NEWS

Today in Africa — October 22, 2026: Foreign Man Beaten to Death in South Africa Protest March, Families Fear Ill U.S. Detainees Will Be Deported to Africa

OkayAfrica has scoured the Internet for today’s major news stories, so you don't have to. On Oct. 22, coverage includes: months of anti-illegal immigrant tensions in South Africa and a mass exodus of migrants; U.S. DHS’s denial that any sick detainees are being deported to countries such as the Central African Republic and Burundi; and more.

Okay avatar
Lihle Z. Mtshali Today in Africa & Newsletters Editor
Crowd of protesters marching in a street holding signs during an anti-immigration demonstration in Estcourt, South Africa.
Protesters carry placards during a protest march against undocumented migrants in the South African town of Estcourt on April 24, 2026.

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.

RELATED

Foreign Man Beaten to Death by Group of About 50 During Protest March in South Africa

A foreign national was beaten to death by a group of around 50 people during a protest march through Durban's city center, South African police said today, Thursday, October 22. Police say the group approached the man, who was standing at the side of a road, and assaulted him. He was in his 30s or early 40s. Police did not immediately give his nationality or say what the march was about, and they are still trying to identify suspects. South Africa has faced months of anti-illegal immigration tensions, and marches calling for government action against undocumented migrants have sometimes turned violent.

Durban as a Hotspot for Anti-Immigrant Tensions

  • Durban, South Africa's third-biggest city with nearly four million people, has become a hotspot for the tensions that surged this year. In June, thousands of migrants, mainly from Malawi, gathered at a park seeking repatriation after a protest group demanded that undocumented migrants leave by June 30. The camp grew so fast that authorities had to build more temporary accommodation centers.

  • Nigeria, Mozambique, Malawi, and other countries say some of their citizens were killed in attacks linked to the protests. South African authorities dispute some of those claims and say some deaths were related to criminal activity, not the protests.

  • Tens of thousands of migrants have left South Africa in recent months in one of the biggest mass exoduses in years. Many cite the threat of violence, and the government says many were deported for lacking proper documents.

  • This month, cars were torched and shops looted in Soweto, a Johannesburg township, after a court ruling made it easier for foreign citizens to claim asylum and many applied at government buildings.

  • President Cyril Ramaphosa has denounced immigration-related violence and acknowledged years of failures in border control. Official figures show about 2.4 million foreign nationals among South Africa's 62 million people, though protesters say many undocumented migrants are not counted.

Families Say Gravely Ill Detainees at Florida ICE Jails Face Imminent Deportation to Africa; DHS Denies It

Relatives of gravely ill detainees at two Florida immigration jails say authorities are about to deport their loved ones to unknown African countries despite worsening medical conditions. The immigration advocacy group Workers Circle says flights were scheduled as early as yesterday, Wednesday, October 21, and that detainees were told Mexico would not accept them because of their medical conditions, so they would be sent to Africa. Anisley Cortés says her husband, Noslén Sendra, a 41-year-old Cuban national, has uncontrolled diabetes and acute pancreatitis that led to a weeks-long hospital stay, and that he lost over 50 pounds in detention. A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson calls the story false and says, "No sick detainees are being deported," adding that all detainees are medically cleared before travel and leave with any necessary medications. DHS describes Sendra as a criminal illegal alien convicted of fraud, larceny, and property crimes, and says he has been consistently cleared and discharged from the hospital after medical evaluation.

Flights, Conditions, and Oversight

  • Immigration attorney Shalyn Fluharty says detainees' information points to two flights this week, likely today, Thursday, October 22, and tomorrow, Friday, October 23, going to Africa, in particular the Central African Republic, and she believes Burundi too. She says previously deported immigrants were shackled at the hands, ankles, and waist during flights that can last up to 24 hours, and some who complained were placed in full body wraps.

  • The affected detainees are at the Krome North processing center in Miami and the Broward transitional center in Pompano Beach, both privately run for ICE. Workers Circle organizer Arianne Betancourt says the inspector general's report confirmed a lack of medical care at Krome and that families risk retaliation for speaking up.

  • DHS says third-country removals are "an essential public safety tool" and that destination countries give diplomatic assurances that deportees will be safe.

  • The U.S. Supreme Court approved third-country deportations last month, and hundreds of detainees have been deported to at least a dozen African countries where they have no ties. A Human Rights Watch report earlier this month found abusive treatment during and after the flights, including persecution, arbitrary incarceration, and torture after arrival.

  • 13 African countries have signed or participated in these third-country deportation agreements, while countries like Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, and Burkina Faso have publicly rejected the proposals. 

Nigeria's First Ebola Patient Is a Diplomat's Wife Who Holidayed in Uganda, Africa CDC Says; Accounts Conflict on Her Travel

Nigeria's first confirmed Ebola case is the wife of a diplomat who spent time in Kampala, Uganda, Africa CDC head Jean Kaseya told the BBC. The 42-year-old, originally from Uganda but based in Abuja, fell ill after returning home on October 3. Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate says she spent two and a half weeks in Kampala and made a two-hour stopover in Ethiopia's capital on her return. She tested positive on Tuesday, and Pate says she is stable and improving. Nigeria has identified 44 contacts, none known to have developed symptoms. Accounts of her travel conflict: Uganda's health ministry described her as a Nigerian national who went to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo for business and only transited through Uganda, but the World Health Organization (WHO) says the information it received did not include travel to Congo. The source of her infection is still unknown. 

The outbreak, which started in DR Congo, then spread to Uganda, Kenya, and now Nigeria, has killed about 4,700 people across the four affected African countries, according to Africa CDC. The Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine or treatment, though trials are under way. Kenya has now traced all 135 contacts of its first case, Health Director-General Patrick Amoth said. The last was a Ugandan citizen who arrived by air but left by road. Kenya has reported at least nine cases, and the U.S. advised citizens Monday to reconsider travel there.

Timeline and Travel Bans

  • Kaseya says she first developed symptoms on October 6 and sought help at a private hospital, thinking she had malaria, then went to a second private hospital and was admitted on October 11. Public health authorities were alerted on October 19, and her diagnosis was confirmed the next day after three lab tests. WHO says she was in Uganda from September 16 and is investigating which Abuja health facilities she visited before hospitalization.

  • Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo says 46 people, the 44 contacts plus two people who worked in her home, have been banned from boarding flights. Nigeria has stepped up airport screening, temperature checks, traveler tracking, and digital health declarations, and neighboring Cameroon has increased surveillance at its airports and ports.

  • Pate and Kaseya downplayed any tension with Uganda, and Pate said Nigeria is working with Uganda, Ethiopia, and Africa CDC to establish the facts. Kaseya urged countries to share information and urged Western countries not to impose travel restrictions. Pate said Nigeria contained Ebola in 2014, when it had 20 confirmed cases and eight deaths.

In Brief: More Stories Today

Tanzanian Opposition Official John Pambalu Charged With Treason

A senior official in Tanzania's main opposition party, Chadema, was charged with treason yesterday, Wednesday, October 21, a crime that can carry the death penalty. John Pambalu, a national council member and former youth wing leader, is accused of intending to "persuade the public to cause obstruction of the General Election" in 2025 and of "conducting endless protests." He is the second Chadema official charged with treason after party leader Tundu Lissu, whose trial is set to wrap up shortly. Deputy chairperson John Heche says he expects a similar case against him but "will not run away from my own country."

Tunisian Military Court Sentences Opposition Leader Olfa Hamdi to Four Years in Prison

A Tunisian military court sentenced opposition leader Olfa Hamdi, a dual Tunisian and U.S. national, to four years in prison on charges of plotting against state security and inciting the military to disobey orders, her lawyer said. The sentence includes two two-year terms from two convictions, plus 80,000 dinars ($26,000) in fines, and stems from her social media posts. Hamdi, who leads the Third Republic Party, was detained at the main airport in February and was sentenced to two years in a separate case in March. A U.S. State Department spokesperson said Washington is "closely tracking the situation," and critics call the case part of a crackdown on opponents of President Kais Saied.

UN and Swiss Officials Meet in Geneva on Plan to End Sudan's War

United Nations and Swiss officials met in Geneva yesterday, Wednesday, October 21, to flesh out a plan to end the war in Sudan, with nearly two dozen countries taking part. Sudan's military and the Rapid Support Forces were not represented. It was the sixth meeting aimed at a ceasefire and a transition to a new government. Swiss official Alexandre Fasel said the war has become a drone war that mostly kills civilians, with famine-like conditions in Darfur and Kordofan. The UN says more than 34 million people need support, and about 11 million have been displaced.

Madagascar Suspends Corruption Cases Against Ex-President Rajoelina Pending Court Ruling

Madagascar's Anti-Corruption Unit (PAC) says it has temporarily suspended proceedings on complaints naming several former officials, including ex-President Andry Rajoelina and former Prime Minister Christian Ntsay. It has asked the High Constitutional Court to decide whether the PAC has jurisdiction, given the status of the people named. The complaints involve the alleged misappropriation of 36 kilograms of gold from the Ministry of Mines, suspected misconduct in contracts for school desks and benches, and the management of the sovereign wealth fund. Former education minister Marie Michelle Sahondrarimalala, also named in the school furniture case, was sentenced on September 30 to five years in prison for undermining state security in a separate case.

Burundi Marks 33 Years Since President Melchior Ndadaye's Assassination

Burundi held ceremonies at the Heroes of Democracy Square, where President Évariste Ndayishimiye and others laid wreaths for the country’s first democratically elected President Melchior Ndadaye, who was killed three months after taking office in 1993. His death helped plunge the country into years of civil war and ethnic violence. Opposition leaders used the occasion to voice concern over shrinking political pluralism, with APDER's Gabriel Banzawitonde saying the ruling party has tightened its control. RADEBU's Jean De Dieu Mutabazi says Burundi has made progress on democracy while acknowledging its principles are not always fully respected.

Dangote Buys 25% of Kenya Pipeline Company for $335 Million

Africa’s wealthiest man, Aliko Dangote, disclosed yesterday, Wednesday, October 21, at the Financial Times Africa Summit in London that he bought a 25% stake in Kenya's state-owned Pipeline Company, paying $335 million for 4.5 billion shares. He also plans to invest $1.5 billion to expand the roughly 1,300-kilometer network, which carries fuel from Mombasa across Kenya and to Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The deal comes weeks after he broke ground on a planned $16 billion, 700,000-barrel-a-day refinery in Lamu.

african news south africa nigeria news nigeria news latest immigration home ebola outbreak ebola in nigeria deportation south african news today in africa

MORE LIKE THIS