BRAZIL: President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is expected to travel to the United States tomorrow to meet Donald Trump on Thursday, according to media reports and Brazilian officials.

The relationship between Lula and Mr Trump has eased after hostilities that saw US tariffs on Brazilian goods over the left-wing leadership’s refusal to drop charges against former right-wing leader Jair Bolsonaro.

The White House has yet to confirm the trip.

SUDAN: The Sudanese government accused Ethiopia of being behind recent drone attacks, including on Khartoum airport, and recalled its ambassador today.

It presented evidence that four strikes since March originated from Ethiopia’s Bahir Dar airport and also accused the United Arab Emirates of supplying the drones, a charge the UAE has previously rejected.

Ethiopia dismissed the claims as “baseless” and accused Sudan of supporting insurgents in its Tigray region.

ZAMBIA: Zambia has accused the United States of tying a $2 billion health assistance deal to access to the southern African nation’s critical mineral assets, calling the outgoing US ambassador’s allegations of corruption “mischievous” and “undiplomatic.”

Negotiations have stalled over what Zambia calls “unacceptable” data-sharing demands and preferential treatment for US companies.

The row exposes growing tensions over the Trump administration’s “America First” strategy, which is reshaping aid into transactional agreements across Africa.

DR Congo: Amnesty International has accused an insurgent group in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo of mass war crimes and crimes against humanity, detailing multiple cases of murder, abduction, forced marriage and sexual violence in a report published today.

The Allied Democratic Forces, which has pledged allegiance to Isis, allegedly disguised themselves as mourners to kill more than 60 people at a wake in September.

Amnesty called on the Congolese government to do more to protect civilians and urged the international community to support justice and long-term support for survivors.