As World's Priorities Shift, African Leaders Focus on Food Sovereignty
Russia's war with Ukraine and the worldwide shift toward national priorities has pushed African leaders to focus on food self-sufficiency, the head of a United Nations ' body said.
From increased wheat production in Ethiopia and rice output in West Africa continental leaders are more alive to the threat posed by global trade disruptions than they were previously, said Alvaro Lario, president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
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Los Angeles Times
8 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Israel hits an Iranian nuclear research facility and says it's preparing for a long war
TEL AVIV — Israel's military said Saturday it struck an Iranian nuclear research facility overnight and killed three senior Iranian commanders in targeted attacks, while emphasizing it was preparing for the possibility of a lengthy war. Smoke rose from an area near a mountain in Isfahan, where Isfahan province's deputy governor for security affairs, Akbar Salehi, confirmed the Israeli strikes damaged the facility but said they caused no casualties. The target was two centrifuge production sites, according to an Israeli military official speaking on condition of anonymity under army guidelines to brief reporters. It was the second attack on Isfahan, which was hit in the first 24 hours of the war as part of Israel's goal to destroy Iran's nuclear program. The International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, confirmed the latest attack. Iran launched a new wave of drones and missiles at Israel but there were no immediate reports of significant damage. A Magen David Adom rescue service official said a drone hit a two-story building in northern Israel, with no casualties. The official called it a 'small barrage' that was largely intercepted by Israel's defenses. The official estimated that Israel's military has taken out more than half of Iran's launchers. 'We're making it harder for them to fire toward Israel,' he said. 'Having said all that, I want to say the Iranian regime obviously still has capabilities.' The Israeli military's chief spokesman, Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, later said that Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir told the army to be prepared for a 'prolonged campaign.' President Trump is weighing active U.S. military involvement in the war. On Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, 'I think that it would be very, very dangerous for everyone.' He spoke on the sidelines of an Organization of Islamic Cooperation meeting in Turkey. Barring a commando raid or even a nuclear strike, Iran's underground Fordo uranium enrichment facility is considered out of reach to all but America's 'bunker-buster' bombs. Trump said he would put off his decision on direct military involvement for up to two weeks. The war erupted June 13, with Israeli airstrikes targeting Iran's nuclear and military sites, top generals and nuclear scientists. At least 722 people, including 285 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 2,500 wounded, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group. One Tehran resident, Nasrin, writhed in her hospital bed as she described how a blast threw her against a wall in her apartment. 'I've had five surgeries. I think I have nothing right here that is intact,' she said Saturday. Another resident, Shahram Nourmohammadi, said he had been making deliveries when 'something blew up right in front of me' at an intersection. Iran has retaliated by firing more than 450 missiles and 1,000 drones at Israel, according to Israeli army estimates. Israel's multi-tiered air defenses have shot down most of them, but at least 24 people in Israel have been killed and hundreds wounded. Iran has long maintained its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but it is the only nonnuclear-weapon state to enrich uranium up to 60% — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Israel is widely believed to be the only Middle Eastern country with a nuclear weapons program, but has never acknowledged it. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel's military operation will continue 'for as long as it takes' to eliminate what he called the existential threat of Iran's nuclear program and ballistic missile arsenal. Talks in Geneva on Friday failed to produce a breakthrough. European officials expressed hope for future discussions. Iran's foreign minister said he was open to further dialogue while emphasizing that Tehran had no interest in negotiating with the U.S. while Israel continues to attack. 'Iran is ready to consider diplomacy once again, and once aggression is stopped and the aggressor is held accountable for the crimes committed,' he told reporters. No date was set for a new round of talks. For many Iranians, updates remained difficult. Internet-access advocacy group said Saturday that limited internet access had again 'collapsed.' A nationwide internet shutdown has been in place for several days. Israel's opening attack killed three of Iran's top military leaders: Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, who oversaw the armed forces; Gen. Hossein Salami, who led the paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; and the head of the Revolutionary Guard's ballistic missile program, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh. Israel's defense minister said Saturday the military has killed a Revolutionary Guard commander who financed and armed Hamas in preparation for the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that sparked the ongoing 20-month war in the Gaza Strip. Iranian officials did not immediately confirm Saeed Izadi's death, but the Qom governor's office said there had been an attack on a four-story apartment building and local media reported two people had been killed. Israel also said it killed the commander of the Quds Force's weapons transfer unit, who it said was responsible for providing weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. Behnam Shahriyari was killed while traveling in western Iran, the military said. Iranian leaders say IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi's statements about the status of Iran's nuclear program have prompted Israel's attack. On Saturday, a senior advisor for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei, Ali Larijani, said in a social media post, without elaboration, that Iran would make Grossi 'pay' once the war is over. Grossi warned Friday at an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council against attacks on Iran's nuclear reactors, particularly its only commercial nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr. 'In case of an attack on the Bushehr nuclear power plant, a direct hit would result in a very high release of radioactivity,' Grossi said, adding: 'This is the nuclear site in Iran where the consequences could be most serious.' Israel has not targeted Iran's nuclear reactors, instead focusing its strikes on the main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, centrifuge workshops near Tehran, laboratories in Isfahan and the country's Arak heavy water reactor southwest of the capital. Iran previously agreed to limit its uranium enrichment and allow international inspectors access to its nuclear sites under a 2015 deal in exchange for sanctions relief. But after Trump pulled the U.S. out of the deal during his first term, Iran began enriching uranium up to 60% and restricting access to its nuclear facilities. Iran has insisted on its right to enrich uranium — at lower levels — in recent talks over its nuclear program. But Trump, like Israel, has demanded Iran end its enrichment program altogether. Rising and Mednick write for the Associated Press and reported from Dubai and Tel Aviv, respectively. AP writers Mehmet Guzel in Istanbul, Josef Federman in Jerusalem and Farnoush Amiri and Jon Gambrell in Dubai contributed to this report.
Business Insider
9 hours ago
- Business Insider
Trump declares end to Rwanda–DRC conflict with historic peace agreement
President Donald Trump has announced a landmark peace agreement between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Republic of Rwanda, aimed at ending one of Africa's longest-running and most violent conflicts. President Donald Trump announced a peace agreement between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Republic of Rwanda. The treaty addresses violent conflicts and aims to stabilize the mineral-rich eastern Congo region. It signifies a potential turning point in regional stability and a diplomatic achievement for the Trump administration. According to a statement shared on his social media platform, Trump said the treaty, facilitated in collaboration with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, will be signed in Washington by representatives of both countries on Monday. " I am very happy to report that I have arranged, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a wonderful Treaty between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Rwanda, in their war, which was known for violent bloodshed and death, more so even than most other wars, and has gone on for decades," Trump said. Trump added that representatives from Rwanda and the Congo will be in Washington on Monday to sign Documents The long-standing tensions between Rwanda and the DRC, particularly over the mineral-rich and conflict-prone eastern Congo, have fueled years of armed violence, regional instability, and humanitarian crises. Kinshasa has repeatedly accused Kigali of supporting rebel groups operating in its territory, most notably the M23 rebels, an allegation Rwanda denies. Rwanda–DRC peace treaty marks diplomatic turning point The treaty, set to be signed in Washington, was the product of intensive diplomacy led by Massad Boulos, Trump's senior adviser on African affairs, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Boulos began shuttle diplomacy in April 2025, meeting leaders in Kinshasa and Kigali to negotiate troop withdrawals, an end to rebel support, and regional security guarantees. His efforts culminated in the signing of a ' Declaration of Principles ' in Washington, followed by draft treaty submissions from both countries in early May. By mid-June, Trump announced the final agreement, calling it a step toward ending ' violent bloodshed and death… more so even than most other wars.' The treaty includes commitments to withdraw troops, disarm armed groups like M23, and repatriate displaced persons. It also introduces a minerals-for-security framework, offering U.S. access to strategic resources such as cobalt and lithium in exchange for helping stabilize eastern Congo.
Business Insider
10 hours ago
- Business Insider
Aliko Dangote eyes Namibia for the next big investment move amid pan-African expansion
Aliko Dangote, billionaire and one of the most prominent African investors, is considering Namibia as a potential destination for his group's extensive investment portfolio. Billionaire Aliko Dangote considers Namibia for expanding his investment portfolio. His investment approach emphasizes Africa-wide economic self-reliance and development. Namibia is implementing strategies in green hydrogen and private sector collaborations. Fresh off the completion of what is now the world's largest oil refinery, Dangote hinted at his plans to expand into Namibia during a high-level meeting with President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah in Windhoek this week. The visit marks another step in the Dangote Group 's ongoing expansion into energy and industrial markets across over a dozen African countries, including South Africa, Ethiopia, Zambia, and Tanzania. ' Africa is Africa. It's not about Nigeria alone. If we sit back, there is no entrepreneur; whether from Japan, the U.S., or elsewhere, who can come and build our continent for us. ' The billionaire said. Why Namibia? Dangote's interest in the southern African nation aligns with its emerging green hydrogen strategy and energy ambitions, as well as its renewed focus on pan-African private sector partnerships. Most notably, he announced the completion of a 650,000-barrel-per-day oil refinery, now the largest in the world, alongside significant production capacities for polypropylene, fertilizer, LPG, and other industrial products. He stated, " We now have oil and gas. We've just finished building the largest refinery ever built, not just in Africa, but globally." 'We produce one million tonnes of polypropylene, carbon black feedstock, LPG, sulphate chips, and a fertilizer capacity of over three million tonnes; the second largest in the world." He added. The billionaire investor highlighted his $620 million investment in South Africa as part of a broader strategy to promote economic self-reliance and intra-African trade, stating,"It's not about Nigeria; it's about Africa. We must show that it can be done, and done by us." In response to his comments, President Nandi-Ndaitwah emphasized the need for African-owned investments to drive value addition and job creation. She said: " We are too few to be poor, considering the resources we have; both human and natural." "We don't want to be seen as a rich continent with poor people. African entrepreneurs like you give hope to the young ones that it is possible." She added. In a potential investor-wooing effort, she invited Dangote to consider Namibia as "a home away from home" and affirmed the country's readiness to support African-led investment projects with long-term local impact. 'When we meet successful African entrepreneurs like you, it is not just business; it is inspiration,' she said. 'Namibia is ready for this kind of partnership.' Nandi-Ndaitwah said.
