THE MORNING BRIEFAfrica Update Report with Advocate Sipho Mantula, Researcher: Thabo Mbeki African School of Public & International Affairs: Unisa
22 May 2025
1. Ivory Coast – Abidjan
Ivory Coast army says uncovers coup plot and Ouattara attends council of ministers meeting despite coup rumours
War-divided Ivory Coast’s armed forces said on Tuesday they had evidence a group of soldiers and civilians were plotting to assassinate the West African state’s president and several top military officials.
- South Sudan- Juba
South Sudan's President Kiir promotes sanctioned ally as ruling party deputy
South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has reshuffled the senior leadership in the ruling party, according to an official decree, as the country faces fresh fighting between rival armed factions and widespread speculation about Kiir's succession plans.
3.DR Congo – Kinshasha
Former Congo PM sentenced over $245 million corruption scandal
A high court in the Democratic Republic of Congo has sentenced former Prime Minister Matata Ponyo Mapon to 10 years of forced labour after convicting him of embezzling $245 million from a failed agricultural project.
- In our historical archives, it was on this day 22 May 2021, at about 6:30 p.m. (CAT), when a flank of Mount Nyiragongo in the eastern DR Congo erupted and lava began to flow towards the city of Goma about 20 kilometres to the south, which had a population of 2 million people.
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An open letter addressed to UN Women at the 2026 Commission on the Status of Women raises urgent concerns about the African Union Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (AU CEVAWG). While intended as a landmark treaty, the letter argues that the Convention in its current form weakens existing protections and fails to deliver on its promise of rights, justice, and action for African women and girls.
08:33
At the inaugural National Transport Conference held in Midrand, urgent concerns about violence and instability in South Africa’s taxi industry took centre stage. Following a deadly shooting at a Delft taxi rank in Cape Town, Dr. Siyabulela Fobosi of the University of Fort Hare called for decisive, “tough medicine” to address what he argues is not just disorder—but organised crime embedded within the sector.
07:17
The African National Congress calls on all peace-loving and patriotic South Africans to unite for The People’s March in Defence of Our Sovereignty and Democratic Gains on Saturday, 21 March 2026, commemorating Human Rights Day.
05:59