Central Africa’s armed forces recruits over 1000 young people, after peace deal

Amid an uptick in rebel violence in the Central African Republic, FRANCE 24 takes you to the border with neighbouring Cameroon, where thousands of people are fleeing the insecurity. Also, with the majority of Covid-19 vaccine doses going to the wealthiest counties, South Africa is urging them not to hoard shots. We examine how "vaccine nationalism" is harming African nations. And Kenya rushes to save a species of endangered antelope. Fewer than 100 mountain bongo now live in the wild, with one wildlife conservancy leading the effort to re-populate them.

Nearly half of those fleeing crossed over into the Democratic Republic of Congo. The national army has been battling rebels since a presidential vote took place in December.

Our correspondents take you to the Central African Republic, where a territorial gain by government forces means a vital lifeline for the country with neighbouring Cameroon could soon reopen. We also take you inside the lab that discovered the South African variant of the SARS-CoV2 coronavirus. We end in DR Congo, where a local cheese has become a national staple.

A rebel insurgency interrupted the first round of voting, but officials are confident stepped-up security measures will prevent further violence.

The Central African Republic's dry season is coming to an end and recent heavy rains over the capital Bangui led to power and water shortages for 10 days. But for hundreds of thousands of the city's residents, this was nothing new. The company that supplies running water to Bangui was created in 1970, when it served some 100,000 people. The city's population has since grown to 1.5 million people, very few of whom have daily access to running water. Our correspondent Clément Di Roma reports.

In this edition, hundreds of Gabonese peacekeepers are being withdrawn from CAR following the latest sex abuse allegations. Gabon says that the most recent accusation is exceptionally serious. Also, dozens of civic groups in Uganda have been suspended. Many human rights workers say it is part of a pattern of repression. And, South Africa’s largest rhino breeder is pushing to sell horns he trims legally off his animals to keep poachers at bay.

As gas stations across the UK ran dry after panic-buying, many claimed it was a consequence of Brexit and the exodus of EU truck drivers. This clearly didn't help, but the UK's problem of recruiting drivers goes deeper.

Facing a labor shortage after World War II, Germany designed a program to bring in so-called guest workers. It was a move that had a lasting impact, said President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in a commemoration on Tuesday.

The accused — Mahamat Said Abdel Kani — faces a slew of charges, including persecution, enforced disappearance and other inhumane acts. The alleged militia leader rose to prominence amid a coup in Bangui in 2013.

Maxime Jeoffroy Eli Mokom Gawaka is suspected of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Mokom is alleged to have committed the crimes in 2013 and 2014 in his role as an anti-Balaka militia leader.

The inaugural trial of a court established to prosecute war crimes in Central African Republic's drawn-out conflict was postponed on its first day on Tuesday when lawyers for defendants boycotted proceedings

Doctor’s Without Borders said one of its staff members was shot dead by a government soldier, and has called on the country’s armed forces to explain.