Africa (except North Africa)

UNITED NATIONS, April 10 (Xinhua) -- A senior South Africa official urged on Tuesday all parties to respect the need for impartiality, neutrality and independence while providing humanitarian assistance to Venezuela.

Speaking at the United Nations (UN) Security Council meeting on the humanitarian situation in Venezuela, Jerry Matjila, South Africa's permanent representative to the UN, said it is "important that the effective and unhindered provision of humanitarian assistance takes place in coordination and cooperation with the Venezuelan government."

Zimbabwe next month will start paying partial compensation to white commercial farmers whose properties were seized nearly 20 years ago under Robert Mugabe's land reforms, the government said Monday.

In a statement, the finance and agriculture ministries said they had budgeted 53 million Zimbabwean dollars ($18 million) in payments to "former farm owners affected by the land reform programme and who are in financial distress."

KHARTOUM, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's Minister of Information and Communications Hassan Ismail on Sunday warned against the possibility of a civil war due to the state of political polarization, Sudan's Ashorooq net reported.

Ismail accused foreign parties, organizations and communities associated with the Sudanese Professionals Association and opposition of collecting large funds to finance the protests in Sudan, the report said.

ABUJA, April 7 (Xinhua) -- The Nigerian government on Sunday suspended all forms of mining activities in Zamfara, a northwestern state of the country.

The government also ordered all foreigners engaged in mining activities to leave the area within 48 hours, acting Inspector General of Police Muhammed Adamu told reporters in the capital of Abuja.

The order was part of measures to check banditry in the state, the police chief said.

KAMPALA, April 7 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. tourist and her tour guide who were kidnapped in Uganda's Queen Elizabeth National Park on Tuesday by unknown gunmen have been rescued.

Ofwono Opondo, Uganda's government spokesman tweeted that the American tourist and her guide, who doubled as driver, were rescued on Sunday by the Ugandan security forces.

"Rescued alive from the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo), safely back in Uganda. The kidnappers have escaped and operations continue," said Opondo.

ADDIS ABABA, April 6 (Xinhua) -- The African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council on Saturday urged African countries to exert more concerted efforts against an increasing trend of hate speech and xenophobic attacks in Africa.

The council made the call in a statement issued on Saturday following decisions made during its recent meeting under the theme "Prevention of the ideology of hate, genocide and hate crimes in Africa."

5 Apr 2019; DW: French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday announced the creation of a commission tasked with investigating France's role in the Rwandan genocide of 1994.

The presidency tapped several historians and researchers for the commission, saying they "will be tasked with consulting all France's archives relating to the genocide … in order to analyze the role and engagement of France during that period."

5 Apr 2019; DW: Tens of thousands of protesters marched in Mali's capital Bamako on Friday, to protest what they described as President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita's failure to stop a surge of violence in the center of the country.

Protesters shouted anti-Keita slogans, including "IBK get out" as they attended the march that was called by Muslim religious leaders, organizations representing the Fulani herding community, opposition parties and civil society groups.

JOHANNESBURG, April 4 (Xinhua) -- BRICS Business Council members on Thursday vowed to do more to promote economic growth in their countries during their mid-term meeting here.

"We are part of the machinery to facilitate business and trade and promote investment in our countries," said BRICS Business Council South Africa Chapter Chairperson Busi Mabuza.

"We want to continue to bring confidence into our economies, ... have a bigger role to advise governments and make positive contributions to the economic growth," said Mabuza.

ADDIS ABABA, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Preliminary investigation results on doomed Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 plane discovered that the pilots followed Boeing required procedures, but could not control the flight, the Ethiopian government said on Thursday.

The Nairobi-bound Ethiopian airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed near Bishoftu town, about 45 km from the capital, Addis Ababa, just minutes after takeoff from Bole International Airport, killing all 157 people aboard.