MAYOTTE: At least 11 people have died after Cyclone Chido caused devastating damage in the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, France’s Interior Ministry said today.

A hospital in Mayotte reported that nine people were in a critical condition and 246 others were injured.

CONGO: Peace talks between Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwanda’s Paul Kagame have been unexpectedly cancelled, the Congolese president said today.

The Congolese presidency said in a social media post on X that the cancellation of the face-to-face meeting in Angola set for Sunday was caused by the refusal of the Rwandan delegation to take part. 

On Saturday, Rwanda had made the signing of a peace agreement conditional on the organisation of a direct dialogue between Congo and the M23 rebels, which Congo refused, the presidency added.

GEORGIA: Former football player Mikheil Kavelashvili became president of Georgia on Saturday, prompting opposition laments of a “victory for Russia.”

Mr Kavelashvili, who was the only candidate on the ballot, easily won the vote, giving the Georgian Dream party control of a 300-seat electoral college that replaced direct presidential elections in 2017. 

WEST AFRICA: West Africa’s regional bloc, Ecowas, said today that the impending exit of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso is disheartening after a nearly year-long process of mediation to avert the unprecedented disintegration of the group.

The three nations announced in January that they have decided to leave Ecowas, accusing it of “inhumane and irresponsible” sanctions against them and of failing to help them solve their internal security crises.