Families still grieving in South Sudan

The soldiers had signed an open letter saying France was in "peril" from "Islamism and the hordes from the suburbs."

After civil war forced Samuel Dhol Ayeun to flee South Sudan as a teenager to neighbouring Uganda in 2013, memories of watching friends die of preventable diseases due to inadequate medical care inspired his goal of becoming a doctor.

Ten years ago tonight, thousands of people filled the streets of Juba to celebrate the birth of what is still the world's youngest nation. A decade on, the independence of South Sudan is unfortunately no longer a cause for celebration. From the start, the country has been hampered by inter-tribal conflict and famine. In this edition of Eye on Africa, we look back at 10 years of independence for the South Sudanese and discuss what lies ahead for the nation.

Middle-distance runner Abraham Guem was stranded in Japan for 21 months with four compatriots. Though his chances at the Tokyo Olympics look slim, he has more at stake than medals.

South Sudan's Vice President Riek Machar has been ousted as head of his party and the national armed forces, according to party rivals. They say Machar was deposed following a three-day gathering of senior members of the Sudan People's Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO). Machar was a pivotal figure in South Sudan's descent into civil war in 2013 and his removal could upset the delicate post-conflict balance in the country.

South Sudanese former rebels attend their first parliamentary session alongside members of Salva Kiir's party. We speak to Dr. Andrew Yaw Tchie, Senior Research Fellow at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, about whether the move is a promising sign of stability. Plus, the runner-up in Tunisia's 2019 presidential election is reportedly arrested in Algeria. Nabil Karoui is being investigated for alleged money laundering and tax evasion.

Taliban forces are trying to retake the last standing province in Afghanistan as General Mark Milley said there's a "good" chance of a civil war.

A civil war has been raging in Cameroon since 2016. Separatists in Anglophone regions want their own state, called Ambazonia.

Between 1991 and 2002, the small West African nation of Sierra Leone was ravaged by a decade of war, which left between 50,000 and 200,000 people dead. The conflict was also marked by rapes, mutilations and the forced use of child soldiers in both the rebel and regular armies. Twenty years on, the country is still trying to recover from the civil war, one of Africa's most brutal. Sierra Leone remains deeply divided and plagued by corruption. And despite its many riches, it is one of the poorest countries in the world.

It has been a year since Ethoipian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed triggered a civil war by sending in troops to the northern region of Tigray after local TPLF forces seized military bases there. The country is still mired in conflict.

As the yearlong civil war in Ethiopia's Tigray region escalates, Kenya and South Sudan are on high alert.

2021 began with the promise of vaccines to the rescue. But as one variant begets another, rich nations talk of boosters and jabs for kids while much of the developing world still waits for first doses.