African Union mediator Thabo Mbeki urged the UN Security Council to take action to stop the fighting between Sudan and South Sudan, warning that both sides are locked in a "logic of war" with hardliners increasingly in control.

South African President Thabo Mbeki announced plans to work closely with the UN and the African Union as he attempts to mediate a settlement in Zimbabwe.

One of the top aides to Zimbabwe’s opposition presidential candidate is returning to the country despite fears that he will almost certainly by arrested.