Africa (except North Africa)

KWA-THEMA, South Africa (AP) — Sporting a lively array of colorful outfits, about 3,500 South Africans attended celebrations on Saturday in Kwa-Thema township, east of Johannesburg, on Freedom Day, the public holiday marking the 25th anniversary of the end of apartheid.

Many wore the bright yellow, green and black colors of the African National Congress, the ruling party of the late Nelson Mandela that played a crucial role in the struggle that ended the brutal system of racial discrimination. Other people wore traditional outfits.

26 Apr 2019; DW: The powerful cyclone Kenneth claimed its first casualty in Mozambique when a woman was killed by a falling tree in the city of Pemba on Friday. Previously, the storm had killed at least three people in the Comoros, the island nation off the coast of Africa.

Pemba was struggling with power outages and power lines were also reportedly down in other communities in the north of the country.

25 Apr 2019; AFP: Sudanese protesters began gathering for a "million-strong" march Thursday to turn up the heat on the ruling military council after three of its members resigned following talks on handing over power.

The rally outside the army headquarters comes after the military rulers and protest leaders agreed to set up a joint committee, to chart the way forward two weeks after the ouster of veteran president Omar al-Bashir.

22 Apr 2019; DW: Mali's president has appointed a new prime minister, after the country's government resigned. Boubou Cisse, who had been serving as finance minster, is now charged with easing growing unrest.

Malian President Boubacar Keita named Boubou Cisse as prime minister on Monday, tasking him with forming a broad government to stem bloodshed.

Ethnic violence has claimed 600 lives since March 2018, with 160 people massacred in a single day last month.

19 Apr 2019; AFP: Ethnic violence that has gripped central Mali has led to the downfall of the government, accused of failing to stem bloodshed that has claimed about 600 lives.

A statement from President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita's office late Thursday said he had accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga and his entire cabinet.

Maiga was appointed in December 2017 and renamed to the job only last September, after Keita was re-elected.

Johannesburg, Apr 19 (AFP) The roof of a church collapsed during mass near the eastern South African city of Durban, killing 13 people and injuring at least 16, officials said Friday.

The accident happened on Thursday evening in the town of Dlangubo, north of Durban, after heavy rains.

"The roof of the building collapsed because of heavy rains last night ... at this point we have a total of 13 fatalities," said Lennox Mabaso, spokesman for the provincial traditional affairs department.

YAOUNDE, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Cameroon organized a workshop in collaboration with the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in the capital on Tuesday to lay the groundwork for the implementation of Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).

Government officials said the two-day workshop gives Cameroon the opportunity to assess what the country will benefit from the agreement.

ADDIS ABABA, April 16 (Xinhua) -- At least 92 prisoners have escaped from a prison in Gambella regional state, in western Ethiopia, state media Ethiopia News Agency (ENA) reported on Tuesday.

John Umod, chief police inspector of Gambella city prison, said the prison break occurred on Monday when guards were trying to stop a fight among inmates, ENA reported.

A manhunt for the 92 escapees and an investigation are underway, Umod said, adding that the prison was housing 316 inmates before the prison break.

AMBALAVAO, Madagascar (AP) — Babies wail as a nurse tries to reassure mothers who have come to vaccinate their children against a measles outbreak that has killed more than 1,200 people in this island nation where many are desperately poor.

Madagascar faces its largest measles outbreak in history, with cases soaring well beyond 115,000, but resistance to vaccinating children is not the driving force behind the rise.

CAPE TOWN, April 13 (Xinhua) -- African National Congress (ANC) Secretary General Ace Magashule voiced confidence on Saturday that his party would win the upcoming elections.

Magashule was speaking as he kicked off a two-day campaign in Cape Town, Western Cape Province, which is administered by the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA).

Of the nine provinces in the country, the Western Cape is the only province that is not run by the ANC.

The ANC, he said, can make inroads into places under the DA administration after the elections.