The Latest Breaking News from Radio France Internationale

West African leaders are giving the three Sahel countries led by military governments six months to reconsider their decision to quit the regional bloc Ecowas, as security issues and movements of populations cause concern among its 12 remaining members.

Police in Nigeria have arrested eight people in connection with a stampede at a school funfair in the southwestern Nigerian city of Ibadan that killed 35 children and seriously injured six others.

A row has erupted between France and the Comoros after Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau accused Comoran officials of facilitating illegal immigration to Mayotte, a French territory in the Indian Ocean. Mayotte is struggling to recover from Cyclone Chido, which devastated shanty towns housing many undocumented families.

Mathias Pogba, a brother of the World Cup-winning France midfielder Paul Pogba, was sentenced on Thursday to three years in jail for his part in a plot to kidnap and extort 13 million euros out of his star sibling.

President Emmanuel Macron declared a national day of mourning in the French overseas territory of Mayotte, and announced an emergency fund for uninsured cyclone victims – as people in remote areas reported receiving no assistance since the disaster struck five days ago.

Tibetans question why a French museum has renamed its collection of Tibetan art. A group of neighbours south of Paris produce the region's first olive oil. And the independence of the Comoros, without Mayotte.

Gisèle Pelicot's ex-husband was jailed on Thursday for 20 years over her drugging and mass rape by strangers recruited online, in a case that shocked France and resonated around the world.

Burkina Faso's junta-led government said Thursday that it had released four French nationals it called spies, following Morocco-mediated negotiations with France.

This week on The Sound Kitchen you’ll hear a “This I Believe” essay from RFI Listeners Club member Helmut Matt from Herbolzheim, Germany. Just click the “Play” button above and enjoy!

President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Mayotte on Thursday to survey the damage across France's poorest territory as rescuers continue their search for survivors of Cyclone Chido. Officials warn the death toll from the most destructive storm in living memory could reach hundreds – possibly thousands.

A French court on Thursday sentenced Gisèle Pelicot's ex-husband to the maximum term of 20 years jail for committing and orchestrating the mass rapes targeting her with dozens of strangers he recruited online.