Daybreak Africa - VOA Africa

On Daybreak Africa:T he U.S. and Niger conclude high-level talks Thursday on plans to withdraw all US military forces from the country. Plus, war in Sudan impacts neighboring South Sudan’s ability to sell its oil. Ghanaian civic groups push to expose corruption. A conference in Nairobi helps the disabled access technology. Chad’s main opposition responds to the announcement of the final election results. Republican voters are urged to chip away at the Democrats’ mail-in voting advantage. For this and more tune to Daybreak Africa!

A new report by Human Rights Watch has called on the United Nations and African Union to place an arms embargo on Sudan amid ongoing ethnic cleansing in Darfur. Henry Wilkins speaks to the author of the report, who says the response by the international community has been disappointing

A 2023 Transparency International report found that most African nations have shown little progress in the fight against government corruption. Civil society groups in Ghana, however, are taking up the challenge to expose corruption and push for action. Isaac Kaledzi has more from the capital, Accra.

Chad’s Prime Minister and leading opposition candidate in the May 6 election has called on Chadians to remain united and build the future of the country. Succes Masra of the Transformers party spoke to his supporters Thursday soon after the country’s Constitutional Council declared interim President Mahamat Idriss Deby the winner of the May 6 election. Masra asked his supporters to remain peaceful even though he says the results did not reflect the will of the people. Ndolembai Njesada, the Transformers’ Vice President for Political Affairs and the Diaspora, tells VOA’s James Butty, the party will take the fight into parliamentary and local elections

On Daybreak Africa: Benin resolves squabble with Niger over crude oil shipment. Plus, Kenyan President William Ruto may not address a joint session of Congress when he comes to Washington later this month. A new study exposes gender bias in African family laws. Nigerian officials probe a plan to marry off scores of female orphans. Prolonged power cuts In Guinea-Conakry make life difficult for businesses and workers. Benin and Niger resolve a diplomatic squabble over crude oil shipment. President Biden and former President Trump appear to agree to a June presidential election debate. For this and more tune to Daybreak Africa!

The decision by U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson’s to not invite Kenyan President William Ruto to a joint meeting of Congress when he comes to Washington later this month has disappointed many people. VOA’s Carol Van Dam has more from Washington.

Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Women Affairs says it is investigating a plan by a lawmaker in Central Niger State to marry off some 100 female orphans of unknown age on May 24. Abdulmalik Sarkin-Daji announced the wedding plan last week but has now called it off following widespread outrage. Timothy Obiezu reports from Abuja

A new report finds that gaps in family laws in most African countries are fueling discrimination against women and girls. The report from the international NGO Equality Now says laws that favor men in matters of sex, marriage, and inheritance, among other issues, leave many women in despair. Lameck Masina reports from Blantyre, Malawi

In Guinea Conakry, prolonged power cuts in the capital are making life difficult for businesses and workers across the country. The situation has caused many private enterprises to either shut down completely or lay off dozens of its workers, provoking acute financial constraints. Other enterprises have decided to no longer use power generators because of high fuel costs which they say are impacting their businesses. Reporter Karim Kamara has more from Conakry

A diplomatic squabble between Benin and Niger appears to have ended, at least for now. This, after Benin decided Wednesday to allow crude oil from Niger to ship through ports in Benin. Reuters reported Wednesday Benin blocked exports from landlocked Niger and demanded Niger to reopen its border to goods from Benin. Senegalese political analyst Ibrahima Kane says tells VOA’s James Butty, both countries are in violation of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) protocols

On Daybreak Africa: A new report says wars in Sudan, Gaza, and the DRC have displaced a record 76 million people. Plus, over 25 million people across Sudan, South Sudan and Chad are trapped in a spiral of deteriorating food security. Campaigning is in full swing with two weeks left before South Africa’s May 29 election. A new TB vaccine is to be tested in South Africa. An international court reassures Uganda’s LRA victims on reparations. Uganda signs an IGAD protocol guaranteeing the free movement of good and people. UN officials assess the impact of El Niño on Malawians and assure help. For this and more tune to Daybreak Africa!

An official of the International Criminal Court has promised victims of Uganda’s rebel Lord's Resistance Army that the court will provide reparations that were promised after the conviction of a top LRA leader. However, the Tribunal Trust Fund does not have enough money to make the payments, and now some victims worry other world conflicts are drawing down donor funds. Halima Athumani reports from Kampala

In just two weeks, South Africans will vote in a national election on May 29. Many analysts say there is a sense of an unprecedented uncertainty about the outcome, as polls suggest the ruling African National Congress (ANC) will lose its majority after 30 years in power. As political parties vie for voters' attention in the last weeks of campaigning, a coalition government looks like a possibility for the first time since the end of apartheid. VOA’s Douglas Mpuga reached Suleman Mugula, a Durban-based political analyst, for his take on the campaign

Uganda has signed a protocol that allows the free movement of people in the regional block, the Intergovernmental Authority for Development, or IGAD. Officials say the move will boost regional trade and business among member countries. Reporter Mugume Davis Rwakaringi has more from Kampala, Uganda

The United Nations is pledging to help Malawi recover from a widespread drought linked to the El Nino climate pattern. Government officials say the crisis has created a food shortage for nearly half of the country’s population. The pledge comes after U.N. officials visited Malawi to see the damage firsthand and identify ways to offer support. Lameck Masina has more from southern Malawi

Over 25 million people across Sudan, South Sudan and Chad are trapped in a spiral of deteriorating food security, with at least 17 million in Sudan. The World Food Program says the war in Sudan is creating the world’s largest hunger crisis, and warring parties in Sudan are preventing aid from reaching people. VOA’s Kim Lewis spoke with Mathilde Vu, advocacy manager for the Norwegian Refugee Council, about the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, and the looming famine.

A groundbreaking clinical trial is under way in South Africa, marking a pivotal moment in the fight against tuberculosis. The new vaccine could potentially become the first to help prevent pulmonary TB in adolescents and adults, the most common form of the disease, and the first new TB vaccine in more than a century. Zaheer Cassim has the story

On Daybreak Africa: Zambian police are accused of restricting former President Lungu’s rights to free movement. Plus, the UN says South Sudan has made progress on a fuel tax impasse. Chad’s Prime Minister asks the country’s Constitutional Council to annul last week’s election results. American singer and songwriter Stevie Wonder becomes the latest African American to officially take up Ghanaian citizenship. A Kenyan start-up produces water for dry communities out of air.. Analysts warn that costs would be great if the Israel-Hezbollah conflict were to escalate. For this and more tune to Daybreak Africa!

American singer and songwriter Stevie Wonder has become the latest African American to officially take up Ghanaian citizenship. He took the oath of allegiance Monday and President Nana Akufo-Addo awarded Stevie Wonder his citizenship certificate. Several others, including Rita Marley, Maya Angelou, and W.E.B. du Bois have also taken up Ghanaian citizenship. Fatimatu Abubakar, Ghana’s information minister, tells VOA’s James Butty, Stevie Wonder’s citizenship is in line with the Ghanaian government’s policy of connecting the Diaspora to their roots

Chad’s Prime Minister Succes Masra says if his ambition was to be prime minister, he would not have run for president. He says he ran for president to be the pilot of Chad’s flight from poverty to development and democracy. This comes after Masra and his Transformers party Sunday petitioned Chad’s Constitutional Council to annul the results of the May 6 presidential election. Military junta leader and interim President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno was declared winner with 61.03 percent and Masra with 18.53 percent. Masra tells VOA’s James Butty, he won the election, and therefore the Constitutional Council should ignore the announced results.