Africa News Tonight - VOA Africa

Chad’s presidential election concludes today with civilians going to the polls, a day after members of the military cast their ballots. Nigeria is cracking down on electoral fraud, marking a turning point for African democracy. Advocacy group Reporters Without Borders says limits on political coverage has a chilling effect on journalists in Africa, especially in the Sahel.

Chad’s election on Monday is almost certain to result in victory for transitional president and military leader Mahamat Idriss Déby, some analysts say. Some Sahel states favor restrictions on news media for reporting security-related stories that governments do not like. Presumed Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump says if elected he would restore a travel ban on some majority-Muslim countries; President Joe Biden rescinded the controversial ban the former president imposed in his first term.

In its 2024 economic outlook for sub-Saharan Africa, the Bretton Wood Institution says it is upbeat about a good regional economic recovery but adds that growth has been more sluggish than expected. There are reports that Russian cargo planes were seen offloading scores of soldiers at Brak al-Shati, while cargo ships carrying equipment docked at the port of Tobruk. A South African whistleblower had to fight for her job after she exposed corruption.

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.

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.

Kenya began three days of mourning today after its defense chief and nine other military personnel were killed in a helicopter crash yesterday, the latest accident to hit the nation's military. The group WaterAid says a lack of clean water in health facilities across seven African countries is causing enormous rates of infections, which lead to tens of thousands of avoidable deaths. Africa’s top basketball event – the BAL – returns to the court with Nile conference play.

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.

A year into Sudan’s conflict, the country’s healthcare system is wrecked, but one volunteer at an Omdurman hospital says he can’t leave his patients. A company is offering to help people fleeing the war in Gaza to enter Egypt – for thousands of dollars per person. The Cameroon Medical Council, an association of doctors, says the state of health care is a growing concern in the country, which faces a doctor shortage, and newly trained physicians increasingly leave for better pay.

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.

In Washington, Sudanese community members and human rights groups demonstrated in a call for U.S. action to end the year-long conflict in Sudan. Today, former U.S. President Donald Trump goes on trial on criminal charges in New York. More than 80 girls have not returned home, 10 years after the extremist Boko Haram group kidnapped hundreds from a school in Chibok, Nigeria, and since then, hundreds more school children have been snatched, leaving activists weary in their fight to return the victims.

United Nations and international agencies warn the lives of millions of people in Sudan are at risk, saying the world is turning a blind eye to the enormous humanitarian needs facing this war-torn country. Kenyan doctors continue their strike calling for better pay and working conditions, but President William Ruto says the country has no money to meet their demands. More than 250 humanitarian and human rights groups are calling on all United Nations member states to immediately halt arms transfers to Israel and Palestinian armed groups.

160 groups are urging the Biden administration to approve an 18-month Temporary Protected Status, or “TPS,” for Congolese citizens, saying clashes involving militant groups over territory and natural resources, extrajudicial killings by security forces and rising tensions with Rwanda have led to chaos. Claude Kamana, the President of the Congolese Community of Washington Metropolitan (CCWM), tells VOA’s Carol Van Dam more than six million people in the DRC are internally displaced.

Opposition candidates are accusing Chad’s military ruler General Mahamat Idriss Deby of flouting election rules and launching his campaign before the official starting date on Sunday. More than 150 organizations delivered a letter to President Joe Biden and top cabinet officials, urging approval of an initial, 18-month Temporary Protected Status, and Special Student Relief designation for citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo. As Russia aims to expand its influence in Africa, it plans to create an expeditionary force of 20,000 mercenaries, but one expert says the war in Ukraine might delay that goal.

The United Nations refugee agency reports thousands of people flee Sudan every day in search of safety as the conflict, which has been raging for nearly a year, shows no signs of abating. Lisa Schlein reports from Geneva.