Fresh fighting has erupted in Kidal, where Tuareg rebels backed by jihadists are clashing with government forces supported by Russian mercenaries. The violence follows coordinated nationwide attacks, including explosions and sustained gunfire in Bamako, highlighting a worsening security situation.

Mali’s defence minister Sadio Camara has been killed in a car bomb attack on his home near Bamako, as the country faces a second day of intense fighting.

Mali's ruling military junta has announced two days of national mourning after coordinated attacks killed the country’s defense minister and reportedly left a key northern town in rebel hands.

Burundi’s President Evariste Ndayishimiye has been nominated to stand as his party’s candidate in next year’s presidential election.

The court martial of three dozen Nigerian officers charged with planning to overthrow the government will resume next month, local officials said on Monday.

A standoff continues in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow entrance to the Persian Gulf through which one-fifth of the world's oil and natural gas is transported, as Iran has limited access and the US has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports.

Gunmen raided an unregistered orphanage in central Nigeria's Kogi state and kidnapped at least 23 children, authorities said on Monday, with eight still missing after a partial rescue operation.

The Democratic Republic of Congo announced on Monday the creation of a paramilitary guard backed by US and Emirati investments to secure its vast mining operations.

A fragile calm prevailed on Monday in the Malian capital, Bamako, and the ruling junta's stronghold of Kati, after two days of fierce fighting between the army and jihadists allied with Tuareg separatists, which have plunged the country into uncertainty over the military government's future

Mali is under growing pressure as coordinated attacks target major cities, use covert infiltration, and bring together rival armed groups, according to political analyst Josiasse Assemon.