Guinea's opposition has also called for a investigation into this week's killing of seven protesters and accused security forces of using excessive force. It wants the military junta to hand back power to civilians.

Mamady Doumbouya says it will take 39 months to shift back to civilian rule. The junta leader seized power in a coup in September.

A military junta in Guinea said its transition back to civilian rule will probably take more than three years, a proposal likely to upset West Africa's political bloc that has called for a swift return to constitutional order after last year's coup. Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, the head of the junta that took power in September, told state television late on Saturday that after political consultations he was considering a transition of 39 months, the first time he has proposed a timeline.

Guinea's opposition leaders say they support the military's ousting of President Alpha Condé earlier this month, as four days of talks about the return to democratic rule begin in Conakry. Also, France says that Mali striking a deal with Russian paramilitary group Wagner would be a red line in relations between Paris and Bamako. And we look at how Tanzanian fashion artist Makeke is using traditional artifacts to recreate pre-colonial costumes.

What's next for Mali? The country's new military leaders and West African mediators wrap up days of talks without settling on how to return to civilian rule. According to negotiators, ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita says he doesn't want to come back to power. And Amnesty International accuses the Nigerian government of turning its back on vulnerable communities being targetted by armed gangs. The rights group estimates that bandits killed more than 1000 villagers between January and July this year.

The African Union (AU) on Thursday suspended Sudan until there was a civilian rule, intensifying global pressure on its new military leaders to stand down after the worst violence since Omar al-Bashir's fall in April

Protesters in Sudan have threatened acts of civil disobedience after the army partially rejected proposals for civilian rule. Demonstrators believe the army is delaying the transition to a civilian government.