Africa News Tonight - VOA Africa Voice of America (VOA)

Heavy rains continue to pound a large portion of East Africa, causing death and devastation, with Kenya and Tanzania reporting nearly 250 deaths. The African Union has said it is deeply concerned about "escalating tensions between local communities" in a disputed area of northern Ethiopia and asked all parties to halt hostilities. African nations are hard hit by rising plastic pollution, although they lag behind developed nations in plastics use.

The United Nations high commissioner for human right is urging Sudan’s warring parties to immediately de-escalate the violence in and around El-Fasher city in northern Darfur, which has killed dozens of civilians. El Nino may contribute to floods that have killed at more than 220 people in Kenya and Tanzania, and to the drought pushing Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe toward hunger crises. Gabon's month-long national dialogue intended to lay the groundwork for restoring civilian rule in the Central African nation concludes at the end of April, with delegates proposing a range of options for new governance.

U.S. and Niger officials are meeting today to discuss the withdrawal of American forces from the military-ruled country. Since their military coup, Niger’s new leaders have pursued closer ties with Russia, mirroring neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, where Russian military forces have established a presence. In the U.S., university students are demonstrating against the Israel and Hamas war in Gaza, and although some demonstrators have been arrested, it appears the protests are not dying down.

Botswana says it rejected a proposal to accept asylum-seekers from Britain, an arrangement similar to the one that Rwanda has agreed to. A British analyst says the Labour Party could end the Rwanda asylum plan if it comes to power. Reporters Without Borders ranked Tunisia as 121st out of 180 countries in its freedom of the press index for 2023.

Africa News Tonight is a lively news magazine show featuring VOA correspondent reports, interviews with African officials, opposition leaders, NGOs and human rights activists. News feature stories look at science and technology, environmental issues, humanitarian topics, and the African diaspora.

Former South African President Jacob Zuma and his new Umkhonto Wesizwe party have survived an attempt to stop the use of the party’s name and its logo. Cameroon’s opposition and civil society have launched a mass campaign to combat voter apathy. The International Monetary Fund has made an urgent appeal to countries to build fiscal resilience so they can withstand an unforeseen crisis such as a pandemic, war or skyrocketing inflation.