UN Condemns Assault on El Fasher’s Last Hospital as Sudan Crisis Deepens
At least 20 civilians were reportedly killed in attacks on a mosque and the Saudi Hospital in El Fasher, the besieged capital of North Darfur, Sudan. The UN humanitarian affairs office (OCHA) said the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) opened fire at the Saudi hospital and a local mosque, where displaced families had sought refuge. The Saudi hospital is the last functioning medical facility in the city, serving thousands of war-affected people. The UN and its agencies, including UNFPA, condemned the assaults, said that 12 people were killed in the hospital’s maternity ward and many others were injured. El Fasher has been under siege for over a year and has faced increased shelling and drone strikes as the RSF aimed for control of the city. Since April 2023, the civil war has displaced 12 million people, worsening Sudan’s humanitarian crisis. Humanitarian agencies warned that civilians in El Fasher were trapped and terrified, urging an immediate ceasefire, protection of civilians, and safe humanitarian access.
South African Farm Worker Tells Court He Was Forced to Feed Women’s Bodies to Pigs
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A South African farm worker, Adrian De Wet, has described to the Polokwane High Court how he was forced by his boss to feed the bodies of two black women to pigs in an attempt to hide evidence after they were shot. De Wet, 21, testified that he and farm owner Zachariah Johannes Olivier opened fire on Maria Makgato, 45, and Lucia Ndlovu, 34, who had allegedly trespassed on the farm near Polokwane on 17 August 2024. Following the killings, De Wet said he helped dispose of the bodies in a pig enclosure, describing how the pigs consumed large portions of the victims. Another man, William Musora, 50, was also involved. Exhibits shown in court included images of missing flesh from the victims. De Wet said Olivier destroyed the hunting rifles used in the killings. The case has sparked outrage across South Africa, exacerbating racial tensions between black and white people in the country.
Eritrea Rejects Ethiopia’s War Allegations as ‘Provocative Sabre-Rattling’
Eritrea has rejected Ethiopia’s accusation that it is preparing for war, calling the claim “provocative sabre-rattling” amid escalating tensions between the two Horn of Africa nations. Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Ghebremeskel dismissed Addis Ababa’s letter to the UN as a “deceitful charade.” He accused Ethiopia of stirring irredentist ambitions. Ethiopia had earlier written to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, alleging that Eritrea was colluding with a hardline Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) faction to fund and direct armed groups in the Amhara region. Both Eritrea and the TPLF denied the claims, with the TPLF urging renewed efforts to implement the Pretoria peace deal. Relations between the two countries, once allies during the Tigray war, have deteriorated as Asmara accuses Ethiopia of seeking control of the Red Sea port of Assab. Eritrea warned that Addis Ababa’s push for sea access threatens its sovereignty, while regional observers note rising military activity and renewed instability in the Horn of Africa.
President Tinubu Pardons 175, Including Nationalist Herbert Macaulay
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu approved the exercise of presidential mercy for 175 people across various categories, including Herbert Macaulay, Nigeria’s foremost nationalist. Macaulay played a crucial role in Nigeria’s quest for independence as the first president of the party. However, in 1913, Macaulay was believed to be unjustly convicted by the British colonialists and banned from public office. Macaulay died in 1946, but the stigma of being an ex-convict was not exorcised from his records. The Council of State endorsed the exercise after a presentation by Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi, based on recommendations from the Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy. The committee reviewed 294 cases, recommending clemency for 82 inmates, pardon for 2, reduction of prison terms for 65, commutation of 7 death sentences to life imprisonment, and posthumous pardons for 15 ex-convicts, including the Ogoni Nine.
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UNICEF Warns Funding Gaps Threaten Gains in Ethiopia’s Child Nutrition Programs
More than 100,000 Ethiopian children suffering from severe acute malnutrition were treated between July and August 2025, according to UNICEF’s latest Humanitarian Situation Report. The agency said 104,891 children with severe wasting received therapeutic feeding, achieving a 94% cure rate and a mortality rate of just 0.2%, reflecting strong program performance despite growing humanitarian needs. Oromia recorded the highest caseload, followed by Somali, Amhara, and Tigray regions, where conflict and inaccessibility hampered nutrition efforts. UNICEF warned that persistent insecurity, supply shortages, and funding gaps could reverse progress in combating malnutrition, which now affects more than 11% of Ethiopian children under five, up from 7.68% in 2019. The government launched a five-year multisectoral plan in August to address the crisis, but experts cautioned that worsening child wasting, driven by poor maternal health, limited healthcare access, and food insecurity, threatens Ethiopia’s ability to meet national and global nutrition targets.
