Britain's Refusal to Apologize for Slavery Shadows King Charles's Caribbean Visit
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are visiting the Bahamas, Guyana, and Antigua and Barbuda from today, Tuesday, October 27, to November 4, as African and Caribbean leaders push harder for reparations for slavery. Buckingham Palace says the King will acknowledge Britain's role in slavery but will not issue a formal apology, and Reuters reports the British government opposes both an apology and compensation. Ghana is a leading voice in the campaign, and Jamaica petitioned King Charles in September to refer questions on colonial slavery to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.
More Than 60 Killed in Attacks on Christians in Ethiopia's Oromia Region
More than 60 people were killed in attacks on Christians in Oromia, according to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Residents say the attacks hit three areas in the Shirka district, 20 houses were burned, and five of the dead were children. A local official blamed the Alliance for Survival, a rebel coalition that includes the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), which has not commented and has denied past attacks. The regional government says it will act against those responsible.
Tanzania's Tundu Lissu Begins Hunger Strike Over Lawyer Access
Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who leads CHADEMA and faces treason charges, began a hunger strike yesterday, Monday, October 26, after his lawyers were denied entry to the prison where he is held, his party said. CHADEMA's chief legal counsel said Lissu was denied privacy in talks with his lawyers, in violation of a court order. He has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyer calls the charges politically motivated. The court is due to deliver its judgment on November 6, and the prisons service says it will give an update soon.
Libya's Airspace Restrictions Lifted After a Decade
Libya's Transport Ministry says the United Nations' International Civil Aviation Organization has removed airspace restrictions imposed in 2015 during the civil war. The decision was formally issued on October 23. The ministry says requests to cross Libyan airspace have surged, with permits registered for 61,968 flights a month from November, up from an average of about 2,000 a month last season. Few airlines currently operate flights to and from Libya.
U.S. Ambassador Says Musk Rejected South Africa's 30% Ownership Requirement for Starlink
U.S. Ambassador to South Africa Leo Brent Bozell III says Elon Musk refused to transfer 30% of Starlink's South African operation to historically disadvantaged investors after Starlink proposed a roughly $28 million plan to bring free internet to more than 5,000 rural schools. Bozell did not say he discussed it directly with Musk, so his account reflects his understanding of the talks. Starlink wants to meet South Africa's empowerment rules through an Equity Equivalent Investment Program instead. It has yet to secure the licenses it needs to operate formally in the country.
Niger Accuses Chad of Deadly Drone Strike
Niger's military government accused Chad of a drone strike on Saturday that killed two civilians and wounded others at the Salvador Pass in the Emi Lulu area of northern Niger. It summoned Chad's ambassador, demanded an end to "hostile actions" and compensation, and claimed the attack had France's support. Niger says it will refer the matter to the UN Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council, and in September it accused Chad of involvement in a foiled mutiny.
U.S. Pushes Morocco's Autonomy Plan Over Western Sahara Referendum
The U.S. is proposing to shift Western Sahara negotiations from an independence referendum to Morocco's autonomy plan, over Algeria's opposition. Under the American draft, the UN mission MINURSO would be renamed the "United Nations Mission for Western Sahara" and could end by April 30, 2027, replaced by a smaller political mission. Morocco claims backing from about 130 countries, while the Polisario Front still seeks independence. The UN Security Council is expected to consider the proposal before MINURSO's mandate expires October 31.
Government Probe Finds 37 Miners Died in Nigerian Custody From Overcrowding
A Nigerian government investigation found that 37 suspected illegal miners died in detention from asphyxia caused by severe overcrowding, poor ventilation, heat stress, and dehydration. The committee's chairman, Jonathan Kure, called the deaths "entirely preventable" and rejected claims that disease was to blame. The panel recommended 30 million naira (about $22,500) for each victim's family and 10 million naira for each of the 41 survivors, plus an overhaul of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps leadership. The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Report Says Islamic State-Aligned ADF Funds Itself Mostly Through Gold in Eastern DR Congo
The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an Islamic State-aligned insurgency in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, makes most of its money from gold production and smuggling, according to a report released today, Tuesday, October 27, by the U.S.-based investigative group The Sentry. The group earns $1 million to $1.6 million a year from gold sites in one area of North Kivu province alone, and the gold moves through eastern Congo trading hubs to refiners and export networks in Uganda. The income has let the ADF rely less on Islamic State funding since late 2024, when U.S. sanctions hit key facilitators. It also earns money from cocoa, extortion, and kidnapping, and The Sentry's Justyna Gudzowska urged governments to go after financiers, gold traders, and facilitators. Spokespeople for Uganda's army and government and for Congo's government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
