Today in Africa — January 9, 2026: Uganda Vote Under UN Fire, Gambia’s FGM Ban Faces Court Test

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.

UN Warns of Repression as Uganda Heads Into Jan. 15 Vote

Uganda’s presidential election next week will take place in a climate of intimidation and repression, the United Nations human rights office said today, Friday, January 9, warning that opposition figures, journalists, and civil society groups are being targeted ahead of the January 15 vote. In a new report, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights says security forces have used live ammunition against peaceful gatherings and unmarked vans to detain opposition supporters, while military laws have been used to block political activity. UN rights chief Volker Türk urges authorities to ensure Ugandans can vote safely and without fear.

The report also points to the detention of veteran opposition leader Kizza Besigye and civic activist Sarah Bireete, who was jailed last month on charges of illegally accessing the voters’ registry. Bireete, a frequent government critic, is being held in a maximum-security prison until at least January 21, something rights groups say is meant to silence her before the election. President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power since 1986 and is seeking a seventh term, faces musician-turned-politician Bobi Wine, who has accused the military of harassing and beating him and arresting hundreds of his supporters.

Wine has also put Uganda’s oil deals in his campaign sights, saying he would review and possibly revise contracts with foreign firms if he wins. Uganda plans to begin crude production later this year through projects run by France’s TotalEnergies, China’s CNOOC, and the state-owned Uganda National Oil Company. Wine, who took 35 percent of the vote in 2021, says Western governments have been hypocritical for backing Museveni while ignoring alleged abuses, arguing that business interests have been placed above human rights as Uganda prepares to tap its vast oil reserves.

Gambia’s FGM Ban Heads to Court as Rights Groups Warn of Global Backslide

A group of religious leaders and Gambian lawmaker Almameh Gibba has asked the country’s Supreme Court to strike down the 2015 law that criminalizes female genital mutilation, arguing it violates constitutional rights to religion and culture. The case, which resumes this month, follows the deaths of two babies who bled to death after being cut last year and comes after parliament rejected a bill by Gibba in 2024 to decriminalize the practice. FGM carries heavy penalties under current law, including life in prison if a victim dies, though the first convictions only came in 2023.

Rights groups say the court challenge reflects a wider backlash against women’s rights. Nearly three-quarters of Gambian women aged 15 to 49 have undergone FGM, often before age five, despite the UN calling it a human rights violation with no medical basis. Witnesses backing the case have claimed the practice is part of Islam and reduces women’s sexual desire, arguments activists strongly reject. The legal fight also comes amid regional and global pushback on gender protections, with recent court rulings and new laws across Africa and beyond failing to fully protect women and girls from harmful practices.

Sudan’s Hunger Crisis Hits Women Hardest as War Reaches 1,000 Days

UN officials say women are now paying the highest price in Sudan’s deepening humanitarian disaster, with female-headed households three times more likely to be food insecure and three-quarters reporting they do not have enough to eat. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says the conflict, now nearing its 1,000th day, is worsening long-standing gender inequalities, while UN Women warns that women searching for food face a higher risk of sexual violence.

The UN is urging urgent international action for the famine-hit cities of El Fasher in Darfur and Kadugli in southern Sudan, both now under siege by the Rapid Support Forces. More than 100,000 people have fled El Fasher since the RSF took control there after an 18-month siege. Across the country, over 21 million people are acutely food insecure, and 34 million need humanitarian aid, about half of them children, as agencies push for new funding and access to reach those cut off by fighting.

Malawi Opposition Leader Madalitso Kazombo Dies After Asthma Attack

Malawi is mourning the sudden death of Madalitso Kwaderanji Kazombo, the Leader of Opposition and former First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, who died after suffering an asthma attack in Lilongwe. Kazombo collapsed after a meeting and was rushed to a hospital in Area 12, where he passed away while being treated, a family member and former labor minister, Ken Kandodo, confirmed. A member of parliament for Kasungu East and First Deputy Speaker for the 2019 to 2025 term, Kazombo was widely respected across party lines for his calm leadership, fairness, and commitment to parliamentary rules, with tributes pouring in from lawmakers, party leaders, and civic figures across the country.

Pakistan Nears $1.5B Arms Deal to Boost Sudan’s War Effort

Pakistan is in the final stages of a $1.5 billion weapons deal to supply Sudan’s army with jets, drones, and air defense systems as it battles the Rapid Support Forces, according to multiple sources. The package is expected to include 10 Karakoram-8 light attack aircraft, more than 200 drones for surveillance and strike missions, Super Mushshak training planes, and possibly JF-17 fighter jets built with China. The deal would give Sudan’s military a major airpower boost after losing ground to RSF drone attacks, though funding remains unclear, with some sources saying Saudi Arabia may have brokered talks but not paid for the weapons.

Trump Warns of More U.S. Strikes in Nigeria Over Christian Killings

President Donald Trump says the United States could launch more military strikes in Nigeria if Christians continue to be killed, linking future action to what he calls an “existential threat” to Christianity in the country. His comments, published by the New York Times, come after a U.S. Christmas Day strike that Washington says targeted Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria at Abuja’s request. Nigeria has pushed back, saying the operation had nothing to do with religion and that militant violence has killed Muslims and Christians alike in a country of more than 230 million people that is roughly evenly split between the two faiths.

BRICS Allies Launch Naval Drills With South Africa off Cape Town

Chinese, Russian, and Iranian warships have begun a week of naval exercises with South Africa off the Cape Town coast, with the drills billed as training on maritime safety and anti-piracy under the BRICS banner. The maneuvers, delayed from November, come as tensions rise between Pretoria and Washington after President Donald Trump cut U.S. funding, accusing South Africa of siding with “bad actors” such as Iran. Russia and China sent warships to Simon’s Town, while Iran joined as a newer BRICS member, drawing criticism at home from South Africa’s opposition Democratic Alliance, which says the government is deepening military ties with heavily sanctioned states despite its claim of a nonaligned foreign policy.