Today in Africa — November 18, 2025: One Girl Escapes School Abduction in Nigeria, Nestlé Accused of Selling Sugary Infant Cereal in Africa, Islamist Insurgency Group Claims Responsibility for Kidnapping & Killing of Nigerian Army General

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.

One Girl Escapes Kebbi School Abduction as Nigeria Expands Rescue Operation

A schoolgirl abducted with 24 others from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Kebbi State, in Nigeria’s northwest, has escaped and returned home safely, the school’s principal said today, Tuesday, November 18, as security forces ramp up a major search for the remaining students. The girls were kidnapped before dawn yesterday, Monday, November 17, when gunmen stormed the dormitory, exchanged gunfire with police, scaled the fence, and fled with the children. Another student managed to slip away during the attack. Troops, local hunters, and police units are now sweeping forests and major roads around the school in an expanded rescue operation.

Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, visited Kebbi and ordered intelligence-driven, round-the-clock pursuit of the abductors, telling soldiers that “success is not optional.” Families in Maga spent today waiting for news, describing the attack as fast and overwhelming. One resident said his daughter was among those taken, while the vice principal’s wife recounted how the gunmen entered their home and shot her husband. Local officials say the school sits near several areas where armed gangs operate, and the kidnapping follows a long pattern of mass school abductions in northern Nigeria.

Nestlé Accused of Selling Sugary Infant Cereal in Africa, Rejects “Double Standards” Claim

Swiss watchdog Public Eye says Nestlé is selling Cerelac infant cereal in African countries with far higher sugar levels than in Europe, accusing the company of double standards in its baby food products. After collecting and testing nearly 100 Cerelac items across the continent, the NGO said more than 90% contained added sugar, averaging almost six grams per serving — far above levels found in markets like India. Nestlé called the findings “misleading,” arguing that sugars from milk, cereals, and fruit were being wrongly counted as refined sugar, and said its products comply with Codex Alimentarius standards.

Civil society groups in 13 African countries have written to Nestlé’s CEO, urging the company to end the alleged practice. Nestlé says it treats all children equally and is rolling out no-added-sugar versions globally, noting that 97% of its markets already have them and that it expects to reach 100% by the end of 2025.

ISWAP Confirms Abducting and Killing Nigerian Army General M Uba

The Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping and killing of a Nigerian army general. Over the weekend, HumAngle reported that members of the Islamist insurgency group attacked a mixed convoy of soldiers and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) on the Dambo-Biu road in Borno state, northeastern Nigeria, killing four people in the process. Brigadier Commander M Uba was reportedly abducted by the insurgents, a claim the Nigerian army was quick to rebuff.

In its propaganda newsletter, Amaq, ISWAP confirmed that it questioned and tortured the general before killing him. It marks the first recorded instance of an extremist group kidnapping and killing a serving general on the frontlines in Nigeria. HumAngle also reported that it saw exclusive images of Uba in ISWAP custody, debunking the army’s claims that the general had returned to base safely. “Islamic State fighters overthrew a senior officer in the Nigerian army after a successful ambush on a military force in Borno,” the insurgents said in their newsletter, calling the army’s claims an “outright lie and a miserable security failure.”

Eswatini Receives First Doses of Newly Approved HIV Prevention Injection

Eswatini is the first African country to receive a recently approved HIV prevention injection. Developed by Gilead Sciences and approved in the U.S. in June, lenacapavir has demonstrated near-total protection in clinical studies, and it was initially planned to reach over two million people across ten African countries where people are most vulnerable to the virus. About 6,000 high-risk people are set to benefit from the injection in Eswatini. Over 200,000 people in the Southern African kingdom live with HIV, most of them are receiving treatment through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Zambia also received its first shots of the injection, while Botswana, Kenya, and Zimbabwe are among the countries on standby as Gilead seeks regulatory approval.

Tanzanian President Appoints Daughter and Son-in-Law to New Cabinet

Wanu Hafidh Ameir, daughter of Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan, has been appointed as education deputy minister in her mother’s newly constituted cabinet. Ameir’s husband, Mohamed Mchenegerwa, will serve as health minister, as seven ministers in the previous government have been replaced. The new cabinet also includes Ridhwani Kikwete, son of former President Jakaya Kikwete, who takes on the post of Minister of Public Service Management and Good Governance. A total of 27 ministers and 29 deputy ministers were announced, with Mahmoud Thabit Kombo staying on as foreign affairs minister, while Finance Minister Khamis Mussa Omar succeeded new Prime Minister Mwigulu Nchemba.

HRW Says Malian Forces Killed 31 Civilians in Two Segou Villages

Human Rights Watch says Mali’s army and allied militias killed at least 31 civilians in two October attacks in the central Segou region, where al Qaeda-linked fighters from Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) are active. The group’s new report says military forces and militias executed villagers in Kamona on October 2, killing at least 21 men and burning homes, and then killed at least 10 more people — including a woman — in Balle, about 55 kilometers away. Witnesses described bodies riddled with bullets and said the victims were accused of collaborating with JNIM. HRW is urging Mali’s authorities to investigate and calling on the African Union to help hold those responsible to account. The government has not yet commented as the country continues to face persistent jihadist attacks and a months-long fuel blockade.

UK Signals New Sanctions Over Rights Abuses in Sudan as War Escalates

Britain’s foreign minister, Yvette Cooper, says she has directed officials to draw up new sanctions targeting human rights violations in Sudan, warning that the world has “turned its back” on the country as the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) worsens. Cooper told lawmakers that RSF’s recent takeover of El Fasher has raised serious fears of mass killings, and said international investigators may need access to document atrocities. The UK already sanctioned three Sudan-linked companies last year for funding armed groups, and Cooper stressed that stronger, sustained action is needed to push the warring sides toward a ceasefire as both increasingly rely on drone strikes.

Egypt Cancels Votes in 19 Constituencies After Election Violations

Egypt’s National Elections Authority has annulled first-round parliamentary votes in 19 out of 70 constituencies, citing documented violations ranging from campaign ads near polling stations to irregularities in vote tallies. The cancellations mark one of the biggest disruptions to an election in years and come as President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi begins his third and final term under the constitution. NEA chief Hazem Badawi said reruns would be held where needed, following Sisi’s call for scrutiny of appeals to protect transparency. Turnout was about 23%, and the National List for Egypt — the only qualified list and dominated by pro-government parties — secured the threshold needed to claim its seats ahead of next week’s final voting round.

Libya’s Rival Chambers Sign Deal to Unite Development Spending

Libya’s central bank says representatives from the country’s two rival legislative bodies have signed a deal to create a “unified development program,” a move aimed at bringing together national spending after more than a decade of divided budgets. The agreement between the eastern-based House of Representatives and the western High State Council sets a framework for joint spending channels and funding for development projects, a key source of competition over Libya’s oil revenues. The bank called the deal a necessary step to protect the country’s economy, though political tensions remain, with the HoR still refusing to recognise the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity installed through a UN-backed process in 2021.

TotalEnergies Accused of Complicity in War Crimes at Mozambique LNG Site

A European human rights group has filed a criminal complaint in France accusing TotalEnergies of aiding war crimes, torture, and enforced disappearances allegedly committed by Mozambican soldiers on the company’s evacuated LNG project site in 2021. The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights says Total should be held accountable because it financed soldiers’ salaries under a security deal and handed its project land to the state before abuses were reported. TotalEnergies maintains that its internal review found no evidence to support the claims and says it requested investigations by Mozambican authorities. French anti-terrorism prosecutors will review the complaint, which comes as the company prepares to restart the $20 billion LNG project in restricted “containment mode,” targeting 2029 for operations.

Amid Instability and Rivals’ Barring, Guinea-Bissau’s Embaló Seeks Re-Election 

Guinea-Bissau heads to the polls on November 23 with President Umaro Sissoco Embaló aiming to become the country’s first incumbent in three decades to win a second term, despite a turbulent presidency marked by repeated coup attempts, political disputes, and a booming cocaine trade. Embaló, in power since 2020, has survived multiple alleged plots to remove him and continues to face questions about the legitimacy of his 2019 victory and claims that he overstayed his term. His strongest challenger, former prime minister Domingos Simões Pereira, has been barred from running, positioning Embaló as the clear favorite even as he struggles to deliver on pledges to tackle poverty and improve basic services. The West African nation, heavily reliant on cashew exports, has seen record drug trafficking, including a 2.6-ton cocaine seizure last year, while the political crisis deepened after Embaló dissolved parliament following fresh clashes in 2023. The president touts new mineral prospects and Chevron’s offshore exploration deal as signs of a better future, insisting that “stability” has now been achieved — even as the military reported yet another coup attempt last month.