{"id":172277,"date":"2025-11-18T10:39:14","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T10:39:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/today-in-africa-november-17-2025-gunmen-abduct-25-girls-in-nigeria-palestinians-say-they-paid-2000-per-seat-on-unapproved-flight-to-south-africa-icc-prosecutors-seek-life-sentence-for\/"},"modified":"2025-11-18T10:39:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T10:39:14","slug":"today-in-africa-november-17-2025-gunmen-abduct-25-girls-in-nigeria-palestinians-say-they-paid-2000-per-seat-on-unapproved-flight-to-south-africa-icc-prosecutors-seek-life-sentence-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/today-in-africa-november-17-2025-gunmen-abduct-25-girls-in-nigeria-palestinians-say-they-paid-2000-per-seat-on-unapproved-flight-to-south-africa-icc-prosecutors-seek-life-sentence-for\/","title":{"rendered":"Today in Africa \u2014 November 17, 2025: Gunmen Abduct 25 Girls in Nigeria, Palestinians Say They Paid $2,000 Per Seat on Unapproved Flight to South Africa, ICC Prosecutors Seek Life Sentence for Sudanese Warlord – OkayAfrica"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEWS
Every day, OkayAfrica shares a roundup of news we\u2019re following but haven\u2019t published as full articles. These short updates cover what\u2019s happening on the continent \u2014 in culture, politics, and beyond. For more on stories like these, be sure to check out our News page<\/a>, with stories from across the regions.<\/span>
The first episode of OkayAfrica\u2019s new video series explores the African roots of braiding, its eternal cultural significance, and more.
Gunmen attacked a girls\u2019 boarding school in Kebbi State early today, Monday, November 17, killing the vice principal and abducting 25 students<\/a> in one of the latest mass kidnappings to hit northern Nigeria. Police say the armed group stormed Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga around 4 a.m., exchanged gunfire with officers, scaled the fence, and seized the girls before fleeing into nearby forests. Vice Principal Hassan Yakubu Makuku<\/span> was shot dead while trying to resist the attackers, and another staff member was injured. Security forces, soldiers, and local vigilantes are now searching suspected escape routes.
The attack highlights a worsening security crisis in Nigeria\u2019s north, where armed gangs and extremist groups continue to target schools for ransom. Boko Haram and its Islamic State affiliate remain active across the region, while criminal bandits \u2014 often operating at night and across vast, lightly policed terrain \u2014 have carried out hundreds of abductions. More than 1,500 students have been kidnapped since the 2014 Chibok attack<\/a>, and recent months have seen militants overrun military outposts and raid villages despite government claims of progress. Nigeria\u2019s military is stretched thin, even as the U.S. approved new arms sales this year and President Bola Tinubu<\/span> reshuffled security chiefs in response to growing instability.
The 130 Palestinians who arrived in Johannesburg on a chartered flight last week say they paid $2,000 per seat<\/a> to an organization offering a way out of the enclave \u2014 a process which South Africa\u2019s Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola <\/span>says may be part of a broader attempt to \u201cremove Palestinians from Palestine.\u201d The group was bused out of Gaza, flown from Israel\u2019s Ramon Airport, and routed through Nairobi in Kenya before landing on November 13, despite South Africa insisting it never approved their entry. Israel denies any agenda to displace Palestinians and says those who want to leave or return should be allowed to do so, while the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), a unit of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, says the departure happened after a foreign country agreed to receive them.
Much about the flight remains unclear. The Palestinian embassy in South Africa says an \u201cunregistered and misleading\u201d group exploited families, collected money, and facilitated irregular travel. The 153 passengers were initially kept onboard for more than 10 hours because they lacked departure stamps and onward travel plans, before 130 were eventually allowed entry under 90-day visa rules. Some are now staying in hostels or with Johannesburg\u2019s Muslim community. The arrivals come against the backdrop of dire conditions in Gaza and heavy loss of life; one evacuee, cancer patient Ramzi Abu Youssef<\/span>, said he left for treatment and safety after losing two daughters in an Israeli strike. South Africa \u2014 already pursuing a genocide case<\/a> against Israel at the International Court of Justice \u2014 says it will not accept further uncoordinated flights<\/a> as it works with Palestinian authorities to understand who organized the departures and why.
Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court are seeking a life sentence<\/a> for a Sudanese warlord recently convicted of playing a role in mass killings in the Darfur region. Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman<\/span> was convicted of 27 counts, including mass murders and sexual assault, for leading the Janjaweed militia forces that were set loose on civilians in Darfur back in 2003-04, after rebels launched an insurgency against the administration of ousted former President Omar al-Bashir <\/span>over grievances with the Arab-dominated government.
\u201cYou literally have an axe murderer before you,\u201d prosecutor Julian Nicholls<\/span> told the ICC judges earlier today. \u201cHe committed these crimes knowingly, willfully, and with, the evidence shows, enthusiasm and vigor.\u201d Abd-Al-Rahman\u2019s lawyers are looking for a seven-year sentence that would free the 76-year-old in about a year and a half, considering time served. Up to 300,000 were killed by the Janjaweed militia. Analysts have connected<\/a> the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces to the militia; RSF recently took over El Fasher in Western Darfur and has been accused of systematically targeting non-Arab communities like Janjaweed did two decades ago.
The Leopards of DR Congo will be heading to Mexico next March for a chance to be one of the final two teams to qualify for the 2026 men\u2019s FIFA World Cup, after beating<\/a> Nigeria\u2019s Super Eagles in the final playoff match of the African qualifiers. Congolese captain Chance Mbemba<\/span> stepped up to convert the decisive penalty kick, his second big moment of the playoff rounds, after his last-minute heroics helped his team overcome Cameroon in the playoff semi-finals. DR Congo is on the quest to reach the World Cup for the first time since 1974, when it made history as the first sub-Saharan African country to qualify and play at the mundial.
Although slightly less favored entering the playoff finals, DR Congo were the better side for most of the 90 minutes of regulation and 30 minutes of extra time. They pinned Nigeria in for much of extra time and had two goals disallowed in that timeframe, and almost won it in the last minute with an Mbemba header that Nigerian goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali<\/span> saved. Although Nwabali delivered some heroics in the penalty shootout with two saves, his teammates were far from clinical, as Congo won the shootout 4-3. DR Congo will now play in the inter-confederation playoffs and could join the nine African countries that are playing<\/a> in the World Cup.
Ahead of the 2025 CAF Awards, scheduled to be held in Rabat, Morocco, later this week, the African footballing body has released finalists for 11 awards across both male<\/a> and female<\/a> categories. Egyptian forward Mohammed Salah<\/span>, Morocco\u2019s Achraf Hakimi<\/span>, and Nigerian striker Victor Oshimen<\/span> are the hopefuls for the men\u2019s Player of the Year. Nigerian forward Rasheedat Ajibade<\/span> is in the running for the women\u2019s award alongside the Moroccan duo of Ghizlaine Chebbak<\/span> and Sanaa Mssoudy<\/span>.
Set to be hosted by iconic Beninese singer Angelique Kidjo<\/span><\/a> and Moroccan comedian Oualass<\/span>, this year\u2019s awards come on the back of a busy year in African football, including the Women\u2019s Cup of Nations (WAFCON) and the final qualifying rounds for next year\u2019s men\u2019s World Cup. Notably, Morocco is well-represented among the nominees, a testament to the country\u2019s undeniable dominance in both men\u2019s and women\u2019s football. In addition to men\u2019s and women\u2019s Player of the Year nominees, there are Moroccan nominees in the Goalkeeper of the Year and Young Player of the Year categories in both male and female sides, amongst other nominations.
Ethiopia has confirmed three deaths from the Marburg virus<\/a> in the southern Omo region, which borders South Sudan, after testing 17 suspected cases, Health Minister Mekdes Daba<\/span> said today, Monday, November 17. Although officials report no active cases, the government has declared an outbreak and deployed preventive measures, supported by teams from the World Health Organization and the Africa CDC. South Sudan has issued public advisories urging residents in four counties to avoid contact with bodily fluids and wash their hands frequently, with Africa Center for Disease Control chief Jean Kaseya<\/span> warning that the outbreak is especially concerning given South Sudan\u2019s fragile health system. The highly lethal Marburg virus, which can kill up to 88% of infected people, spreads through contact with bodily fluids or contaminated surfaces and has no approved vaccine or treatment.
British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood<\/span> has given Angola, Namibia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo a month to improve their processes of taking back illegal immigrants, or nationals from these African countries will face visa restrictions. \u201cMy message to foreign governments today is clear: accept the return of your nationals or you will lose the privilege of being able to enter our country,\u201d Mahmood said. Her stance is similar to the mass deportation approach of the Trump administration in the U.S., calling it a \u201cmoral mission\u201d<\/a> because \u201cillegal migration is tearing our country apart.\u201d Mahmood has also proposed lengthening the amount of time refugees can apply for permanent residence in the UK, from five to twenty years, with evaluations every two-and-a-half years to determine the validity of their refugee status. It would be the largest shakeup of the UK\u2019s immigration policy in a long time. 
Eswatini has confirmed receiving $5.1 million<\/a> from the United States to accept migrants expelled under a secretive third-country deportation program<\/a> launched by the Trump administration. Finance Minister Neal Rijkenberg<\/span> told parliament the funds\u2014intended to \u201cbuild border and migration management capacity,\u201d according to a Human Rights Watch document\u2014were deposited into the disaster agency\u2019s account, though the ministry was not informed of the deal beforehand. The kingdom has taken in 15 men since July, flown in on U.S. military-chartered planes and held without charge at the Matsapha maximum-security prison, a facility known for detaining political prisoners. Some deportees were labeled by U.S. officials as violent offenders, and local lawyers and civil society groups have gone to court to challenge their detention.
Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye<\/span> and his aide Haji Obeid Lutale<\/span> have now spent a full year in detention<\/a> after being abducted in Nairobi in November 2024 and transferred to Kampala, where they were charged before the General Court Martial. Their case has stalled amid disputed bail rulings, questions over judicial independence, and ongoing wrangling over when the constitutional 180-day pre-trial clock began. Despite concerns about Besigye\u2019s age, declining health, and lengthy remand, multiple bail applications have been rejected, and a renewed petition remains unresolved as the presiding judge refuses to step aside. Rights groups say the prolonged detention reflects a broader decline in political freedoms and due process in Uganda, with analysts warning it could shape the country\u2019s political climate as the next election cycle nears.
Tanzania\u2019s President Samia Suluhu Hassan<\/span> has appointed the country\u2019s ambassador to China, Khamis Mussa Omar<\/span>, as the new finance minister as she forms a fresh cabinet<\/a> following last month\u2019s disputed election<\/a>. Hassan, who was declared the landslide winner, also kept Anthony Mavunde<\/span> as mining minister and Mahmoud Thabit Kombo<\/span> as foreign affairs minister, days after naming former finance minister Mwigulu Nchemba<\/span> as prime minister. The vote triggered deadly clashes over the exclusion of key challengers, with rights groups and opposition parties saying hundreds were killed \u2014 a figure the government insists is inflated. Hassan has promised to investigate the violence and publicly offered condolences to families of those who died, her strongest acknowledgment yet of the crisis.<\/p>\n

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OkayAfrica is the premiere digital platform bringing the worlds of African music, art, culture, style, sports and politics to a global audience. Founded in 2010 as an extension of Okayplayer, OkayAfrica serves as a cultural bridge to foster deeper understanding of the continent, while also building meaningful connections with its diaspora. <\/p>\n

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