It's estimated that more than 53,000 people have fled extreme violence in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, which equates to 80 percent of the city's population. Haiti has been without a president since the assassination of Jovenel Moïse in 2021. The country has been ravaged for decades by poverty and natural disasters. But since February, Haiti's powerful gangs have joined forces to attack police stations, prisons and the airport. An internationally-backed transitional council has been formed and is now beginning to assess how to take back control.

Rescue teams racing to reach dozens of construction workers trapped beneath the rubble of a collapsed multi-storey apartment in South Africa say they've made contact with around a dozen people buried alive in the rubble. At least six people were killed when the structure folded in the coastal city of George on Monday.

South Africa's coastal city of Durban, known for its popular beaches and warm climate, is facing a severe water crisis ahead of national elections, with residents suffering from prolonged dry taps and poor sanitation services.

Ten people were injured Thursday after a plane operated by the airline Transair left the runway at the Blaise-Diagne International Airport in the capital of Senegal, Dakar, an event that forced the cancellation of all flights scheduled during the morning.

Authorities in Kenya say at least 171 people have been killed and more than 190,000 displaced by catastrophic flooding.

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa signs a party funding bill into law, but opposition parties say the changes are unconstitutional, with some political critics even planning on mounting a legal challenge.