Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) - The Al Shabaab, the Al Qaeda-linked Somali militants, said Wednesday they would shortly execute French hostage, Dennis Allex, after a daring military operation to free him failed in Somalia. Full text...

Nouakchott, Mauritanian (PANA) – Mauritanian religious leaders have condemned the ongoing war waged by Mali’s interim government and France to recapture Northern Mali from Islamist groups, PANA learnt from religious sources. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - The Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) on Wednesday reaffirmed support and solidarity with Mali in its efforts to "expeditiously'' restore its national unity and territorial integrity, according to the Secretary-General of the Organization, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu. Full text...

Brussels, Belgium (PANA) – Belgium has sent two war planes, two helicopters equipped with medical facilities, and 75-strong troops to support France in their offensive against Islamist groups in Mali, official sources in Brussels told PANA Wednesday. Full text...

Luanda, Angola (PANA) - The ties between Angola and South Africa is being reviewed here Wednesday between the visiting South African president, Jacob Zuma, and the Angolan president, José Eduardo dos Santos. Full text...

Conakry, Guinea (PANA) – Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has predicted a great future for Guinea, basing his optimism on a successful conduct of legislative polls on 12 May, 2013. Full text...

Paris, France (PANA) - France will provide logistic support to the African troops deployed to Mali to help in the fight against Islamist groups advancing southwards, the French Defence Minister, Jean Yves Le Drian, told a press conference here Tuesday. Full text...

Paris, France (PANA) - The French Defence Minister, Jean Yves Le Drian, said Tuesday in Paris that his country's military action was not directed at Malian Tuareg for whom France has always expressed "respect and consideration". Full text...

Brazzaville, Congo (PANA) - Nafie Ali Nafie, an envoy of the Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, Tuesday called on the Congolese leader, Denis Sassou Nguesso, to get involved in the resolution of the crisis between Khartoum and Juba, a Congolese presidential source told PANA here Wednesday. Full text...

Lomé, Togo (PANA) – Togolese gendarmes are still holding opposition leader Gérard Adja, without charge, more than 48 hours after his arrest, his party told PANA on Tuesdsay. Full text...

Bamako, Mali (PANA) - A meeting of the Army Chiefs of staff from the Economic community of West African States (ECOWAS) opened Tuesday in Bamako, the Malian capital, under the chairmanship of the Ivorian military Chief, General Soumaïla Bagayoko, whose country chairs the sub-regional organization, official sources told PANA. Full text...

Paris, France (PANA) – France is expecting a quick deployment of African military contingents to Mali and is considering to make available logistic means to them, the French Foreign Affairs Minister, Laurent Fabius, said Monday in Paris. Full text...

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - The African Union (AU) has renewed the mandate of its force in Somalia (AMISOM) for six months, pending a review of its operational structure to secure more dependable funding and operational status, the Peace and Security Council (PSC) said Tuesday. Full text...

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - The African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council Tuesday called for urgent military aid to Mali to stop a rebel uprising from spreading and welcomed the French military action there. Full text...

Brussels, Belgium (PANA) – The political crisis in Mali, which has escalated into military combat between Malian regular troops, backed by France, and Islamist groups, will be the focal point when European Foreign Affairs Ministers meet here Thursday in an extraordinary session, according to sources close to the EU. Full text...

Paris, France (PANA) – A donors' conference on Mali will be hosted late January in Ethiopia on the sidelines of the 20th Summit of the African Union, the French Minister of Foreigh Affairs, Laurent Fabius, declared here Monday. Full text...

Brussels, Belgium (PANA) – The European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (PESC), Mrs Catherine Ashton, has called on Gambian authorities to create the enabling environment for the resumption of political dialogue with the European bloc. Full text...

Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) - Nigeria will Wednesday deploy its first set of troops to Mali, Director of Defence Information, Col. Mohammed Yerima, told journalists in Abuja Tuesday. Full text...

Conakry, Guinea (PANA) - The Guinean government has said it will soon send a small contingent of 125 soldiers to Mali to participate in the liberation of the Northern part of the embattled West African country from Islamist groups bent on imposing Sharia in the area. Full text...

Brazzaville, Congo (PANA) - Nicolas Tiangaye, named by the opposition as Prime Minister in a power-sharing arrangement in the Central African Republic (CAR), is in Brazzaville for a meeting with the Congolese leader, Denis Sassou Nguesso, the mediator in the CAR crisis, PANA learnt Tuesday from official sources. Full text...

Niamey, Niger (PANA) - The Niger National Security Council meets here Tuesday, under the chairmanship of President Mahamadou Issoufou, to examine measures which will address the current insecurity in Mali after hostilities began between the regular army and armed groups occupying the northern part of the country. Full text...

Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) – Sudanese president Omar Al-Bashir will fly to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for a meeting with his South Sudanese counterpart, President Salva Kiir, ahead of an African Union (AU) Summit at the end of this month. Full text...

Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - Sudan has accused the United States Administration and the European Union (EU) of sponsoring political and armed opposition groups to topple the government in Khartoum, according to presidential assistant, Dr. Nafie Ali Nafie. Full text...

Lusaka, Zambia (PANA) – Zambia’s former President, Rupiah Banda, has been requested by Kenya’s Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to meet the leaders of the two main political parties in the 4 March presidential and parliamentary elections so as to help them realise the importance of putting their nation’s interest first. Full text...

Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - Nigeria's First Lady Patience Jonathan has travelled to Germany for a ''medical check-up'', the local media reported Tuesday, quoting a presidency source. Full text...

Nouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) - Mauritanian president, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, on Monday began a visit to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, official sources told PANA. Full text...

Nouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) – Mauritania has deployed troops at the eastern part of the country bordering Malian regions, after the launch of the French-Malian operation aimed at flushing out Islamist terrorist groups who seized the northern part of the country last year, security sources told PANA on Monday. Full text...

Cotonou, Benin (PANA) – Benin will send 300 soldiers to Mali within the framework of the West African force to help liberate the northern part of the country, which was seized early last year by Islamists, the Beninese army chief of staff, Denis Houssou Gbessemehlan, said in Cotonou on Monday. Full text...

Cotonou, Benin (PANA) – African Union Chairman, Benin's president, Boni Yayi, is to pay a five day-working visit to a dozen central, eastern and southern African countries, a statement from the Beninese Foreign Affairs ministry said on Monday. Full text...

Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) - All parties to the armed conflict in Mali must ensure that civilians are protected, Amnesty International urged Monday as military attacks by French forces continued. Full text...

Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) - President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday evening broke the silence over the deployment of Nigeria's pledged battalion of troops to help quell the advance of Al Queda-backed rebels in Mali, saying that Nigerian troops will be in Mali before the end this week. Full text...

Kigali, Rwanda (PANA) – Rwanda and South Korea have pledged to reinforce their cooperation in the fields of the information, communication technologies, agriculture and trade, diplomatic sources in Kigali told PANA. Full text...

Accra, Ghana (PANA) – Ghana will contribute troops to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) peacekeeping force for Mali, the Ghana Armed Forces announced on Monday. Full text...

Lusaka, Zambia (PANA) - Zambia’s former president Rupiah Banda is expected to deliver the keynote address at an international conference in preparation for Kenya’s Presidential and Parliamentary elections due in two months. Full text...

Luanda, Angola (PANA) – The Beninese president, Thomas Boni Yayi, is expected Monday in Luanda for a brief working visit to Angola. Full text...

Luanda, Angola (PANA) – The South African president, Jacob Zuma, will Wednesday pay a brief working visit to Angola during which he will discuss, with his Angolan counterpart, José Eduardo dos Santos, cooperation between the two nations. Full text...

Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - The West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, has postponed its extra-ordinary summit on Mali from Wednesday in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, to Saturday (19Jan) at the same venue, ECOWAS sources told PANA here Sunday. Full text...

Ghadamech, Libya (PANA) - Rising from their tripartite meeting on Saturday in the Libyan city of Ghadamech, the Libyan, Algerian and Tunisian governments pledged full support to Mali and condemned the activities of extremist groups in that country. Full text...

Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire (PANA) - The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is to hold an extra-ordinary summit on Mali on Wednesday in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, PANA learnt from here Saturday. Full text...

Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire (PANA) - The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is to hold an extra-ordinary summit on Mali Wednesday in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, PANA reported from here Saturday. Full text...

Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) - ECOWAS has ordered an immediate deployment of troops to Mali, following what it calls the ''serious deterioration'' of the situation in the West African nation. Full text...

Accra, Ghana (PANA) - Ghana's main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has withdrawn its objection to the composition of a Supreme Court panel that is to hear the case of an application by the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) to be part of the defence in a the opposition's petition challenging the results of the 7 December election won by President John Dramani Mahama. Full text...

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (PANA) – Four member-countries of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) have pledged to deploy their troops to DR Congo in a regional effort to end the raging conflict in the east of the country between government forces and rebels. Full text...

Libreville, Gabon (PANA) – A ceasefire agreement was signed in the Gabonese capital, Libreville, on Friday by the protagonists in the crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR) following talks brokered by the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS). Full text...

Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) - Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan Friday received the Special Envoy of President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, pledging that Nigeria will initiate further talks to ensure a peaceful resolution of the dispute between Sudan and South Sudan over the Abyei region at the African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, this month. Full text...

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - The African Union Commission (AUC) Friday strongly condemned the renewed attacks by armed terrorist and criminal groups in northern Mali, which resulted in the capture of the town of Konna, in the Mopti area. Full text...

Libreville, Gabon (PANA) - Peace talks on the crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR) resumed on Friday behind closed doors in Libreville, the Gabonese capital. Full text...

Accra, Ghana (PANA) – Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama has named his first 12 ministers with the most prominent being the nomination of Ms Hannah Tetteh, former Minister for Trade and Industry, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Full text...

Luanda, Angola (PANA) - Nigeria's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Nuruddeen Muhammad, arrived in Luanda Friday on a brief official visit to Angola, aimed at strengthening relations between the two top African oil producing nations. Full text...

Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) - The Kenyan Parliament has ended its 10th session since independence with the passage of a bill seeking a terminal payment of US$100,000, state funerals and armed guards for MPs in retirement. Full text...