The United Nations says it is 'deeply concerned' by an ongoing drone attack in Sudan, warning of the growing danger to civilians. The strikes come amid the country's two-year civil war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces.
The European Parliament called on EU member states to officially designate Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) a terrorist organisation. The move reflects growing international alarm over the civil war's toll on civilians.
More than 40 kidnapped children and teachers have been freed following a Nigerian army operation. "I feel happy and elated," the head of the local teachers' union told the BBC.
Intercommunal violence has risen sharply in Chad, with authorities flagging five separate incidents last month alone and more than 300 people killed over the past two years. The UN has warned that violence is escalating across the entire Lake Chad basin, with 5,700 people killed since last November.
El-Obeid, in central Sudan, has been under "siege-like conditions" for 18 months, the UN human rights chief has said. The city sits on the front line of the war between Sudan's army and the Rapid Support Forces, and concerns are mounting over the safety of civilians trapped there.
Nigerian security forces have announced the rescue of dozens of schoolchildren and teachers abducted from their school in recent days. Officials said some kidnapping suspects were killed during the operation, with eight others taken into custody. The rescue has renewed concern over the country's recurring school abduction cases.
Tuareg separatist fighters in northern Mali attacked a convoy of Russian mercenaries and Malian soldiers heading to reinforce a besieged military camp. The clash shows the growing pressure insurgents are placing on government forces and their allies in the region. The attack was confirmed without a precise casualty count.
Tuareg separatists and al-Qaeda-linked groups appear to have secured control of a key town in northern Mali following a coordinated offensive over the weekend. Malian army units and Russian mercenaries have been holed up at the strategic Anefis camp since rebels launched their assault on Saturday.
The UN has raised the alarm over a worsening humanitarian crisis in El-Obeid, a city besieged by Sudan's Rapid Support Forces, where many civilians are dying amid relentless attacks. Residents trapped inside describe bombed water infrastructure and growing fears of famine as food supplies run out.
The head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is spreading faster than the international response can keep up. Officials say the world must act now or face a far higher cost later.