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1. Sudan: Push for Peace Steps Up Amid War in Sudan

   [Dabanga] Cairo / Addis Ababa / El Fashaga / Port Sudan -- Maj Gen. Kamal Ismail, head of the Sudanese Alliance Party, told Radio Dabanga yesterday that the Cessation of War Charter (Cairo Charter), signed in Egypt's capital of Cairo by 45 political parties, trade unions, and national figures, is a national initiative aimed at ending the conflict, not "forming a new political bloc."

2. Ghana: U.S. Detains Ghana's Corruption-Accused Ex-Finance Minister

   [Leadership] Ghana's former finance minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, who is wanted at home on suspicion of corruption, has been detained by United States immigration authorities, according to his lawyers.

3. Africa: Aid With Strings Attached: How New Health Pact with U.S. Challenges Ethiopia's Autonomy

   [Addis Standard] Addis Abebe -- The adage that ''there are no free lunches in geopolitics--only postponed bills'' captures a core reality of international relations: engagements that appear cost-free in the short term almost always carry deferred obligations.

4. Sudan: Sudan's War Nears 1,000 Days

   [IPS] United Nations -- As Sudan approaches 1,000 days of civil war, late December and early January saw a brutal escalation of violence, with drone strikes hitting areas at the center of the country's deepening hunger crisis.

5. Uganda: Crackdown On Uganda's Opposition Intensifies As Elections Draw Near

   [RFI] Forty years since Yoweri Museveni took power in Uganda, he plans to seek a seventh term as president in elections on 15 January. His strongest challenger is former entertainer Bobi Wine, but his party's rallies have been marred by what watchdogs call a "brutal campaign of repression".