Malaria, an infectious disease caused by Plasmodium parasites transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes, is a significant global public health concern, having reportedly claimed the lives–50-60 billion people1. Despite considerable progress having been made, Plasmodium falciparum, which is responsible for its severe forms, remains highly prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2021, 247 million cases and 619,000 deaths were reported, representing an increase of 6.4% compared with 2019.2 Currently, the most pressing concern is the emergence of antimalarial drug resistance, which poses a significant obstacle to effective treatment and control.2 A recent publication in the New England Journal of Medicine entitled ‘Increasing Prevalence of Artemisinin-Resistant HRP2-Negative Malaria in Eritrea’,3 provides worrying evidence of the emergence and spread of parasites in the Horn of Africa with both artemisinin partial resistance (ART-R) and genome modifications that prevent their detection by rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), threatening malaria control and elimination campaigns in the region and potentially elsewhere in Africa.