Afru News Today

Six African leaders propose that Ukraine accept opening peace talks with Russia even as Russian troops remain on its soil, South Africa's presidency said on Monday, as South African officials prepare to visit both countries to sell the idea.

On a recent Friday morning north of Johannesburg, the head of South Africa's largest telecoms company surveyed the arsenal of backup systems keeping just one of his 15,000 network towers online amid the worst power cuts on record.

The African Union on Tuesday called for an urgent end to travel restrictions imposed on some of its member states, saying the measures effectively penalize governments for timely data sharing in line with international health regulations.

Six countries including the United States expressed concern on Monday over reports of widespread arrests by Ethiopia of Tigrayan citizens based on ethnicity in connection with the country's year-old conflict, urging the government to stop acts they said likely violate international law.

The United States has sanctions authorities at its disposal to use against those perpetuating the conflict in Ethiopia, which is increasing ethnic tensions and risks implosion of the country itself, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday.

Nigeria will start vaccine booster shots from next week for COVID-19, a senior official said, after the country confirmed its first cases of the Omicron variant among two travelers who arrived from South Africa last week.

The U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa said on Tuesday that "nascent progress" toward getting all parties to Ethiopia's conflict into negotiations on a ceasefire is at risk of being outpaced by an "alarming" increase in military operations.

The African Union (AU) intends to buy up to 110 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine from Moderna Inc in an arrangement brokered in part by the White House, which will defer delivery of some doses intended for the United States to facilitate the deal, officials told Reuters.

The World Bank said on Friday it had temporarily paused payments to operations in Mali following a military coup, while the man expected to become the new prime minister warned sanctions would only complicate the country's crisis.

An African Union mission recommended on Wednesday that Chad's military share power with a civilian president, as one of three options towards restoring constitutional order following last month's killing of president Idriss Deby.