Polls closed in Uganda on Thursday, January 15, 2026, following a turbulent day of voting marked by an internet blackout, widespread technical glitches, and significant delays, as 81-year-old President Yoweri Museveni seeks to secure a seventh term and extend his nearly 40-year rule.

Museveni, who first came to power in 1986 after leading a rebel army to victory, maintains firm control over the state’s institutions and security forces.

He is widely expected to win convincingly, with early provisional results from the Electoral Commission showing him leading substantially.

In opposition strongholds like parts of Kampala, crowds erupted in cheers as vote counting began, particularly when returning officers announced ballots favoring the main challenger, Bobi Wine (real name Robert Kyagulanyi).

The 43-year-old singer-turned-politician, known as the “ghetto president” from his roots in Kampala’s slums, has endured what human rights groups describe as brutal repression during his campaign.

Bobi Wine accused the government of massive ballot stuffing and the arrest of his party officials, actions allegedly enabled by the nationwide internet shutdown imposed earlier in the week.

Delays plagued many polling stations, with ballot boxes arriving late and biometric verification machines malfunctioning  issues opposition figures linked directly to the communications blackout.

“We are holding elections in the dark,” Wine declared after voting. “This is done in order to facilitate the intended rigging of the regime.”

He urged Ugandans to resist peacefully.

Despite the tensions, voting proceeded largely without major violence. The Ugandan Red Cross, which deployed teams nationwide, reported no significant incidents of unrest.

A heavy deployment of police and military personnel throughout the day helped maintain order and deter potential anti-government protests similar to those in neighboring Kenya and Tanzania.

Museveni himself acknowledged problems with the voting technology, sharing that his own thumbprint scans failed on both hands before the machine finally accepted a facial scan.

He promised a full investigation.

The campaign echoed the contentious 2021 race, with hundreds of Wine’s supporters arrested beforehand.

Wine campaigned in a flak jacket, framing the contest as a “war” against what he called a military dictatorship.

Human Rights Watch criticized the recent suspension of 10 NGOs, including election observers, while the United Nations described the internet shutdown as “deeply worrying.” The government defended the measure as necessary to curb misinformation and incitement to violence.

Other opposition figures, such as veteran challenger Kizza Besigye (who faced Museveni four times previously), remain sidelined, with Besigye having been abducted in Kenya in 2024 and now facing an ongoing treason trial in Uganda.

Many Ugandans continue to credit Museveni with restoring stability after post-independence turmoil and driving economic growth, despite persistent corruption scandals.

Supporters like 42-year-old Angee Abraham Lincoln in Kampala praised the country’s “peace and security” and the ruling party’s organization.

Museveni, after finally casting his vote, said it was for anyone “who believes in Uganda… who believes in Africa.”

Official results are expected within 48 hours, though early tallies already show Museveni with a commanding lead.

Source : myxyzonline/Africanews

Torrential rains have caused devastating flooding in northeastern South Africa, claiming at least 10 lives overnight and leading to the temporary closure of the world-famous Kruger National Park, authorities reported on Thursday.

Nine fatalities occurred in a village in Limpopo province near Kruger, according to a provincial spokesperson, with nearly 200 people rescued so far.

In Mpumalanga province, the body of a woman who drowned while attempting to cross a swollen river was recovered on Thursday.

The province has recorded at least 19 deaths since the heavy rains began in November, with rivers overflowing and major dams at full capacity.

President Cyril Ramaphosa visited Limpopo on Thursday to evaluate the damage and government response.

The iconic Kruger National Park, a top wildlife tourism destination, evacuated six bush camps and some tented facilities, while day-visitor access was suspended.

The South African Weather Service issued its highest-level warning for continued heavy rain in affected regions.

Neighboring Mozambique is also on high alert, with authorities evacuating people from low-lying zones amid rising water levels and reports of fatalities.

More intense rainfall, thunderstorms, and strong winds are forecast in the coming days, including around the capital.

Experts note that while summer rains are seasonal in the southern hemisphere, this year’s extreme downpours in the northeast  contrasted with drought and wildfires further south highlight deepening climate stress.

Source : myxyzonline/Africanews

In a move that has heightened scrutiny on the country’s beleaguered security apparatus, Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, has tendered his resignation, effective immediately, as the nation grapples with a surge in violent abductions and widespread instability.

The announcement, confirmed by the State House on Monday, comes just days after President Bola Tinubu declared a national security emergency, signaling an urgent push to bolster forces amid rampant kidnappings by criminal gangs. Abubakar, a 63-year-old former two-term governor of Jigawa State, cited personal health concerns in his letter to the president, though the timing has fueled speculation about deeper ties to the unfolding crisis.

Appointed to the role in August 2023 as a key ally in Tinubu’s election campaign, Abubakar’s tenure has been overshadowed by escalating threats, including a deadly Islamist insurgency in the northeast, farmer-herder clashes in the central belt, and a wave of mass kidnappings targeting schools, churches, and wedding parties.

Recent incidents underscore the gravity: On Sunday, gunmen stormed a church in Kogi State, abducting a pastor and nearly a dozen parishioners; the day prior, over 30 women including a bride and her guests were seized in Sakoko, northwestern Nigeria.

Official figures indicate more than 490 abductions in the past three weeks alone.

President Tinubu has accepted the resignation, expressing gratitude for Abubakar’s contributions, and is expected to nominate a successor to the Senate later this week.

In parallel, the emergency declaration includes directives for the armed forces, Nigeria Police Force, and Department of State Services to expand recruitment aiming to add 20,000 officers to reach a 50,000-strong force while imposing restrictions like bans on nighttime motorcycle travel in high-risk areas.

Security analysts note that while Abubakar’s exit is officially health-related, it arrives amid international pressure, including a recent U.S. designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” for religious freedom violations linked to attacks on Christians.

Critics have long called for a leadership shake-up, arguing that the ministry’s strategies have failed to curb the lucrative ransom-driven banditry plaguing Africa’s most populous nation.

Source : myxyzonline

Military officers in Guinea-Bissau declared on Wednesday that they had seized “total control” of the country in an apparent coup d’état, as the nation awaited official results from Sunday’s presidential and legislative elections.

In a statement broadcast on state television from the army general staff headquarters, the self-styled High Military Command for the Restoration of National Security and Public Order announced the suspension of the electoral process and the closure of all borders.

The takeover followed reports of gunfire near the presidential palace in the capital, Bissau, earlier in the day, with President Umaro Sissoco Embaló later confirming his arrest at the site without violence.

Incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embaló revealed in an interview with Jeune Afrique that he was arrested on Wednesday, November 26, around 1 p.m. while working in his office at the presidential palace, without any violence directed at him personally.

He disclosed that the Armed Forces Chief of Staff, General Biague Na Ntan, his deputy General Mamadou Touré, and Interior Minister Botché Candé were detained alongside him during the incident, which he explicitly labeled a coup d’état.

The events unfolded just days after Guinea-Bissau’s presidential and legislative elections on November 23, where both Embaló and opposition challenger Fernando Dias da Costa prematurely claimed victory, though official provisional results were slated for release on Thursday, November 27.

This latest unrest occurred less than a month after the October 31 arrest of senior army officers accused of plotting a coup ahead of the polls.

Since gaining independence from Portugal in 1973, the West African nation has endured four successful coups along with numerous failed attempts, underscoring its chronic political instability.

Source : Myxyzonline/Africanews

Tanzania’s election day turns violent after opposition leaders barred from presidential race

What should have been a calm democratic exercise last Wednesday spiraled into chaos as voters learned the main opposition candidates were disqualified. Protests exploded in Dar es Salaam and other cities, met with police clashes, a nationwide curfew, and military deployment.

Social media reported looting, vandalism, and fatalities while internet speeds were throttled and phone lines disrupted.

State media shows President Samia Suluhu Hassan leading decisively as vote counting continues. The European Parliament has denounced the election as neither free nor fair, labeling it a “months-long fraud.”

Source : myxyzonline

Once seen as a stable democracy, Tanzania now faces accusations of sliding into authoritarianism. Experts warn of a one-party state without urgent political and constitutional reforms.

Raila Odinga, former Kenyan Prime Minister, died of cardiac arrest on Wednesday while receiving treatment in Kochi, India.

The 80-year-old collapsed during a morning walk at an Ayurvedic facility and was rushed to Devamatha Hospital in Koothattukulam, where he was declared dead at approximately 9:52 AM Indian time.

A prominent Kenyan politician, Odinga served as Prime Minister from 2008 to 2013. A member of the Luo tribe, he entered parliament in 1992 and ran unsuccessfully for president in 1997, 2007, 2013, 2017, and 2022, alleging electoral fraud in the last four elections.

The 2007 election, in particular, triggered widespread ethnic violence, resulting in over 1,100 deaths.

Odinga, the son of Kenya’s first vice president, was a towering opposition figure and former political prisoner. He claimed four elections were stolen from him, with the disputed 2007 and 2017 votes sparking deadly unrest.

His political base in western Kenya often felt marginalized by the government due to their opposition support.

Despite decades of rivalry, Odinga reconciled with President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2018 and William Ruto in 2023, moves that surprised many and helped stabilize Kenyan politics.

His platform focused on combating corruption, providing universal healthcare, free education, and a monthly stipend for the unemployed.

The Odinga and Kenyatta families have been central to Kenyan politics since independence from Britain in 1963. Though less wealthy than Kenyatta or Ruto, Odinga led a business empire with interests in energy companies.

Source : Africanews/myxyzonline

Five men accused of carrying out a deadly terrorist attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, southwestern Nigeria, have pleaded not guilty during their arraignment on Monday. The 2022 attack left 50 worshippers dead and more than 100 others injured.

The defendants — Idris Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar — appeared before a Federal High Court in Abuja. They are facing nine counts of terrorism-related charges, according to local media outlet Channels TV.

Court documents reviewed by Reuters allege that the suspects joined the East African terrorist group Al Shabaab in 2021 and later conspired to target the church, which is located near a mosque in Owo.

The attack occurred during Sunday mass on June 5, 2022, when gunmen stormed the church and opened fire on worshippers. Nigerian authorities initially attributed the assault to Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), though neither ISWAP nor Al Shabaab has officially claimed responsibility.

The suspects were apprehended in early August 2022, but formal charges were not filed until nearly three years later. Monday’s arraignment marks the beginning of legal proceedings, with the trial scheduled to commence on August 19. The defendants will remain in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) until then.

Nigeria continues to grapple with rising violence from Islamist militant groups, including Boko Haram and ISWAP. In June, a suspected female suicide bomber killed at least 12 people and wounded many others in an attack on a crowded market in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria.