African Union takes over all peace initiatives on eastern DR Congo
Nairobi (Africanews): African leaders resolved to have one Africa-led peace initiative for the conflict in eastern Congo.
DR Congo and Rwanda-backed M23 sign ceasefire deal to end fighting in eastern DRC
Kigali (Africanews): In a significant step toward ending years of violence, the M23 rebel group and the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have signed a ceasefire agreement aimed at halting fighting in the country’s troubled eastern region.
Almost 300 killed in wave of violence in Sudan’s North Kordofan
Dakar (Africanews): A new wave of violence has erupted in Sudan’s North Kordofan state, with activists reporting that almost 300 people have been killed in attacks that began over the weekend.
U.S. slashes visa duration for some African nationals amid policy shift
Abuya (Africanews): The United States revised its visa reciprocity policy for Nigeria and Ghana, limiting tourist, business and academic travellers to single-entry visas valid for three months, according to a notice by the U.S Embassy in Nigeria.
Angola’s Lourenço tells U.S : shift from aid to investment
Luanda (Africanews): “It is time to replace the logic of aid with the logic of ambition and private investment”, Lourenço said in the opening speech of the 17th US-Africa Business Summit.
ECOWAS leaders meet in Abuja amid regional tensions and leadership transition
Abuja (Africanews): The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) convened in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja. Regional heads of state gathered to evaluate the bloc’s current state, which continues to grapple with internal instability following a wave of military coups in several member countries.
U.S. considers adding more African countries to travel ban
Paris (Africanews): If implemented, the new measures would mean nearly 40 African countries face bans or some form of travel restrictions to the United States.
South Sudan: UN warns of imminent famine
Geneva (Africanews): Residents of 11 of the 13 counties in South Sudan’s Upper Nile state are now facing emergency levels of hunger, the World Food Programme, the UN Children’s Fund and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations said in a joint statement.
UN reports thousands of children raped in Eastern Congo
Geneva (Africanews): Thousands of children have been subjected to rape and sexual violence in conflict-battered eastern Congo over the course of two months, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) said, warning that existing funding gaps meant that hundreds of thousands were deprived of protection.
African Union expresses concern over US president’s new travel ban
Addis Ababa (Africanews): The African Union has expressed its concern over US President Donald Trump’s new travel ban saying it could impact Washington’s diplomatic relations with the continent.
