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Media organizations in Senegal staged a blackout day on Tuesday to protest a government crackdown they say targets them directly and is aimed at curtailing press freedoms in the West African country.

Television screens went blank on the main TV stations TFM, ITV and 7 TV, and radio outlets such as RFM and iradio were silent. Most of the daily newspapers did not publish Tuesday’s editions, except for the government-owned Le soleil and the private pro-government WalfQuotidien and Yoor Yoor Bi.

The move comes as tensions have been rising between media organizations and the government, triggering international concerns over press freedoms in one of Africa’s most stable democracies. Separately, Senegal’s main media companies have accumulated massive debt over the years, threatening the sector’s economic survival.

The Senegalese Council of Press Distributors and Publishers, an organization representing both private and public media companies, claimed that the government had frozen bank accounts belonging to the media outlets, allegedly for owing back taxes, “seized production equipment” and “unilaterally and illegally terminated advertising contracts.”

The claims, published in an editorial in Le Quotidien on Monday, could not be independently verified. Government officials were not immediately available for comment.

“For nearly three months, the Senegalese press has experienced one of the darkest phases of its history,” the organization wrote in the editorial.

In June, Senegal’s Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, who took office earlier this year, denounced what he described as a “misappropriation of public funds” in the media industry.

Cases of police brutality against journalists and arrests of government critics have also increased in Senegal over the past few years, according to the international watchdog Reporters Without Borders, which has urged Senegalese authorities to safeguard press freedoms.

The group, known by its French acronym RSF, says Senegal fell from the 49th to 94th place on its World Press Freedom Index, an annual ranking of countries that assesses multiple factors, including a reporter’s ability to work and security, in the last three years.

“Journalists are not sufficiently protected when doing their job and politicians are not playing their role in the matter,” Sadibou Marong, the West Africa chief at RSF, told The Associated Press. “Even worse, the political forces have jeopardized the right to inform and be informed.”

Guinea’s draft constitution was published online by the National Transition Council in the early hours of Monday morning.

Due to be voted on before the end of the year, it is expected to pave the way for elections and a return to constitutional rule.

The draft constitution proposes a bicameral system consisting of a National Assembly and Senate.

It also includes progressive measures from the 2020 Constitution, including banning the death penalty and female genital mutilation.

The draft also stipulates that “anyone arrested, detained or charged must be informed of the reasons for his or her arrest”.

It also imposes a strict two-term limit for the presidency, each for five years.

But there is confusion about the status of General Mamady Doumbouya, who has led the country since a coup in 2021

While the transition charter says he will not be allowed to stand for president in future elections, this reference is not included in the draft constitution, suggesting he may be allowed to stand.

Zambia and Congo agreed to reopen their border on Monday after resolving a trade dispute between the countries that led to Zambia closing the border over the weekend.

“The Zambian party informed the Congolese party that the border will be reopened, to allow the free movement of people and goods between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Zambia,” said the ministers of commerce of the two countries in a joint statement.

Zambia’s commerce, trade and industry minister Chipoka Mulenga had met with Congolese officials in Lubumbashi near the border.

Zambia announced on Sunday it had closed its border with its northern neighbour after Congo imposed a ban on the import of soft drinks and beer from Zambia. That resulted in protests by Congolese truckers near the border town of Kasumbalesa. Zambian business groups also criticized the ban.

The Zambian Association of Manufacturers said it could set a “dangerous precedent for future trade relations.”

Zambia’s decision to shut its border threatened Congo’s ability to export its minerals. Landlocked Congo has huge gold, copper and cobalt reserves in its mineral-rich east. Much of it passes through Zambia on its way to the coast for shipping.

Congo is by far the world’s biggest producer of cobalt, which is in high demand and used in batteries that power electric vehicles, smartphones and computers.

Zambia is also a key gateway for Congo’s imports.

Congo’s trade ministry said it had not received a formal complaint from Zambia before the border was closed and questioned the move. It said it hoped the talks in Lubumbashi would result in “a lasting solution.”

A treasure trove of artefacts from Egypt’s last dynasty has been discovered in 63 tombs in the Nile Delta region and experts are working to restore and classify them, an official at the country’s antiquities authority said Monday.

The artefacts include gold coins and jewelry dating from Egypt ‘s late Ptolemaic and early Ptolemaic periods , and some pieces could be displayed in one of the country’s museums, said Neveine el-Arif, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

An Egyptian archaeological mission from the Supreme Council of Antiquities discovered the mud-brick tombs in the Tell al-Deir necropolis in the city of Damietta (Damietta governorate), the ministry said in a statement last month.

Other objects found in the tomb area include statues, funerary amulets and a pottery container containing 38 bronze coins dating to the Ptolemaic period.

The Ptolemaic dynasty was the last in Egypt before it was incorporated into the Roman Empire . The dynasty was founded in 305 BC after Alexander the Great of Macedon captured Egypt in 332 BC and one of his generals, Ptolemy, became Ptolemy I. Leadership was passed down through Ptolemy’s descendants and ended with Cleopatra.

In 2018, Egypt exhibited objects from the Ptolemaic period for the first time at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, with around 300 objects.

Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from Russia’s Kursk region on the border with Ukraine.

They were forced to flee their homes when Ukrainian soldiers smashed through the frontier a week ago.

It was the biggest attack on sovereign Russian territory since the Russia invaded Ukraine over two years ago.

People are being housed in temporary accommodation centres in the city and receiving food and clothes.

“There is no light, no connection, no water. There is nothing. It’s as if everyone has flown to another planet, and you are left alone. And the birds stopped singing,” says evacuee Mikhail.

“Helicopters and planes fly over the yard and shells were flying. What could we do? We left everything behind.”

Another person says there was no trade or shops working in her town and no electricity.

Residents from the border region continue to flee as Russian forces on Tuesday struck back at Ukrainian troops with missiles, drones, and airstrikes.

Russia authorities have declared a “federal-level” state of emergency in the regions of Kursk, Bryansk, and Belgorod.

They say 400 temporary accommodation centres across the country are ready to receive evacuees.

Paul Kagame embarks on another term, Rwanda stands at a crossroads. While his supporters tout the country’s development under his leadership, the international community remains watchful of the growing concerns regarding human rights and the concentration of power in the hands of one man.

The ceremony in Kigali was not just a formality; it was a powerful reminder of Kagame’s enduring influence and the complex legacy he continues to build in Rwanda.

Kagame, recently re-elected as Rwanda’s president, was inaugurated on Sunday in a grand ceremony held in the capital, Kigali. The 66-year-old leader, who has been at the helm since the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide in 1994, took the oath of office, pledging his unwavering loyalty to the Republic of Rwanda. “I, Kagame Paul, do solemnly swear to Rwanda that I will remain loyal to the Republic of Rwanda, observe and defend the Constitution and other laws diligently, and fulfill the responsibility entrusted to me,” he declared, reaffirming his commitment to lead the nation.

Kagame’s inauguration marks the beginning of yet another term in office, following an election in which he ran virtually unopposed. Despite widespread criticism from various international observers and human rights organizations, Kagame’s grip on power remains strong. His critics, including potential rivals, were largely sidelined, with two of his strongest opponents being barred from running for high office.

Kagame first rose to prominence as the leader of the rebel forces that ended the genocide in 1994, which claimed the lives of nearly 800,000 Rwandans. Since then, he has served as the de facto leader of Rwanda, officially assuming the presidency in 2000. Under his leadership, Rwanda has experienced significant economic growth and stability, earning praise from some for its progress.

In 2015, a referendum allowed Rwandans to vote on lifting the two-term limit for presidents. The result overwhelmingly favored the change, paving the way for Kagame to extend his presidency potentially until 2034. This move has sparked debate about the future of democracy in Rwanda, with many questioning the fairness of the referendum and the broader implications for governance in the country.