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Africa Weekly Roundup: Sudan Drones, Somalia Strikes, Ebola Spread

Our Africa weekly roundup: drone strikes in Sudan, US strikes on al-Shabaab, Ethiopia-Eritrea tension and Ebola in Kenya and Nigeria.

ByPeter
Map graphic of Africa with Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya highlighted and conflict markers
Graphic: Peter's World; map data: Natural Earth (public domain)

This Africa weekly roundup covers the seven Africa daily reports Peter’s World published from Oct. 18 to Oct. 25, 2026. No Africa edition ran on Oct. 22. The roundup gathers the week’s main threads, then adds our analysis. Each fact appears once, with its source, and the full daily list is at the end.

The week in brief

Sudan: the drone war and Abyei

The UN human rights chief said drone strikes killed at least 306 people in Sudan in the first three weeks of October and attributed strikes to both the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), UN News reported. A strike on the livestock market in Nyala, the RSF’s seat in South Darfur, killed 30 people according to a medical count, Radio Tamazuj reported. Sudan’s army said it had hit RSF command centers there.

The highest single toll reported this week came from Abyei, the area disputed between Sudan and South Sudan. A local official said the death toll from drone strikes on its market rose to 153. South Sudan blamed Sudan’s army, and Sudan’s Foreign Ministry denied that the army struck the market. On the ground, the army said it recaptured Bakouri and Akleili in Blue Nile state on Oct. 22, Anadolu Agency reported. The International Committee of the Red Cross warned that air attacks have pushed up civilian harm.

Somalia: a federal-regional fight for territory

Forces loyal to ousted South West State leader Abdiaziz Laftagareen took five towns around Baidoa, Hiiraan Online reported, and later took Buurhakaba on the main road between Mogadishu and Baidoa, according to Garowe Online. Somalia’s main opposition coalition rejected the 2027 election dates, saying the president set them without an inclusive agreement.

Against al-Shabaab, US Africa Command said it conducted strikes on Oct. 23 near Janale. Soldiers quoted by local outlets, in figures not independently confirmed, said roadside bombs on the Afgooye-Wanlaweyn road killed up to 20 officers and soldiers. Puntland’s president discussed a proposed US base in Bosaso with AFRICOM officers.

Ethiopia: Tigray, Eritrea and Moyale

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed warned Eritrea of “extremely severe consequences” if its leaders keep rejecting cooperation, Fana Media Corporation reported. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Oct. 17 that “anytime you see troops on both sides of the border in a place like that, you’re always worried that that can turn into a broader conflict,” according to the State Department transcript. Tigray’s former ruling party claimed it killed 1,511 federal soldiers near Mirena, a figure not independently verified, Garowe Online reported. Tigrayan forces reportedly retook Rama, a town near the Eritrean border, according to the Critical Threats Project.

In the south, clashes between Oromo and Somali communities around Moyale drove more than 14,000 Ethiopians into Kenya, the Kenya Red Cross said.

Ebola spreads beyond Congo

Congo’s Ebola outbreak reached 9,765 cases and 4,727 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. Nigeria confirmed its first case, a woman who flew to Abuja from Uganda, Africanews reported. Kenya confirmed a second death, and Congo began a trial of candidate Bundibugyo vaccines in Bunia, Anadolu Agency reported. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a travel notice for Kenya.

The Sahel and Nigeria

Human Rights Watch said Malian troops and Russian-run forces killed civilians in drone strikes and in custody since July. Mali’s army later said it found 54 bodies after attacks on camps in the Ménaka region, citing witnesses who blamed the Islamic State’s Sahel branch. Burkina Faso reinstated the death penalty for crimes including terrorism and treason. In Nigeria, police said gunmen killed at least 10 villagers in Taraba state, though eyewitnesses put the toll higher, the BBC reported.

What changed this week

Analysis (Peter’s World’s view): Drones became the defining weapon across the continent’s wars. In Sudan both sides now use them against markets and towns, and the UN’s three-week count shows the scale. In Ethiopia, drone strikes and rhetoric toward Eritrea rose together. Somalia’s crisis changed shape as well: the main fighting there this week was between federal and regional forces, not only against al-Shabaab.

Why it matters

Analysis (Peter’s World’s view): Each of these wars now has a spillover path. Moyale has already pushed refugees into Kenya. Abyei pulls South Sudan into Sudan’s war, and Ebola cases in Nigeria and Kenya show how far the outbreak can travel by air. Somalia’s internal split also weakens the partner that US strikes against al-Shabaab depend on. A government fighting its own regions has fewer troops to hold ground taken from militants.

What to watch next week

  • Whether Sudan’s Foreign Ministry and South Sudan’s government move toward an inquiry into the Abyei strike.
  • Federal and South West forces around Buurhakaba and Baidoa.
  • Ethiopian and Eritrean moves near Rama and Adigrat.
  • New Ebola cases outside Congo, and early results from the Bunia vaccine trial.

This week’s daily reports

For every report in this theater, see the Africa news hub or the War Room dashboard.

Sources

Additional sources

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