Today in Africa — November 19, 2025: Livestream Shows Gunmen Storm Nigerian Church, UN Seeks Access to Famine-Ravaged El Fasher, INTERPOL Arrests 62 in West Africa Crime Sweep

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.

Viral Livestream Video Shows Armed Attackers Assailing a Church in North Central Nigeria

Armed men killed at least two people in an attack on a church in Eruku, a small town in Kwara state, north-central Nigeria. Police in the state confirmed that the attack took place around 6 p.m. local time on Tuesday, November 18. Several hours later, a live-streamed video of the attack went viral online, showing the church members scampering for safety after they heard the first gunshots. The video also showed the armed men shooting and looting handbags for about five minutes.

A church member, Dare Daniel, was live-streaming the church service on Facebook when the attack happened. “He has been live-streaming services from inside the church,” a source told Premium Times. “The bandits might have been monitoring his livestreams before striking on Tuesday evening.” The video ended when the phone rang, prompting one of the four attackers to end the live feed. It’s the latest in a series of deeply saddening attacks by terrorists over the last few days, after 25 schoolgirls were kidnapped in Kebbi state and Islamist insurgents killed an army general in Borno state. President Bola Tinubu has postponed his trip to the G20 summit in South Africa, saying he will remain in Nigeria to oversee intensified rescue efforts for the 24 schoolgirls abducted in Kebbi and respond to a separate church attack that left two people dead.

UN Pushes for Access to El Fasher as Reports of Mass Atrocities Mount

The United Nations says it is trying to secure entry into El Fasher, the famine-hit Darfur city where witnesses have reported mass executions, detentions, and sexual violence since the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized it on October 26. UN aid chief Tom Fletcher told Reuters the city would be treated as a “crime scene” once access is granted, noting that many people who remained during the takeover are still unaccounted for. He described talks with the RSF as “super delicate” but said he hopes humanitarian teams can enter within days or weeks to deliver food, water, and medicine to survivors after a long siege.

More than 100,000 people are believed to have fled El Fasher, though only about 8,000-10,000 have reached Tawila, which is controlled by neutral forces. Fletcher, who visited Tawila and traveled the dangerous 350km route toward the Chad border, said at least 30 to 40 checkpoints make escape nearly impossible without resources. He added that UN operations depend on the RSF granting safe passage for civilians and aid convoys, and he has also pressed Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan — who has previously imposed bureaucratic barriers — for full humanitarian access across Darfur.

INTERPOL Arrests 62 People and Seizes Weapons, Explosives, and Stolen Vehicles in West Africa Sweep

A sweeping INTERPOL-led operation across 12 West African countries has led to 62 arrests and the seizure of weapons, explosives, drugs, counterfeit medicines, and 136 stolen vehicles. Operation Screen West Africa 2025, carried out from July to October, saw officers in Ghana, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, and other countries conduct 1.7 million real-time checks at land, air, and sea borders using INTERPOL’s global databases. Nine people were arrested over suspected terrorism links, including three in Burkina Faso tied to the al-Qaeda-affiliated JNIM group behind a 2020 attack in Côte d’Ivoire, and six in Mauritania for alleged extremist activity.

Authorities also rescued 21 trafficking victims in Ghana who had been held in Nigeria and forced into scam operations. Seizures included dynamite, cannabis, fake currency, fraudulent documents, and counterfeit medicines — items INTERPOL says could have fueled organized crime and terrorism. The operation, funded by Germany, Denmark, and the United States, uncovered maritime abuses such as ships switching off identification systems and “flag hopping.” INTERPOL’s Cyril Gout said the results show how cross-border cooperation and shared tools can disrupt criminal networks across the region.

Amnesty Accuses Kenyan Government of Working With Online Trolls During Protests

A new Amnesty International report alleges that the Kenyan government paid a network of online trolls to intimidate and harass protesters during the multiple protests that took place in the East African country between 2024 and 2025. The report states that the government's response included unlawful surveillance tactics, smear campaigns, and doxxing. “I had people coming into my inbox and telling me: 'You will die and leave your kids. We will come and attack you,’” one activist shared in the report. The report also features testimony from a man who says he was part of the online trolls and was paid between $190 and $390 to drown out the protest hashtag on social media. In its response, published in the report, the Kenyan government said it “does not sanction harassment or violence against any citizen.”

Dutch Prosecutors Seek 20-Year Sentence for Alleged Eritrean Trafficker Accused of Torturing Migrants

Dutch prosecutors have asked a court to convict Eritrean suspect Amanuel Walid — also known as Tewelde Goitom — and sentence him to 20 years in prison, accusing him of running a trafficking network that detained and tortured thousands of African migrants in Libya between 2014 and 2019 to extort ransoms from their families. Walid, 42, was extradited to the Netherlands in 2022 and is on trial in Zwolle, where he denied being the man prosecutors say he is and otherwise remained silent. Victims this week described being held in overcrowded warehouses with little food or water, watching people die, and suffering severe beatings, including one man who said Walid assaulted him with a hose. The case is the largest human trafficking trial ever in the Netherlands and is being pursued under universal jurisdiction laws. Closing arguments by the defense begin Monday, November 24, with a verdict expected in January.

Tunisian Doctors Strike as Health System Nears Breakdown

Thousands of young doctors across Tunisia walked off the job today, Wednesday, November 19, demanding higher pay and warning that the country’s health system is on the verge of collapse amid deepening economic turmoil and widening public-sector unrest. Demonstrators in Tunisia marched in white coats carrying signs that read “Dignity for doctors” and “Save our hospitals,” saying low wages, outdated equipment, and chronic shortages of medical supplies are driving a growing wave of medical workers to leave for Europe and the Gulf. The Young Doctors’ Organisation vowed to escalate if authorities continue to ignore their demands. Tunisia has faced a string of strikes and environmental protests in recent months, seen as the biggest challenge to President Kais Saied since he consolidated power in 2021.

Gabon Court Hands Down Jail Sentences in Major Bongo-Era Corruption Case

Gabon’s Specialized Criminal Court has sentenced nine former aides to Sylvia and Noureddin Bongo to between two and fifteen years in prison for embezzlement, corruption, and money laundering, just days after the Bongos themselves were given twenty-year sentences in absentia. The group, nicknamed the “Young Team,” was accused of helping divert billions of CFA francs during Ali Bongo’s 14-year rule, with investigators alleging the funds were used to buy oil fields, a Boeing aircraft, and luxury assets in Gabon, Morocco, and London. Court President Jean Mexant Essa Assoumou called the televised verdict a “historic moment,” ordering all convicted defendants to repay massive damages to the state.