Zimbabwe President Mnangagwa Appoints New Commander of Defence Forces
President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced major leadership changes within Zimbabwe’s military, promoting two senior officers to head the country’s top defence institutions. Mnangagwa elevated Lieutenant General Emmanuel Matatu to the rank of General and named him Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF), effective 21 November 2025. Matatu was promoted following the retirement of long-serving ZDF Commander General Philip Valerio Sibanda. Acting under section 216(2) of the Constitution and relevant provisions of the Defence Act, Mnangagwa also promoted Major General Asher Walter Tapfumaneyi to Lieutenant General and appointed him Commander of the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA), effective 25 November 2025. Tapfumaneyi’s appointment became necessary following the elevation of outgoing army chief Matatu to his new role as head of the entire Defence Forces.
Body of Joshua Mollel, Tanzanian Killed by Hamas, Arrives Home for Burial
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The body of Joshua Mollel, a young Tanzanian allegedly killed in Israel by Hamas fighters on 7 October 2023, arrived at Kilimanjaro International Airport on 19 November 2025. It was received by a government delegation led by Deputy Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Ambassador Said Shaib Mussa, along with Ambassador Silima Haji Kombo. Mollel is scheduled to be laid to rest on 20 November in the Njiro neighbourhood of Orkesumet Ward, Simanjiro District, in the Manyara Region. Mollel was among 260 Tanzanian youth who visited Israel in 2023 for agricultural training under a long-standing farm-to-farm exchange program coordinated by various Israeli farms and institutions. The initiative had, for years, been viewed as a pathway for Tanzanian youth to gain advanced agricultural skills and exposure. The program, however, took a tragic turn on October 7, 2023, when Hamas fighters attacked southern Israel. Mollel, who was performing his daily practical training, was abducted during the assault. He was killed by the fighters, and his body was taken by them, according to Israeli authorities.
Trump Pledges to Focus on Ending Sudan Civil War After Saudi Request
U.S. President Donald Trump said that he intends to turn his focus to helping find a resolution to the civil war in Sudan between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). This comes after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman used his first trip to Washington in seven years to urge the US leader to intervene in the conflict. Trump says that before the dialogue with the crown prince, the war, which started in 2023, “wasn’t on my charts”. Trump said that his belief, prior to the crown prince’s intervention, was that the war in Sudan “was just something that was crazy and out of control.” In response, Sudan’s sovereign council, led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, said it would be willing to cooperate with the US and Saudi Arabia to bring peace. Over 40,000 people have died, and over 14 million people have been displaced in the Sudanese civil war. Saudi officials reportedly warned that continued unrest in Sudan could lead to instability in the Red Sea and Africa, while creating conditions for extremist groups to move into the Middle East.
Kenyan Authorities Paid Trolls to Intimidate Young Protesters
Amnesty International reported that Kenyan authorities had paid networks of online trolls to threaten and intimidate young protesters during the anti-government demonstrations of 2024 and 2025. The human rights organisation said government agencies also employed surveillance and disinformation to target organisers of the mass protests, which swept Kenya across 2024 and 2025. The demonstrations were driven largely by “Gen Z” activists who used social media platforms to mobilise. The organisation said these state-sponsored efforts aimed to silence “Gen Z” activists who had mobilised largely through social media, with some receiving violent threats that extended to their families. The report found that young women and LGBT+ activists were disproportionately targeted, with misogynistic and homophobic comments, as well as AI-generated pornographic images. According to rights groups, more than 100 people have died after police clashed with protesters during two waves of demonstrations. The government acknowledged some cases of excessive force, but it denied sanctioning harassment or violence, and refuted allegations of unlawful surveillance.
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Arsenal to End Visit Rwanda Sponsorship After Eight Years
Arsenal announced it would end its eight-year sponsorship deal with Visit Rwanda at the close of the 2025–26 season. They said that the partnership had “exceeded its original goals” of promoting tourism, conservation and Rwanda’s sporting ambitions. The “Visit Rwanda” sleeve patch put the country in front of millions of Premier League viewers each week, as part of the efforts to reposition as a premium conservation destination. The sleeve partnership began in 2018, and the current deal is valued at over $13.3 million per year. The agreement had faced growing scrutiny amid escalating violence in eastern DR Congo, where Rwanda has been accused of backing M23 rebels. In February, DR Congo appealed to Arsenal, PSG and Bayern Munich, who are also sponsored by Visit Rwanda, to end their “blood-stained” deals amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in the country.
