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

Former South African President Jacob Zuma has thrown his political weight behind a fresh rival to the ruling African National Congress, and adds more unpredictability to the elections. To mark Labor Day in Cameroon, hundreds of thousands of workers march against abuses they say include illegal dismissals and failure to pay the $70 monthly minimum wage. Economic and accountability bodies in Malawi urge the government to address flaws in the public procurement system, and counter corruption.

Kenyan President William Ruto today led an emergency cabinet meeting to plan the government's response to the floods and ordered mandatory evacuations from at-risk areas. Mali’s military government says its forces have killed a senior Islamic State commander, Abu Huzeifa, during a joint operation with Burkina Faso and Niger. U.S. officials are negotiating the removal of American troops from Niger after the country's military junta ended a longstanding security pact.

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.