[allAfrica] The military government of Niger suspended the BBC for three months, reports the international broadcaster. Niger's Minister of Communication Raliou Sidi Mohamed announced the decision, accusing the BBC of "spreading fake news to destabilise social peace and demoralise troops fighting jihadists".

[Nile Post] President Museveni's recent defense of trying civilians in military courts has sparked criticism from legal minds and human rights advocates.

[Liberian Investigator] Monrovia -- Nimba County Representative Samuel Kogar has come under fire for threatening OK FM talk show host Julius Jeh during a live broadcast, accusing him of inciting public discontent over the ongoing leadership crisis in the House of Representatives.

[UN News] For the second consecutive year, conflict zones have proven dangerous for journalists and media workers, with 2024 seeing at least 68 deaths in the line of duty, according to new data from the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

[New Zimbabwe] THE Death Penalty Abolition Bill sailed through the Senate and now awaits President Emmerson Mnangagwa's approval to become law.

[Global Witness] Home to a staggering array of biodiversity like forest elephants, chimpanzees, bonobos, and lowland and mountain gorillas, the Congo Basin's importance for both climate and biodiversity cannot be overstated

[Global Witness] Bot-like accounts have spread conspiracy theories about climate cults and a global elite, amplifying disinformation on social media

[AI London] Responding to reports that Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) killed dozens in an air strike on a crowded market in the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) controlled town of Kabkabiya in North Darfur, Amnesty International's Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, said:

[The Conversation Africa] An unusual and fascinating new book has been written by two anthropologists, called Conspiracy Narratives from Postcolonial Africa: Freemasonry, Homosexuality, and Illicit Enrichment. It explores an ongoing conspiracy theory in Cameroon and neighbouring Gabon that corrupt elites spread homosexuality through their connections to secret orders like the Freemasons. They trace the origins of the conspiracy theory to a moral panic in Cameroon in 2005. They then move back in time to understand what it all

[The Herald] Over 51 000 women and girls were "killed intentionally" in 2023 by intimate family members, according to a UN Women report.

[allAfrica] Kenyan President William Ruto led the nation in commemorating Jamhuri Day, which marks 61 years since the country became a republic on December 12, 1964. He presided over the event, which took place at the historic Uhuru Gardens situated along Lang'ata Road in Nairobi County.

[Independent (Kampala)] Kampala -- President Yoweri Museveni has written a missive in support of the trial of civilians in military courts. He argued that Court Martials have brought peace to the country by taking quick action against criminals, especially in the Karamoja region. The president has meanwhile directed Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), to start the process of pardoning Karamojong youth imprisoned by the Court Martial.

[Liberian Observer] The Press Union of Liberia (PUL) is poised to go beyond the issuance of mere press releases condemning acts of violence against journalists by public officials, national security officers and others. As a more robust way to protect media practitioners and ensure their safety, the PUL has begun working with the Liberia Media Lawyers Network to pursue and press charges against individuals involved in the assault, harassment, intimidation and molestation--beginning with the most acts of violence against two

[RSF] The Reporters Without Borders (RSF) 2024 Round-up reveals an alarming intensification of attacks on journalists -- especially in conflict zones, where over half of the news professionals who lost their lives this year perished. Gaza stands out as the most dangerous region in the world, with the highest number of journalists murdered in connection with their work in the last five years. Since October 2023, over 145 journalists have been killed by the Israeli army, including at least 35 whose deaths were

[RFI] Human Rights Watch has condemned 'atrocities' committed against civilians by Mali's army, the Russian mercenary group Wagner, and Islamist armed groups since UN peacekeepers withdrew a year ago.

[HRW] Islamist Armed Groups Responsible for Killing Civilians, Arson

[The Point] The chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Emmanuel D. Joof, has reaffirmed The Gambia's commitment to strengthening human rights protection within its security sector.

[Addis Standard] The Authority for Civil Society Organizations (ACSO) has lifted the suspension it imposed on three civil society organizations, including the Centre for Advancement of Rights and Democracy (CARD), sources familiar with the matter told Addis Standard.

[Dabanga] Habila / Fayu -- In a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW), they allege that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) committed widespread atrocities in Sudan's South Kordofan state from December 2023 to March 2024, targeting ethnic Nuba civilians in the towns of Habila and Fayu.

[AI London] For more than 50 days, Mozambique's Frelimo-led government has refused to end its bloody crackdown on protesters