Africa: All of Africa Today - October 13, 2026

WHO Launches Five-Year Strategy to Detect Health Threats Faster

The World Health Organization (WHO)  has launched a new five-year strategy to help every country detect and understand emerging health threats within 24 hours of their appearance by 2030. The strategy builds on the work of the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence, established in 2021 after the COVID-19 pandemic exposed gaps. Since its creation, the Hub has worked with 160 WHO member states, 190 partner organisations and thousands of scientists and policymakers to strengthen global disease surveillance. The plan focuses on five key initiatives, including using artificial intelligence to identify potential health threats, strengthening genomic sequencing to track emerging pathogens and connecting experts in data science and disease modelling. It will also support countries in sharing health data securely and improving cooperation between human, animal and environmental health systems. WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the strategy provides a clear path towards a world where countries can respond to health threats before they develop into major crises. The organisation says sustained investment and international partnerships will be essential to achieving this goal.

South Africa's Deputy Police Chief Resigns Amid Criminal Charges

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South Africa's Deputy National Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya, has resigned from the police service three weeks after being charged with sexual offences. His lawyer submitted the resignation letter during a disciplinary hearing. Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said his departure would be treated as a   dishonourable discharge because he was still facing disciplinary proceedings at the time of his resignation. Sibiya has been in custody since his arrest in September. Sibiya faces several serious allegations, including the sexual grooming of a 16-year-old girl, rape, human trafficking and links to organised crime figures. He denies the allegations of criminal links and sexual grooming. He admits having sex with an 18-year-old woman but maintains that it was consensual. Allegations against him also emerged during the Madlanga Commission, a public inquiry investigating claims of police corruption and collusion with criminal networks. He has been accused of interfering with investigations into political killings in KwaZulu-Natal and receiving cash and 20 impalas from an alleged criminal kingpin in exchange for a police contract. Sibiya has denied the allegations.

Renewed Fighting in Tigray Raises Fears of Wider Regional War

Renewed fighting in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region is raising fears of a wider conflict involving  Eritrea and other neighbouring countries. Tensions escalated after reports that Eritrean forces crossed into Ethiopia, prompting Ethiopian forces to launch drone strikes against troops and equipment. Eritrea has denied reports of the incursion, while accusing Ethiopia of using the allegations as a pretext to pursue its ambitions for access to the Red Sea port of Assab. Local sources, however, reported clashes involving Eritrean forces at several locations in Tigray. The renewed violence follows the collapse of a fragile peace agreement that ended the 2020–2022 war. The conflict is unfolding amid shifting alliances between rival armed groups and growing tensions between Ethiopia and its neighbours. Tigray's ruling Tigray People's Liberation Front has vowed to continue fighting after federal forces and a pro-government militia captured the regional capital, Mekelle, on 3 October. The TPLF has also aligned with other opposition groups seeking to challenge Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government. Analysts warn that the conflict could develop into three possible scenarios: the proliferation of armed groups, a prolonged military stalemate, or a full-scale war between Ethiopia and Eritrea. The humanitarian consequences could be severe, particularly in Tigray, where about one million people remain displaced, and nearly four million need urgent assistance. Drought, food shortages, and difficulties delivering aid are adding to the crisis.

Drought and Conflict Push Sudan Closer to Famine

The risk of famine is growing in parts of Sudan as severe drought worsens the humanitarian crisis caused by ongoing conflict, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a global food security monitoring partnership supported by United Nations agencies. A new alert warns that malnutrition is worsening in several areas, particularly in Greater Darfur and Greater Kordofan. Aid organisations are struggling to reach affected communities because of insecurity, restricted access and a severe shortage of funding. In Eastern Jebel Marra, South Darfur, surveys in two displacement camps found acute malnutrition among children at 38% and 30.8%, both above the threshold associated with famine. More than half of Sudan has been affected by the drought, destroying crops and leaving families without enough food or income. In North Darfur, 64% of cropland is showing poor plant growth and late rains have not managed to save most cereal crops. Food prices are expected to continue to rise. There has also been mass displacement in Greater Kordofan, where since October 2025 more than 300,000 people have been forced to flee their homes. Attacks and insecurity are putting aid workers at risk, while many children are going without life-saving treatment for severe malnutrition. By 8 October, less than half of Sudan's humanitarian appeal had been funded. The IPC has called for an end to the fighting, safe access for aid agencies and a major increase in funding to prevent further loss of life.

Lagos Court Clears Way for Inquest into Chimamanda Adichie's Son's Death

The Lagos State High Court has cleared the way for a coroner's inquest into the death of Nkanu Esege, the son of renowned Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Justice Aishat Opesanwo dismissed an application by Eurapharma Care Services Nigeria Limited, which operates Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital, seeking to stop the inquiry. The hospital argued that the cremation of Nkanu's body made a post-mortem examination impossible and deprived the coroner of the authority to proceed. Nkanu died on 7 January 2026 following medical procedures, prompting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death. In her ruling, Justice Opesanwo said the law requires an inquest when the circumstances of a death meet the conditions set out in the Coroners System Law of Lagos State 2007. She said that the absence of the body did not automatically prevent the inquiry from taking place or make it speculative. The judge also rejected the hospital's arguments concerning the handling of statements and evidence from medical personnel, saying the coroner has discretion over how the proceedings are conducted. She stressed that a coroner's inquest is a fact-finding exercise intended to establish who died, and how, when and where the death occurred. It is not a criminal trial to determine guilt or assign blame. The ruling allows the inquest to proceed.