Africa Update Report with Advocate Sipho Mantula, Researcher: Thabo Mbeki African School of Public & International Affairs: Unisa

13 February 2026

1. Ethiopia – AUPSC- Somaliland

The African Union's peace and security organ yesterday condemned Israel's recognition of Somaliland, calling it an insult to Somalia's sovereignty.

The Peace and Security Council (PSC) said it strongly rejected the unilateral recognition of the "so-called Republic of Somaliland" by Israel and called for 'its immediate revocation'.

1. Senegal- Dakar

Students turn on the Senegalese government over the Dakar university violence

Students were seen packing up and leaving Cheik Anta Diop University in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, this week following the death of a fellow scholar amid protests over grant arrears.

Students were at the heart of brutally repressed protests in support of Sonko that shook Senegal from 2021 to 2024.

1. Madagascar- Toamasina

Cyclone Gezani kills 36 people and injures hundreds in Madagascar.

Cyclone Gezani made landfall this week, slamming into the eastern coastal city of Toamasina, with winds reaching 250 kilometres (155 miles) per hour.

Madagascar's new leader, Colonel Michael Randrianirina, has called for "international solidarity" after the cyclone "ravaged up to 75 per cent of Toamasina and its surroundings".

The National Office for Risk and Disaster Management (BNRGC) on Thursday said it had recorded 35 deaths, while six people remained missing and at least 374 were injured.

1. Ghana – Accra

Ghanaians celebrated the country's traditional colourful woven clothing, known as fugu, smock or batakari, after the government declared a weekly "Fugu Day" on Wednesdays.

The initiative follows an instance in which Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama sparked public debate during his state visit to Zambia by wearing the traditional Fugu attire.

1. In our historical archives, it was on this day, 13 February 1961, when Patrice Emery Lumumba, former Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, was shot and killed while trying to escape.

On 1 December, he was imprisoned at Thysville, and on 17 January 1961, he was flown to Elisabethville in Katanga.