Most of those displaced are from Malawi and Mozambique. Many said they spent nights hiding in nearby mountains and bushland before seeking shelter in community centers in towns including Gansbaai, Kleinmond and Stanford.

The unrest follows weeks of protests against undocumented migrants that escalated into violence over the weekend. In Mossel Bay, 55 shacks were burned, while authorities reported the deaths of Mozambican nationals amid the tensions.

Local officials said more than 500 people fled their homes in the Gansbaai area alone. Witnesses alleged that groups carrying sticks, whips and other weapons targeted foreign residents regardless of their immigration status.

Mozambique said five of its citizens were killed as a direct result of the attacks and reported that hundreds had already returned home. Ghana and Nigeria have also organized repatriation efforts for affected nationals.
South African authorities have deployed officials to assist displaced migrants with documentation and voluntary return arrangements as fears of further violence persist.

The Bamy Hotel on Bioko Island, owned by the family of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, has housed at least 32 deportees since late 2025, many of whom had previously received protection orders from U.S. immigration judges, the report said. Most have since been deported to African countries they fled, despite fears of persecution.

Migrants from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Angola and Mauritania described psychological pressure, restricted movement and uncertainty over their fate while being held inside the largely empty hotel. Several detainees told AP they feared imprisonment or death if returned home.

The Trump administration has expanded third-country deportation agreements with developing nations as part of its immigration crackdown. Rights advocates argue the policy circumvents asylum protections by transferring migrants to countries with poor human rights records.

Washington declined to comment on details of the arrangement with Equatorial Guinea, while the State Department said it remained committed to ending “illegal and mass immigration.” Equatorial Guinea’s government did not respond to requests for comment

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The oil-rich Central African nation, ruled by Obiang for more than four decades, has long faced criticism from rights groups and U.S. officials over allegations of corruption, repression and abuses against dissidents.

The blaze erupted around 1 a.m., prompting emergency rescue operations as firefighters and police evacuated students and searched the damaged dormitory for survivors, according to Capital FM radio.

Regional police commander Samuel Ndanyi said rescue teams were continuing operations at the school, while county police official Masoud Mwinyi described the incident as “distressing and saddening” as anxious parents gathered outside the campus.

Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the fire.The tragedy has renewed concerns over school safety standards in Kenya following a series of deadly boarding school fires. In 2024, 21 students died in a dormitory blaze at a primary school in neighboring Nyeri county.

India’s foreign ministry said the two sides agreed to delay the summit, originally scheduled for May 28-31, citing the “emerging public health situation” across parts of Africa. The ministry said fresh dates for the gathering would be announced later.

The decision comes after the World Health Organization warned on Wednesday that the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo posed a high regional risk, although the threat remained low globally.

The WHO said the virus had likely been circulating undetected for months before the outbreak was officially declared last week.

The latest outbreak, the 17th recorded in Congo, has already been linked to 139 suspected deaths from roughly 600 probable cases, according to health authorities. Ebola, a highly infectious hemorrhagic fever, has killed more than 15,000 people across Africa over the past five decades.

India said it stood ready to support Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention-led efforts aimed at containing the outbreak and strengthening public health response systems across the continent.

Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport issued a health advisory on Thursday for passengers arriving from Democratic Republic of Congo as well as neighboring Uganda and South Sudan, reflecting growing concern over cross-border transmission risks.

The India-Africa Forum Summit is one of New Delhi’s key diplomatic platforms for engagement with African nations, covering trade, development cooperation, infrastructure and strategic partnerships. The postponement marks a rare disruption to the high-level forum amid heightened global vigilance over infectious disease outbreaks.

Speaking in interviews with Jeune Afrique and The Africa Report during a two-day economic summit in Nairobi, Macron said Europe remained committed to multilateralism, the rule of law and open trade while global powers increasingly pursued confrontational economic policies.

“Europe defends the international order, effective multilateralism, the rule of law, free and open trade,” Macron said, drawing a distinction between European policy and the intensifying trade rivalry between the United States and China.

The French leader accused China of creating economic dependencies through its control of critical minerals and rare earth supply chains, arguing that Beijing prioritizes domestic processing while limiting broader industrial development elsewhere.“China operates according to a predatory logic,” Macron said, adding that Europe instead aimed to build “a strategy of autonomy” shared between African and European economies.

Macron’s remarks come as France attempts to recalibrate its relationship with Africa after years of deteriorating influence in several former colonies, particularly in the Sahel region where anti-French sentiment and military coups have weakened Paris’ regional standing.

France withdrew troops from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger following military takeovers between 2020 and 2023 that brought juntas to power and led to demands for French forces to leave.Macron defended France’s former military deployments in the Sahel, saying French troops had operated there at the request of local governments to combat jihadist insurgencies.

“When our presence was no longer wanted after the coups, we left,” Macron said. “That wasn’t a humiliation but a logical response to a given situation.”Despite acknowledging the enduring legacy of colonialism, Macron argued that Africa’s current political and economic difficulties could not be attributed solely to European imperial history.

“We must not exonerate from all responsibility the seven decades that followed independence,” he said, urging African governments to strengthen governance and institutional accountability.Macron, who has previously described colonialism as a “crime against humanity,” has sought since taking office in 2017 to redefine France’s relationship with Africa through economic partnerships and reduced military dependence.

He also called for reforms to international financial systems aimed at expanding guarantees capable of attracting larger volumes of private investment into African economies.

“A new era is about to start,” Macron said, expressing confidence that the Sahel region would eventually return to democratic governance under elected civilian leadership.

In a statement issued in Geneva, the UN human rights office said its Sudan monitoring team had determined that drone attacks accounted for more than 80 percent of all conflict-related civilian deaths recorded during the first four months of 2026.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said the rapid expansion of drone warfare had transformed the nature of the conflict.“Armed drones have now become by far and away the leading cause of civilian deaths,” Turk said.

The warning underscores escalating concerns among humanitarian agencies and international observers over the intensifying use of unmanned aerial systems in Sudan’s civil war, which erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

The conflict has devastated large parts of the country, displaced millions of civilians and triggered what aid organizations describe as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.The UN did not specify which parties were responsible for the drone strikes cited in its report, but rights monitors have repeatedly warned that the growing availability of armed drone technology has widened the scale and reach of attacks on populated areas.

Human rights officials cautioned that the increasing reliance on drones risked accelerating civilian casualties while further complicating efforts to secure ceasefires or humanitarian access.

Sudan’s capital Khartoum and several regions including Darfur have witnessed heavy fighting, air strikes and widespread destruction since the war began, with repeated allegations of violations of international humanitarian law by both sides.

International mediation efforts led by regional powers, the African Union and the United Nations have so far failed to produce a durable ceasefire.

Lai announced his arrival in a Facebook post, saying he had received a warm welcome despite the delay. “Although we are a few days late, the people of Eswatini have still given us the warmest and most enthusiastic welcome,” he wrote.

Taiwan’s government said in April that Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar had unilaterally revoked flight permits for Lai’s aircraft to cross airspace under their control during a planned trip to Eswatini, one of Taiwan’s 12 remaining diplomatic allies.

Taipei blamed Beijing for pressuring the three countries, though China did not publicly comment on the allegation. Beijing views Taiwan as part of its territory and opposes any official exchanges between Taipei and countries maintaining diplomatic ties with the island.

Lai said Eswatini had remained firm despite diplomatic and economic pressure and had continued to support Taiwan’s international participation through “concrete actions.”Eswatini is the only African nation that maintains formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, making the visit symbolically significant as Beijing continues efforts to isolate Taipei on the global stage.

The Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) said its analysis of satellite imagery and open-source data showed activity “consistent with military assistance” to the RSF at a base in Asosa, in Ethiopia’s Benishangul-Gumuz region, between late December 2025 and late March 2026.The RSF has been engaged in a conflict with Sudan’s army since April 2023.

Sudan’s military had previously accused Ethiopia of allowing drone attacks to be launched from its territory, an allegation Addis Ababa has denied, along with claims it hosts RSF camps.

According to the HRL report, researchers identified repeated arrivals of commercial car carriers at the Asosa base unloading “technicals,” light pickup trucks commonly used by armed groups.

These vehicles were later observed supplying RSF units operating in Sudan’s Blue Nile state.The report said some vehicles were subsequently fitted with mounts capable of carrying heavy machine guns, while objects consistent with .50-calibre weapons were also detected nearby.

Similar vehicles later appeared in open-source imagery from fighting around Al-Kurmuk, a strategic border town approximately 100 km from Asosa.HRL also documented increased logistical activity at the base, including the arrival of shipping containers, fuel tanks and tents capable of housing up to 150 personnel.

Satellite imagery showed expansion at Asosa airport, including a new hangar, concrete pad and defensive positions. The site had previously been used as a drone base.

The findings come as fighting intensifies in Blue Nile state, where an estimated 28,000 people have been displaced this year, including more than 10,000 from Al-Kurmuk alone.

Control of the region remains divided between Sudan’s army and RSF-aligned forces from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu.

The strike, which occurred on Wednesday, targeted the Al-Salama neighborhood near a girls’ school, according to the El-Fasher Resistance Committee.

The group attributed the attack to the Sudanese army, which has been engaged in a conflict with the Rapid Support Forces since April 2023.

A medical source said the victims brought to a local hospital included six children, among them three secondary school students.

Sixteen others were wounded in the attack, including women and children, and are receiving treatment.

The strike underscores the continuing toll of the conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region, where fighting between the army and paramilitary forces has displaced large numbers of civilians and strained already limited medical resources.

The United States is restructuring how it delivers life-saving medical supplies for HIV and malaria to low-income countries, a shift that officials and health experts warn could disrupt treatment access across parts of Africa and Asia.

The changes centre on winding down the Global Health Supply Chain Program – Procurement and Supply Management, a U.S.-funded initiative run by Chemonics, which has coordinated the delivery of critical medicines and prevention tools since 2016. According to internal communications and multiple sources familiar with the matter, U.S. officials have been instructed to begin halting implementation of the programme by May 30.

From its inception through 2024, the programme distributed more than $5 billion worth of HIV and malaria-related commodities to 90 countries, with a primary focus on sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia. The supplies included antiretroviral drugs, malaria treatments and insecticide-treated bed nets, forming a key component of global disease control efforts.The restructuring follows broader changes to U.S.

foreign aid policy under the administration of Donald Trump, which has prioritised reducing reliance on contractors, cutting budgets and shifting toward direct agreements with recipient governments. The overhaul also comes after the dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development, which had previously overseen much of Washington’s development assistance.

Five sources familiar with the transition said the pace of the changes risks creating supply gaps for essential medicines, particularly in countries with fragile health systems. An internal email reviewed by Reuters warned that accelerating the transition without a clear implementation plan could jeopardise continuity of services.

The communication, sent by the U.S. State Department to staff in 17 African countries and Haiti, directed country teams to prepare for the end of programme operations while outlining potential risks. It did not provide a detailed roadmap for replacement mechanisms, instead asking local offices to identify vulnerabilities and report back to Washington.

A State Department spokesperson said the agency had not issued technical instructions for Chemonics to cease operations by May 30, though the contract is set to expire on September 30 in line with other USAID awards. The official end date is listed as November.

The uncertainty has revived concerns stemming from earlier disruptions. In January last year, a freeze on international aid left millions of dollars’ worth of medical supplies stranded in ports and warehouses worldwide, including HIV drugs and malaria prevention tools. Distribution resumed only after waivers were granted for life-saving interventions.

Six sources said the United States has been in discussions with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria about potentially using its procurement and distribution systems to replace the existing programme. The Geneva-based institution already manages approximately $2 billion in annual purchases for HIV, tuberculosis and malaria programmes through partnerships with national governments and implementing agencies.

However, two sources said earlier plans had envisaged a transition timeline extending to November 2027, allowing sufficient time for procurement cycles and logistical adjustments. Compressing this timeline into a matter of months could create operational bottlenecks, they said, noting that delivering medical supplies to remote areas can take up to a year from order to distribution.

The Global Fund declined to comment on the discussions. The State Department did not directly confirm the talks but said it would rely on pooled procurement mechanisms to secure supplies at competitive prices from private manufacturers.The policy shift is part of a broader “America First” approach to global health funding, which aims to reduce what officials describe as inefficiencies in the existing system.

A strategy document released in September argued that contractor-led programmes had contributed to waste and inflated costs, and emphasised direct funding for frontline services and national governments.

Under the new approach, Washington has signed 28 bilateral health agreements with partner countries and is increasingly channeling funds directly to national authorities. It also plans to use private logistics firms to handle distribution rather than relying on large development contractors.

Recent agreements with countries such as Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda include commitments to increase domestic health spending alongside U.S. funding. However, implementation has encountered obstacles. In Kenya, a proposed deal faces legal challenges from activists concerned about data privacy, while negotiations with Zambia have been delayed as officials seek to safeguard national interests.

Health experts and aid practitioners say the transition risks compounding existing vulnerabilities in global disease control programmes. Previous disruptions linked to funding changes have already contributed to shortages of malaria treatments for children and gaps in HIV prevention services in several countries.

The State Department defended the overhaul, describing the current system as outdated and inefficient. A spokesperson said the new model would prioritise value for American taxpayers while maintaining support for critical health interventions.

Despite those assurances, several sources involved in programme delivery said the lack of a detailed transition plan remains a central concern. They warned that without clear coordination between donors, governments and implementing partners, the shift could interrupt supply chains that millions depend on for survival.