A new DNA-based survey has revised the estimated population of African forest elephants to 135,690 in 2024, a 16% increase from previous figures in 2016, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reported Thursday. However, the species remains critically endangered due to poaching and habitat destruction.

The revised estimate follows the use of DNA extracted from elephant dung, which allows researchers to more accurately count individuals through genetic fingerprinting and helps avoid duplicate counts. This method marks a significant improvement in survey coverage across their dense rainforest habitats in West and Central Africa.

“This report provides the most accurate picture of elusive African forest elephant populations to date,” IUCN Director General Grethel Aguilar said in a statement. “It shows us that conservation action is working for these iconic animals.”

Despite the updated numbers, the IUCN emphasized that the apparent increase is not necessarily evidence of a population rebound. “The updated numbers of African forest elephants should not be interpreted as population growth, but rather as the result of improved survey coverage made possible by DNA-based methods,” Rob Slotow, an African elephant specialist at the IUCN, said.

Two-thirds of the African forest elephant population currently reside in Gabon, with another 20% in Congo-Brazzaville. According to the IUCN, the species saw its population decrease by 86% between the mid-1980s and 2015. The elephant’s slow reproductive rate continues to hamper recovery efforts.

Although poaching rates have declined since 2018-2019, illegal ivory trade remains a serious risk. The IUCN also cited increasing threats from industrial activities, such as mining, infrastructure projects, and agriculture, which are fragmenting habitats and pushing elephants into human settlements.

“Crop raiding often lowers people’s tolerance for elephants and, unfortunately, can lead to reciprocal killings and political ramifications,” the IUCN said.

The findings were released in conjunction with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) conference, which oversees global trade rules for endangered wildlife.

General Horta N’Tam was sworn in as the transitional leader of Guinea-Bissau on November 27, 2025, following a military takeover that disrupted the country’s electoral process. His inauguration was broadcast on state television and marks the beginning of a one-year transitional period led by the military.

The inauguration came days after a contested presidential election in which both incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embalo and opposition candidate Fernando Dias claimed victory. Gunfire erupted in the capital, Bissau, on Wednesday, November 26, signaling a military intervention. Shortly thereafter, soldiers arrested Embalo as gunshots rang out near the presidential palace. “I have been deposed,” Embalo told France 24 on Wednesday.

Until the coup, Horta N’Tam served as army chief of staff and was considered a close ally of Embalo. The whereabouts of Embalo remained unknown as of Thursday. According to state television, the military high command elevated N’Tam to lead the transition due to an alleged plan to manipulate electoral results.

Dias, a member of the Social Renewal Party and Embalo’s main challenger, dismissed the military’s claim as a ruse. In a video statement, Dias alleged the coup was fabricated by Embalo to nullify the election results. “Umaro lost the elections, and instead of accepting the result, he fabricated a coup d’état,” Dias said.

Competing narratives have emerged around the coup. The military cited a conspiracy involving national politicians, a well-known drug trafficker, and foreign actors to explain their intervention. Military spokesperson Dinis N’Tchama, flanked by soldiers during a televised announcement, stated the discovery of the scheme prompted the takeover. He declared that the junta would oversee a 12-month transition to restore order.

Guinea-Bissau has a long history of political instability, marked by repeated coups since its independence from Portugal in 1974. The West African nation of 2.2 million is noted as a key transit point for drug trafficking between Latin America and Europe, a factor experts say contributes to its persistent governance issues.

Despite the upheaval, Bissau appeared calm by Thursday morning. Businesses and public transportation gradually resumed operations, even as the opposition African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde and Dias called for protests demanding the release of election results.

The incident adds to a broader pattern of military takeovers in West Africa, a region grappling with disenchantment over electoral integrity and declining democratic norms. The United Nations expressed its concern over the situation and urged all actors to prioritize stability and constitutional governance.

A U.S.-based human rights organization has filed a lawsuit against Apple in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, accusing the company of using conflict minerals tied to armed groups and forced labor in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda. The nonprofit group, International Rights Advocates (IRAdvocates), alleges Apple’s supply chain includes cobalt, tin, tantalum and tungsten mined under exploitative conditions.

The complaint, filed Tuesday, seeks a court determination that Apple violated consumer protection laws, an injunction to stop allegedly deceptive marketing practices, and reimbursement of legal fees. It does not request monetary damages or class-action status.

IRAdvocates says three Chinese smelters—Ningxia Orient, JiuJiang JinXin, and Jiujiang Tanbre—processed minerals allegedly smuggled through Rwanda from areas in the eastern DRC controlled by armed groups. The lawsuit cites investigations by the United Nations and Global Witness, linking these materials to Apple’s manufacturing network.

The group also referenced a 2025 study by the University of Nottingham which found evidence of child and forced labor at mine sites tied to Apple’s suppliers. Neither the smelters, the government of the DRC, nor Rwanda immediately responded to requests for comment, according to Al Jazeera.

Apple has denied any wrongdoing. In previous cases, it stated that its supplier code of conduct and auditing protocols ensure that materials are responsibly sourced. In December 2024, Apple said there was “no reasonable basis” to conclude that smelters or refiners in its supply chain were financing armed groups in the region. It also said 76 percent of the cobalt used in its products that year was recycled, though the lawsuit claims this calculation allows blending with conflict-sourced ore.

This lawsuit follows earlier legal actions by IRAdvocates, including a similar case against Tesla and other tech companies, which was dismissed by U.S. courts in 2024. French prosecutors also dropped a separate case on conflict minerals filed by the DRC against Apple subsidiaries, citing lack of evidence. A related criminal complaint in Belgium remains under investigation.

The DRC is a major global supplier of critical minerals used in smartphones, electric batteries, and computers. Congolese authorities have said that profits from these resources help fund ongoing conflict in the eastern region, where violence has killed thousands and displaced many more.

Source: Al Jazeera, https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2025/11/26/us-group-sues-apple-over-dr-congo-conflict-minerals

Sudanese women who have fled to eastern Chad are creating their own support groups to cope with the trauma of war, sexual violence, and displacement, according to Al Jazeera.

The conflict in Sudan, which escalated in 2023, has driven millions from their homes and become one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. Many of those fleeing are women and children who suffered abuse as militias swept through regions such as el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group, seized control of el-Fasher on October 26 after an 18-month-long siege. Local and international observers, including Amnesty International, have accused RSF fighters of committing war crimes, including torture, rape, and mass killings.

At the Tulum refugee camp in eastern Chad, some survivors have formed grassroots support circles where they can speak openly about their experiences. Basma, a survivor, told Al Jazeera that she and her sister were held and tortured for five days by militias allied with the RSF while attempting to escape Sudan. “May God expose and punish them. God willing, we will have our day of reckoning,” she said.

The United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher described el-Fasher as a “crime scene,” and in response to mounting reports of atrocities, the United Nations Human Rights Council has launched an investigation into the events that occurred during and after the city’s fall.

In Chad, the availability of mental health professionals is severely limited. Humanitarian officials report there is only one psychiatrist in the region and only a handful of psychologists to assist hundreds of thousands of Sudanese refugees. In this vacuum, informal support groups led by fellow refugees, including long-time displaced woman Fatimah Fadul, have become essential lifelines.

Fadul, who leads one such group, spoke to Al Jazeera about the cultural stigma that discourages Sudanese women from speaking out about rape. “As Sudanese, we face the stigma: mothers at home pressure the girl, telling her not to speak or to keep silent about the rape. We raise awareness and encourage our sisters and our mothers to speak up… When you stay silent, you inflict internal psychological harm, leading to illnesses,” she said.

For many, the support groups offer the only space to begin healing. But for every participant, hundreds more remain without help, either due to shame, lack of resources, or limited access. Zaina Ibrahim, another refugee, told Al Jazeera she still does not know whether her mother or children survived. “Many members of my family are presumed dead,” she said.

Source: Al Jazeera, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/11/26/sudanese-women-in-chad-grapple-with-trauma-of-wartime-violence

Military officials in Guinea-Bissau announced Wednesday, November 26, 2025, that they had taken full control of the country, arrested President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, and shut land, sea, and air borders. The move came just three days after national elections, which had been marred by political tension and claims of irregularity.

The announcement was made by General Denis N’Canha, head of the presidential military office, during a press conference in the capital, Bissau. Surrounded by armed soldiers, N’Canha declared a military command made up of all branches of the armed forces was assuming control “until further notice.” He also declared the suspension of the electoral process, all media broadcasts, and imposed a nationwide curfew.

President Embalo, who was favored to win re-election in Sunday’s polls, was detained at general staff headquarters and is being “well-treated,” according to a military source who spoke to AFP. A senior officer confirmed Embalo’s arrest along with the chief of staff and interior minister. Opposition leader Domingos Simões Pereira, excluded from the election by a Supreme Court decision, was also arrested, according to two sources close to him.

On the day of the takeover, heavy gunfire was heard near the presidential palace, with soldiers occupying nearby roads. Unidentified armed men also attacked the National Electoral Commission, according to commission official Abdourahmane Djalo.

Guinea-Bissau, a small West African nation, has experienced four successful coups and several attempted takeovers since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974. Political instability remains a chronic issue. Observers from the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the West African Elders Forum condemned the seizure of power, calling it a “blatant attempt to disrupt the democratic process.”

Tensions mounted ahead of the vote after the Supreme Court barred key opposition figures, including Pereira and his party PAIGC, from contesting the election on technical grounds. In 2023, Embalo dissolved Guinea-Bissau’s opposition-dominated legislature and ruled by executive decree. The opposition has argued that Embalo’s term expired in February 2024.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres, through a spokesperson, urged “all stakeholders to exercise restraint and respect the rule of law.” Portugal, the country’s former colonial power, called for the resumption of the electoral process and discouraged any form of violence.

Guinea-Bissau is one of the world’s poorest countries and a significant transit point for drug trafficking between Latin America and Europe, vulnerabilities often exacerbated by periods of political disorder.

Source: France 24, https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20251126-guinea-bissau-military-seizes-control-president