Finances

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has hit back at U.S. President Donald Trump after he shared that the Department of Justice is investigating Omar’s financial dealings. Omar, the first Somali American elected to Congress, says Trump is “deflecting from [his] failures with lies and conspiracy theories about me.” Trump claims that Omar “left Somalia with NOTHING, and is now reportedly worth more than 44 Million Dollars.” Omar has been a regular target for Trump amidst his administration’s illegal immigration crusade, which has led to a heightened presence of federal immigration agents in Minnesota, the state where Omar represents its fifth district and has a sizable population of Somali immigrants. “Get your goons out of Minnesota,” Omar wrote in the social media post, where she said Trump was panicking, after ICE agents fatally shot and killed a man in Minnesota over the weekend – the second such victim in the state in recent weeks.

Guinea’s President Reappoints Former Junta PM Days After Inauguration

Guinea’s new president, Mamadi Doumbouya, has reappointed Amadou Oury Bah as prime minister, less than two weeks after taking office. Oury Bah previously served nearly two years as PM under the military junta and resigned with his cabinet last week following Doumbouya’s swearing-in. Doumbouya, who won a seven-year term in December, came to power after overthrowing President Alpha Condé in 2021 and later ran for office after a new constitution cleared the way for junta members to contest elections. In a decree read on state TV, Doumbouya also said the new government will include 27 ministries and two secretaries-general, with appointments expected soon.

UN Budgets $852 Million for Humanitarian Assistance in Somalia

The United Nations (UN) has launched aid plans of $852 million in Somalia. UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric shared that the aim is to support over two million people, noting that this budget is 40 percent less than last year’s “due to constrained resources, not reduced humanitarian needs.” Last year’s $1.4 billion budget was only funded at 27 percent of the requested amount, “forcing humanitarian organizations to sharply reduce and, in some cases, suspend life-saving assistance for [many].” Less than half of those in need of humanitarian assistance are expected to receive help under the 2026 plan, with aid funding drastically reduced.

Dutch Court Jails Eritrean Smuggling Kingpin for 20 Years

A Dutch court has sentenced Eritrean national Tewelde Goitom, also known as Amanuel Walid, to the maximum 20 years in prison for people smuggling and extortion, calling his crimes “exceptionally serious.” The Overijssel District Court found that Goitom led a network that held migrants in camps in Libya, abused them, and forced them to call relatives — some based in the Netherlands — to pay for dangerous journeys across the Mediterranean. Judges rejected his claim of mistaken identity and said migrants were only released once payments were made. Goitom, who was extradited from Ethiopia in 2022 after similar convictions, was also ordered to pay more than €30,000 (about $36,000) in damages to victims and has two weeks to appeal.