Sudan inks historic peace deal with rebel groups

Sudan's military leadership is embarking on talks with civilian groups. But critics warn that the supression of opposition to military rule continues and that the country's economic crisis is getting worse.

A ship carrying nearly 16,000 sheep sunk off Sudan's Red Sea coast on Sunday before it was heading to Saudi Arabia, port officials said.

A desperate lack of funding has forced the World Food Programme to suspend some food aid in South Sudan just as the country needs it most. We speak to the WFP's acting country director, Adeyinka Badejo. Also, survivors of one of the most brutal extremist attacks in Burkina Faso say that government forces left them helpless. At least 79 people were killed in the massacre in Seytenga on Saturday. And there are calls for an extension of MINUSMA's mission in Mali after this week's UN Security Council briefing.

South Sudan's independence in 2011 was supposed to bring hope for a better future after decades of conflict. Instead, the world's youngest nation descended into civil war, with violence continuing despite a 2018 peace deal. As hope in the government's ability to end the conflict dwindles, civil society is stepping in with grassroots peacebuilding efforts. Thomas Sametin co-directed the documentary "For the Sake of Peace", which profiles two of these peacebuilders. He joined us on Perspective to tell us more.

Violence in western Sudan this month alone has displaced more than 84,000 people, doubling the number of those driven from their homes so far this year, according to UN reports. The numbers are the highest since January 2021. Last year, at least 440,500 were displaced, five times more than in 2020, according to United Nations data.

Sudan says troops from neighboring Ethiopia executed seven Sudanese soldiers and one of its civilians, putting the bodies on public show. Relations between the two neighbors have soured over a border dispute.

Days after one of the bloodiest crackdowns on protests against Sudan's military coup, the head of the army has announced the dissolution of the governing sovereign council to make way for a civilian leadership. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan says the military will not participate in talks brokered by the UN and regional blocs, aimed at breaking the stalemate with the civilian opposition. However, Burhan has not specifed any dates, nor mentioned who would replace the army at the negotiating table.

Days after one of the bloodiest crackdowns on protests against Sudan's military coup, the head of the army has announced the dissolution of the governing sovereign council to make way for a civilian leadership. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan says the military will not participate in talks brokered by the UN and regional blocs, aimed at breaking the stalemate with the civilian opposition. However, Burhan has not specifed any dates, nor mentioned who would replace the army at the negotiating table.

The Ethiopian and Sudanese leaders met on the sidelines of a regional conference to discuss the long-running, often violent, clashes at their border.

A nighttime curfew was ordered in Blue Nile state after days of violence between the Berti and Hausa tribes. The military coup in October is blamed for a security vacuum that has reignited long-standing disputes.

Security forces have fired tear gas on Hausa protesters who marched in several cities after clashes in the southern Blue Nile province. The UN said around 100 people had been killed in the unrest

Kenya is still waiting for official news of who its next president will be, this as speculation runs rife online about the outcome of Tuesday's vote. Also in this edition: in Guinea, the main opposition group FNDC has accused the transitional government of operating like a mafia, after the coalition was disbanded by the authorities. Finally, the vodun religion, sometimes referred as voodoo, is being celebrated at a festival in the town of Ouidah in Benin.