No deal in talks to persuade Gambian leader to step down

No deal was reached Friday in last-ditch attempts by a regional mediation team to persuade Gambia's longtime leader to step down, and while mediation will continue, the inauguration next week of the elected opposition coalition leader will go forward, the spokesman for coalition said.

"This crisis has not been solved by these talks," said spokesman Halifa Sallah, adding that more efforts are needed to narrow differences.

Ivory Coast president says deal reached to end army mutiny

Ivory Coast's president said a deal was reached Saturday to end a two-day army mutiny that renewed security concerns in the world's top cocoa producer and Africa's fastest-growing economy.

President Alassane Ouattara made the announcement during a cabinet meeting Saturday evening. Earlier in the day, his defense minister, Alain-Richard Donwahi, led a delegation to negotiate with disgruntled soldiers in the country's second-largest city, Bouake, where the mutiny that saw troops shooting their weapons began Friday morning.

Ghana's new president, vice president peacefully sworn in

Ghana's newly elected President Nana Akufo-Addo was sworn into office Saturday in a peaceful handoff of power that stood out in a region facing political crises.

Thousands of people gathered in Accra's Independence Square, dressed in the red, blue and white colors of the New Patriotic Party, to witness the swearing in of Akufo-Addo as president and Mahamudu Bawumia as vice president.

Soldiers mutiny in 3 Ivory Coast cities over pay

Soldiers launched mutinies in three cities across Ivory Coast on Friday, authorities said, demanding higher pay and bringing the threat of unrest back to Africa's fastest-growing economy.

Gunfire rang out across Bouake, the second-largest city in this West African nation, starting around 1 a.m., according to residents. Similar mutinies erupted later in Daloa, in the central region, and Korhogo in the north.

Burkina Faso hotel seizure ends; 4 jihadis, 28 others dead

The Al-Qaida fighters who stormed a popular hangout in Burkina Faso's capital at dinnertime came with a mission to kill as many people as possible, firing at people as they moved to a nearby hotel and setting the cafe ablaze, survivors and officials said Saturday. When the gunfire stopped after a more than 12-hour siege, at least 28 people had been slain in an unprecedented attack on this West African country long spared the jihadist violence experienced by its neighbors.

Burkina Faso to hold elections to replace transitional gov't

Burkina Faso is holding presidential and legislative elections on Sunday, the first since a popular uprising last year toppled the West African nation's longtime leader and started a turbulent transition.

With no incumbent on the ballot and the presidential guard now dissolved, candidates and analysts say the vote will be the most open and democratic in Burkina Faso's history.