Chadian rebels said on Friday their command centre was bombed overnight in an attempt to kill their leader, hours ahead of the funeral of President Idriss Deby who was killed on the frontline on Monday.

Ten bodies were spotted near a capsized rubber boat off the coast of Libya, which had around 130 people aboard, a rescue charity said.

Tanzania's new President Samia Suluhu Hassan reached out to the opposition as she vowed to defend democracy and basic freedoms in the East African country.

The Red Cross has voiced alarm over "horrific" accounts of sexual violence in Ethiopia's conflict-hit Tigray region, amid fears that rape was being used as a weapon of war.

The death of Chadian President Idriss Deby has been a hefty blow to the anti-jihadist campaign in the Sahel, but especially so for Nigeria, locked in a 12-year-old battle with Boko Haram and Islamic State-allied militants.

France's foreign minister on Thursday defended a military takeover in Chad despite objections from the opposition there, saying it was necessary for security amid "exceptional circumstances".

Nigeria's senate has approved President Muhammadu Buhari's plan to borrow $2.7 billion (2.2 billion euros) from international institutions for infrastructure projects to help an economy hammered by an oil slump and the Covid-19 pandemic.

At least four soldiers died in an ambush in the north of Burkina Faso, according to security sources in the West African country, which has been battling Islamist insurgents.

The son of Chad's slain leader Idriss Deby took over as president and armed forces commander as rebel forces threatened to march on the capital.

A former DR Congo minister has been arrested in neighbouring Republic of Congo at the request of authorities in Kinshasa who have accused him of embezzlement.

After barely a year in office, the Lesotho prime minister's future hung in the balance on Wednesday after an overnight split of his ruling party risked upsetting the parliamentary majority he needs to stay in power.

Rebel forces set their sights on Chad's capital N'Djamena on Wednesday following the battlefield death of President Idriss Deby.

Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi said on Wednesday the government will work to restore peace in the country after a deadly militant attack last month near multi-billion-dollar gas projects backed by global oil companies.

President Cyril Ramaphosa described the death of Chad President Idriss Déby Itno in military violence as "disturbing news", and expressed concern on behalf of the South African government about developments in that country.

Flash floods triggered by torrential rains in Angola have killed at least 14 people and displaced around 8 000 in the capital Luanda, the national news agency reported.

Nigeria police have killed 30 gunmen after criminal gangs raided four villages in the country's north west, which has been hit by a surge in kidnappings and attacks.

Two years into a malaria vaccine pilot scheme, more than 650 000 children have been immunised across Kenya, Ghana and Malawi, the World Health Organisation said.

Chad's longtime ruler President Idriss Deby, a Western ally in the fight against Islamist militants in Africa, was killed on the frontline against rebels in the north.

Zimbabwe's parliament approved legislation removing a clause in the constitution on electing vice presidents.

Algerian security services have arrested eight people linked to the Hirak pro-democracy protest movement over an allegedly foreign-financed criminal association.