{"id":194632,"date":"2025-12-25T18:41:22","date_gmt":"2025-12-25T18:41:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/dec-24-libyan-army-chief-killed-sahel-joint-battalion-kenyan-gets-life-sentence-in-us-okayafrica\/"},"modified":"2025-12-25T18:41:22","modified_gmt":"2025-12-25T18:41:22","slug":"dec-24-libyan-army-chief-killed-sahel-joint-battalion-kenyan-gets-life-sentence-in-us-okayafrica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/dec-24-libyan-army-chief-killed-sahel-joint-battalion-kenyan-gets-life-sentence-in-us-okayafrica\/","title":{"rendered":"Dec 24: Libyan Army Chief Killed, Sahel Joint Battalion, Kenyan Gets Life Sentence in US – 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 films may not be Christmas-themed, still, they carry the Christmas spirit of love, joy, revival, and adventure. From South Africa to Ghana, get comfortable with these films on Christmas Day.
Libya\u2019s army chief of staff, Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad<\/span>, was killed yesterday<\/a>, Tuesday, December 23, when a jet carrying him and four others crashed shortly after leaving Ankara, according to Libya\u2019s internationally recognized government. Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah<\/span> said the group was returning from an official visit to Turkey when the aircraft went down near Haymana, outside the Turkish capital, after losing radio contact and requesting an emergency landing. Those on board included the commander of Libya\u2019s ground forces, the head of the military manufacturing authority, an adviser, and a photographer. The cause of the crash is not yet known, and Turkish authorities have opened an investigation.
Libya\u2019s Tripoli-based Government of National Unity declared three days of national mourning and sent an official delegation to Ankara to follow the probe. Officials said the Dassault Falcon 50 jet was a leased Maltese aircraft, with questions still surrounding its ownership and technical history. The crash came a day after Turkey extended the mandate for its troops in Libya by two years. Ankara has backed Libya\u2019s UN-recognized government since 2020 and signed disputed maritime and energy agreements with Tripoli, while more recently expanding contacts with Libya\u2019s eastern faction under its \u201cOne Libya\u201d policy.
The leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger say a newly launched joint battalion<\/a> will soon carry out large-scale military operations against extremist groups in the Sahel. Speaking yesterday, Tuesday, December 23, after being named head of the Alliance of Sahel States, Burkina Faso\u2019s military leader, Capt. Ibrahim Traor\u00e9<\/span> said the force must move quickly from launch to action. The alliance, formed in 2023 after all three countries withdrew from West Africa\u2019s regional bloc, brings together governments that came to power through coups and face persistent attacks from armed groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State.
The joint battalion is expected to include about 5,000 troops and follows a summit where the three countries agreed to deepen security and economic cooperation. Niger\u2019s junta leader, Abdourahamane Tchiani<\/span>, said the alliance had ended the presence of \u201coccupation forces,\u201d referring to the expulsion of French and U.S. troops, and insisted the region would no longer take orders from outside powers. The bloc has since turned to Russia for security support. Analysts say the alliance has strong public backing and marks growing coordination among the three states, though they warn the Sahel\u2019s security crisis remains extremely hard to resolve despite shifting alliances.
A Kenyan national linked to al-Shabaab has been sentenced to life in prison<\/a> in the United States for plotting a mass-casualty attack aimed at hijacking a commercial aircraft and crashing it into a U.S. building. Cholo Abdi Abdullah<\/span>, 35, was sentenced by a federal judge in New York after being convicted on multiple terrorism charges, including providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization and aircraft piracy. U.S. prosecutors said Abdullah was a trained extremist who intended to die in the attack and was close to completing the requirements for a commercial pilot\u2019s license when he was arrested in 2019.
Court records show Abdullah joined al-Shabaab in 2015, trained in Somalia, and was later selected for an international aviation plot modeled on the September 11 attacks. Between 2017 and 2019, he attended flight school in the Philippines, with his training and living costs funded through al-Shabaab\u2019s extortion network. Investigators said he researched cockpit security, airline hiring, and travel routes into the U.S., and later admitted his plans to the FBI. U.S. officials said the case was disrupted through international cooperation involving U.S., Kenyan, and Philippine authorities, preventing a potential large-scale attack.
Residents of Dar es Salaam are facing severe water shortages<\/a> as a prolonged dry spell and rising demand leave taps running only once a week \u2014 and sometimes not at all \u2014 just days before Christmas. City authorities say low rainfall since May has reduced river and groundwater levels, cutting supplies from treatment plants and exposing leaks in the aging network, while fast population growth has stretched capacity even in good years. Many households now rely on private vendors, with water prices jumping from about $4 to $10 per 1,000 liters, hitting low-income families and small businesses hard. Officials admit the city\u2019s heavy dependence on rainfall-fed rivers, especially the Ruvu, has made it vulnerable, and say longer-term fixes \u2014 including a new dam and more boreholes \u2014 are underway, even as residents call for clearer rationing schedules and faster action.
Rwanda\u2019s government has closed an estimated 10,000 churches<\/a> for failing to meet requirements under a 2018 law regulating places of worship, including health and safety standards, financial disclosures, and mandatory theological training for pastors. President Paul Kagame<\/span> has openly defended the crackdown, accusing some evangelical churches of exploiting people and lacking value to national development, as authorities say the rules are meant to enforce order and accountability. Critics and church leaders argue the closures are about state control rather than compliance, noting that even congregations that met the requirements remain shut, forcing many worshippers to travel long distances to pray. Analysts say the government is wary of independent centers of influence, while officials and academics also link the strict oversight to security concerns rooted in Rwanda\u2019s genocide history and fears that churches could be misused by hostile groups.
Algeria\u2019s parliament has unanimously passed a law declaring France\u2019s colonial rule<\/a> from 1830 to 1962 a crime, formally demanding an apology and reparations for what it describes as mass killings, deportations, torture, nuclear tests, and the systematic plundering of resources. Lawmakers hailed the vote as a defense of national memory, saying France bears legal responsibility for the damage caused, even as analysts note the law is largely symbolic and not legally binding on Paris. The move comes amid strained relations between the two countries and renews long-running disputes over the legacy of the independence war, which Algeria says killed 1.5 million people, a figure French historians dispute. While French President Emmanuel Macron<\/span> has previously called colonization a crime against humanity, France has stopped short of issuing a formal apology and declined to comment on the vote.
The United Nations Security Council has agreed to extend the mandate of the African Union\u2019s peacekeeping mission in Somalia<\/a> for another year, keeping the force in place through the end of 2026. The AU Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia, known as AUSSOM, supports Somali security forces in their fight against the Islamist group al-Shabab, which remains active despite being pushed out of major cities. While council members pointed to progress made since the first AU deployment in 2007, China warned that AUSSOM faces an unsustainable funding gap and urged international donors to urgently meet their financial commitments to keep the mission operational.
Belgium has formally joined the genocide case<\/a> brought by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice, the UN\u2019s top court said yesterday, Tuesday, December 23. The intervention adds Belgium to a growing list of countries backing South Africa\u2019s December 2023 filing<\/a>, which argues Israel\u2019s war in Gaza violates the 1948 Genocide Convention. Israel has rejected the claims. While a final ruling could take years, the court ordered provisional measures in January 2024, telling Israel to prevent acts of genocide and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. The orders are legally binding but lack direct enforcement. Israel has continued military operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank despite the rulings, as the United States and several European allies maintain support for Israel and reject the case.
United States President Donald Trump<\/span>\u2019s mass recall of ambassadors will leave Washington without top-level diplomatic representation<\/a> in more than half of sub-Saharan Africa, raising concerns about U.S. influence in a region facing coups, conflicts, and intense global competition. The move, which includes the removal of at least 13 chiefs of mission and brings total vacancies to around 30, comes as the administration shifts from aid to trade and relies on bilateral deals and direct presidential engagement to advance its agenda. Former diplomats warn that the gaps will weaken day-to-day diplomacy, especially as recalled envoys include postings in Nigeria, Rwanda, and Niger, and as the United States Department of State\u2019s Africa Bureau also faces leadership turnover with no Senate-confirmed assistant secretary in place. The administration says its Africa policy is delivering results through commercial, health, and peace agreements, but critics argue the absence of ambassadors risks undermining U.S. efforts to compete with China and manage growing security crises across the continent.<\/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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