In a statement issued in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, AUSSOM also refuted media reports alleging heavy casualties among its soldiers in Bariire.
“AUSSOM wishes to clarify that its forces, in coordination with the Somali National Armed Forces (SNAF), initiated a major offensive to recapture Bariire town on Aug. 1,” the AU mission said, responding to claims made by al-Shabab regarding the destruction of AU-owned armored personnel carriers and the retreat of AUSSOM troops following intense fighting in Bariire.
“The joint military operation has resulted in substantial losses for the terrorist group, with over 50 al-Shabab militants killed and many others sustaining serious injuries,” AUSSOM said.
The agriculturally rich Bariire town, which lies about 60 km southwest of Mogadishu, is one of the strategic areas located in the Lower Shabelle region along the Shabelle River.
Local residents said the fighting on Friday was the most intense in recent days between the militants and allied forces.
“AUSSOM and SNAF troops are determined to recapture Bariire town and other territories still under al-Shabab control to ensure lasting peace and security for the people of Somalia,” said El Hadji Ibrahima Boly Diene, special representative of the AU Commission Chairperson for Somalia and head of AUSSOM.
The internal vote, held on August 1 under the supervision of CCM Deputy Secretary General John Mongella, saw Jesca secure 391 votes, placing her second on the Mainland list, just behind outgoing legislator Ng’wasi Kamani, who garnered 409 votes.
The results mark a crucial step in Jesca’s bid to enter Parliament, a path once taken by her father nearly three decades ago.
Raised in Chato, Geita region, Jesca has embraced the values her father championed.
At the recent event, she told supporters: “I was raised on the principles of hard work, integrity, and self-reliance. My main mission is to defend, collaborate, but most importantly, to speak out loudly in the political, economic, and developmental journey.
“I have the intention and vision to ensure that the manifesto of our CCM party for the years 2020-2025, with the slogan ‘Work and Integrity, We Move Forward,’ is implemented for the broad interests of our nation, Tanzania.”
John Magufuli began his own political journey in 1995 when he was elected as a Member of Parliament for Chato district. His reputation as a firm and efficient leader grew during his long ministerial career, particularly in the Ministry of Works, where he earned the nickname “The Bulldozer” for his aggressive push on infrastructure projects.
From 1995 to 2015, he held key portfolios, including Minister of Lands, Livestock, and ultimately Works, roles that laid the foundation for his nomination as CCM’s presidential candidate in 2015.
After securing 58% of the national vote in the general election, he was sworn in as Tanzania’s fifth president in November 2015. His presidency was characterised by strong anti-corruption rhetoric, infrastructure expansion, and a focus on public sector discipline, a legacy that continues to shape Tanzanian politics.
Jesca’s rise in the CCM Youth Wing polls now positions her as one of the party’s promising young figures, seeking to contribute to national leadership from within Parliament.
While she has yet to secure the seat officially, the final list still awaits ratification by the party’s top organs. Her strong showing signals both personal ambition and a symbolic continuation of her family’s political legacy.
If successful, Jesca Magufuli will join a new generation of leaders stepping into the political spotlight, and she’ll do so by walking a path first paved by her father.
The decisive goal came just before halftime when Gor Mahia’s creative playmaker Austin Odhiambo danced through the Congolese defence and calmly slotted a left-footed shot into the bottom corner in the 45+2 minute. The lively crowd erupted as Kenya took the lead against one of Africa’s most experienced sides.
Odhiambo’s strike followed a pass from David Sakwa, showcasing Kenya’s attacking flair and composure on their debut in this continental tournament reserved exclusively for home-based players.
Despite DR Congo controlling early possession, Kenya grew in confidence and maintained a disciplined defensive structure that frustrated the visitors throughout the match.
In the second half, DR Congo increased their pressure, with players like Jonathan Mokonzi and Kitambala threatening with headers, and Heltone Kayembe forcing a notable save from Kenya’s goalkeeper Byrne Omondi. However, the solid defence, marshalled by Sylvester Owino and Alphonce Omija, stood firm to repel multiple late corners and protect the slim lead.
Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy, in his first major tournament at the helm, used tactical substitutions, bringing on Mike Kibwage and Marvin Nabwire in the final quarter to strengthen the midfield and close out the win.
The victory marks a proud start for Kenya, who are co-hosting the CHAN tournament alongside Uganda and Tanzania for the first time. The team will now face Angola on Thursday in what promises to be another tough Group A encounter, while DR Congo will look to recover against Morocco.
Adding to the excitement, Kenyan President William Ruto attended the match alongside former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, a passionate sports enthusiast. The day before, President Ruto pledged 600 million shillings (approximately Frw 6.7 billion ) in bonuses if the Harambee Stars clinch the CHAN title.
The president also promised incremental rewards for reaching the quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final, alongside match-win bonuses of Frw 10 million per player.
The CHAN 2024 tournament began on Saturday, August 2, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where the Taifa Stars secured a commanding 2-0 victory over Burkina Faso, igniting the East African region’s enthusiasm for the championship.
Rwanda’s Amavubi failed to qualify for the tournament. In the qualifiers, they were eliminated after a 4-4 aggregate draw against South Sudan, losing on the away goals rule. This is the second consecutive time they’ve missed out on the CHAN tournament.
Mama Mukura, whose loyalty to the sport spanned over six decades, died at her home after battling illness. According to club officials, she had recently been discharged from hospital and passed away peacefully in the early hours of the morning.
“We were shocked to receive the news. She had gone to bed as usual, but this morning she was found lifeless,” said Gatera Edmond, spokesperson for Mukura VS.
Mukura VS, in collaboration with her family and members of the local football community, is now preparing to give her a fitting farewell.
Club officials described her as a “grandmother to all football lovers,” and said she would be remembered not only for her unwavering support but for the values she stood for: resilience, unity, and passion for the game.
Born in 1922 in Kabitoki Village, Save Sector, Gisagara District, Mukanemeye was the youngest of eight children. She left school early and worked as a cook for Catholic sisters in Kibeho. At 43, she got married but never had children; instead, she became a mother figure to generations of football fans.
Her love affair with football began in her school years and continued through adulthood. She often joined local boys in village matches and once attended a royal football match graced by King Mutara III Rudahigwa.
When Mukura Victory Sports was founded in 1963, she became one of its earliest and most loyal fans. Over the decades, she rarely missed a game in Huye and proudly wore the club’s colours, often cheering from the stands with unmatched enthusiasm. Her presence became synonymous with Mukura home games, earning her the nickname “Mama Mukura.”
Despite her allegiance to Mukura, Mukanemeye was also a devoted follower of Amavubi, Rwanda’s national team. In a 2022 interview with IGIHE, she recalled the joy football brought to her life and encouraged young people to embrace sports not just as entertainment, but as a source of unity and identity.
“We considered her the grandmother of all football fans, not just because she loved Mukura VS, but also because she deeply supported the national team. She was a role model to many, and it’s only right that we give her a respectful farewell and continue her legacy,” said Gatera.
Funeral arrangements are underway, with Mukura VS pledging to honour her with the respect befitting a club icon.
Abigail Lemma Hailemichael, FIFA’s Development Manager overseeing North, East, and Central African countries, recently spoke to IGIHE about ongoing projects and future plans that position Rwanda as a key player in the region’s football evolution.
Since the regional office was established in Kigali over four years ago, Rwanda has served not only as a strategic hub for FIFA’s operations but also as a pilot ground for innovative football development programs. Working alongside Davis Ndayisenga, the regional office head, Abigail coordinates efforts across 16 member countries, helping to implement FIFA’s global agenda locally.
One of the standout projects highlighted by Abigail is the recent approval for the installation of four artificial pitches across Rwanda. The synthetic turf pitches will be built in several districts, including Gicumbi, Rutsiro, and Rusizi, as well as at the Rwanda Football Federation’s (FERWAFA) training facility in Kigali.
The pitch near Kigali, in particular, will upgrade an existing accommodation centre, developed under the FIFA Forward program, transforming it into a fully operational technical centre.
In addition to the full-sized pitches, Rwanda is among five African countries selected to pilot the Mini Pitches Project, which involves constructing smaller, quality pitches in schools. This initiative aims to provide young players with better access to proper facilities right within their educational environments, promoting grassroots participation and talent development.
FERWAFA plans to roll out 10 such mini pitches this year, targeting schools recognised as football development hubs.
Rwanda also benefits from the FIFA Football for Schools Program, a continent-wide initiative that has already reached 12 countries under the supervision of the regional office. The program uses football as a tool to teach life skills to children, distributing hundreds of thousands of footballs and training coaches to engage youth through fun and educational football sessions.
Abigail emphasised that despite progress, challenges remain across the region, particularly regarding the limited financial and operational capacity of some member associations. To address these gaps, FIFA has focused on creating partnerships with commercial stakeholders and launched the FIFA Club Professionalisation and Management Program.
This initiative targets top leagues and clubs to enhance administrative skills, improve governance, and boost financial sustainability.
Looking beyond Rwanda, ongoing projects include the near-completion of the Kadiba Stadium in Uganda and the establishment of a national technical centre in Egypt.
The development manager also highlighted FIFA’s commitment to women’s football, detailing specialised programs aimed at increasing female participation, improving coaching and league structures, and raising the visibility of women’s football through targeted campaigns.
For young footballers and aspiring professionals in Rwanda and the wider region, Abigail shared an inspiring message, stressing that football is a platform full of opportunities. With dedication and support, it can open doors beyond the pitch, whether as players, coaches, referees, or sports administrators.
The finding comes from the UN80 Initiative Mandate Implementation Review, a comprehensive system-wide stocktake released ahead of the UN’s 80th anniversary.
According to the report, of the more than 1,100 reports produced by the UN Secretariat in 2024, nearly 65 percent were downloaded fewer than 2,000 times. One in ten reports had fewer than 1,000 downloads. Only the top five percent of reports were accessed more than 5,500 times, suggesting a wide disparity between the effort invested in report production and actual reader engagement.
“Download statistics alone are not proof of a report’s utility: important issues may not always find wide public leadership. But these figures are indication of a need for wider discussions when considering reports,” the report notes.
The United Nations Secretariat spent more than $360 million in 2024 on direct documentation services such as editing and translation, amounting to more than 10 percent of the organisation’s Regular Budget. When indirect costs such as research, drafting, clearance, and publication are included, the financial and time burden becomes even more significant.
Founded in the aftermath of World War II by the Soviet Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and China, the United Nations was created to prevent future wars and foster international cooperation. With just 51 founding members in 1945, the organisation has since grown to include 193 member states and is mandated to promote peace and security, development, and human rights across the globe.
Reports are an essential part of mandate delivery, providing information and analysis that guide the work of the General Assembly, Security Council, and Economic and Social Council. However, the internal review found that the volume and length of reports have ballooned over the past two decades.
In 2024, the average UN report contained over 11,000 words—40 percent longer than in 2005 and far above recommended limits. The report notes that this growth in length, combined with the rising number of mandates requiring regular reporting, has created an unsustainable information burden.
Moreover, many reports duplicate content across different UN bodies. For instance, recurring topics are often addressed separately for the General Assembly, ECOSOC, and the Human Rights Council, with limited coordination or content sharing. While meetings and reports remain critical to advancing the UN’s mission, the review warns that unchecked growth in both has diluted their value and diverted resources from on-the-ground action.
To address these challenges, the report proposes a set of reforms aimed at making reporting more impactful and manageable. These include streamlining requests for reports within mandates, reducing word counts, and combining similar reports into unified submissions where appropriate.
The report also recommends exploring new formats such as short updates, visual dashboards, and in-person briefings to better serve Member States’ decision-making needs. Additionally, the UN is encouraged to publish download statistics for all reports to promote greater accountability and help identify underused content.
The report is part of a broader push under the UN80 Initiative to enhance the relevance, agility, and accountability of the UN system. With five years remaining to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and growing pressure on international institutions to deliver measurable outcomes, Member States are calling for smarter and more strategic approaches to how mandates are created, delivered, and reviewed.
While the review does not single out specific bodies or member states, it points to a critical need to align administrative output with real-world results.
Some of the reports produced by the body have sparked criticism from various leaders over the years.
For instance, President Kagame has been critical of certain UN reports, particularly those from the UN Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He has accused them of presenting a biased narrative that places blame on Rwanda while ignoring the role of the FDLR militia, a group composed of perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. He has also stated that such reports hinder genuine solutions to the conflict in eastern DRC between the AFC/M23 rebel group and the Kinshasa administration.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking during a meeting with Secretary-General António Guterres at a BRICS summit last year, emphasised the need for UN reform to keep pace with global changes and to ensure greater representation for developing nations.
The incident is the latest in a disturbing pattern of abuse targeting lawmakers of colour in France.
The anonymous letter, delivered to her parliamentary office in the Palais Bourbon on July 11, questioned Abomangoli’s legitimacy as a Black woman holding high office. Her lawyer, Chirinne Ardakani, confirmed the complaint was filed on grounds of “insulting a person holding public authority, or alternatively, a public insult of a racist and sexist nature.”
The letter reportedly included inflammatory statements such as: “First Black woman vice-president – I get shivers of discomfort. Decolonialism does not make you legitimate,” and “A Black woman has no business in this role. Leave. You don’t belong here. Or anywhere.” The author, who signed as a white man named “Jourdain,” claimed he was more “deserving” of her position.
Ardakani condemned the letter as “outrageous, openly racist and sexist,” calling it a direct attack on Abomangoli’s dignity and the democratic mandate granted by the electorate. “These remarks deny Ms. Abomangoli the legitimacy to hold one of the highest institutional offices – solely based on her skin colour and gender,” she stated.
Abomangoli, who was born in Brazzaville in the Republic of the Congo and immigrated to France as a child, is a member of the left-wing La France Insoumise (LFI) party.
She represents the 10th constituency of Seine-Saint-Denis, a diverse working-class suburb northeast of Paris, and was elected to parliament in 2022. In 2024, she was re-elected and named one of six vice-presidents of the National Assembly, a historic appointment as one of the few Black women to ever hold such a senior role in French politics.
The incident adds to a growing list of racially motivated attacks against LFI lawmakers of colour. MPs Carlos Martens Bilongo and Aly Diouara have also reported frequent racist abuse. Diouara’s legal team recently announced that seven individuals will stand trial in December for harassing him online following his election.
In 2022, a far-right MP was suspended from parliament for making a racist remark about Bilongo. In an earlier incident in 2020, a right-wing magazine published a fictional story portraying Black MP Danièle Obono as a slave, sparking national outrage. And in 2013, then-Justice Minister Christiane Taubira was compared to a monkey in a headline by a far-right publication, a scandal that led to nationwide protests.
Abomangoli’s complaint, her lawyer noted, is not just about personal protection, but about defending the integrity of public institutions against “xenophobic and misogynistic stereotypes.”
“This is unquestionably intended to denigrate and stigmatise the vice-president – both for who she is and what she represents,” Ardakani said.
The French government has yet to issue a formal response to the latest incident, but pressure is mounting on authorities and political leaders to take stronger action against racial and gender-based political harassment.
In recent weeks, Tshisekedi signalled impending changes within his administration, prompting rumours about a possible dismissal of the Prime Minister. However, at a recent Union Sacrée (USN) coalition meeting, the President dispelled these reports, expressing full confidence in Suminwa’s leadership.
Tshisekedi also announced plans for a new government capped at 50 members, emphasising inclusivity. He stated that the upcoming cabinet would extend opportunities to political opposition, civil society groups, and other stakeholders to foster national unity and tackle persistent issues facing the country.
On 25 July 2025, Tshisekedi convened a Cabinet meeting where he thanked outgoing ministers for their service and wished success to those continuing in the new administration.
The outgoing government, comprising 54 members, faced criticism for uneven regional representation and the exclusion of political parties with parliamentary seats from government posts.
The “Cold Outside” hitmaker made the revelation during his high-energy performance at BK Arena on Saturday, August 2, 2025, as part of the closing show for the Giants of Africa Festival. The night also featured performances by The Ben, Kizz Daniel, and Ayra Starr.
As he stepped onto the stage, Timaya took a moment to express his love for Rwanda and its people. “I love you all. You know that? I’m happy to be here,” he told the crowd.
In between songs, the award-winning artist praised Rwanda’s beauty and warm hospitality, giving special mention to Kigali and its women.
“I want to stay here forever. Rwanda is so beautiful, and Kigali is simply amazing,” he said, drawing loud cheers from the audience.
He then dropped the line that got fans buzzing: “I’m not married yet, but I’ll marry a Rwandan woman.”
This isn’t the first time Timaya has spoken about marriage. In a past interview with Nigeria’s Naija FM, he admitted he had never tied the knot but hadn’t ruled it out.
“I’ve never been married, but that could change. If I got married today and the woman started stressing me, I’d leave. In my past relationships, I’ve always been the one to walk away first—I don’t like drama,” he said.
Despite never marrying, Timaya is a father of four. He shares two daughters, Emmanuella and Gracey, with ex-partner Barbara Fumnaya Nwaokolo, a son named Tamar, and his youngest daughter Maya, whom he had with Dunnie Onasanya.
This marks Timaya’s second time performing in Kigali. He last headlined the Kigali Jazz Junction back in March 2022 at Canal Olympia.
Among those he welcomed were the President of SECAM and Catholic Archbishop of Kinshasa, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, as well as the President of the Episcopal Conference of Rwanda, Cardinal Antoine Kambanda.
During the meeting, President Kagame shared Rwanda’s journey of recovery and development, emphasizing that for humanity to thrive, both the state and religious institutions must play active roles.
“Rwanda’s history represents both the worst and the best of humanity – a reminder that those with responsibilities, both in the state and the church, must harness the best of humanity,” he noted.
“Failure has happened before, but good people don’t accept to be held hostage by it. We must learn from our history, work together, and prepare the ground for hope, reconciliation, and peace, not just in Rwanda, but across our continent,” President Kagame added.
The SECAM gathering in Kigali began on July 31, 2025, and is scheduled to conclude on August 3. It has brought together 13 Cardinals, 100 bishops, and more than 70 priests from various African countries.
At the official opening, Cardinal Ambongo thanked Rwanda for hosting the event, calling it a model nation that overcame a painful past to rebuild itself. He also expressed appreciation to President Kagame for sending a government representative to the opening.
President Kagame was represented at the opening ceremony by Prime Minister Dr. Justin Nsengiyumva, who called on the Catholic bishops to play an active role in addressing the challenges facing Africa, including conflicts, and to contribute to the continent’s economic development.
This 20th SECAM plenary assembly in Kigali is held under the theme: “Christ the Source of Hope, Unity, Reconciliation, and Peace: A Vision for the Church-Family of God in Africa over the Next 25 Years.”
