Thousands of troops have been deployed to South Africa's flood-ravaged KwaZulu-Natal province where residents are still searching for the missing more than a week after torrential rains began.

Djeneba Belem's fried bean cake stall in Abidjan is a world away from the war raging in Ukraine. But her business is now at the mercy of an unexpected consequence: runaway palm oil prices. The conflict has helped propel prices for palm oil - ubiquitous in African dishes from Nigerian jollof rice to Ivorian sticky alloco plantains - to record highs that experts say will deepen a food-cost crisis and punish the poorest.

More troops are sent to the turbulent region of Darfur in Sudan, after days of clashes between Arab and Masalit communities that cost more than 175 lives. Also, as South Africa pledges more money to flood-stricken communities, President Cyril Ramaphosa says there will be real-time audits on the funds allocated, in order to avoid corruption. And a local NGO in Madagascar pushes for the use of pigeon peas as a drought-resistant crop.

Just under $1.4 billion in aid is pledged as regional drought threatens millions with starvation. The UN is worried that another poor season of rain could be catastrophic.

Four Argentine friends will cycle 10,500 kilometres from South Africa to Qatar to support their country at the World Cup in November, an initiative that will also lead to 10,500 new trees being planted in their homeland.

While the official threshold for a COVID wave has not yet been reached, South Africa is facing a surge of infections driven by omicron sub-variants.

The latest installment in a scathing report into the presidency of former South African leader Jacob Zuma says that he played a critical role in the plunder of state entities. About 880 million euros worth of contracts for the Eskom power utility are thought to have been shadily awarded.

In places such as Cameroon, Guinea Bissau, Rwanda or post-coup Mali, the media's vigilance extends well beyond issues that matter to the public. Journalists are forced to watch their own backs — and data, too.

Human Rights Watch accuses Russian private security forces invited into Central African Republic of killing civilians. We speak to the daughter of Rwandan opposition figure Paul Rusesabagina. The “Hotel Rwanda” hero's family has filed a $400 million lawsuit against Kigali over alleged kidnapping and torture. And our reporters look into the mixed press freedom rankings for Africa.

Cyril Ramaphosa was widely seen as the saving grace of South Africa's ruling ANC party when he became president in 2018. But his credibility with the working class and the poor is falling.

With international tourism still in a slump, African tour companies need local visitors to stimulate tourism. But many on the continent can't afford to travel.

With international tourism still in a slump, African tour companies need local visitors to stimulate tourism. But many on the continent can't afford to travel.