Foreign
Fear of coups grips Africa, Rwanda retire generals, 1,000 soldiers
•Niger junta orders forceful eviction of French ambassador, cancels envoy, family’s visas
The African Union’s Peace and Security Council on Thursday suspended Gabon following the Wednesday overthrow of President Ondimba Ali Bongo by soldiers led by the head of the Republican guards, Gen Brice Nguema.
The continental body in a post on X, formerly Twitter, condemned the military takeover of power in the Central African country.
This came as Rwanda and Cameroon hurriedly retired 1, 029 senior officers in a surprise move against their respective militaries.
The Rwandan authorities approved the retirement of 12 generals, including two four-star generals, James Kabarebe and Fred Ibingira, two three-star generals, Charles Kayonga and Frank Mushyo Kamanzi, and several officers.
According to a Rwandan national newspaper, News Times, the government approved the retirement of 12 generals and many officers. The publication stated that the retirements were announced on Wednesday, in a statement issued by Rwanda Defence Force.
Among those retired are two four-star generals, James Kabarebe and Fred Ibingira, two three-star generals, Charles Kayonga and Frank Mushyo Kamanzi.
Kabarebe and Kayonga have previously served as Chief of Defence Staff of RDF, while the other two have been service chiefs previously
The statement partly reads, “The President has also approved the retirement of 83 senior officers, six junior officers and 86 senior non-commissioned officers, 678 whose contracts ended and 160 medical discharges.”
In Cameroon, President Paul Biya has also reshuffled the military with new appointments to the Controle Generale des Armees.
The new controllers are Capt Ajeagah Njei Félix Colonel and Colonel Nguema Ondo Bertin Bourger.
Appointments were also made to the positions of Technical Advisers, Bureau Commissariat, and Air Force Technical Inspector.
Disclosing its decision after a meeting of its Peace and Security Council, the AU said it “decides to immediately suspend the participation of Gabon in all activities of the AU, its organs and institutions.”
It said the meeting was chaired by the AU commissioner for political affairs, Bankole Adeoye of Nigeria, and the current holder of the council’s rotating chair, Burundi’s Willy Nyamitwe.
Nguema for inauguration
In a new development, the junta in Gabon has said Gen Nguema will be sworn in on Monday as the transitional president as the opposition called for its candidate to be recognised as the winner of weekend elections.
The military in a statement on Thursday sought to reassure international donors they would “respect all commitments” at home and abroad and “phase in” transitional institutions.
The spokesman for the new regime, Col Ulrich Manfoumbi, said on state television that the swearing-in of Nguema would take place at the constitutional court.
Gabon’s opposition Alternance 2023 alliance had remained silent since the coup, but on Thursday called on the military leaders to acknowledge its victory in the election.
The alliance “invited the defence and security forces to the discussion so as to work out the best solution,” following the vote.
Led by university professor Albert Ondo Ossa, Alternance had earlier accused President Ali Bongo of “fraud” and demanded he hand over power “without bloodshed”.
Ossa claimed the Bongo clan remained in control and there had not been a coup but a “palace revolution”. “Oligui Nguema is Ali Bongo’s cousin,” he told France’s TV5 Monde.
He stated, “The Bongos found that Ali Bongo had to be put aside to be able to properly pursue the Bongo system. Oligui Nguema is an underling. Behind him, it’s the Bongo clan keeping hold of power,” he said, urging international help to restore order.
Meanwhile, a serious humanitarian crisis is looming in Niger Republic as the vulnerable population, particularly, women and children, are facing hunger and other hardships in the aftermath of the sanctions imposed on the country by the Economic Community of West African States over the July 26 overthrow of President Mohamed Bazoum by the military.
This came to light as the Niger junta ordered the police to forcefully evict the French ambassador, Sylvain Itte, from the country.
Niger’s foreign ministry announced that Itte had 48 hours to leave, saying he had refused to meet with the new rulers and citing French government actions that were “contrary to the interests of Niger.”
The visas of the French ambassador to Niamey, Sylvain Itte, and his family had been cancelled and police were instructed to expel the envoy, the junta said in a statement dated Aug. 29 and confirmed as authentic on Thursday by its communications head, according to Reuters.
The latest communique sent by Niger’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Itte “no longer enjoys the privileges and immunities attached to his status as a member of the diplomatic staff of the embassy. The police have been instructed to carry out his expulsion.”
Humanitarian crisis
That said, the closure of the borders of Nigeria and other neighbouring countries has starved the francophone nation of food and other critical supplies, putting the beleaguered country on the edge of a humanitarian crisis.
To compel the junta led by Gen Tchiani Abdourahmane to restore the ousted president to power, the 15-member regional bloc imposed stringent sanctions on the Sahel nation and also threatened military intervention to restore constitutional order.
It suspended all commercial transactions with Niger, froze its assets in the regional central bank, including the assets of the state and state enterprises in commercial banks, and suspended all financial assistance with regional development banks.
A planned $51m bond issuance by Niger in the West African regional debt market was cancelled by the regional central bank following the imposition of sanctions. Niger had planned to raise $834 million from the regional debt market in 2023.
Nigeria also cut the power supply to the country on the 80mw Birnin-Kebbi line, while Ivory Coast suspended imports and exports of Nigerien goods.
West Africa’s regional central bank, the BCEAO, shut down its branches in Niger, citing risks to operations.
However, the Niger Country Director of the International Rescue Committee, Paolo Cernuschi, said these decisions were having disastrous humanitarian impacts on the most economically vulnerable people in the Niger Republic.
He disclosed in an opinion published by Euronews on Thursday that aid organisations cannot get critical supplies into the country.
The border closures, he noted, had further compounded the political crisis, preventing life-saving humanitarian supplies and essential aid from reaching the communities that needed them most, creating a barrier that separates people from the assistance they require to survive.
Cernuschi explained, “We have en route shipments of life-saving nutritional supplements for 2,300 children that we don’t know when we’ll receive. While we have contingency stocks in place, those will eventually run out.
“If border closures and sanctions persist, aid supplies running out will be all but a certainty, and the capacity of humanitarian actors to continue delivering will be jeopardised.
“By some estimates, supplies in the country at the time of the coup were sufficient for two to three months of humanitarian response. With supply chains requiring from a few weeks to a couple of months to replenish stocks, we are fast approaching the point where shortages will be inevitable.”
The country director said the sanctions had unintended adverse impacts on the lives of ordinary citizens who are already struggling to meet their basic needs.
He advised that humanitarian exemptions must be guaranteed to ensure continuity of humanitarian work in Niger.
He advised that “The international community and regional organisations must prioritise a ‘do no harm’ approach in dealing with this situation. Diplomatic efforts should focus on finding peaceful solutions that prioritise the well-being of all Nigerien citizens, regardless of their socio-economic status.
In response to the situation, the United Nations on Tuesday filed an exemption request for relief supplies to the Niger Republic to the ECOWAS.
The global organisation said sanctions on Niger were blocking vital humanitarian aid such as food and medicine.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees representative for Niger, Emmanuel Gignac, stated this at a press briefing during a visit to Geneva.
Reuters reported that trucks with food and humanitarian aid have been piling up at Niger’s land borders since the military coup on July 26, driving up food prices, in a sign of the impact of the sanctions.
Gignac noted, “There is no way to bring humanitarian aid into the country. The immediate goods (affected) are going to be food and then it’s going to be access to medicine, to drugs.”
He added that a formal letter from UN aid chief Martin Griffiths had been addressed to ECOWAS for exemptions.
UN aid flights have also been reportedly grounded because they cannot get access to jet fuel because of the sanctions, complicating aid efforts in the country.
The sentence was handed down on Friday by the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania after Adewale pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud.
Announcing the sentence in a statement on Friday, the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, David Metcalf, said Adewale was sentenced to 60 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
“United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Afeez Olatunji Adewale, 27, of Nigeria was sentenced today by United States District Judge Joel Slomsky to 60 months in prison and three years of supervised release for money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud related to the sexual extortion and death of a young man in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania,” the statement read.
According to Metcalf, Adewale was arrested in Nigeria on August 17, 2023, during a joint operation involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation targeting sexual extortion suspects preying on victims in the United States.
Metcalf noted that the convict was extradited to the US in February 2026 with the assistance of the US authorities and the Nigerian government.
Following his extradition, Adewale was arraigned and subsequently pleaded guilty in April this year.
Commenting on the conviction, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Philadelphia, Wayne A. Jacobs, said the sentence demonstrates that offenders cannot escape justice by operating outside the United States.
“Today’s sentencing illustrates criminals cannot evade justice, even outside of our borders,” Jacobs said.
“This final sentencing is the result of diligent investigative work and close coordination with our domestic and international law enforcement partners.
“Most importantly, today’s sentence represents our continued commitment to seeking justice for victims and their loved ones. Let today’s sentencing send a clear message: alongside our partners here and abroad, the FBI remains committed to identifying, locating, and bringing to justice those who prey on our communities.”
Also reacting, the chief of the Abington Township Police Department, Patrick Molloy, praised the collaboration between local and federal authorities.
“We are grateful for the federal agents and prosecutors who worked so hard to bring those responsible for this heinous crime to justice.
“This could have been anyone’s child, and while this prosecution may provide some measure of relief, the pain and suffering for this family will never go away,” Molloy said.
The US authorities said Adewale was the last of three Nigerian suspects convicted in connection with the sextortion case.
His co-defendant, Samuel Abiodun, pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud and was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment in June 2025.
Another accomplice, Imoleayo Aina, also known as “Alice Dave,” pleaded guilty to cyberstalking, interstate threat to injure reputation, receiving proceeds of extortion, money laundering conspiracy, and wire fraud, and was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment in October 2025.
“I hope that their arrests, extradition, and prosecution make clear that the DOJ will go after those terrorising our young people — no matter where the scammers and sextortionists may be.
“Though this case is now closed, our thoughts will remain with a family and community forever changed,” Metcalf noted.
The administration of United States President Donald Trump has finalised a new rule limiting most foreign students and exchange visitors to a maximum stay of four years, unless they obtain an extension from the federal government, The Washington Post reported on Thursday.
The new regulation, announced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ends the long-standing “duration of status” policy, which allowed international students to remain in the United States for the length of their academic programmes, provided they complied with visa requirements.
The restriction applies to holders of F-1 student visas and J-1 exchange visitor visas.
According to The Washington Post, the DHS acknowledged concerns that some students may struggle to complete their academic programmes within the new timeframe, noting that many bachelor’s degree programmes take more than four years to complete, while doctoral programmes often require significantly longer.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the change was necessary to strengthen immigration enforcement and reduce visa overstays.
“For nearly half a century, the outdated ‘duration of status’ system has compromised national security and created an environment ripe for immigration fraud,” Mullin said.
The policy has drawn criticism from NAFSA: Association of International Educators, which described the move as unnecessary and warned that it would create uncertainty for international students.
“DHS’ decision to end Duration of Status is a misguided and unnecessary policy shift that injects uncertainty, bureaucracy, and fear into a system that has long worked effectively,” NAFSA Executive Director Fanta Aw said.
The new rule comes as many US colleges and universities continue to face challenges in attracting international students amid tighter immigration policies and visa restrictions introduced by the Trump administration.
A coroner’s court in the United Kingdom has ruled that a 27-year-old Nigerian woman, Beatrice Solomon, died by suicide after battling mental health challenges linked to personal difficulties.
Beatrice, who relocated from Nigeria to the UK on a skilled worker visa in November 2023, was found unresponsive in her home on Norris Road, Stanfield.
According to a report by The Sentinel on Sunday, the inquest heard that her husband, Damian Butler, had left home for his delivery job at about 4:30 pm on the day of the incident before returning approximately two hours later to use the toilet, where he discovered his wife unresponsive.
A police officer, PC Hinchliffe, told the court that emergency responders arrived shortly afterwards, but Beatrice was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:21pm.
According to the report, the investigators ruled out any third-party involvement in her death.
During the hearing, Butler told the court that his wife had struggled with her mental health over the past year, which he attributed to ongoing issues involving Stoke-on-Trent City Council.
He also disclosed that he later became aware that Beatrice had made two previous attempts to take her life.
“It is clear to me that Beatrice had researched and planned how to take her life. I can only extend my sincere condolences to Beatrice’s family and friends,” the coroner said.
Beatrice, who worked as a carer in the UK, is survived by her husband, a son, and her siblings.
This tragedy highlights the emotional and mental health challenges some migrants may face while adjusting to life in a new country.
According to the World Health Organisation, research from various countries has shown that some migrants face increased mental health risks due to factors such as separation from their families, financial stress, uncertainty, discrimination, and cultural barriers.
The WHO stated that the findings underscore the need for accessible mental health support and timely interventions for migrants experiencing psychological distress.
Israel recently shared intelligence with the US about a new Iranian plot to assassinate President Trump, according to a report.
The latest assassination plan, reported by the Wall Street Journal on Thursday, comes after years of Iranian regime threats to kill Trump as revenge for the 2020 killing of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Gen. Qasem Soleimani by US forces.
When asked for comment, the White House referred The Post to Trump’s Wednesday remarks at the NATO summit in Ankara.
Trump traveled to Turkey on his new Qatari “palace in the sky” plane, but took a different Air Force One home. The plane switch was a strategic “distraction” to keep the commander-in-chief safe, the White House said.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth, who accompanied the president to the summit, was instructed not to travel to Israel as planned shortly before Trump chose to switch planes in Turkey. It’s unclear if the Iranian threat extended to the war secretary.
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The Journal report did not include details of the alleged assassination plot.
The Israelis tipped the US off about the plot earlier this week. The specific threat was not being tracked by US officials before Israel’s warning and has yet to be vetted, CNN reported.
A banner against President Trump is held in Tehran as mourners gather on the day of burial of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The warning comes as Trump’s relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has become somewhat fraught amid the Iran war.
Trump on June 1 told Netanyahu he was “f–king crazy” over his attacks on Lebanon, fearing they would provoke more war with Iran.
”You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your ass. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this,” a US official summarized Trump’s comments, which the president later confirmed to The Post.
The world leaders have spoken on at least two occasions since the tense June 1 call, including Thursday, and have agreed to meet “in the near future,” according to Netanyahu’s office.
Banners vowing revenge against Trump were on full display in Tehran this week as Iranians prepared to bury late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the war.
This was disclosed in a statement released on the website of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Wednesday.
The DHS claimed that these individuals have been placed on what it described as its “worst-of-the-worst” criminal register.
While the names and photos have been made public, the timeline for deportations remains undisclosed.
However, the US immigration authorities explained that the deportations are part of ongoing immigration enforcement, stressing that those listed were convicted of serious crimes, but declined to provide details about the offences or when deportations would take place.
The statement read: “The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is highlighting the worst of worst criminal aliens arrested by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“Under DHS leadership, the hardworking men and women of DHS and ICE are fulfilling President Trump’s promise and carrying out mass deportations – starting with the worst of the worst – including the illegal aliens you see here.”
The website then listed: “Sunday Adediora, Sunday Kunkushi, Mkpouto Etukudoh, Marcus Unigwe, Olaniyi Ojikutu, Boluwaji Akingunsoye, Ejike Asiegbunam, Emmanuel Mayegun Adeola, Bamidele Bolatiwa, Ifeanyi Nwaozomudoh, Aderemi Akefe, Solomon Wilfred, Chibundu Anuebunwa, Joshua Ineh, Usman Momoh, Oluwole Odunowo, Bolarinwa Salau, Oriyomi Aloba.”
Others are Oludayo Adeagbo, Olaniyi Akintuyi, Talatu Dada, Olatunde Oladinni, Jelili Qudus, Abayomi Daramola, Toluwani Adebakin, Olamide Jolayemi, Isaiah Okere, Benji Macaulay, Joseph Ogbara, Olusegun Martins, Kingsley Ariegwe, Olugbenga Abass, Oyewole Balogun, Adeyinka Ademokunla, Christian Ogunghide, Christopher Ojuma, Olamide Adedipe, Patrick Onogwu, Olajide Olateru-Olagbegi and Omotayo Akinto.
There are also Kenneth Unanka, Jeremiah Ehis, Oluwafemi Orimolade, Ayibatonye Bienzigha, Uche Diuno, Akinwale Adaramaja, Boluwatife Afolabi, Chinonso Ochie, Olayinka A. Jones, Theophilus Anwana, Aishatu Umaru, Henry Idiagbonya, Okechukwu Okoronkwo, Daro Kosin, Sakiru Ambali, Kamaludeen Giwa, Cyril Odogwu, Ifeanyi Echigeme, Kingsley Ibhadore, Suraj Tairu, Peter Equere, Dasola Abdulraheem, Adewale Aladekoba, and Akeem Adeleke.
Also listed were Bernard Ogie Oretekor, Abiemwense Obanor, Olufemi Olufisayo Olutiola, Chukwuemeka Okorie, Abimbola Esan, Elizabeth Miller, Chima Orji, Adetunji Olofinlade, Abdul Akinsanya, Elizabeth Adeshewo, Dennis Ofuoma, Quazeem Adeyinka, Ifeanyi Okoro, Oluwaseun Kassim, Olumide Bankole Morakinyo, Abraham Ola Osoko, Oluchi Jennifer and Chibuzo Nwaonu.
The latest action is part of the sweeping immigration enforcement measures introduced by the administration of US President Donald Trump after his return to office on January 20, 2025.
On his first day back in office, Trump signed a series of executive orders declaring illegal immigration a national emergency and directing federal agencies to intensify border security and accelerate the removal of undocumented migrants.
One of the orders, titled: “Protecting the American People Against Invasion, instructed immigration authorities to prioritise the arrest and deportation of removable migrants, particularly those considered threats to public safety and national security.”
Defending the policy, the DHS said the administration was delivering on Trump’s campaign promise to carry out mass deportations, beginning with what it described as the “worst of the worst” criminal offenders.
The department said officers of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement had been directed to intensify operations nationwide against non-citizens convicted of serious crimes.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has also defended the crackdown, saying the administration remained committed to enforcing immigration laws and removing undocumented immigrants with criminal records in line with President Trump’s immigration agenda.Executive Branch
Official US immigration data indicate that Guatemala has recorded the highest number of deportees since the renewed crackdown began, followed by Honduras, Mexico and El Salvador, reflecting the administration’s focus on migrants from Latin America.
The US has also expanded deportation flights to countries across Africa, Asia and the Caribbean as enforcement operations continue.
Nigeria has also come under increased scrutiny by the Trump administration. In June, Washington imposed partial visa restrictions on Nigerian citizens, citing concerns over identity management, information sharing, visa overstay rates and security screening.Demographics.
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