A sell-off in the South African rand and bonds gathered pace on Thursday, as news reports that South Africa had provided arms to Russia spooked investors already concerned about the economic impact of crippling power cuts.
KENYA MARKETS
The Kenyan shilling dipped slightly against the dollar on Thursday, hurt by oil importers' appetite for hard currency, traders said.
AFRICA MARKETS
Kenya's shilling and Nigeria's naira are forecast to weaken in the next week to Thursday, while the currencies of Ghana, Uganda and Zambia are expected to hold steady, traders said.
SUDAN POLITICS
Sudan's warring factions early on Friday committed to protect civilians and the movement of humanitarian aid, but did not agree to a ceasefire and remain far apart, U.S. officials said.
SOUTH AFRICA DIPLOMACY
The United States envoy to South Africa said on Thursday he was confident that a Russian ship had picked up weapons in South Africa last year, in a possible breach of Pretoria's declared neutrality in the Ukraine conflict.
GHANA DEBT
Ghana's official creditors are poised to grant financing assurances and form a committee co-chaired by France and China - key steps for the nation to secure a $3 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan, sources told Reuters.
RWANDA RATES
Rwanda's central bank on Thursday maintained its key interest rate at 7.0%, noting that inflation although falling remained high.
GUINEA PROTEST
An anti-government movement was planning new protests in Guinean cities on Thursday after its leaders said at least seven people had been killed and 32 injured during demonstrations in the capital Conakry and other towns a day earlier.
SAFARICOM RESULTS
Kenyan telecoms operator Safaricom's core earnings fell by a fifth in the year to March 31, hit by the cost of starting operations in Ethiopia, it said on Thursday.
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