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Today in Africa — September 3, 2026: UN Report Ties Foreign Networks to Sudan's War, Kenya Orders Foreign Nationals to Shut Down Small Businesses

OkayAfrica has scoured the Internet for today’s major news stories, so you don't have to. On Sept. 3, coverage includes: investigators calling for an expanded Sudanese arms embargo after linking foreign fighters to massacres in Darfur; Kenyan President William Ruto says local traders need protection and foreign investors should focus on job creation instead; and more.

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Lihle Z. Mtshali Today in Africa & Newsletters Editor
Kenyan President William Ruto sits in a cream-colored chair during a White House meeting.
Kenyan President William Ruto wants all foreign nationals to shut down small businesses, such as hawking and street vending, by next week.

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 on stories like these, be sure to check out our News page, with stories from across the regions.

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UN Report: Foreign Networks Fueling Sudan's War Through Weapons and Mercenaries

A United Nations report released today, Thursday, September 3, found that a transnational network — including companies based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Colombia, and Chad — has supplied the Sudanese paramilitary force, Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with weapons, training, and foreign contractors, helping sustain Sudan's proxy war since 2023. Investigators say entities linked to the UAE played a major role in recruiting, financing, and deploying foreign military contractors for the RSF, a claim the UAE denies, while foreign-supplied drones have also expanded the Sudanese army's capabilities, though those findings remain preliminary. The report calls on the UN Security Council to extend its arms embargo on Sudan, warning that "the weapons, financing, personnel and technology that sustain this war must be constrained."

What Investigators Found

  • Foreign-trained fighters were linked to two 2025 massacres, in Zamzam camp and El Fasher, where survivors described RSF fighters gunning down civilians in homes and streets.

  • Satellite images have appeared to show RSF forces disposing of bodies in mass graves or by burning them.

  • Chad, Colombia, and the UAE cooperated with investigators, but Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan, and Somalia gave no substantive response, and neither the Sudanese military nor the RSF cooperated at all.

  • A separate AP investigation in July found Colombian mercenaries had trained children to fight for the RSF, allegedly recruited by a UAE state-linked firm.

  • The U.S. has pushed for new UN sanctions, with a draft resolution demanding all countries "cease any direct or indirect support to the warring parties."

Kenya's Ruto Cracks Down on Foreign Traders

Kenyan President William Ruto has ordered foreign nationals to shut down small businesses, such as hawking and street vending, by next week, arguing that local traders need protection and that foreign investors should focus on job creation instead, while promising to fast-track legislation barring foreigners from certain trade sectors. Ruto also ordered India's Tata Chemicals to halt its Kenya operations entirely, criticizing the company for holding a 100-year contract without building any factories in Kajiado, and announced two new companies would take over — one to build a glass factory, another for chemical production. Ruto, who plans to seek a second term next year, says Kenya remains open to foreign investment but argues that newcomers should create jobs rather than compete with Kenyans in small businesses.

The Bigger Picture

  • Kenya hosts about 857,000 registered refugees and asylum seekers as of June, with nearly 14% living in urban areas where many work in trades like barbering, construction, and street vending.

  • Tensions over foreign traders have flared before, including a July incident in Nairobi where a Kenyan man confronted a Burundian trader, prompting Kenya's foreign ministry to reassure East African migrants living in the country.

  • Tata had already suspended operations at its Magadi Soda factory and paused soda ash exports in late July under earlier government orders.

  • The crackdown comes as other African nations, including South Africa, grapple with rising anti-migrant sentiment and mass voluntary repatriations.

Sharpeville Massacre Survivors Sue South African Government 65 Years Later

Survivors and relatives of victims of South Africa’s March 21, 1960 Sharpeville Massacre announced today, Thursday, September 3, that they're launching a class-action lawsuit against South Africa's government, seeking compensation and asking a court to strike down the 1961 Indemnity Act that has long blocked victims from pursuing claims. Apartheid-era police records list 69 dead and 180 injured when officers opened fire on an unarmed crowd protesting pass laws, though the plaintiffs cite research putting the toll at 91 killed and more than 238 wounded. Lawyers for Human Rights brought the case with three representative plaintiffs, including 87-year-old survivor Abram Mofokeng, who still carries a bullet in his back from the day he was shot while fleeing the gunfire.

Why the Case Is Only Happening Now

  • About 258 claims were filed after the massacre, but the government's 1961 Indemnity Act shielded officials from liability, and only around a third of claims resulted in payments totaling less than 4% of what victims sought.

  • More than 70 survivors and relatives have expressed interest in joining the lawsuit.

  • The Truth and Reconciliation Commission process formally awarded reparations to just 51 Sharpeville survivors, leaving gaps the new case hopes to address.

  • The lawsuit is part of a broader wave of efforts revisiting apartheid-era abuses in South Africa, including reopened inquests into the deaths of Steve Biko, the Cradock Four, and Chief Albert Luthuli.

  • Lawyer Dan Leader called the case part of the country's "unfinished business," while plaintiffs hope it will push the government into direct talks over reparations.

  • March 21 is now Human Rights Day in South Africa, which honors the fight for equality and remembers the tragic events of the Sharpeville Massacre.

In Brief: More Stories Today

Fresh Fighting in Somalia's Baidoa Wounds Dozens

Fighting broke out today, Thursday, September 3, between Somali government forces and militias loyal to former South West state President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen on the outskirts of Baidoa, wounding 71 people and killing one civilian, according to Bay Regional Hospital. The clashes are the latest flare-up in a months-long dispute over control of the state, and come a month after separate fighting in the city killed four civilians and wounded 98 others.

Anthony Joshua's Trainer, Coach Died in Overtaking Crash, Court Hears

A Nigerian court heard that driver Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode lost control of his Lexus SUV while overtaking a truck, colliding with a parked lorry and killing boxer Anthony Joshua's trainer and strength coach last December. Kayode, who faces charges including causing death by dangerous driving, denies the allegations, and the case has been adjourned until September 10.

At Least 21 Killed in Egypt Bus Crash Near Popular Red Sea Tourist Route

A bus crash on Egypt's Dahab-Nuweibaa road in South Sinai killed at least 21 people yesterday, Wednesday, September 2, the health ministry said, with several Jordanians among those killed or injured. The accident occurred along a stretch of coastline popular with tourists, just weeks after a separate crash in Ismailia governorate killed 15 people.

At Least 5 Dead, Dozens Feared Missing After Migrant Boat Found Adrift Near Canary Islands

Spain's Maritime Rescue Service found a boat carrying West African migrants drifting in the Atlantic yesterday, Wednesday, September 2, with five confirmed dead and dozens more feared missing after survivors said more than 100 people had originally been aboard. Forty-four survivors, all men from Mali or Senegal, were brought to safety, describing nearly a month at sea after leaving The Gambia and running out of food and water.

WHO Uses Mobile Phone Data to Track Ebola's Spread in DR Congo

Health officials battling the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are using anonymized mobile phone data, an approach never before used in an Ebola response, to predict where the virus might spread next. The data, provided by Vodacom and analyzed by nonprofit Flowminder, helped responders strengthen operations in Kisangani before cases were even detected there, though the tool currently covers only one telecom network.

Niger's Capital Rallies Behind Junta Leader After Failed Mutiny

Thousands gathered in Niamey yesterday, Wednesday, September 2, to show support for junta leader General Abdourahamane Tiani, days after loyalist forces and Russian partners put down an attempted army mutiny that sparked fighting across sensitive sites in the capital. Tiani hasn't publicly appeared or commented since the uprising, while junta officials claimed the mutiny's "sponsors are based abroad," echoing past accusations against former colonial power France.

Illegal Mining Threatens Johannesburg's Infrastructure, Residents Say

Illegal mining is causing roads to collapse, buildings to crack, and power infrastructure to sink across Johannesburg, according to residents and officials who say underground blasting by so-called "zama zamas" is destabilizing the city. Mining expert David van Wyk estimates more than 34,000 irregular miners operate across South Africa, and President Cyril Ramaphosa deployed troops to Gauteng province in March to help combat the crime tied to the illicit trade.

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