Nigerian authorities have announced a special flight operation to evacuate their citizens from Ukraine; VOA Zimbabwe service spoke with Zimbabwean students living in Ukraine; And French Foreign Minister accused Russian President of wanting "to take Ukraine off the map of nations" as he sought to rebuild a Russian "empire".

Top American officials painted a grim picture of what a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine would look like, as Ukraine declared a nationwide state of emergency starting midnight Thursday; An envoy from West Africa's regional bloc arrived in Mali on Thursday for talks with the military junta over restoring civilian rule in the volatile country; And A commission created by the junta that seized power in Burkina Faso last month has proposed a 30-month transition period before the country returns to constitutional rule.

U.S. President Joe Biden cut off Russia from Western financing and placed sanctions on large Russian banks; More than a dozen of civilians were killed in western Niger frequently targeted by Islamist militants; And an interview with Turkish Service anchor Mehtap Colak Yilmaz to speak about President Recep Erdogan’ visit to Africa.

Tonight on Africa 54, the U.N. Security Council held a rare nighttime emergency meeting on Monday at the request of Ukraine and the West to discuss a possible Ukraine invasion by Russia; Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday met with Senegalese President Macky Sall in Darkar for a bilateral meeting; United Nations officials are scheduled to visit Sudan to investigate alleged rights abuses during protests that rocked Sudan in past months.

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Ethiopia has started generating electricity from a controversial mega-dam being built on the Blue Nile; An interview with Uganda's Foreign Minister, who speaks about the EU-AU summit ended in Brussels, Belgium, Friday; And the U.S. and Egypt launched a joint work group on Monday to prepare for the next U.N. climate change in November.

Tonight on Africa 54: French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday the removal of the French military from Mali but insists the pullback does not constitute a failure of its nine-year mission to fight Islamist militants in the Sahel; VOA speaks to analysts about Western concerns over Russia’s aggressive stance towards Ukraine but continues strengthening ties with Africa; Nigerian athlete Simidele Adeagbo lodges a formal complaint about gender discrimination at the Beijing Olympics.

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Tonight on Africa 54:

Burkina Faso’s military leader, Paul-Henri Damiba, is sworn in as president weeks after a successful coup; VOA speaks to former Ghanaian President and African Union chairperson John Kufuor about the rise in military coups in West Africa; A South African judge dismisses former President Jacob Zuma’s bid to stop a trial against him.

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Tonight on Africa 54, Congolese authorities report armed militants killed 15 and injured four Tuesday during a village raid in Congo’s eastern Ituri province, World Food Programme reports over 20 million Congolese in need of assistance resulting from famine, over 100 Sudanese detainees, including high-profile politicians begin a hunger strike Tuesday.

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Tonight on Africa 54, A former member of Sudan’s dissolved Transitional Council, Mohamed Al-Faki Suleiman joins Wagdi Salih and Khalid Omer Yousif on the list of prominent politicians arrested who were part of the April 2019 power sharing agreement between civilians and military: Following a failed coup, Congolese officials say they have “serious evidence” of a national security threat.

Sanctions and aid withdrawals are beginning to hit military governments in Africa's Sahel region over coups and delayed elections; The World Health Organization's chief scientist said on Friday the world was not yet at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic as there would be more coronavirus variants; And, The death toll from Cyclone Batsirai in Madagascar jumped to 111.