Addis Ababa – The African Union on Wednesday threatened to sanction Burundi’s rival factions if they failed to attend peace talks next month, as it pushes the government to accept a peacekeeping force. Burundi’s government and opposition, who met in Uganda on Monday, are due to meet again in January …

Bamako – Mali has extended by three months a nationwide state of emergency initially imposed following a deadly jihadist attack on a hotel in the capital in November, officials said on Wednesday. The government on Monday submitted a bill authorising the fresh extension to March 31 “because of serious threats …

New York – UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday called for peaceful and credible elections in the Central African Republic. The presidential and parliamentary vote on Wednesday will test the country’s progress toward stability after a coup in 2013 unleashed a wave of violence. Ban urged “all national stakeholders …