Zambia bans 'Viagra' energy drink

Authorities in Zambia have banned an energy drink after laboratory results showed that it contained the active ingredient of the anti-impotence drug Viagra. SX Energy Natural Power drink, produced by Revin Zambia, is exported around the region including to Uganda, where a consumer recently complained of a prolonged erection and profuse sweating.

Burundi schoolgirls jailed for doodling on president's photo

Three teenage schoolgirls in Burundi have been sent to prison ahead of a trial for scribbling on a picture of President Pierre Nkurunziza in textbooks, activists said Thursday.
The girls, aged 15, 16 and 17, face up to five years in prison for insulting the head of state if found guilty.
Judges said the three girls should be "prosecuted for contempt of the head of state."

Aid agencies struggle to rescue Mozambique cyclone victims

Aid workers raced on Wednesday to help survivors and meet spiralling humanitarian needs in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe tbattered by southern Africa's worst storm in years.

Trial of eight South Sudan detainees starts after one year

Activist Peter Biar and youthful businessman Kerbino Wol are among eight detainees expected to stand trial at the Juba High Court Thursday for allegedly threatening South Sudan's national security. The National Security Service (NSS) said the detainees detainees will be charged with crimes related to compromising national security.

UN council visits crisis-hit Sahel amid Franco-US rift

The UN Security Council travels to Mali and Burkina Faso this week for an up-close look at the worrisome Sahel region, where a jihadist insurgency is showing no signs of weakening and is driving mass displacement.

Sierra Leone opposition demand resignation of ‘incompetent’ elections chief

Opposition parties in Sierra Leone have threatened to boycott future elections unless the head of the National Electoral Commission resigns. The main opposition All People’s Congress and the National Grand Coalition accuse

Mohamed N’Fa Allie Conteh of impartiality. The parties believe a controversial by-election early this month was rigged in favor of the governing Sierra Leone People’s Party.

Central African Republic reaches deal on new govt: African Union

The government of the Central African Republic and 14 armed groups that had joined it in a peace deal have reached an agreement in Addis Ababa to form an "inclusive government," the African Union said late Wednesday. The peace accord negotiated in Khartoum, Sudan, is the eighth attempt to resolve armed conflict in the country since 2012.