YAOUNDE (Reuters) - Maurice Kamto, the main rival of Cameroon President Paul Biya, walked free from prison on Saturday after insurrection charges against him were dropped in what the government said was a gesture of national reconciliation.

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group celebrated in Addis Ababa on Saturday at the start of an annual thanksgiving festival which was marred by violence in 2016.

KIGALI (Reuters) - Unknown assailants killed eight people on Friday night in Rwanda's northern area near the Volcanoes National Park that is popular with tourists for its mountain gorillas, police said on Saturday.

DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - Tanzanian president John Magufuli on Friday backed an official who sparked outrage and violated the country's rules by beating more than a dozen students with a stick, and Magufuli urged parents and school teachers to do the same to build a disciplined nation.

SEATTLE/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An attorney representing families of passengers killed in a Boeing Co 737 MAX crash in Ethiopia said on Friday he will seek sworn evidence from a Boeing engineer who claims the company rejected a proposed safety upgrade to the 737 MAX because it was too costly.

RABAT (Reuters) - A member of Morocco's governing coalition said on Friday it would join the opposition ahead of a reshuffle requested by King Mohammed VI, citing disagreements with its partners in government.