Ramaphosa Unveils 90-Day Plan to Tackle South Africa's Gender-Based Violence

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced a national emergency response and a clean-up of high-risk areas following the discovery of the bodies of 12 women east of Johannesburg over two months. Four people have been arrested, but Ramaphosa said police have found no evidence that a single perpetrator committed the killings. He acknowledged that the government had not done enough to protect women and girls and ordered municipalities to conduct women's safety audits to identify dangers such as broken streetlights, abandoned buildings, unsafe transport routes and poorly secured public spaces. He also announced measures to address alcohol-related violence. He called for deeper changes in attitudes towards women, urging men and boys to take greater responsibility for ending gender-based violence.

Fighting Escalates in Ethiopia's Tigray Region

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Renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia is putting civilians at increasing risk, with reports of deaths, injuries and damage to homes and public infrastructure in Tigray. Communication services remain disrupted, making it difficult to independently verify reports from the conflict zone. Residents said that artillery strikes had killed family members and left wounded people without access to medical care, while local sources reported that 11 people were killed and 15 wounded in an attack on a market in Alamata. The claims could not be independently verified and Ethiopian federal authorities had not responded to requests for comment. The latest escalation began in September after Tigrayan forces and allied armed groups, including Amhara Fano, allied against Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government. The renewed conflict has raised concerns about the collapse of the 2022 Pretoria peace agreement and the spread of fighting and humanitarian disruption across northern Ethiopia.

Burkina Faso Opens First Gold Refinery

Burkina Faso has opened its first gold refinery as the military-led government seeks greater control over the country's mineral wealth and to reduce its reliance on exporting raw materials. The Raffinor-BF facility in Ouagadougou, which cost more than 11 billion CFA francs, can initially refine 164 tonnes of gold a year, with plans to eventually increase capacity to 515 tonnes. The government said that the refinery will help regulate the informal mining sector, curb smuggling and keep more value from gold production within the country. The project is part of Captain Ibrahim Traoré's broader push for greater state involvement in mining and domestic processing. The government has also linked illegal gold trading to the financing of Islamist armed groups.

Morocco Names First Woman Prime Minister

Fatima Zahra El Mansouri has been appointed as Morocco's first woman prime minister after her Authenticity and Modernity Party won the most seats in the parliamentary elections. Her appointment by King Mohammed VI makes her the second woman to lead a government in the Arab world, after Tunisia's Najla Bouden. El Mansouri, 50, is a lawyer and experienced politician who has served as mayor of Marrakesh and held a cabinet position overseeing housing and urban planning. Her party won 97 of the 395 parliamentary seats and must form a coalition to secure a majority. The Islamist Justice and Development Party, which won 54 seats, has said it will remain in opposition.

Sahel States Launch TV Channel to Counter Western Coverage

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have launched Tafouk TV, a new regional television channel intended to promote the military-led Sahel states' own narrative and challenge Western media coverage. Broadcasting from Bamako through Canal+, the channel began official programming on 16 September and plans news, fact-checking and geopolitical programmes in French, English and regional languages. The launch is part of the Alliance of Sahel States' broader effort to build shared political, security and media institutions as the three countries distance themselves from France and strengthen ties with Russia. Tafouk TV has received Russian backing and signed a cooperation agreement with Russia's state-funded RT, while the alliance is also planning a joint news agency. Critics, however, have warned that the new media network should not become a tool for government propaganda and have called for greater media pluralism.