Africa: All of Africa Today – February 18, 2026

UN Agency Launches $1.6 Billion Appeal to Support Refugees in Seven Countries

As the war in Sudan approached its fourth year, the UNHCR and 123 partners appealed for $1.6 billion to support millions forced to flee the country. The 2026 Sudan Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRRP) aims to deliver lifesaving assistance this year to 5.9 million people across seven neighbouring countries: the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan and Uganda. The plan focused on nearly 470,000 new refugees expected to arrive, along with thousands stuck in border zones with minimal support. UNHCR regional director Mamadou Dian Balde said the repeated appeals reflected the scale of what had become the world’s largest displacement crisis. This is driven by fighting between the national army and the paramilitary RSF since April 2023. Some 4.3 million Sudanese refugees remain displaced within the region, most of whom are in Egypt and eastern Chad. Meanwhile, in Uganda, clinic closures and the suspension of critical nutrition programmes in Kiryandongo settlement put thousands of Sudanese refugees at heightened risk of diseases. Balde said the 2026 plan would keep supporting essential services despite declining resources, but stressed that growing needs and shrinking funding threatened both emergency responses and longer-term solutions.

Calls Grow in Namibia to Review Perks for Former Presidents

Members of parliament in Namibia said the generous benefits given to former presidents needed to be reviewed. This comes after reports that former President Sam Nujoma had accumulated wealth exceeding N$100 million, including a state-funded mansion. In accordance with the 2004 Former Presidents’ Pension and Other Benefits Act, former heads of state are entitled to a pension. They also received a residence, staff, travel benefits, security personnel and cars. MP Eneas Emvula argued that these perks were unacceptable in a country facing high poverty levels. He said the law should be revised, including the definition of dependent children. MPs raised concerns about official residences becoming private property and questioned why the state continued to renovate homes and farms for former leaders. Some, however, said that generous benefits helped prevent corruption and encouraged presidents to leave office.

Zambia’s Former President Lungu’s Family Rejects Poisoning Allegations

The family of former Zambian president Edgar Lungu, who died in South Africa last June and remained unburied, dismissed allegations that he had been poisoned. They said South African police wanted custody of his body as part of an investigation. But their lawyers insisted the claims were unfounded and not backed by evidence. Lungu, who died at 68 in Pretoria, became the centre of a legal dispute between his family and the Zambian government over his burial place. Zambia wanted his remains repatriated for a state funeral. A South African court ruled in its favour, but his family argued he wished to be buried privately in South Africa. The family complied with several subpoenas in the poisoning probe and said the allegation stemmed from a false public claim by one of his daughters. Their lawyers also raised concerns about a subpoena issued to the funeral home, noting that court orders required the body to remain in its custody. Lungu’s widow stayed in South Africa and continued legal efforts, including filing an appeal to overturn the ruling that his body be returned to Zambia.

WHO Warns Maternal Mortality Five Times Higher in War Zones

Nearly two-thirds of all maternal deaths worldwide occurred in countries facing conflict or fragility, according to a new report from the World Health Organization and its partners. According to a recent WHO report, women who live in countries experiencing conflict are around five times more likely to die from maternal causes during pregnancy than their peers who live in stable countries. In 2023 alone, approximately 160,000 women will die from preventable maternal causes in fragile and conflict-affected settings. This represents six of every ten maternal deaths worldwide, even though these countries only account for one of ten live births worldwide. The report aligned the latest maternal mortality ratio estimates with whether a country is conflict-affected or fragile. Countries classified as conflict-affected had an estimated maternal mortality ratio of 504 deaths per 100,000 live births, while in countries considered institutionally and socially fragile, it was 368. In contrast, countries outside both categories saw a much lower ratio of 99.

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