Bona Malual, aide to Sudanese president Omar al-Beshir, threatened that if the latter is indicted for war crimes, "We can't be responsible for the well-being of foreign forces in Darfur."

Steven Godbold, a US missionary held hostage in northern Chad for more than five months, was freed late Thursday. He had been helping transport equipment to drill water wells in the region.

Swaziland, one of the smallest African countries, lost more than 218,000 inhabitants between 1997 and 2007. AIDS is the main reason. 40% of the adults are infected with AIDS, according to the UN.

At the first summit between South Africa and the EU in Bordeaux on Friday, Zimbabwe was a hot topic, with French President Nicolas Sarkozy declaring condemnation of contested Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe.

One Cameroonian soldier was killed and several Nigerian militants killed in gunfight in the Bakassi area, which Nigeria is transferring to Cameroon. The region is close to Nigerian oil fields where armed groups have disrupted extraction (photo).

UN General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon has chosen International Criminal Court judge and former anti-apartheid activist Navanethem Pillay to succeed Canada's Louise Arbour as high commissioner for human rights.

Libya will cease oil exports to Switzerland over the arrest and two-day detention of President Muammar Gaddafi's son Hannibal. He and his wife were charged with abusing two domestic employees in a hotel in Geneva.

The Senegalese government has lifted the final obstacle to the trial of former Chadian dictator Hissene Habre for human rights crimes. Habre is accused of killing and torturing opponents during his 1982-1990 rule in Chad.

Nigeria is the world's eighth largest producer of oil. The flow of black gold from the country is now once again threatened as a militant group say they will destroy the all important pipelines unless they're paid a "protection" fee.

Robert Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party and the opposition MDC started negotiations on Thursday aimed at reaching a power-sharing deal, following months of unrest after the much disputed general elections.

Sudanese president Omar al-Beshir has embarked on a controversial trip to Darfur, bringing promises of development and peace. The International Criminal Court accuses him of masterminding a genocide in the region.

Sudanese president Omar al-Beshir began a visit to war-torn Darfur Wednesday, despite the spectre of a possible international arrest warrant for masterminding genocide in the region.

Mali's government and Tuareg nomads fighting for greater autonomy have agreed to a truce after talks brokered by Algeria. Both sides pledged to address remaining issues, including the fate of prisoners and refugees in the country's north.

Following a serious transport strike, the Ivory Coast's government decided to cut the fixed price of diesel. In order to finance this decision that will cost the state 300 million euros, the government will cut ministerial salaries in half.

Arab League nations held a crisis conference to establish a common strategy after the International Criminal Court's prosecutor requested the indictment of Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, accused of war crimes in the Darfur region.

The European Commission will use 1 billion euros, mostly taken from the result of underspending in the bloc's agriculture budget, to help African countries that were worst hit by the food crisis.

Sudan has agreed to restore diplomatic relations with Chad severed in May after Khartoum accused the Chadians of supporting an attack by Darfur rebels, the Senegalese presidency has said after bilateral meetings in Dakar.

Birthday wishes are pouring in from across the globe as Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president and an icon of the anti-apartheid movement, celebrates his 90th birthday. Tributes have included a rock concert in London's Hyde Park.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel holds talks with Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika Thursday during her visit to the gas-rich North African nation. Boosting gas supplies to Germany is expected to top the agenda.