The group, which included Mandla Mandela, grandson of late former President Nelson Mandela, was greeted by hundreds of supporters waving Palestinian flags and holding placards reading “Children need love, not bombs.” They arrived in Jordan on Tuesday before returning home.
Addressing a press briefing at OR Tambo International Airport, Mandela appeared emotional as he recounted their long and difficult journey, saying that the focus should remain on the people of Palestine, who have endured atrocities under the Israeli government for years.
“Ours was a humanitarian mission to break the blockade and end the siege and get aid to Gaza,” he said, noting that there was no violence accompanying their actions.
Mandela said that the Israeli government intercepted dozens of their boats in international waters, calling it a violation of international law and human rights
During six days of detention, Mandela said they were subjected to dehumanizing conditions, including being denied food and the opportunity to shower.
Following their arrest, he said they were handcuffed with wires tied tightly behind their backs and “paraded.” “We were taken to detention and denied food, but it’s nothing compared to what Palestinians have been subjected to,” Mandela noted.
Israel imposed a blockade on Gaza in 2007 after Hamas seized control of the enclave. The restrictions were further tightened following Hamas’s cross-border assault into southern Israel in October 2023.
In response to the blockade, activists from around the world established the Global Sumud Flotilla to deliver humanitarian aid and medical supplies to the people of Gaza.
The flotilla, made up of nearly 50 civilian boats carrying about 500 activists from multiple countries, had spent time in the waters before being detained by the Israeli authorities.
“This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace,” Trump wrote.
He thanked mediators from Qatar, Egypt and Türkiye for the “historic and unprecedented event.”
Speaking to reporters earlier in the day at the White House, Trump said he may travel to the Middle East “sometime toward the end of the week.”
Israel and Hamas began indirect negotiations over a Gaza ceasefire in Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday.
Since the war erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, Israeli airstrikes have devastated the Gaza Strip, causing widespread famine and displacement, and killing at least 67,183 people and injuring 169,841 others, according to Gaza’s health authorities.
The complaint, filed on October 1, 2025, was signed by about 50 individuals, including law professors, lawyers, and public figures. They argue that Italy’s provision of arms to Israel has contributed to the ongoing genocide and war crimes against the Palestinian people.
Meloni first addressed the complaint in an interview with Italy’s state television company, RAI, where she confirmed that Defence Minister Guido Crosetto and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani were also named in the legal action.
She speculated that Roberto Cingolani, head of Italy’s aerospace and weapons company Leonardo, could also be implicated due to his role in supplying military equipment to Israel.
The complaint asserts that by supporting Israel, particularly through the supply of lethal weapons, the Italian government has become complicit in the genocide and serious war crimes being committed in Gaza.
“By supporting the Israeli government, particularly through the supply of lethal weapons, the Italian government has become complicit in the ongoing genocide and the extremely serious war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against the Palestinian people,” authors of the filing wrote.
The Palestinian advocacy group behind the complaint is urging the ICC to investigate whether Italy’s actions meet the legal criteria for genocide, a serious accusation that could have significant legal and political consequences.
The group argues that Italy’s support for Israel’s military operations exacerbates the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and has directly contributed to civilian casualties.
This case comes amid growing international scrutiny of Israel’s actions in Gaza, where accusations of war crimes and genocide have been leveled by multiple human rights organizations and international bodies.
According to Aljazeera, domestic protests have already erupted, with critics calling for Italy to cease its military support for Israel and to reconsider its stance on the conflict.
Labor unions and human rights groups have also joined the calls for accountability, urging the government to stop the supply of arms to Israel and to advocate for Palestinian rights on the international stage.
The ICC is yet to confirm whether it will formally open an investigation.
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In his address during a police graduation ceremony in eastern Cairo, President Sisi invited US President Donald Trump to attend the signing ceremony of the ceasefire agreement, should the talks reach a successful conclusion.
Sisi stated, “I invite US President Donald Trump to attend the signing of the ceasefire agreement in Egypt if it is reached. It would be wonderful to have you here.”
According to media reports, the talks have seen high-level involvement, with US envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman actively participating.
Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer are also expected to join the negotiations.
On September 29, Trump unveiled a 20-point proposal that includes the release of Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a ceasefire, the disarmament of Hamas, and the rebuilding of Gaza. Hamas has agreed to the plan in principle.
The ongoing conflict has devastated Gaza, with over 67,000 Palestinians, primarily women and children, killed since October 2023.
According to the WTO’s latest Global Trade Outlook and Statistics report, global GDP is projected to grow by 2.7 percent in 2025 and 2.6 percent in 2026.
The report said the volume of world merchandise trade, as measured by the average of exports and imports, expanded by 4.9 percent year-on-year in the first half of this year.
The WTO attributed the strong performance to several factors, including frontloading of imports in North America ahead of expected higher U.S. tariffs, disinflation and supportive fiscal policies, solid growth in emerging markets, and a surge in trade of AI-related goods.
Trade among developing economies also saw a notable rise. The value of South-South trade climbed 8 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2025, outpacing the 6 percent growth in overall global trade value.
AI-related goods, including semiconductors, servers, and telecommunications equipment, played a particularly significant role, accounting for nearly half of total trade growth during the same six-month period. The trade value of such products surged 20 percent year-on-year.
At a press conference, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said that despite the “stiff headwinds” from the U.S. unilateral actions and unprecedented rise in trade policy uncertainty, trade has shown resilience. She stressed that such resilience underscores that there is a core in the multilateral trading system that continues to work well.
The report said the main downside risk to the outlook is the spread of trade-restrictive measures and policy uncertainty to more economies and sectors.
It warned that rising import prices and slower trade shipments could signal higher inflation later this year, as inventories decline in sectors heavily affected by tariffs.
According to the report, trade performance varies widely across regions. Asia and Africa are expected to record the fastest export growth in 2025, while Europe will likely see slower growth and North America will face declining exports.
The report also noted that the growth of services exports, though indirectly affected by tariffs, is set to slow from 6.8 percent in 2024 to 4.6 percent in 2025, and further to 4.4 percent in 2026.
Europe is projected to lead services export growth in 2025, followed by Asia, the Middle East, and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), it added.
She was speaking on October 7, 2025, at the 60th session of the UN Human Rights Council, during an intervention on the draft resolution No. A/HRC/60/L32.Rev1 concerning the human rights situation in eastern DRC.
Ambassador Bakuramutsa said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Continuing to repeat the same accusatory narratives while ignoring the root causes of the conflict will not bring peace, neither to the people of the DRC nor to our region.”
“Rwanda rejects the unfounded accusations made against it; nevertheless, it will continue to engage constructively to ensure that security, accountability, and the protection of civilians remain at the core of all initiatives aimed at restoring peace and dignity to the populations of the Great Lakes region,” she added.
In June 2025, Rwanda and the DRC signed peace agreements aimed at restoring security in eastern DRC.
The accord includes four key components: the dismantling of the FDLR rebel group, the lifting of Rwanda’s defensive measures, economic cooperation between the two countries, and a political section that commits both governments to support ongoing talks between the DRC and the M23/AFC, as well as facilitation for the voluntary repatriation of refugees.
However, Rwanda has consistently highlighted that President Tshisekedi’s government has been slow in implementing these agreements.
In August 2025, Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Amb. Olivier Nduhungirehe, told Senators that while Rwanda is hopeful the signed peace agreement with the Democratic Republic of Congo will bear fruit, it still has serious concerns about its actual implementation as agreed upon by both parties.
The visit aims to strengthen the existing defence cooperation between the two countries’ armed forces.
During the visit, Major General Odawa Yusuf Rage held a meeting with the Rwandan Minister of Defence, Juvenal Marizamunda, and the RDF Chief of Defence Staff, General MK Mubarakh.
The visit by the Chief of Defence Forces of the Somali National Armed Forces aligns with the SNAF’s strategic plan to strengthen defence cooperation and mutual support among East African partners, which is considered as a critical factor in transforming security gains into sustainable peace and long-term regional stability.
During the meeting, the Somali National Armed Forces delegation was briefed on regional security dynamics, including Rwanda’s contribution to Peace and Security in Africa.
The Somali National Armed Forces delegation also visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial, where they paid tribute to the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
The delegation will also visit the MoD/RDF-affiliated agencies, as well as the Campaign against Genocide Museum.
Gen (Rtd) James Kabarebe once recalled that had President Paul Kagame not stepped in at that critical moment, the liberation struggle might have ended entirely, as the army had just lost its commander.
Reflecting on those early days, Gen (Rtd) Fred Ibingira also emphasized that Kagame’s decision to take command became a turning point that ultimately led them to victory.
“The man found us in Kagitumba, each of us looking for a way to flee again […] the war had overwhelmed us. Soon, he arrived and found everyone wide-eyed, discouraged, and demoralized,” he noted.
President Kagame himself, also reflected on the situation described by Gen (Rtd) James Kabarebe and Gen (Rtd) Fred Ibingira.
He highlighted that the state in which he found the soldiers may have been among the worst things he has ever witnessed in his life, alongside the Genocide against the Tutsi.
In the book A Thousand Hills: Rwanda’s Rebirth and the Man Who Dreamed It by Stephen Kinzer, it is noted that Kagame was deeply shaken by what he saw when he arrived at the battlefield.
In a series of interviews the author held with President Kagame in 2006 and 2007, he said: “It was totally disorganized. The first sight was probably the worst I have ever seen, that and the genocide; things that have made a mark in my life, my mind, things that probably changed my life forever.These two things never go away. I live with them. . . .,” he said.
At that time, President Kagame said he immediately called commanders for a meeting to decide how the war could continue.
“They were terribly demoralized, even that was an understatement. They were not even thinking. It was a devastation,” he said.
The book titled,The Struggle for Liberation: War and Militarism in African History by John Burton Kegel, shows that there were many reasons proving Kagame was the only one capable of restoring the army’s confidence and keeping the liberation struggle alive.
Beyond that, his experience working in military intelligence within the Ugandan army gave him exceptional access to information that others could not obtain, a critical advantage for the campaign launched by the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF-Inkotanyi) and its army wing, RPA.
{{Admiration in the Ugandan army}}
Besides being known in the RPA as a man who did not tolerate mistakes and as someone with deep military knowledge, Lt Gen (Rtd) Caesar Kayizari once said Kagame had already built a strong reputation in Uganda’s National Resistance Army (NRA).
His track record on the battlefield was so solid that whenever there was a problem, people trusted things would be resolved if he showed up.
He said, “Even in the NRA they used to say, ‘If Kagame has come, everything will be solved.’”
Kagame’s return from the United States brought a turning point in the liberation struggle. The RPA shifted from conventional warfare to guerrilla and mobile warfare.
Gen (Rtd) Kabarebe once explained it clearly: “At first, we engaged in conventional warfare, fighting almost like terrorists. Habyarimana’s forces would take positions on hills with anti-aircraft guns, machine guns, tanks, ambushes and air support, while we advanced with our small arms confidently, until we reached their heavy weapons. Many died. This was in Mutara, a wide-open area, where you could be targeted from three to four kilometers away before even getting close.”
“That’s why the Zairians said the RPA were terrorists […] and frankly, it was true at the time. The Commander-in-Chief changed the tactics from conventional warfare to guerrilla and mobile warfare, hit-and-run attacks, striking the enemy where he least expects, firing from where he cannot see you, hitting at night, at dawn, on the move, confusing the enemy.”
The first operation under this new tactic was the attack on Gatuna in early November, led by Col (Rtd) Twahirwa Ludovic, known as Dodo.
It was a highly organized assault that greatly boosted morale among the troops, especially those who were just entering the battle and had not witnessed the chaos of the early days.
The fighting began early in the morning in Luke, where residents reported hearing mortar fire as M23 attempted to retake positions it had abandoned a month earlier.
“We have nowhere to go. This morning we heard the sound of mortars, that’s how it started. It’s M23 and Wazalendo fighting,” a resident told reporters.
After being forced out of Luke, Wazalendo fighters retreated south to Ngululu but also lost Mulema. Both areas fall within Nyamaboko 1 groupement.
Clashes the same day were also reported in Kazinga, near the border between Masisi and Walikale territories, and in Kibandamangobo forest in Shabunda territory, South Kivu. In Shabunda, M23 fought Wazalendo forces backed by the Congolese army (FARDC). Observers say the towns of Shabunda and Mwenga could be affected by the ongoing fighting.
The escalation comes as Qatar pushes to mediate between the Congolese government and the AFC/M23 coalition, under peace principles signed on July 29, 2025. Negotiations are expected this week in Doha, with delegations set to discuss measures including prisoner releases.
