Tunisia should swiftly return to its 'democratic path', a top White House official has told President Kais Saied, days after his shock power grab that included suspending parliament.

Rwanda's government has ordered the lifting of a lockdown on the capital Kigali and eight other districts even though Covid-19 cases are still on the rise.

Tunisia's president has promised he would not turn into a dictator and rejected accusations he had staged a coup, as two parliament members were arrested.

Kenya said Friday it is extending a nighttime curfew and banning public gatherings to slow the spread of Covid-19, warning that hospitals were becoming overwhelmed.

An Egyptian court has sentenced 24 Muslim Brotherhood members to death for the killing of police officers in two separate cases, a judicial source has said.

A fresh attack in western Niger near the border with volatile Mali has left 19 civilians dead, the government has announced.

The US Secretary of State has expressed concern about the political crisis in Tunisia after President Kais Saied suspended the parliament and dismissed the government.

By wearing a mask, getting her jab and even talking about Covid-19, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has shown a complete shift from her Covid-denialist predecessor.

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria took full responsibility for the mishap, while 10 athletes from five other countries have also been ruled out.

Rwanda has killed 14 insurgents in Mozambique in fighting, an army spokesperson has said, adding that a Rwandan soldier had sustained a minor injury.

The Tunisian presidency has fired the head of the national television channel after two guests were briefly banned from entering its studios to take part in a programme.

A former Glencore trader who left the Switzerland-based commodity giant in 2019, pleaded guilty in New York on Monday to corruption and money-laundering charges.

President Cyril Ramaphosa officially authorised the South African contingent, which will form part of the SADC's regional standby force.

Zimbabwe on Wednesday approved the US-made Johnson and Johnson Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use, the first Western-manufactured jab to be administered in the country amid a spiralling third wave of infections.

Tunisia's judiciary has opened an investigation into allegations political parties received foreign funding ahead of national elections held in 2019, the prosecutor's office told AFP on Wednesday.

South Africa vehemently objected to last week's "unilateral" decision by the African Union Commission to grant Israel an official observer status at the organisation.

Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara has offered a hearty welcome to his predecessor Laurent Gbagbo as the rivals met for the first time.

The US’s trade chief plans to convene a meeting with African ministers before the end of the year to strengthen partnerships and discuss a law that provides duty-free access to the US for thousands of goods from sub-Saharan nations.

The US government will ship nearly 10 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to two of the most populous African countries - Nigeria and South Africa.

Tunisia, the cradle of the 2011 Arab Spring revolts and long seen as its sole democratic success story, has been plunged into crisis with the threat of more turmoil ahead.