East Africa

Economic activity is bifurcated between sanctions pressure and opportunistic growth narratives. The US imposed sanctions on Rwanda's military, directly linking aid to minerals in Zambia, while Kenya's President Ruto launched a major 'Singapore' plan for foreign investment and celebrated the Kenya Pipeline share listing. The Congo-Zambia copper corridor also reopened, signaling regional trade resilience.

• 3US ties Zambia HIV aid to minerals
• 2Kenya: Building demolition work goes wrong, killing several
• 2President Ruto presides over bell-ringing ceremony as Kenya Pipeline shares go live at NSE
• 2If you are a taxpayer in Western Kenya, here is why KRA is coming for you
• 1How SBM Bank is raising Kenya's next money-smart generation

Regional diplomacy is dominated by external powers mediating conflicts and forging new alliances. The US brokered a de-escalation meeting between Rwanda and Congo, while China pledged deeper trade ties with Kenya and Italy's Meloni extended its development plan to several nations. Uganda's military chief made a stark intervention on the Iran war, and opposition leader Bobi Wine fled the country after a disputed vote.

• 2Uganda will join Iran war 'on the side of Israel,' military chief warns
• 2China pledges to deepen trade ties with Kenya
• 2Egypt, Comoros FMs strongly condemn attacks on Gulf states
• 2Uganda opposition leader Bobi Wine says he has left country after disputed vote
• 2Yoweri Museveni takes over EAC chairmanship from Ruto

Security is in acute crisis, marked by mass civilian killings in South Sudan and a destabilizing US-Rwanda confrontation over Congo. Attacks in South Sudan's Ruweng area and around a gold mine killed hundreds, while the US sanctioned top Rwandan military officials. Rwanda also threatened to withdraw troops from Mozambique, and a mass grave was discovered in Kenya.

• 2Dozens of bodies, mostly infants, discovered in Kenya mass grave
• 2How Kenya got caught up in Iran smuggled planes scandal
• 2Rwanda Warns It May Withdraw Troops Securing Mozambique LNG Area
• 2Kenya arrests man trying to smuggle over 2,000 live ants in his luggage
• 2Scores of civilians killed in attacks in South Sudan

Society is under severe strain from climate disasters and displacement. Severe flooding in Kenya killed dozens, compounding an existing drought pushing millions toward hunger. Concurrently, fighting in South Sudan has forced 100,000 people to flee into Ethiopia, creating a major humanitarian crisis.

• 2Severe Floods in Kenya Kill 88 and Displace Thousands
• 2Severe flooding kills 66 in Kenya, as heavy rains continue
• 2World News in Brief: Myanmar airstrikes worsen crisis, South Sudan fighting threatens Akobo, Afghan women shut out of justice
• 2Kenya says death toll from floods nearly doubles to 42
• 2Malawi's ban on dual practice divides health sector