Burkina Faso, Afghanistan, South Africa

Today's three stories you should know

Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso’s military-led government has issued a decree dissolving all political parties and scrapping a legal framework that governed their activities. Interior Minister Emile Zerb said the move was part of a plan to "rebuild the state,” hitting out at what he called abuses and dysfunction in the country’s multiparty system. The ruling junta, led by the charismatic and widely popular Captain Ibrahim Traore, seized power in 2022 amid an insurgency by Islamist rebels that it has so far failed to quell. Before the coup, Burkina Faso had more than 100 registered political parties, with 15 in parliament after an election in 2020.

More from Africa News here.

Afghanistan

Afghanistan is to roll out a $100 million food aid drive, the U.N. announced, as people go hungry due to millions of returning refugees being forced out of neighboring countries and huge aid cuts since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. The two-year programme, backed by U.N. aid agencies and the Asian Development Bank, will support more than 151,000 families to address immediate food security needs. The U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization said that 17.4 million people are projected to face food insecurity in 2026, with 4.7 million affected by acute malnutrition. Campaigners have criticized Western governments, multilateral lenders and aid groups for leaving ordinary Afghans in the lurch by withdrawing assistance due to the Taliban’s return.

More from Reuters here.

South Africa

South Africa expelled Israel’s top diplomat in the country, ordering him to leave within 72 hours over what it said were repeated violations of diplomatic norms and official Israeli social media posts that insulted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Deputy Ambassador Ariel Seidman became Israel’s most senior official in the country after Tel Aviv withdrew its ambassador in 2023. Relations between South Africa and Israel have been strained since South Africa accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.

More from AP here.