ACLED

Al-Shabaab militants recently ambushed security officers, mainly police officers from the Special Operations Group and police reservists, while on patrol at the Wantey Dam area of El Ramu, in Kutulo ward, Mandera county. At least five security officers (four police officers and one reservist) were killed, while several others sustained injuries, during the 28 July event.

On 5 July, FAMa and Africa Corps deployed reinforcements and helicopters from Gao to Anefis to reinforce the military base there and evacuate casualties. However, JNIM and the FLA reportedly routed the convoy carrying reinforcements, downed an Mi-24 helicopter near Tabrichat, about 55km southwest of Anefis, and encircled government forces stationed at the Anefis military base.

Ahead of the country’s municipal elections in November, South Africa is witnessing a wave of demonstrations demanding stronger action against undocumented migration and for them to leave the country by 30 June. Several political parties and public figures have claimed that problems with illegal migration underpin the country’s current severe economic and public safety challenges.

Following the large-scale kidnapping on 15 May in Oyo ​state, where dozens of students and a teacher were abducted by gunmen wearing military uniforms near Yawota, yet another incident took place in Zamfara state in Nigeria’s North West region. On 7 June, at least 39 civilians were kidnapped from the Maradun Local Government Area by armed bandits.

Author Senior Analyst, East Africa More than 200 Orthodox Christian properties were destroyed on Ethiopia’s election day last week (1 June)  in the Arsi zone of Oromia. Even though the election was never expected to change the incumbent government, an incident like this demonstrates why the vote mattered: It acted as a stress multiplier, accelerating the country's existing conflicts.

✓ ACLED is the world’s most trusted source of conflict information > In the past year, Sudan’s war has transformed into a drone-dominated conflict, characterized by both sides rapidly adapting their aerial tactics and supply chains. And it continues to evolve. According to ACLED data, the Sudanese army (SAF) maintains consistent, diversified air- and drone strikes to systematically bombard strongholds of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and aggressively cut supply lines in the west.

Ladd Serwat, Africa Senior Analyst at ACLED, said: “The epicenter of the Ebola outbreak in Ituri has so far been concentrated in areas affected by violence involving Cooperative for the Development of Congo (CODECO) — a loose coalition of predominantly Lendu militias — and the Convention for the Popular Revolution (CRP), a rebel movement formed under Thomas Lubanga, a Ugandan and convicted as a war criminal by the International Criminal Court.

Ladd Serwat, Africa Senior Analyst at ACLED, said: “Exactly five years after a confrontation between Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) led to the death of Boko Haram’s leader, Abubakar Mohammed Shekau, violence between the two groups continues and clashes against military forces are escalating.

Authors Senior Research Assistant ✓ ACLED is the world’s most trusted source of conflict information > The recent defections of two senior commanders from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to the Sudanese army (SAF) highlight a rising trend of infighting within the RSF ranks.

Six weeks into the Iran conflict, the tides are shifting rapidly—and the stakes could not be higher. As the U.S. and Israel escalate their military posture, threatening to impose a naval blockade on Iran, a new chapter in regional power plays is unfolding—one that could redefine control over the Strait of Hormuz and the entire Persian Gulf.