• Nigeria to form Africa trade task force

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the formation of a National Action Committee (NAC) for implementation of African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement.

The committee comprising of state agencies, the private sector and civil society will coordinate interventions in readiness for the AfCFTA including sensitisation on opportunities and challenges of the integration.

On July 7, President Buhari signed Nigeria's entry to the continental trading bloc whose second phase of negotiations will begin in January 2020 before it comes to effect six months later.

• Ethiopia attempts to plant 200 million trees

An ambitious campaign to plant a record 200 million seedlings in a day is going on in Ethiopia Monday as part of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's Green Legacy Initiative.

Government offices have been shut for the campaign which is aimed at creating awareness on the importance of fighting environmental degradation in the country.

Ethiopia's forest cover has fallen from 35 per cent to four percent in a century causing severe droughts recently.

• Sudan protesters reject military findings on June 3 killings

Demonstrators in Sudan have rejected findings by the prosecutor that the violent dispersal of a sit in outside the military headquarters that they claim left 130 dead was unintended.

In a report on Saturday the prosecutor absolved the military command of blame; instead accusing named personnel of misreading orders to evacuate one area of drug dealers.

More than 60 people were officially killed in the raid by gunmen in military fatigues but protesters want an independent probe promised in the Political declaration between their leaders and the Transitional Military Council.

• S.Africa panel backs land seizures without compensation

A South African advisory panel on Sunday backed land redistribution without compensation for owners, but only in limited circumstances, enabling the government to push on with the controversial policy.
President Cyril Ramaphosa established the panel of experts last year after he took power and embraced enforced land reform as a flagship policy, despite warnings that it could scare off investors as happened in Zimbabwe.

Parliament will this year debate changing the constitution to strengthen the legal case for land seizures where zero compensation is proposed to apply on land held for speculative purposes or abandoned.

• Sudan talks on power transfer issues resume Tuesday

Talks to resolve remaining issues between Sudanese protesters and ruling generals are set to resume Tuesday, a mediator and protest leader said.

The two sides have already signed a power-sharing deal that aims to form a joint civilian-military ruling body which in turn would install civilian rule.

African Union mediator Mohamed El Hacen Lebatt said in a statement Sunday that the protest leaders and generals had been invited for "final talks on the Constitutional Declaration".

• Nigerian govt bans Shiite group after deadly clashes

Nigeria's presidency on Sunday said the government was banning a Shiite group after a spate of deadly clashes at protests in the capital.

Tensions have risen between the authorities and the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) as demonstrations in Abuja to free pro-Iranian leader Ibrahim Zakzaky have descended into violence.

At least six protesters, a trainee journalist and a senior police officer were killed a week ago during the latest clashes with IMN, now dubbed a terrorist organisation.

• Trump signs executive order to combat extremism in Mali

US President Donald Trump on Thursday endorsed action to address the deteriorating security situation in Mali where extremist groups are exploiting ethnic tensions to expand their networks even across borders.

Under the order the US will freeze assets and bar travel for individuals or groups indicted of undermining peace, security or stability by the UN Mali sanctions committee.

The UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) has turned out to be the most dangerous peacekeeping effort and has made little headway since 2015 when government and armed groups signed a ceasefire.