By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Journalduniger
Iran’s Parliament approved Mehrdad Akhlaghi Ketabchi’s appointment as defence minister on 18 October 2026. The career engineer takes charge of the ministry eight months after senior Iranian officers were killed in the February 2026 conflict, reports Journal du Niger.
Summary produced with the help of artificial intelligence tools, under AFREEQUE’s editorial responsibility.
Mali’s minister responsible for Malians living abroad, Mossa Ag Attaher, met the Malian, Burkinabe and Nigerien diasporas in Senegal on 18 October 2026. The meeting was held in Dakar on the sidelines of the dialogue between ECOWAS and the AES, Mali Actu reports.
🇸🇳 Senegal · Source: Mali Actu ·
Astou Pierre, 40, has died after succumbing to injuries caused by an acid attack allegedly carried out by her former partner three months earlier. Her death has revived calls in Senegal for femicide to be recognised as a specific crime in legislation, France 24 reports.
🇸🇳 Senegal · Source: France 24 ·
Catholic priest Patricio Sánchez Molinari died after a heavy wooden cross fell on his head during a Mass in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The ceremony, streamed live on social media, was interrupted by the accident, reports the Associated Press and Ecuadorian newspaper El Universo.
🌍 World · Source: Punch ·
Bangui prosecutors are pursuing five civil society leaders for disturbing public order after their call for a “city lockdown” against the high cost of living, on 12 October. The prosecution announced the proceedings on 17 October, while lawyers denounce difficulties accessing the detainees, reports Journaldebangui.
🇨🇫 Central African Republic · Source: Journaldebangui ·
Xi Jinping congratulates Hunan University on its centenaryChinese President Xi Jinping congratulated the faculty, students and alumni of Hunan University on the institution’s centenary, founded in 1926. In a letter, he called on the university to improve the quality of its teaching and train talent able to contribute to China’s modernisation, Xinhua reports.
Ruling in MRC-Beas case expected on 26 OctoberA Cameroonian court is due to deliver its ruling on 26 October in expedited proceedings in the case between the Movement for the Renaissance of Cameroon and Salomon Beas. Actu Cameroun presents the decision as a first step in the legal and media dispute.The week in Africa
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