Mali coup leaders pledge transition leading to fresh elections

Security forces shot dead at least 15 people and wounded dozens as thousands of Sudanese took to the streets on Wednesday on the deadliest day in a month of demonstrations against military rule, medics said. The protesters, marching against an October 25 coup across the capital Khartoum and in the cities of Bahri and Omdurman, demanded a full handover to civilian authorities and for the leaders of the October 25 coup to be put on trial. Security forces fired live rounds and tear gas to prevent gatherings in all three cities, and mobile phone communications were cut, witnesses said. State television said there were injuries among protesters and police.

The death toll rises in Sudan's protests, as security forces crack down on people marching against the military coup. Meanwhile in the DR Congo, Islamist attacks continue in Beni. The local Muslim community is having to deal with both the deadly consequences of terrorism as well as stigmatisation. Finally, we take you to meet baby turtles in Senegal. Tourism, fishing and construction have threatened several species, but with the pandemic slowdown, nests are flourishing.

The death toll rises in Sudan's protests, as security forces crack down on people marching against the military coup. Meanwhile in the DR Congo, Islamist attacks continue in Beni. The local Muslim community is having to deal with both the deadly consequences of terrorism as well as stigmatisation. Finally, we take you to meet baby turtles in Senegal. Tourism, fishing and construction have threatened several species, but with the pandemic slowdown, nests are flourishing.

In Mali, a bizarre plastic monster roams the streets. But it's no demon — rather contemporary artist Zol, who uses his otherworldly costume to draw attention to plastic pollution.

A climb down by the junta or has the once and future prime minister of Sudan been coopted? After long resisting pressure, Abdalla Hamdok freed from house arrest and signing with the junta an agreement to form a government of technocrats. The former international civil servant saying he did to spare further bloodshed.

Our reporters take us to Khartoum's breadbasket, to hear how Sudanese farmers feel about the coup and the protest movement rocking the country. Entrepreneurs in the Central African Republic seek out ways to ramp up Cassava production. The root vegetable is a staple in the country but supplies are dwindling since the pandemic.

Today we debunk photos shared on Facebook claiming to show "Russian ships arriving in Algeria to support Mali". Also, a slip of the tongue by the French Polynesian president Édouard Fritch is ripe for manipulation. Our team fact-check two stories circulating on social media, that should not be taken at face value.

Militants killed at least 31 people in central Mali on Friday (December 3) when they fired upon a bus ferrying people to a local market, local authorities said - the latest deadly attack in a region racked by violent insurgency. The bus was attacked by unidentified gunmen as it travelled its twice-weekly route from the village of Songho to a market in Bandiagara, 10 kilometres (6 miles) away, said Moulaye Guindo, mayor of the nearby town of Bankass.

French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly granted an interview to FRANCE 24 and RFI in Dakar, Senegal. Parly slammed a "disinformation campaign" aimed at creating "anti-French discourse" in Africa's Sahel region, as France reorganises its military presence there. The minister said she did not believe Russian Wagner Group mercenaries were in the Malian capital Bamako, but added that "that does not mean the current Malian authorities are not planning to bring them there". The arrival of Russian mercenaries in Mali would be "simply unacceptable", she said.

For almost a decade, international forces in Mali have been trying to help fight Islamist groups that threatened to take over the country in 2012. But today, the government still only controls the capital and a small area around it. DW's Fred Muvunyi reports.

As Mali and Russia continue to strengthen their military cooperation, a video purporting to show Russian helicopters during military exercises in Mali does not necessarily seem that far-fetched. So how to go about debunking it? Find out in Truth or Fake.

Many Facebook groups based in Mali and Nigeria began sharing a video of a helicopter on December 9, claiming it showed an aircraft delivering weapons to terrorists. In Mali, the posts often accused the French government of operating the helicopter, while posts coming from Nigeria laid the blame on the Nigerian government. In reality, the video is from neither one of these countries – it was filmed in the Central African Republic during a routine supply drop.