The military governments of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have signed on to a collective defence agreement. The Alliance of Sahel States commits each member to military assistance in the event of invasion, and is largely a response to threats by ECOWAS and the refusal of France to remove troops from Niger.

South Africa held a state funeral for the late Mangosuthu Buthelezi, a Zulu prince and founder of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP). Buthelezi was a controversial figure, celebrated for his staunch opposition to Apartheid but criticized for running an oppressive one-party government in KwaZulu. Buthelezi remained an MP in the South African parliament until his death.

• An interesting article in rest of world explains how a Zimbabwean fast food chain’s solution to giving customers change turned it into a microfinance bank.
• Freetown Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr travelled to New Haven, Connecticut to attend a climate change panel and discuss partnership between the two sister cities.
• Tems and other young Africans make TIME100 Next List.

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Image: Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi receives the Diplomatic Medal of Friendship from the Chinese Embassy in 2018. 28 February 2018. Photo credit: Taipei Liaison office in Cape Town.