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Most candidates in Senegal's delayed presidential election and a large group of civil society activists say they would refuse to take part in talks proposed by President Macky Sall to decide a new election date. A new report by the United Nations human rights office accuses both of Sudan’s warring parties of committing horrific violations and abuses against the country’s civilian population. Thousands gathered today in Kenya to mourn marathon world record-holder Kelvin Kiptum, who was killed this month along with his coach Gervais Hakizimana in a car crash.

Senior U.S. officials say President Joe Biden’s administration remains strongly committed to promoting peace and stability in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan. China places significant strategic focus on countries around the Horn of Africa and Gulf of Aden, including Djibouti, where it opened its first military facility outside China. South Africa votes on May 29th in what’s likely to be the most significant election since the African National Congress, the ANC, took power in 1994 after decades of apartheid.

The United States has reiterated the need for a quick return to constitutional order in Gabon six months after a coup, but says economic and diplomatic relations will be reinforced despite sanctions imposed on the coup leaders. Zimbabwe’s health ministry is working with partners and stakeholders to kick off a four-day nationwide polio vaccination campaign targeting 4.2 million children. The South African government spent millions to train more doctors to counter a shortage, but almost 700 new graduates are unemployed, and the shortage of doctors in the public sector is more acute than ever.

Military leaders in Guinea have dissolved the government and seized the passports of government members and froze their bank accounts. The recent African Union summit is being criticized for failing to present any plans for ending devastating conflicts on the continent. Polls reveal divisions among Israelis on the goal of the conflict in Gaza, as the government proposes a post-conflict plan that would give Egypt a key role in a multinational reconstruction force.

Cherisse Crawford, a woman that is based in Maryland, is working to preserve a hidden gravesite where several Black people, including slaves, were buried. The site was wrongly sold in the 1970s, however, the son of the developer who purchased the land says he is working with Crawford to ensure that it returns to the rightful owners so they can visit the site where their ancestors were laid to rest. For more, VOA’s Carol Van Dam spoke to Crawford.

Some analysts say the recently concluded African Union Summit that was held in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, was nothing but a talk-shop that failed to present concrete plans for ending conflicts on the continent. VOA’s Darren Taylor has more.

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.

Senegal's Constitutional Council has ruled that parliament's postponement of the February 25 election did not adhere to the constitution, creating a new phase of electoral uncertainty. The African Union Summit of heads of state begins in Addis Ababa Saturday, but before that, leaders will meet to focus on conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Zimbabwe authorities say they are worried about rising crime, especially armed robberies, whose enforcement has led to law enforcement officers firing at and killing suspects.

Two South African soldiers were killed and three injured when a mortar landed in their base in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, as Pretoria prepares to send more troops to the troubled region. The unemployment rate in Eswatini, a small landlocked country, stayed at just over 24 percent in 2022, the World Bank says, and one recent graduate says it is a struggle to find jobs.

Unemployment is a problem in many African nations, but an expert at Columbia University in the U.S. says the countries with higher per capita income tend to have higher jobless rates. The World Food Program and its partners have been making strides in cutting food insecurity in Zimbabwe. South Africa’s Constitutional Court has ordered the governing African National Congress to release records related to the ANC’s “cadre deployment” policy, which opposition groups say led to failures at some state-owned enterprises.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is alarmed by rising tensions in Senegal and is calling for broad-based, inclusive elections to be held as soon as possible. American radio host and writer Ayesha Rascoe has just released a book - ‘HBCU MADE: A Celebration of the Black College Experience’ - a collection of candid, personal essays from famous alumni of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Today is World Radio Day – a day to recognize the role of radio news and entertainment around the world - turn up that dial!

Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index for 2023 paints a complex picture of Africa's battle against corruption. President Joe Biden is hosting Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Washington today, and they are expected to discuss the effort to free hostages in Gaza, and growing concern over an Israeli military operation in Rafah. Host Ivory Coast Elephants scored a 2-1 victory yesterday over Nigeria's Super Eagles to capture the country’s third AFCON trophy.