AU - Africanews

1. US deploys 200 troops to Nigeria to combat Islamist militants

   The United States is set to deploy around 200 troops to Nigeria to assist in training the country’s military to combat Islamist militant groups, according to a U.S. official on Tuesday.

2. Kenya starvation cult preacher Paul Mackenzie charged over 52 more deaths

   A self-proclaimed preacher in Kenya linked to an infamous starvation cult that killed more than 400 people was charged on Wednesday over a further 52 deaths, prosecutors said.

3. Libya grants foreign oil companies exploration licences

   Libya granted several foreign companies new oil exploration and production licences for the first time in 17 years on Wednesday, after more than a decade of political instability.

4. Egypt's Sisi names new defence minister in limited reshuffle

   General Ashraf Salem Zaher, the former head of the Egyptian Military Academy -succeeds General Abdelmeguid Saqr, and will lead a merged ministry for defence and military production - the latter previously its own entity governing Egypt's sizable military economy

5. Iran marks revolution anniversary amid US threats and sanctions

   Iran's president vowed on Wednesday that the Islamic Republic would not yield to outside aggression, as it marked the anniversary of the 1979 revolution with events overshadowed by the looming threat of US military action.