Rwandan opposition leader Victoire Ingabire will remain in detention after judges at the Kicukiro Primary Court in Kigali denied her bail on Tuesday. The court cited the risk of flight and possible interference with an ongoing investigation as grounds for keeping her in pre-trial custody.

Ingabire, a prominent critic of President Paul Kagame, faces six charges, including forming or belonging to an illegal group and spreading hate messages intended to provoke international opinion against the government. Prosecutors argue that the evidence is strong enough to justify her continued detention while investigations proceed.

The charges are connected to the 2021 arrests of several of her supporters who had participated in an online political training session. Authorities allege that during the session, participants discussed a book titled “How to Topple a Dictator When You’re Alone, Small, and Unarmed,” which they claim indicates intent to incite unrest.

Ingabire has denied all accusations and previously called the charges politically motivated. She has long been one of the few opposition figures to remain politically active inside Rwanda, while many others have gone into exile. She was imprisoned in 2010 after returning from years in exile in the Netherlands and was later released under a presidential pardon in 2018.

Her latest legal troubles come as rights groups continue to raise concerns about political repression and the shrinking space for dissent in Rwanda. Ingabire’s next court appearance is scheduled for July 15.

Dozens of chefs, community cooks, caterers, and culinary students are rolling up their sleeves in kitchens across South Africa this Mandela Day, united by one mission: fighting hunger, one pot of soup at a time.

Since 2009, South Africans have honoured Nelson Mandela’s legacy by volunteering 67 minutes of their time, one for each year he dedicated to public service. This year, a group of volunteer cooks is going big, aiming to prepare 67,000 litres of soup to feed the country’s most vulnerable.

“In our first year, I think 2020, we already exceeded the 67,000 litres,” said Hanneke Van Linge, Head of Nosh Food Rescue. “Last year, we did 104,000 litres in one day. Hotels, culinary schools, feeding schemes — they’re all cooking with rescued, donated produce and putting in as many litres as they can.”

The initiative is led by the NGO Chefs with Compassion, founded during the COVID-19 lockdown. Executive chef and chairman James Khoza said the rising cost of food and high unemployment are fuelling the country’s hunger crisis.

“If you look at prices, they’ve gone through the roof,” he said. “Mandela Day highlights hunger, poverty, and shows that chefs like us can do something meaningful.”

Despite being one of Africa’s top food producers, over 20 million South Africans go hungry daily, according to the 2024 National Food and Nutrition Security Survey. At the same time, 10.3 million tons of food are wasted annually, a crisis driven by poverty, inequality, and climate change.

Togolese voters went to the polls Thursday for municipal elections that were seen as a test for leader Faure Gnassingbé, who has faced rare and deadly protests recently, following a constitutional reform that could effectively keep him in power indefinitely.

Polling stations were largely deserted in Togo’s capital Lomé, reflecting widespread voter apathy and fear following the crackdown on anti-government protests that left several people dead in June.

Gnassingbé, who has ruled since 2005 after the death of his father and predecessor as president, Gnassingbé Eyadéma, was sworn in in May as president of the Council of Ministers.

The powerful role has no official term limits and he is eligible to be re-elected by Parliament indefinitely.

Diaspora-based social media influencers and civil society groups had called for a boycott of the municipal elections, the first national vote organized since the constitutional reform. They argued that the current electoral system lacks credibility and that the recent repression has silenced dissenting voices.

Police and military patrols were stationed at major intersections throughout Lomé, reinforcing a heavy security presence that many residents said contributed to the atmosphere of unease.

“The participation in the election is not good,” said Sémon Aboudou, standing outside a nearly empty voting center in Bè, a neighborhood considered a stronghold of the opposition. “Even in 2019, there was more enthusiasm,” he added.

“People are afraid — afraid of being attacked by protesters for legitimizing these elections, or afraid of being dispersed by security forces,” said Edem Adjaklo, a voter in the Gakli neighborhood.