Africa has just lived through its most devastating week of the pandemic, but the worst is yet to come as the third wave gathers pace on the continent.

Tunisia's health system has "collapsed" under the weight of the Covid-19 pandemic, the health ministry spokeswoman said.

Zimbabwe received 2 million Covid-19 vaccines from China's Sinovac on Thursday, its single largest shipment that it hopes will boost a vaccination campaign that had been slowed by shortages while infections and deaths rise.

After a diplomat note was leaked to the media, the United States Embassy in Eswatini confirmed that soldiers fired on a diplomatic vehicle.

Zimbabwe's army commander died early on Thursday after succumbing to cancer, the presidential spokesman said.

In July 2011, Nunu Diana smiled through tears as South Sudan gained independence, envisioning the future for her homeland: a great nation, peaceful and prosperous, brimming with hope and opportunity.

News24 has appointed seasoned journalist Lynsey Chutel to head up its Africa desk.

The 400-metre-long container ship will be seen off on Wednesday in a ceremony attended by dignitaries, diplomats and company officials from around the world.

The Eswatini government has shifted toward releasing more information on the protests, but activists continue to dispute the state’s account.

Twenty-seven people died last week during pro-democracy protests in the southern African kingdom of Eswatini, a minister told AFP on Wednesday.

Nigeria's parliament passed a 982.729 billion naira ($2.39 billion) supplementary budget on Wednesday to fund Covid-19 vaccines and defence services.

The burial of Zambia's founding president, Kenneth Kaunda, started on Wednesday despite a court challenge by one of his sons against his burial site.

Relatives of Zambia's founding leader Kenneth Kaunda have approached the court in a bid to block his interment at the country's presidential burial site in Lusaka.

More than 730 000 displaced people in conflict-ridden northern Mozambique could face a "hunger emergency" unless urgent funding is secured, the UN World Food Programme warned.

Hundreds of opposition supporters marched through the streets of Ghana's capital Accra, demonstrating against what they described as rising insecurity and lawlessness.

DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi has reshuffled leadership at the country's central bank, appointing its first female governor and naming seven members of the board, the authorities announced on Tuesday.

Africa's tourism sector saw a sharp decrease in 2020, and slow vaccination rates will exacerbate this, a new United Nations report has stated.

The commander of rebel forces in Tigray on Tuesday called for a negotiated ceasefire with the Ethiopian government and a political solution to the conflict in the northern region, saying the government could not win the war.

Ghana's opposition supporters marched in Accra on Tuesday, rallying against President Nana Akufo-Addo's handling of the economy and demanding justice after two protesters were shot dead last month.

A mission from the Southern African Development Community will return to Eswatini. Pro-democracy groups criticised the mission's weekend visit for failing to meet with them.