Africa: All of Africa Today – April 8, 2025

Sudan War is Spreading, Two Years On

The international Crisis Group said soldiers belonging to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) seem to want to press on for total victory, following their latest advance which led to the recapture of Khartoum, Sudan’s capital.  The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (SAF) expanded the war into new areas, causing fighting to spread in other parts of the country. The conflict reached a turning point in March when SAF, which had been on a backfoot since the war began in April 2023, retook the presidential palace.

Survey Shows Citizens of Kenya And Other African Nations Open to More Taxes for Adequate Healthcare Access

A new report by the pan-African survey group, Afrobarometer, shows more Kenyans are open to the idea of higher taxes to fund healthcare in their country. A total of 57% of survey participants agreed with increasing taxes for medical programs. Gabon, Cabo Verde, Guinea, Madagascar, Liberia, and Mali are among African countries whose citizens also prefer high taxes to fund medical care services.

Floods in the DR Congo – Govt Announces Deaths of 33 People
Flooding and erosion caused by torrential rains in Kinshasa during the night of April 4-5, 2025, led to the deaths of 33 people. This death toll, released by the Ministry of the Interior in a press release late on Sunday night, April 6, remains provisional.

Alleged Drone Attack – Algiers Closes Airspace With Mali
Algeria reportedly decided to close its airspace with Mali, responding to the decision by Bamako and its two allies in the Sahel Alliance to recall their ambassadors to Algiers for consultations. Burkina Faso and Niger expressed solidarity with Mali, which accuses Algeria of destroying a Malian armed forces (FAMA) drone on the night of March 31 to April 1, condemning a “violation of international law”.

US Tariff ‘Not Too Bad’ for Nigeria – Finance Minister
The U.S. tariff adjustment comes amid growing trade tensions and a review of developing countries’ access to preferential treatment under American trade law.
Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, said the country will not be severely affected by the United States’ decision to impose a tariff on certain imports from countries without a trade agreement, due to the dominance of crude oil and mineral products in its US -bound exports. “It’s not too bad,” Mr Edun said on Monday at the inaugural Corporate Governance Forum organised by the Ministry of Finance Incorporated in Abuja.