Tensions escalate between Ethiopia and Sudan

After Prime Minister Hamdok agreed to return to office alongside the military that had ousted him, pro-democracy factions have vowed to continue taking to the streets after being "betrayed" by their former ally.

France on Tuesday became the latest country to advise citizens to leave war-torn Ethiopia as Tigrayan rebels claimed to be advancing closer to the capital Addis Ababa.

Thousands take part in massive protests in Sudan's capital. Dozens are arrested as anger mounts against the country's military. In Ethiopia, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed says his army is making significant gains as he calls on Tigrayan rebels to surrender. And African fashion pays tribute to world-renowned designer Virgil Abloh, who died this weekend at the age of 41.

Fighting continues in Ethiopia, where rebel groups are advancing on the capital Addis Ababa. While much has been said about the northern front, where the army is at war with the Tigray Defense Forces (TDF), another armed group – allied to Tigrayans – is fighting from the south and west of the country. The Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) now controls a large swathe of territory. Together, the TDF and OLA plan to topple the government and take over the capital. The government accuses these rebel groups of committing crimes against civilians, including several massacres. Our regional correspondent reports.

Ethiopian authorities have closed all secondary schools so pupils can harvest crops for those on the frontline of the civil war, state-affiliated media says. ... More than 2 million pupils were already out of school due to the war which started in the northern region of Tigray last year, the government says.

After more than a year of war in Tigray, Ethiopia's ethnic divides now run deeper than ever. This will make it hard for the country to heal if peace ever comes.

Sudanese security forces have shot dead at least 14 anti-coup protesters and wounded dozens more, in the bloodiest day since the military seized power on 25 October. The fatalities in Khartoum on Wednesday raised to 38 the death toll from unrest since the military seized power, a pro-democracy doctors' union said.

Locals say Tigrayan forces took over Lalibela without firing a single shot, while the Ethiopian military claims to have captured strategic locations in the regions of Afar and Amhara.

Locals say Tigrayan forces took over Lalibela without firing a single shot, while the Ethiopian military claims to have captured strategic locations in the regions of Afar and Amhara.

Sudan's prime minister is battling to secure his country's fragile transition to democracy. Ousted in October's coup, Abdalla Hamdok was then reinstated in a deal with military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan — to the dismay of Sudan's pro-democracy movement. Warning: This report contains disturbing images.

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.

The UN's Human Rights Office has called for a prompt and independent probe into reports of rape and sexual harassment at Sudan's anti coup protests on Sunday. Also, the French army announced that it killed a top member of a jihadist organization in an airstrike in Niger. The man was a key suspect in the murder of eight people visiting a giraffe park, including six French citizens. And Egyptian authorities have banned shishas in cafes as a part of their fight against Covid 19.