Africa News Tonight - VOA Africa

In Washington, Sudanese community members and human rights groups demonstrated in a call for U.S. action to end the year-long conflict in Sudan. Today, former U.S. President Donald Trump goes on trial on criminal charges in New York. More than 80 girls have not returned home, 10 years after the extremist Boko Haram group kidnapped hundreds from a school in Chibok, Nigeria, and since then, hundreds more school children have been snatched, leaving activists weary in their fight to return the victims.

United Nations and international agencies warn the lives of millions of people in Sudan are at risk, saying the world is turning a blind eye to the enormous humanitarian needs facing this war-torn country. Kenyan doctors continue their strike calling for better pay and working conditions, but President William Ruto says the country has no money to meet their demands. More than 250 humanitarian and human rights groups are calling on all United Nations member states to immediately halt arms transfers to Israel and Palestinian armed groups.

160 groups are urging the Biden administration to approve an 18-month Temporary Protected Status, or “TPS,” for Congolese citizens, saying clashes involving militant groups over territory and natural resources, extrajudicial killings by security forces and rising tensions with Rwanda have led to chaos. Claude Kamana, the President of the Congolese Community of Washington Metropolitan (CCWM), tells VOA’s Carol Van Dam more than six million people in the DRC are internally displaced.

Opposition candidates are accusing Chad’s military ruler General Mahamat Idriss Deby of flouting election rules and launching his campaign before the official starting date on Sunday. More than 150 organizations delivered a letter to President Joe Biden and top cabinet officials, urging approval of an initial, 18-month Temporary Protected Status, and Special Student Relief designation for citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo. As Russia aims to expand its influence in Africa, it plans to create an expeditionary force of 20,000 mercenaries, but one expert says the war in Ukraine might delay that goal.

The United Nations refugee agency reports thousands of people flee Sudan every day in search of safety as the conflict, which has been raging for nearly a year, shows no signs of abating. Lisa Schlein reports from Geneva.

A labor group says Nigerians are having a tough time handling a government-mandated electricity tariff hike. The Association of Electricity and Allied Companies warned of possible social unrest if President Bola Tinubu fails to reverse the over 245% increase. Political analyst Abubakar Mohammed tells VOA's Chinedu Offor that power supply has worsened since the new tariff went into effect.

The opposition Egyptian Party for Development and Reform urged President Abdel Fattaf al-Sisi to form a strong cabinet that can tackle the economic crisis and focus on industrial and agricultural production. It also asked Sisi to enact political reforms that support political parties and allows them to compete for the peaceful transition of power. VOA senior analyst Mohamed Elshinnawi discussed this with the party president, Mohamed Anwar Al Sadat.

30 years ago, one of the darkest episodes of the late 20th century occurred: more than 800,000 men, women and children were slaughtered in Rwanda. Most were ethnic Tutsis, but moderate Hutus were also murdered. The nation was rebuilt, but the trauma of genocide still lingers today. Nola Haynes, a political science professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, tells VOA’s Carol Van Dam at the time, Americans were being fed a certain narrative about African countries.

Africa News Tonight is a lively news magazine show featuring VOA correspondent reports, interviews with African officials, opposition leaders, NGOs and human rights activists. News feature stories look at science and technology, environmental issues, humanitarian topics, and the African diaspora.

The United Nations refugee agency reports thousands of people flee Sudan every day in search of safety as the conflict, which has been raging for nearly a year, shows no signs of abating. South Africa’s electoral court ruled that former President Jacob Zuma can run in the May 29 general election, overturning an electoral commission decision to bar him. Human Rights Watch says just before the Rwanda genocide in 1994, its employee on the ground warned the U.S. government and aid groups about the impending violence, but was ignored.