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Today in Africa — September 30, 2026: Morocco Names First Woman PM, Burundi Becomes 14th African Country to Accept U.S. Deportees

OkayAfrica has scoured the Internet for today’s major news stories, so you don't have to. On Sept. 30, coverage includes: Authenticity and Modernity Party leader and Marrakech Mayor Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri taking on the task of forming a new government; Burundi saying it will only accept deportees who aren't facing prosecution or linked to terrorism; and more.

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Lihle Z. Mtshali Today in Africa & Newsletters Editor
Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri wearing glasses at a press conference against a blue backdrop in Rabat.
Morocco’s first woman Prime Minister, Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, is a member of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), and is also Morocco's Minister of National Planning, Urban Planning, Housing and Urban Policy and Mayor of Marrakesh.

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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King Mohammed VI Names Morocco's First Woman Prime Minister

King Mohammed VI has appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as Morocco's first woman prime minister, tasking her with forming a government after her Authenticity and Modernity Party won 97 seats in the September 23 parliamentary election, the largest share but well short of the 198 needed for a majority. El Mansouri, a lawyer, former housing minister, and current mayor of Marrakech, becomes the second woman to lead a government in the Arab world, after Tunisia's Najla Bouden in 2021, and must now negotiate a coalition after softening PAM's earlier refusal to partner again with the second-place National Rally of Independents. "We have turned the page," she said of those talks.

What's Ahead for the New Government

  • The National Rally of Independents took 66 seats, Istiqlal won 65, and the Justice and Development Party secured 54, but it says it will stay in opposition.

  • The incoming government must navigate major infrastructure spending ahead of Morocco's co-hosting of the 2030 FIFA World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal.

  • Voter turnout fell to about 38%, down from roughly 51% in 2021, adding pressure on the new administration to rebuild public trust.

  • Morocco's king retains significant powers under the country's political system, including appointing the head of government from the party with the most seats.

Burundi Agrees to Accept US Deportees With No Ties to the Country

Burundi has agreed to accept people deported by the United States who have no prior connection to the East African nation, President's spokesperson Nancy Ninette Mutoni said yesterday, Tuesday, September 29. Mutoni said Burundi would only take people not facing prosecution and without links to terrorism, though she didn't say how many deportees the country agreed to receive or when they'd arrive, adding that officials are preparing housing and community support. Burundi is the 14th African country to sign third-country deportation agreements with the U.S. Amnesty International has criticized the agreements and transfers for causing arbitrary detention, limited legal access, and potential violations of non-refoulement principles (returning individuals to countries where they face persecution).

A Program Under Legal Strain

  • Mutoni called the planning process serious, saying officials must figure out "where they will stay, what they will eat, and how they will live alongside the local population."

  • The Trump administration has expanded third-country deportations, sending people to nations including Eswatini and South Sudan where they hold no citizenship and may never have lived.

  • A U.S. appeals court ruling last week complicated the program after lawyers said a flight carrying about 70 people from Louisiana bound for Burundi, Rwanda, and the Central African Republic was canceled.

  • The ruling didn't ban third-country deportations outright but requires that deportees get a real chance to raise concerns about facing persecution or torture.

3 More Nigerians Killed in South Africa, Raising 2026 Toll to 12

Nigerian authorities said yesterday, Tuesday, September 29, that three Nigerians were killed in South Africa between September 18 and 21 — Kenechukwu Christopher Igwemmadu in Bloemfontein, Olaniyi Olaleye Olatunde in Pretoria, and Christian Hillary Nnaemeka in Primrose — bringing the total killed this year to 12 and 112 since 2022. Nigeria's ambassador-designate to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, wrote on X that "Nigeria will protect its nationals," while the Nigerian consulate said the deaths, coming in quick succession, "raise questions about what seems to be a pattern of targeting Nigerians in South Africa." South African authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Rising Tensions Amid Anti-Migrant Unrest

  • Consul-General Ninikanwa Okey-Uche called on South African authorities to thoroughly investigate the deaths and bring those responsible to justice.

  • Earlier this month, Nigeria's parliament indefinitely suspended official visits and engagements with South Africa over the ongoing violence against migrants.

  • Hundreds protested in Durban today, Wednesday, September 30, as part of demonstrations organized by the anti-illegal migrant group March and March, which had set September 30 as an unofficial deadline for undocumented immigrants to leave.

  • More than 200,000 people have fled South Africa this year, according to an AFP tally based on figures from African governments handling repatriations.

  • Today's protests also addressed gender-based violence, following the discovery of at least 11 women's bodies in Ekurhuleni since mid-July.

In Brief: More Stories Today

Somali Pirates Kill 5 Crew Members in First Deadly Hijacking in Over a Decade

Somali pirates killed five crew members aboard the Palau-flagged tanker MT Honour 25 before Puntland security forces freed the ship and captured 16 suspects, authorities said yesterday, Tuesday, September 29, marking the first deaths at the hands of Somali pirates in more than a decade. The tanker, seized on April 21 while carrying 18,500 barrels of oil, saw three Pakistani, one Myanmar, and one Indian crew member killed, with four others injured, as the region grapples with a piracy resurgence experts link to fallout from the US-Israel war on Iran.

Ramaphosa Announces New Measures to Fight Gender-Based Violence

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa unveiled measures to combat gender-based violence after at least 11 women were killed in Ekurhuleni since July, including a 60-day audit of women's safety hotspots and a 90-day review of unresolved violence cases. Calling the killings "a source of profound pain and national shame," Ramaphosa said four suspects have been arrested so far, though police haven't confirmed whether a serial killer is responsible for all the deaths.

At Least 2 Dead, 6 Missing in Shipwreck Off Tunisian Coast

At least two people, including a child, died and six went missing after a migrant boat wrecked near Tunisia's Gulf of Gabes, according to rescue group Sea-Watch, whose ship Aurora found five survivors and two bodies aboard a deflated dinghy. Another 23 survivors, including a toddler and five women, escaped by reaching a nearby gas platform; the migrants hailed from Eritrea, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Nigeria, and Pakistan, and the International Organization for Migration says nearly 1,000 people have died crossing the central Mediterranean so far this year.

5 African Leaders Break Ground on $16 Billion Kenyan Oil Refinery

Five African heads of state joined a groundbreaking ceremony today, Wednesday, September 30, for a $16 billion oil refinery in Lamu, Kenya, led by Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote's company, which is expected to process 700,000 barrels of oil daily once completed in 40 months. Dangote said the region's demand far exceeds that output, declaring "Africa must industrialize Africa," even as the project faces a pending land-ownership lawsuit and protests from residents demanding more compensation.

South Africa Summons US Ambassador for Third Time Over "Undiplomatic Conduct"

South Africa's foreign ministry called in US Ambassador Leo Brent Bozell III for the third time since he took office nine months ago, citing "undiplomatic conduct" without specifying details. The move comes amid ongoing tension over Trump's false claims of "white genocide" in South Africa, with the State Department countering that "the ball is now squarely in the government of South Africa's court" to define the relationship it wants with Washington.

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