Today in Africa — November 17, 2025: Gunmen Abduct 25 Girls in Nigeria, Palestinians Say They Paid $2,000 Per Seat on Unapproved Flight to South Africa, ICC Prosecutors Seek Life Sentence for Sudanese Warlord

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.

Gunmen Kill School Vice Principal and Abduct 25 Girls in Northwestern Nigeria

Gunmen attacked a girls’ boarding school in Kebbi State early today, Monday, November 17, killing the vice principal and abducting 25 students in one of the latest mass kidnappings to hit northern Nigeria. Police say the armed group stormed Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga around 4 a.m., exchanged gunfire with officers, scaled the fence, and seized the girls before fleeing into nearby forests. Vice Principal Hassan Yakubu Makuku was shot dead while trying to resist the attackers, and another staff member was injured. Security forces, soldiers, and local vigilantes are now searching suspected escape routes.

The attack highlights a worsening security crisis in Nigeria’s north, where armed gangs and extremist groups continue to target schools for ransom. Boko Haram and its Islamic State affiliate remain active across the region, while criminal bandits — often operating at night and across vast, lightly policed terrain — have carried out hundreds of abductions. More than 1,500 students have been kidnapped since the 2014 Chibok attack, and recent months have seen militants overrun military outposts and raid villages despite government claims of progress. Nigeria’s military is stretched thin, even as the U.S. approved new arms sales this year and President Bola Tinubu reshuffled security chiefs in response to growing instability.

Gazans Say They Paid $2,000 Per Seat on Flight to Johannesburg, as South Africa Warns of a Possible Effort to Remove Palestinians from Gaza

The 130 Palestinians who arrived in Johannesburg on a chartered flight last week say they paid $2,000 per seat to an organization offering a way out of the enclave — a process which South Africa’s Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola says may be part of a broader attempt to “remove Palestinians from Palestine.” The group was bused out of Gaza, flown from Israel’s Ramon Airport, and routed through Nairobi in Kenya before landing on November 13, despite South Africa insisting it never approved their entry. Israel denies any agenda to displace Palestinians and says those who want to leave or return should be allowed to do so, while the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), a unit of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, says the departure happened after a foreign country agreed to receive them.

Much about the flight remains unclear. The Palestinian embassy in South Africa says an “unregistered and misleading” group exploited families, collected money, and facilitated irregular travel. The 153 passengers were initially kept onboard for more than 10 hours because they lacked departure stamps and onward travel plans, before 130 were eventually allowed entry under 90-day visa rules. Some are now staying in hostels or with Johannesburg’s Muslim community. The arrivals come against the backdrop of dire conditions in Gaza and heavy loss of life; one evacuee, cancer patient Ramzi Abu Youssef, said he left for treatment and safety after losing two daughters in an Israeli strike. South Africa — already pursuing a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice — says it will not accept further uncoordinated flights as it works with Palestinian authorities to understand who organized the departures and why.

Prosecutors Seek Life Sentence at ICC for Sudanese Militia Leader

Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court are seeking a life sentence for a Sudanese warlord recently convicted of playing a role in mass killings in the Darfur region. Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman was convicted of 27 counts, including mass murders and sexual assault, for leading the Janjaweed militia forces that were set loose on civilians in Darfur back in 2003-04, after rebels launched an insurgency against the administration of ousted former President Omar al-Bashir over grievances with the Arab-dominated government.

“You literally have an axe murderer before you,” prosecutor Julian Nicholls told the ICC judges earlier today. “He committed these crimes knowingly, willfully, and with, the evidence shows, enthusiasm and vigor.” Abd-Al-Rahman’s lawyers are looking for a seven-year sentence that would free the 76-year-old in about a year and a half, considering time served. Up to 300,000 were killed by the Janjaweed militia. Analysts have connected the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces to the militia; RSF recently took over El Fasher in Western Darfur and has been accused of systematically targeting non-Arab communities like Janjaweed did two decades ago.

DR Congo Move Closer to First World Cup Qualification in 52 Years

The Leopards of DR Congo will be heading to Mexico next March for a chance to be one of the final two teams to qualify for the 2026 men’s FIFA World Cup, after beating Nigeria’s Super Eagles in the final playoff match of the African qualifiers. Congolese captain Chance Mbemba stepped up to convert the decisive penalty kick, his second big moment of the playoff rounds, after his last-minute heroics helped his team overcome Cameroon in the playoff semi-finals. DR Congo is on the quest to reach the World Cup for the first time since 1974, when it made history as the first sub-Saharan African country to qualify and play at the mundial.

Although slightly less favored entering the playoff finals, DR Congo were the better side for most of the 90 minutes of regulation and 30 minutes of extra time. They pinned Nigeria in for much of extra time and had two goals disallowed in that timeframe, and almost won it in the last minute with an Mbemba header that Nigerian goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali saved. Although Nwabali delivered some heroics in the penalty shootout with two saves, his teammates were far from clinical, as Congo won the shootout 4-3. DR Congo will now play in the inter-confederation playoffs and could join the nine African countries that are playing in the World Cup.

Salah, Hakimi, and Oshimen Shortlisted for CAF Men’s Footballer of the Year

Ahead of the 2025 CAF Awards, scheduled to be held in Rabat, Morocco, later this week, the African footballing body has released finalists for 11 awards across both male and female categories. Egyptian forward Mohammed Salah, Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, and Nigerian striker Victor Oshimen are the hopefuls for the men’s Player of the Year. Nigerian forward Rasheedat Ajibade is in the running for the women’s award alongside the Moroccan duo of Ghizlaine Chebbak and Sanaa Mssoudy.

Set to be hosted by iconic Beninese singer Angelique Kidjo and Moroccan comedian Oualass, this year’s awards come on the back of a busy year in African football, including the Women’s Cup of Nations (WAFCON) and the final qualifying rounds for next year’s men’s World Cup. Notably, Morocco is well-represented among the nominees, a testament to the country’s undeniable dominance in both men’s and women’s football. In addition to men’s and women’s Player of the Year nominees, there are Moroccan nominees in the Goalkeeper of the Year and Young Player of the Year categories in both male and female sides, amongst other nominations.

Ethiopia Confirms Three Marburg Deaths as Outbreak Detected Near South Sudan

Ethiopia has confirmed three deaths from the Marburg virus in the southern Omo region, which borders South Sudan, after testing 17 suspected cases, Health Minister Mekdes Daba said today, Monday, November 17. Although officials report no active cases, the government has declared an outbreak and deployed preventive measures, supported by teams from the World Health Organization and the Africa CDC. South Sudan has issued public advisories urging residents in four counties to avoid contact with bodily fluids and wash their hands frequently, with Africa Center for Disease Control chief Jean Kaseya warning that the outbreak is especially concerning given South Sudan’s fragile health system. The highly lethal Marburg virus, which can kill up to 88% of infected people, spreads through contact with bodily fluids or contaminated surfaces and has no approved vaccine or treatment.

UK Government Threatens Visa Restrictions on African Countries

British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has given Angola, Namibia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo a month to improve their processes of taking back illegal immigrants, or nationals from these African countries will face visa restrictions. “My message to foreign governments today is clear: accept the return of your nationals or you will lose the privilege of being able to enter our country,” Mahmood said. Her stance is similar to the mass deportation approach of the Trump administration in the U.S., calling it a “moral mission” because “illegal migration is tearing our country apart.” Mahmood has also proposed lengthening the amount of time refugees can apply for permanent residence in the UK, from five to twenty years, with evaluations every two-and-a-half years to determine the validity of their refugee status. It would be the largest shakeup of the UK’s immigration policy in a long time. 

Eswatini Confirms Taking $5.1 Million From U.S. to Accept Deportees

Eswatini has confirmed receiving $5.1 million from the United States to accept migrants expelled under a secretive third-country deportation program launched by the Trump administration. Finance Minister Neal Rijkenberg told parliament the funds—intended to “build border and migration management capacity,” according to a Human Rights Watch document—were deposited into the disaster agency’s account, though the ministry was not informed of the deal beforehand. The kingdom has taken in 15 men since July, flown in on U.S. military-chartered planes and held without charge at the Matsapha maximum-security prison, a facility known for detaining political prisoners. Some deportees were labeled by U.S. officials as violent offenders, and local lawyers and civil society groups have gone to court to challenge their detention.

Ugandan Opposition Leader Besigye Marks One Year in Detention as Legal Standoff Drags On

Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye and his aide Haji Obeid Lutale have now spent a full year in detention after being abducted in Nairobi in November 2024 and transferred to Kampala, where they were charged before the General Court Martial. Their case has stalled amid disputed bail rulings, questions over judicial independence, and ongoing wrangling over when the constitutional 180-day pre-trial clock began. Despite concerns about Besigye’s age, declining health, and lengthy remand, multiple bail applications have been rejected, and a renewed petition remains unresolved as the presiding judge refuses to step aside. Rights groups say the prolonged detention reflects a broader decline in political freedoms and due process in Uganda, with analysts warning it could shape the country’s political climate as the next election cycle nears.

Tanzania Names New Finance Minister After Disputed Election Sparks Unrest

Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan has appointed the country’s ambassador to China, Khamis Mussa Omar, as the new finance minister as she forms a fresh cabinet following last month’s disputed election. Hassan, who was declared the landslide winner, also kept Anthony Mavunde as mining minister and Mahmoud Thabit Kombo as foreign affairs minister, days after naming former finance minister Mwigulu Nchemba as prime minister. The vote triggered deadly clashes over the exclusion of key challengers, with rights groups and opposition parties saying hundreds were killed — a figure the government insists is inflated. Hassan has promised to investigate the violence and publicly offered condolences to families of those who died, her strongest acknowledgment yet of the crisis.