Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) - Justifying its involvement in the crisis in Mali, the West African sub-regional bloc, ECOWAS, attributed the current global interest in the country to the untiring efforts of West African leaders. Full text...

Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - The UN on Monday said it was shocked by recent rebel attack on a central Sudan town which left an unspecified number of policemen and civilians dead and destroyed a number of public establishments, including electricity and communications facilities. Full text...

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) – Efforts are being intensified to end the siege at the Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs by former rebels, Prime Minister Ali Zeidan told a press conference here. Full text...

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - A body, calling itself "The coordination of political exclusion", has given the Libyan government a three-day ultimatum to sack all public workers who were loyal to the regime of Mouammar Kadhafi, the local media reported Monday, quoting Adel Gharyan, the organization's spokesperson. Full text...

Accra, Ghana (PANA) - A road map that will ultimately result in the adoption of a Supplementary Act to enhance the powers of the ECOWAS Parliament has been adopted at a multi-disciplinary meeting of experts which ended in Accra, Ghana, at the weekend. Full text...

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan has assured that his country will never interfere in the affairs of other countries. Full text...

Addis Ababa, Ethioia (PANA) - International supporters of the Palestinian people's quest to achieve a sovereign and independent state need to do more, considering that an end to the Israeli occupation is not in sight, Abdou Salam Diallo, chair of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, said here Monday. Full text...

Cape Town, South Africa (PANA) - South Africa's President Jacob Zuma is under increasing pressure to refer the controversial Protection of State Information Bill, tagged the Secrecy Bill, to the Constitutional Court. Full text...

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on the Israeli and Palestinian political leaders to demonstrate their willingness to move beyond discussions about negotiations and tackle the final status issues in a constructive spirit. Full text...

Cape Town, South Africa (PANA) – President Jacob Zuma on Saturday marked Freedom Day on the 19th anniversary of South Africa’s democracy by awarding outstanding citizens and foreign nationals with national orders at a ceremony in Pretoria. Full text...

Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - The Sudanese Army on Saturday accused the Rebel Revolutionary Front (RRF) of attacking a regional town of Um Ruwaba, about 500 km West of Khartoum, looting properties and terrorizing civilians. Full text...

Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - The US government has congratulated the people of South Africa, Togo, and Sierra Leone as they celebrate their National Days on Saturday, 27 April, 2013. Full text...

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - The UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region, Mary Robinson, will Monday begin a week-long tour of the region with visits to the DR Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, South Africa and the African Union (AU) headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Full text...

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - African chiefs of defence staff are due to convene at the African Union Commission (AUC) headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Monday to prepare for the 6th Ordinary Meeting of the Specialized Technical Committee on Defence Safety and Security of the AU. Full text...

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - The common challenge for Africa and Europe, each other’s closest neighbours, remains to consolidate sustainable economic growth that is inclusive in creating jobs, especially for women and young people, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said here Friday. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - The UN Security Council on Thursday approved a 12,600-strong UN peacekeeping operation to take over from the African-led mission in Mali on 1 July, according to a PANA report. Full text...

Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) - Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan, has approved the release of a total sum of 5,747,694,780 Naira (about US$ 35 million) to nine states in the country for direct disbursement to those who lost properties, means of livelihood and places of worship in the post-election violence of 2011. Full text...

Nouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) - Mauritania and Morocco have signed 17 cooperation pacts in various fields, according to a statement issued Thursday after the 7th meeting in Nouakchott of the countries' Joint Cooperation Commission. Full text...

Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - The UN on Thursday welcomed the start of direct negotiations between the Sudanese government and the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-North). Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday welcomed the signing of a joint declaration by political actors in Guinea to resolve differences over preparations for stalled legislative elections and other contentious issues through peaceful means. Full text...

Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday inaugurated the committee he set up to engage the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, in talks and work out the modality for a possible amnesty for its members who renounce violence. Full text...

Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - The American embassy in Khartoum on Wednesday issued a statement, welcoming the progress made in the implementation of the cooperation agreement between Sudan and South Sudan. Full text...

Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - The African Union (AU) on Wednesday commended Sudan and South Sudan for their agreement to open eight crossing points between the two countries immediately, saying this was an important step in the integration process between the two States. Full text...

Rabat, Morocco (PANA) – Morocco Wednesday expressed full support for the democratic transition underway in Libya and condemned Tuesday's attacks on the French embassy in Tripoli, PANA reported here, citing a communique from the Moroccan Foreign Affairs ministry. Full text...

Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) - The Electoral Assistance Division of the ECOWAS Commission has been presented with a database that will house records of all professionals in the region in the areas of Election monitoring and evaluation. Full text...

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) – The Libyan government has vowed that it will do everything possible to unmask perpetrators of Tuesday's car bomb attack on the French Embassy here in which two guards and a little girl were injured. Full text...

Accra, Ghana (PANA) - Ghana's Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Ms Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, has tasked experts charged with developing a mechanism for wider powers of the ECOWAS Parliament to come up with concrete proposals that will enable the institution influence community legal instruments. Full text...

Paris, France (PANA) - Mayor Nazaire Guenefe Yalanga of Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic (CAR), has acknowledged that his city is still plagued by a serious insecurity which he blamed on "elements out of control". Full text...

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Libyan Interior Ministry has condemned Tuesday's car bomb attack against the French Embassy in Tripoli, which injured two guards and partly damaged the embassy building. Full text...

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - It is important for Africa to involve the private sector, investment banks and the civil society in a practical way to realise the continent’s goals in its partnership with Europe, African Union Commission (AUC) Chief of Staff Jean-Baptiste Natama said here Tuesday. Full text...

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) – Officials of the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU) will hold their sixth commission-to-commission meeting here this week to identify priority issues for discussion at the fourth Africa-EU Summit, scheduled for April 2014 in Brussels, Belgium, the AU Commission announced here Monday. Full text...

Mogadishu, Somalia (PANA) - Somali police are increasingly playing a more prominent role in keeping their country back on its feet after 22 years of conflict. But peace in Somalia is still a long shot. Full text...

Paris, France (PANA) – The French president, François Hollande, will Friday, at the Elysée, hold talks with the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, official sources told PANA here Thursday. Full text...

Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - Nigeria's leading opposition party, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Thursday voted for a merger with some other leading opposition parties, an action which the party's leaders said will establish a formidable platform to face the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2015 general elections. Full text...

Balaclava, Mauritius (PANA) - The sixth Conference of African Ministers in charge of Integration (COMAI VI) opened Thursday at Balaclava, northern Mauritius, PANA reported from here. Full text...

Cape Town, South Africa (PANA) – President Jacob Zuma on Wednesday informed Parliament of the extension, by a further 12 months, of the services of South African soldiers in the DR Congo and Sudan “to fulfil various international obligations”. Full text...

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) has castigated the United Nations over its failure to prevent the Rwandan genocide against the Tutsi ethnic community 19 years ago, despite having reports to that effect. Full text...

Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - The UN on Wednesday welcomed the AU invitation to the Sudanese government and the northern Sudanese rebel groups to negotiate for peace under the AU High-Level Implementation Panel, led by former South African President Thabo Mbeki. Full text...

Accra, Ghana (PANA) - Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama and his visiting Iranian counterpart, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, on Wednesday held bilateral talks covering a wide range of issues on political, economic, cultural and technical cooperation between both countries. Full text...

Paris, France (PANA) – A meeting at which the current situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) will be discussed begins Thursday in the Chadian capital, Ndjamena, under the aegis the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), currently chaired by Chad, PANA learnt here. Full text...

Nouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) - The foreign ministers of the 5+5 Dialogue Group have welcomed the political changes that took place since the beginning of 2011, especially along the southern shore of the Mediterranean, as well as the democratic reforms in the sub-region. Full text...

Bamako, Mali (PANA) - The European Union (EU) is to make available to the UNDP two million Euros to support electoral civic education activities and provide assistance in the establishment of a voters' list, PANA learnt from official sources here Wednesday. Full text...

Luanda, Angola (PANA) - Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo arrived in Luanda, the Angolan capital, on Wednesday morning. Full text...

Port Louis, Mauritius (PANA) - The Sixth Conference of African Ministers of Integration (COMAI VI) will be held April 18- 19 in Mauritius, PANA learned Wednesday from an official source. Full text...

Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan has said he is yet to take a decision on whether or not to seek the 2015 presidential ticket of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), dismissing as ill-founded reports that he has empanelled trusted loyalists to strategise on his campaign. Full text...

Accra, Ghana PANA) - President John Mahama on Wednesday clocked 100 days in office with an assurance that he remains focused on delivering on the promises made to Ghanaians, despite the challenges faced by his administration. Full text...

Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday hosted South African President Jacob Zuma, who paid a one-day official visit to the West African nation. Full text...

Paris, France (PANA) – France has circulated a draft resolution at the United Nations to transform the African-led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA) into a UN mission for the Stabilization of Mali, the French foreign ministry said on Tuesday. Full text...

Accra, Ghana (PANA) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Accra on Tuesday on the last leg of a three-nation West Africa tour that has already taken him to Benin and Niger. Full text...

Nouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) – Mauritania is willing to participate in a UN-led peacekeeping mission in Mali, the French minister of Foreign Affairs, Laurent Fabius, disclosed this Monday at the end of his meeting with the Mauritanian president, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz. Full text...