Africa

It is the first confirmed death of a member of the US military there since Black Hawk Down in 1993.

The president is filmed at Friday prayers in Abuja amid ongoing concerns for his health.

Nnamdi Kanu is on bail after spending a year-and-a-half in jail without trial accused of treason over his campaign for a state of Biafra to break away from Nigeria.

South African footballer Benni McCarthy on overcoming the racist abuse he received playing in Europe.

The governing coalition led by the National Liberation Front retains its majority in parliament.

The DJ who has built a thriving music and entertainment business in Durban, South Africa.

A selection of the best photos from across Africa this week.

Four international humanitarian organizations have temporarily suspended activities in northern Central African Republic (CAR) after dozens of attacks on aid workers in the region, the United Nations humanitarian office today said.

Charting data from 54 African countries, a new UN atlas reveals the continent&#39s energy potential; revealing that investment in renewable energy would strengthen its economic advancement.

Voicing concern over challenges to the implementation of last year&#39s political agreement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and deteriorating humanitarian and security situation, the United Nations Security Council has urged all stakeholders to redouble their efforts to resolve the problems faced by the country.

Somalia is suffering from the largest cholera outbreak in the past five years and the number of people killed is expected to double by the end of June, the United Nations health agency.

Stuart Baxter is named as South Africa coach for a second time as he replaces Ephraim 'Shakes' Mashaba, who was sacked last year.

South Africa’s Police Minister Fikile Mbalula tells Hardtalk that criticism of President Zuma is limited in the ANC.

Being a police officer in Mogadishu is one of the most dangerous beats in the world, and it is even harder for women.

Five years ago a midwife in Kenya delivered a child with male and female sexual organs. The father told her to kill it, but instead she hid it and raised it as her own.

The BBC's Umaru Fofana tells how diamond mining helped give him his start in life.

In our series of letters from African journalists, Mannir Dan Ali writes that President Muhamadu Buhari has been accused of being as secretive about his health as his US counterpart Donald Trump has been about his tax returns.

April 30, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese army has recently managed to catch over 200 illegal migrants trying to smuggle themselves into Libya, announced the Northern State on Sunday.

The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and its notorious militia Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are deployed along the north-western border with the troubled Libya. They are tasked with the border monitoring to prevent illegal migrants from sneaking to Libya, to capture terrorists who try to join the ranks of the Islamic State group there and above all to fight Darfur rebels who are allegedly present in Libya now.

However, the foreign ministry on Sunday said the government forces only secure 260 km of its 700 km border with Libya, pointing that there are still gaps that could be used by Sudanese rebels, human smugglers and illegal immigrants.

The Sudanese 75th Infantry Brigade in a joint operation with the Sudanese-Libyan Joint Forces, have managed to capture more than 200 infiltrators of different nationalities on the Sudanese-Libyan border on their way to Libya through the Western Sahara.

Libya which was a final destination for foreign workers is now a transit country for the migrants who seek to cross into Europe.

In a visit to the army headquarters in Dongola, the capital of Northern State, the Deputy State Governor Mohamed Abdel-Rahman Diab praised the vigilance of the Sudanese army and their leading role in protecting the border together with other security services.

"This operation confirms the vigilance and close commitment of the armed forces to their duties," said Diab in a speech to the joint force.

The Sudanese police transported the illegal migrants to the capital Khartoum where they have been handed over to their respective embassies.

(ST)

April 30, 2017 (ADDIS ABABA) - The African Union (AU) has called on the South Sudan warring parties to desist from escalating violence in the East African nation.

AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat (AU Photo)

In a statement issued Sunday, the AU Commission Chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat, expressed "deep" concerns over the increasing military clashes in South Sudan, especially in the restive Upper Nile region.

The official specifically urged the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU) and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in-Opposition and other armed movements in South Sudan to immediately desist from fighting, which continues to negatively impact on the security, safety and life of civilians in the country.

"The renewed fighting in South Sudan is a clear indication that the warring parties continue to believe in a military solution, fully disregarding the plight of innocent civilians which they claim to represent and defend," said Mahamat.

"The immediate consequences of the military clashes on the civilian population are shattering and therefore it should be understood that those engaging in this callous behaviour should be held accountable," he added.

The AU Commission chief further called on the coalition government and other warring parties to immediately cease hostilities and uphold their responsibilities to protect civilians as provided for in the country's constitution and the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan

(ST)

April 30, 2017 (JUBA)- South Sudanese government on Sunday welcomed the arrival of the first batch of the regional protection force, saying it demonstrates the commitment of the government to ending the conflict in the country so that peace and stability returns.

Presidential Adviser on Security Affairs told Sudan Tribune that the arrival of the regional protection force demonstrates the commitment of the government to end the conflict and bring peace and stability to the country as soon as possible.

“Actually the delay was not on the side of the government of the Republic of South Sudan. It was on the side of the United Nations which did not complete discussions with the troops contributing countries and which did not provide clarification on the type of arms these troops would bring. Now all these have been cleared and as the government, we are happy to welcome them,” said Tut Kew Gatluak

The top presidential adviser said the government has always welcomed the presence of the foreign troops as it would help observing what takes place in the country, instead of having to rely on the emotions moving media and humanitarian organisation reports.

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) on Saturday 29 April, announced the arrival of the first batch of the regional protection force in the country.

The statement said the first elements of the Regional Protection Force (RPF) have started to arrive in the country. But, It did not indicate how many troops arrived and when they came into the country.

“The RPF Headquarters has already been established in Juba under the leadership of Brigadier General Jean Mupenzi from Rwanda. In addition, an advance party of a Construction Engineering Company from Bangladesh arrived on 20 April bringing essential equipment to begin the preparation of accommodation and working areas for the RPF in Juba. Regional troops from Rwanda will follow in June and July;” the statement reads in part.

It further added that some other specialist capacities which are unavailable in the region will be provided by troop-contributing countries from the other UN Member States including Nepal and Pakistan.

The UNMISS said that the 4,000 peacekeepers of the RPF, commanded by Brigadier General Mupenzi, will be based in Juba to bolster the Mission's capacity to advance the safety and security of civilians.

The RPF will provide coordinated protection to key facilities in Juba. It will also provide protection to the main routes into and out of the city.

The deployment of the RPF, to be staged over coming months, will free existing 13,000-strong peacekeepers to extend their presence to conflict-affected areas beyond Juba.

(ST)