Africa 54 - January 9, 2020

Top Stories: Twenty people recovering from a rocket attack on a military base in northern Mali. Eighteen of those wounded were United Nations peacekeepers from Chad. Six of the peacekeepers seriously wounded, according to a UN spokesman. People living in the Democratic Republic of Congo suffer from extreme weather conditions as parts of the nation reels from severe flooding. A South African military plane crash-landed at the Goma airport in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to a United Nations spokesman. Although there were reports of smoke rising from the airplane, two sources at the airport, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there did not appear to be major damage to the plane. U.S. President Donald Trump addressed the nation Wednesday, on the heels of Iran firing more than a dozen ballistic missiles at two Iraqi airbases that house U.S. troops. Trump's remarks were widely seen as an attempt to de-escalate tensions after a U.S. airstrike killed a top Iranian general. A54 Business: Eight west African countries say they are ready to ditch the CFA Franc this year. CFA is a currency used in 14 west and central African nations, which is tied to the Euro at a fixed exchange rate - with the peg guaranteed by the French treasury. #Mali #DRC #CFAFranc #Iran #UnitedStates