The Ethiopian Government declared the cessation of hostilities on Thursday, saying that it was to allow aid to reach stricken civilians. Hours later, Tigrayan authorities issued a statement saying that they would do everything possible, to make the humanitarian ceasefire, a success.

Aid convoys have yet to reach Ethiopia's war-ravaged Tigray region almost a week after the government announced a humanitarian truce.

Armed men kidnapped the MSF employees on Feb. 24 from the group's base in Cameroon's Far North region in Fotokol, which is near Nigeria and Chad. Those kidnapped and subsequently released include a Senegalese, Chadian and Franco-Ivorian along with their two Cameroon security guards.

Tigrayans are being targeted with ethnic cleansing in the contested Western Tigray zone, according to a new report by human rights groups. The onslaught of rape and killings amounts to "war crimes," they added.

Hardly a week goes by in Cameroon without a video emerging that documents violence against gay or transgender people. Our Observers, LGBT rights activists, brought this worrying phenomenon to our attention. In this episode of The Observers Direct, we visited them on the ground to see how they help victims and fight to change public attitudes.

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to impact crucial food exports, wheat prices are soaring. Many African countries rely on Ukrainian and Russian grain exports and could face a severe food crisis. But in Cameroon, entrepreneurs are coming up with alternatives to wheat, which is used to make flour. Production of bread and cakes made from local cassava and sweet potato flour is now booming. These tubers are abundant in the country but are normally used unprocessed in traditional dishes. Our correspondents report.

A group of young people in Ethiopia’s Hawassa city is leading the fray to tackle the solid and organic waste menace that has dogged the city for years. The group moves door to door to collect the waste on their donkey carts. They have a recycling plant where they separate the waste and produce natural fertilizer from the organic waste.

On tonight's show, our reporters bring you the latest from South Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared a national state of disaster over the deadly floods on the east coast, warning that rebuilding even basic services will take time. Around the city of Durban, at least 443 people have died, with 48 still missing. Some 10,000 troops have been deployed to help restore power and water and search for the missing.

Every second in France, 57 kilos of cheese are produced; that's nearly 2 million tonnes a year. In the French city of Tours, the cream of cheesemakers from around the world compete to win the title of World's Best Cheesemaker. From choosing food to go with their cheeses, to blind tests, to putting together a cheese platter, they put their expertise to the test. The Belgians, Dutch and Japanese regularly make it to the podium, providing stiff competition for the French cheesemakers.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is hosting allies at Ramstein Air Base to discuss Ukraine's security needs. Germany pledged to send anti-aircraft tanks to Kyiv at the start of talks.

Washington has invited some 40 countries to its air base in Ramstein to for a conference on the defense of Ukraine. Germany announced a major shift in policy at the event, saying it would send tanks to the country.

In Ethiopia's northern Afar region, discarded explosives have been maiming and killing children at an alarming rate, medical workers told Reuters. Fighting that began in November 2020 in the Tigray region and spread last year to Afar has eased in recent weeks. But even as open combat subsides, civilians continue to bear the costs of a war that has killed thousands, displaced millions and left hundreds of thousands suffering famine conditions.