[New Times] Brig Gen Ronald Rwivanga's powerful message to Rwanda's youth at the recent Young Leaders' Breakfast Network Gathering is more than timely; it is essential. Addressing over 150 student leaders and university heads, Rwivanga emphasized a truth we must all reckon with: the future of Rwanda depends on the values and decisions of its young people today.

[allAfrica]

[CFR] Adding M23 to the talks is a positive step, but the agreement's test will be whether it can change circumstances on the ground.

[RFI] Yaounde - Cameroon has announced that 99% of its cocoa can now be traced from individual farm plots to the export port - a significant step towards meeting new European Union sustainability requirements.

[New Times] An FAO -- led project, dubbed «Responding to Water-Related Disasters: Mitigating and Optimising Excess Water in Kenya and Rwanda,» constructed water reservoirs in Kenya to store excess runoff, which was then used for irrigation.

[UN News] An agreement signed by the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Congo River Alliance/March 23 Movement (AFC/M23) has been hailed by the UN peacekeeping mission in the country (MONUSCO) as «an important step towards sustainable peace.»

[HRW] 51st session of the United Nations Universal Periodic Review

[New Times] Belgian tactician Ivan Minnaert, a former Rayon Sports head coach, has been officially unveiled as the new head coach of Ugandan side Vipers SC.

[New Times] Airtel Rwanda has unveiled what it calls «Africa's first Spam Alert Service,» a new artificial intelligence-powered tool designed to identify and flag suspicious messages. The feature was introduced during a press briefing on Thursday, July 17, at Zaria Court.

[CAF] With just under three weeks to go until the kick-off of the 2024 TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) in East Africa, Central African Republic (CAR) head coach Sébastien Ngato is rallying his side for what promises to be a historic campaign.

[New Times] A geoscience laboratory, designed to test mineral quality and composition before export and for other purposes, is set to be fully operational in the 2026/27 fiscal year, The New Times understands.

[New Times] A new injectable drug known as lenacapavir could change how millions of people across the world and Africa in particular access HIV protective drugs, which historically have hard to come by.

[DW] Activists are calling for a stay-at-home strike as they prepare for the next protest over rising fuel and transport prices. Police used rubber bullets and tear gas when protesters gathered in Luanda on July 12.

[RFI] Equatorial Guinea sharply criticised France at the United Nations' top court on Tuesday, labelling its actions as ''neo-colonial'' in a long-running dispute over a lavish, multi-million-euro mansion in Paris that was confiscated by French authorities.

[allAfrica]

[RFI] Cameroon's President Paul Biya, the world's oldest serving head of state at 92, has announced he will run in this year's presidential election in October.

[allAfrica]

[New Times] In 2008, Rwanda adopted the Girls' Education Policy with the goal of closing the gender gap in education. Seventeen years later, the results are striking: girls are not just catching up; they are leading. Today, more Rwandan girls are completing primary and secondary school than boys, a reversal of trends seen in many parts of the world.

[Nile Post] The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially announced that Burundi has eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, marking a major milestone in the country's fight against neglected tropical diseases.

[WHO] The World Health Organization (WHO) has validated Burundi as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, making it the eighth country in WHO's African Region to reach this important milestone. Trachoma is also the first neglected tropical disease (NTD) to be eliminated in the country.

[New Times] I must say, when I first saw the words «Visit Congo» I thought they were talking about the other Congo, Congo Brazzaville. I honestly couldn't fathom that it was in reference to Felix Tshisekedi's DR Congo.

[New Times] In recent years, Rwanda has made significant strides in the fight against HIV, yet we cannot afford to grow complacent. As highlighted by the Minister of Health ahead of the International AIDS Society conference underway in Kigali, HIV continues to pose a real and persistent threat, particularly among our youth.

[New Times] Global HIV leaders have urged African countries to fully own their HIV responses and called on governments to urgently invest in community-led systems to protect two decades of progress.

[RFI] As a peace deal signed by the Central African government and rebel groups comes into force on Friday, the leaders of 3R and UPC have officially dissolved their movements in a ceremony in Bangui led by President Faustin-Archange Touadéra.

[allAfrica] Monrovia -- Many countries in the region continue to grapple with mpox cases, which surged in August 2024, and suspected cases are still rising, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control (Africa CDC). The continental health agency, however, noted a decline in confirmed cases during the 26th reporting week of 2025.

[allAfrica]

[Nile Post] After four years of closure, Uganda has re-opened it's border points with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) at Bunagana and Mupaka.

[New Times] Rwanda's climate resilience and ecosystem restoration efforts in Southern Province are expected to be expanded thanks to an $18 million (about Rwf25 billion) grant from the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

[New Times] The Government of Rwanda, in partnership with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, has delivered over 40 tons of food and medical supplies to support ongoing humanitarian efforts in Gaza.

[New Times] The Security Council on Wednesday, July 9, welcomed the peace agreement between Rwanda and DR Congo signed on June 27 in Washington, D.C.

[New Times] United States President Donald Trump has announced that he expects to meet the Presidents of Rwanda and DR Congo in the «next couple of weeks» in the White House.

[The New Humanitarian] Sake, Democratic Republic of the Congo -- «We left everything behind when we fled, and now there is nothing left.»

[allAfrica]

[allAfrica] Washington, DC -- President Donald Trump is slated to host the heads of state of Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania and Senegal for a luncheon discussion on Wednesday at the White House, to explore what a White House official called ''incredible commercial opportunities which benefit both the American people and our African partners.''

[HRW] A U.S.-brokered peace deal, signed on June 27 between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, will link economic integration and respect for territorial integrity with the promise of Western investment. It is a mineral deal first, an opportunity for peace second. Making the deal work will depend on continued monitoring by the U.S. government and support from Congress.