Today in Africa — September 29, 2026: Cameroon's Femicide Crisis Grows, Nigeria Finds 28 Skulls Tied to Kidnapping Camps

OkayAfrica has scoured the Internet for today’s major news stories, so you don't have to. On Sept. 29, coverage includes: activists and lawmakers pushing for a bill that would finally criminalize femicide; mass abductions continue across northern Nigeria even as police dismantle suspected criminal hideouts; and more.

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Lihle Z. Mtshali Today in Africa & Newsletters Editor
A magistrate’s hand rests near a wooden gavel, case files and legal books on an office desk.
Magistrate Martine Ahanda Tana, an investigating judge at the Court of First Instance in Yaounde, Cameroon, says that without a specific femicide law, judges must rely solely on the existing criminal code.

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.

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Cameroon Faces Growing Femicide Crisis as Bill to Criminalize It Awaits Vote

At least 56 women have been killed in Cameroon since the start of 2026, according to Stop Feminicides 237, with the toll climbing yearly — from about 50 in 2023 to 67 in 2024 and 77 in 2025 — as anger mounts over the government's inaction. The country's women's ministry says a long-delayed bill making femicide a separate crime from murder will finally go before parliament in November, but critics, including the opposition MRC party and Human Rights Watch, say President Paul Biya's government has made promises on women's safety without following through. One recent victim, teacher Geraldine Achia, was allegedly beaten to death by her husband, who denies the killing and remains in detention after his arrest more than 300 kilometers from Yaoundé, the country’s capital.

What's Driving the Violence

  • Psychiatrist Laure Justine Menguene blames a patriarchal upbringing that teaches men they're superior to women.

  • Stop Feminicides 237's Viviane Tathi Yende cites alcohol and drug abuse, economic strain, and a culture of impunity, with many cases settled out of court instead of being prosecuted.

  • Senator Francoise Puene says economic hardship since the COVID-19 pandemic has fueled the rise, estimating a woman is murdered in Cameroon roughly every 10 minutes.

  • Investigating magistrate Martine Ahanda Tana says that without a specific femicide law, judges must rely solely on the existing criminal code.

  • Africa has the world's highest femicide rate, per the United Nations, at three cases per 100,000 women, compared to 0.5 in Europe.

28 Skulls Found in Nigerian Forest Camps Suspected of Kidnapping Ties

Police in Nigeria's Abia State say they've recovered the skulls and bones of at least 28 people from suspected criminal camps in the Umuaku and Nneato forests, following a security operation on Saturday in the Umunneochi area. Suspects fled as officers arrived, and police spokeswoman Maureen Chinaka says the remains are suspected to belong to kidnapping victims, though forensic investigations to confirm their identities are ongoing. Abia State Police Commissioner Wilfred Afolabi says the raid is part of an ongoing campaign to dismantle criminal hideouts, and police have asked residents to report suspicious activity as they track down the fleeing suspects.

A Wider Pattern of Abductions

  • Authorities have previously found decomposing bodies linked to kidnapping activity during earlier raids in Umunneochi.

  • Separately, over the weekend, gunmen abducted nearly 50 farmers in Niger State and about 40 women in neighboring Zamfara State, according to security reports seen by AFP.

  • Kidnapping for ransom has become a major source of income for bandits and militant Islamists across northern Nigeria, with a study finding that Nigerian kidnappers collected close to $5.8 million in ransom payments between July 2025 and June 2026. 

Journalist Crowned New King of Uganda's Tooro Kingdom

A journalist and broadcaster took the throne of Uganda's Tooro Kingdom today, Tuesday, September 29, choosing the regnal name Edward Rukidi Nyabongo, after King Oyo Nyimba died of cancer at 34 in August without a publicly known heir. Elders from the kingdom's ruling Babiito clan selected Nyabongo, a prince not particularly high in the line of succession, from a pool of eligible candidates, and thousands watched the coronation in Fort Portal, western Uganda, in person and on TV. In his speech, Nyabongo pledged to unify his people, telling the local paper New Vision that "heritage must be matched by discipline and hard work."

A Dispute That Still Isn't Settled

  • Queen Mother Best Kemigisa has disputed the selection, insisting Oyo's written will named a young son, whose identity has not yet been publicly revealed, as heir.

  • Purported photos of a "Baby Oyo" have circulated on social media, though critics say the child, if real, should have been introduced to kingdom elders while Oyo was still alive.

  • Local media reported scenes of disagreement at Oyo's September 12 funeral, including a squabble over custody of his remains.

  • Political analyst Nicholas Sengoba says the Babiito's choice, while possibly unpopular, reflects the kingdom's established norms.

  • Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, speaking at the coronation, urged traditional leaders to promote local languages.

In Brief: More Stories Today

Congolese Official Beaten to Death After Speaking Up for Ebola Awareness

Marie-Celestin Karondwa, a politician from DR Congo's ruling UDPS party, was beaten to death on Sunday by residents of Butembo in North Kivu province after promoting Ebola awareness in a radio interview. The UDPS says his belongings were stolen and his house set on fire, and the killing joins a string of attacks tied to mistrust around the outbreak, which has now infected more than 8,000 people and killed close to 4,000 since May.

Dangote Reports "Enormous" Demand for Refinery IPO, Pushes Ahead With Kenya Plant

Africa’s wealthiest man, Aliko Dangote, says investor demand for his $1.6 billion Lagos refinery IPO has been "enormous," even describing retail interest as "more like a tsunami" that briefly overwhelmed some fintech platforms, including a 350% surge in new accounts on Bamboo. Dangote also broke ground on a planned $16 billion refinery near Kenya's Lamu port, offering regional governments like Kenya and Rwanda a chance to buy stakes payable over four years, despite a Kenyan court order requiring both sides to maintain the "status quo" on part of the land pending an October 14 hearing over a residents' ancestral land claim.

Amnesty: 34 Civilians Killed in Mali Army-Wagner Operations

Amnesty International says 34 civilians, mostly pastoralist herders, were killed in seven incidents during joint military operations by Mali's army and Russia's Wagner mercenaries between June 2023 and December 2025, calling the deaths deliberate war crimes. Victims described being shot, having their throats cut, or burned alive, with one herder telling Amnesty that fighters believe "all herders are terrorists." Mali's junta has denied killing civilians and did not respond to Amnesty's findings, shared with authorities on August 3.

Ethiopia Repatriates Over 1,200 More Citizens From Saudi Arabia

Ethiopia brought home another 1,273 nationals from Saudi Arabia on September 28, including 49 minors, pushing the total repatriated since September 2025 past 104,000. The returns come as Saudi Arabia intensifies immigration enforcement, having deported nearly 15,000 people in a recent weeklong crackdown in which Ethiopians made up 58% of those arrested trying to cross into the kingdom illegally.

Ousted Guinea-Bissau President Plans Return to Run for Office

Umaro Sissoco Embalo, toppled in a November coup, plans to return to Guinea-Bissau on October 4 to run in December's presidential election, a source tells Reuters. The military-led government has told him he's "welcome" back, though a new constitution approved in August now requires candidates to have lived in the country continuously for five years, raising questions about whether Embalo, who has been abroad since the coup, would qualify.

Burkina Faso Opens First Gold Refinery

Burkina Faso opened its first gold refinery, Raffinor-BF, yesterday, Monday, September 28, with President Ibrahim Traoré declaring that the country's gold "must not only be extracted... it must be processed, controlled, valued and certified" domestically. The $19 million facility can process 164 tons of gold annually against a target capacity of 515 tons, part of a broader West African push, alongside Mali, Ghana, and Guinea, to keep more mineral wealth and processing at home.

South Africa Reopens Door to Starlink, Citing Economic Transformation Rules

South African officials say they're open to bringing Elon Musk's Starlink into the country, but only if it complies with rules requiring 30% ownership by historically disadvantaged groups for telecom licenses. Deputy Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Mondli Gungubele proposed Equity Equivalent Investment Programs as an alternative path, but a disagreement between the government and the regulator, ICASA, over legally recognizing these programs has left the dispute unresolved, and Starlink has filed no license applications as of June.

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