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On Daybreak Africa: France will hand back to Ivory Coast its only military base in the west African country in a ceremony on February 20, sources with knowledge of the talks told the French News Agency. The move follows the forced departure of its troops from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, where military-led governments hostile to the former colonial ruler have seized power in recent years. Plus, the UN Secretary General makes a personal appeal for peace in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Meanwhile, leaders of the Southern African Development Community and the East Africa Community meet Friday to discuss the conflict in eastern DRC. Senegal plans to rename public places once named after French colonial figures. Some NGOs that work with HIV-positive communities in South Africa are in limbo, after Washington puts a 90-day freeze on aid. Darfuri women face sexual violence in war and refuge. For these and more, tune in to Daybreak Africa!

African Beat showcases the latest and the greatest of contemporary African music and conversation. From Benga to Juju, Hip Life to Bongo Flava, Bubu to Soukous and more, host David Vandy has his finger on the pulse of the hottest African music and related issues today.

At a special session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, members called for an independent fact-finding mission to investigate serious human rights violations and abuses committed in the provinces of North and South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Aid groups say sexual violence is a constant threat for women inside Sudan’s embattled region of Darfur, but refugees VOA spoke with also say it’s a problem for those who have fled the region. African governments gear up for what is to come following the 90-day pause in U.S. foreign aid as they worry about the potential effects.