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Today in Africa — Nov. 5, 2026: Equatorial Guinea Goalkeeper Jesús Owono Speaks Out After Tenerife Striker’s Death; Details Emerge on Canceled $1.6M U.S.-Funded Guinea-Bissau Vaccine Trial

OkayAfrica has scoured the Internet for today’s major news stories, so you don't have to. On Nov. 5, coverage includes: the abuse Owono received online; the World Health Organization calling the hepatitis B newborn trial “unethical”; and more.

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Lihle Z. Mtshali Today in Africa & Newsletters Editor
FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono, an Equatorial Guinea national, says he feels "immense pain" after Tenerife striker Jesús de Miguel died the day after the two collided during a match on Monday.

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 stories like these, check out our News page for updates from across the regions.

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Equatorial Guinea Goalkeeper Jesús Owono Speaks of "Immense Pain" After Tenerife Striker Dies Following Collision

FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono, an Equatorial Guinea international, said he feels "immense pain" after Tenerife striker Jesús de Miguel, 30, died the day after the two collided during a Spanish second-division match on Monday, November 1. In a statement released by his club, FC Andorra, yesterday, Wednesday, November 4, the 25-year-old called these "the most difficult days" of his life and said he knows there are "questions to address" in the coming days. He deactivated his Instagram account on Tuesday after receiving abusive messages, including some calling him a "murderer." Spanish media report he could face a lengthy sporting suspension and may be brought before a court on a charge of negligent homicide. Owono asked to be left out of Equatorial Guinea's squad for this month's 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Mourning and What Comes Next

  • Tenerife declared six days of mourning, and it plans a tribute at its stadium with supporters on Saturday, November 7. The club said former teammates, the coach, technical staff, and officials will attend De Miguel's funeral in Navahermosa, in Toledo province.

  • This weekend's matches involving Tenerife and FC Andorra were postponed. The Spanish Football Federation also postponed all Copa del Rey and Copa de la Reina matches this week, and football grounds across Europe observed a minute's silence on Tuesday.

  • Equatorial Guinea's football federation says it is offering Owono "all our human and professional backing." He has been the first-choice keeper since November 2020 and has played at the past three AFCONs.

  • Equatorial Guinea face Zimbabwe at home in Bata on November 12 and away in Harare four days later. Both teams have three points in Group E, with DR Congo top on six and Sierra Leone last with none.

What We Know About Canceled U.S.-Funded Hepatitis B Vaccine Trial on Newborns in Guinea-Bissau 

Details are emerging about why a proposed trial of a hepatitis B vaccine on newborns in Guinea-Bissau was canceled after accusations that it was "unethical" and "neocolonial." The study, funded with $1.6 million from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), planned to give the birth-dose vaccine to half of 14,000 newborns and withhold it from the other half. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the vaccine, and its representative in Guinea-Bissau, Walter Kazadi Mulombo, called withholding it "unethical." Guinea-Bissau's government banned hepatitis B vaccine trials involving children in January, and the Council of Ministers reaffirmed its rejection on October 16. Lead researcher Frederik Schaltz-Buchholzer announced on October 21 that the trial would not go ahead. The University of Southern Denmark (SDU) says no babies were enrolled and no vaccinations were given as part of the research.

What Happened and Why It Mattered

  • The Bandim Health Project, a research center operating in Guinea-Bissau since 1978, planned the study to test whether the birth-dose vaccine has broader health effects beyond preventing infection. Researchers said that because the country does not routinely offer the birth dose, they had a chance to study it before it is introduced in 2028.

  • Nearly a fifth of Guinea-Bissau's population has hepatitis B, which kills up to 25% of people infected as infants who develop chronic infections. Mulombo said the vaccine has been used for more than 30 years in more than 115 countries. The country now vaccinates at six weeks, which is less effective, and officials are considering introducing a birth dose in the first quarter of next year.

  • Health Minister Quinhin Nantote said he was "outraged" to learn from media reports that the study might proceed and denied SDU's claim that authorities approved a revised protocol. SDU says its own ethics committee approved it, but its dean said that did not replace approval from Guinea-Bissau.

  • On October 19, Judicial Police searched Bandim's facilities and seized a batch of hepatitis B vaccines. Police said the seizure does not mean the vaccines were defective or unsafe, and they have not said whether it relates to the trial.

  • The trial was funded under U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has praised the Danish researchers as "the deities of vaccine research." Duke University professor Gavin Yamey said the trial "reeks of neocolonialism." No evidence shows it was designed to justify a change in U.S. policy.

UK Agrees to Talks on the Slave Trade's Historical Harms, Commonwealth Leaders Say

Commonwealth leaders in Antigua said the UK has signed up to "structured, time-bound, inclusive and good-faith" talks on the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans and its historical harms. The commitment appears in the 18-page communique that ended the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. It follows Prime Minister Andy Burnham opening the door to a formal apology while ruling out reparations. Officials said they will set the timeframe later, though Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband suggested the talks could wrap up in about a year. Asked whether the UK might reach a formal apology by the time it hosts the G20 leaders' summit in Manchester next November, Miliband told BBC Newscast: "Broadly speaking, yes."

Reaction and Reasoning

  • British diplomats say the wording is meant to show a sense of urgency, even without a confirmed date. Sources said the timeline will be worked out in the dialogue with countries that have long demanded the issue be addressed.

  • Burnham said his "new approach with the Commonwealth" was "well received" and called it "the most successful meeting of the Commonwealth in recent times."

  • He said King Charles III's words "resonated powerfully" at the summit. The King, speaking as Head of the Commonwealth, called the slave trade a "shameful chapter of history" that fills him with "profound personal sorrow."

In Brief: More Stories Today

Ethiopia and Sudan Close Each Other's Consulates Near Shared Border

Ethiopia closed Sudan's consulate in the border town of Assosa and gave its six diplomats 48 hours to leave, a senior Ethiopian official told Reuters, without giving a reason. Sudan then closed Ethiopia's consulate in Gedaref and expelled the diplomats there, two Sudanese officials said. Sudan accuses Ethiopia of backing the rebel Rapid Support Forces, and Ethiopia accuses Sudan of backing Tigrayan rebels, claims both sides deny. Sudan's Amjad Farid said the government is "making every possible effort to avoid an open war with Ethiopia."

Three More Bodies Pulled From Collapsed Nairobi Building, Death Toll Reaches Five

Rescuers retrieved three bodies today, Thursday, November 5, from the 18-story building that collapsed in Nairobi on October 23, bringing the confirmed death toll to five. Sixteen people are still believed missing, and police say recovery operations are nearing completion. Four people were rescued alive. Governor Johnson Sakaja said the building was never approved for construction and that renting out its completed floors was illegal. Authorities have questioned the developer, but no arrests have been made. Kenya has recorded 98 building collapses in five years, which killed 104 people.

Congolese Residents Sue Chinese-Controlled Cobalt Mine for $6.3 Million Over Pollution

Twenty-seven residents, including eight children, are suing the Chinese operator of the COMMUS copper and cobalt mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo, alleging pollution harmed their health. The suit, filed in Kolwezi, seeks about $1.3 million in compensation and $5 million for environmental restoration. It also targets the Congolese state and the regulator ACE for failing to monitor the mine. Watchdogs RAID and AFREWATCH, who support the suit, say studies they commissioned found elevated particulate pollution and contaminated water. COMMUS says it will contest the allegations.

Morocco Says It Will Keep Honoring Western Sahara Ceasefire After UN Mission Ends

Morocco's Royal Palace said yesterday, Wednesday, November 4, that its "voluntary commitment" to the Western Sahara ceasefire will not change now that the 35-year-old United Nations peacekeeping mission has ended. The palace said the mission could not ensure compliance and its initial functions were outdated. Morocco expressed satisfaction, the Polisario Front said it was "concerned," and Algeria expressed "deep regret." Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said Rabat's next step is to remove Western Sahara from the UN's decolonization committee.

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