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Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera and the country’s former leader Bakili Muluzi are among high-profile figures to pay tribute to John Tembo, who died on Wednesday aged 91.

President Chakwera, in a statement jointly issued with his wife Monica, described the death of Tembo as a great loss both to the governing Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and the nation of Malawi.

Mr Chakwera succeeded Tembo as president of the MCP, then an opposition party, in 2013.

The president said Tembo’s service to the party and nation “spanned six decades that saw him at the core of the establishment of key institutions of the country".

Warm sentiments towards the veteran politician were also expressed by Mr Muluzi, who served as president from 1994 until 2004.

He had previously worked with Tembo when the MCP was the only party allowed to exist by law when Mr Muluzi held the position of party secretary general, with Tembo as treasurer general.

“I am deeply saddened by the death of a man I knew so well and worked very closely with in the Malawi Congress Party (MCP),” Mr Muluzi said, describing him as “a staunch defender of his party” and “a man who strongly defended what he believed in”.

Information Minister Moses Kunkuyu described Tembo as “a true statesman who did a lot for the cause of building the country”.

More tributes came from Malawians of all walks of life, including religious leaders, civil society activists and local celebrities.

Tembo, regarded as one of the most influential politicians of all time, was a close ally of former President Hastings Banda who ruled Malawi for three decades during which time Tembo held multiple positions in government and state institutions.

Mozambique’s health authorities have expressed concern that some 37% of children in the country are suffering from chronic malnutrition.

This troubling rise is compounded by a lack of access to healthcare and limited educational opportunities, posing serious challenges to the overall development of Mozambique's youth.

“These are children whose first five years of life are marked by hunger and, often, associated with illness, they are the same ones whose minds are not stimulated, lack of appropriate interaction and have fewer opportunities to perform well at school,” explained Humberto Rodrigues, representative of the National Directorate of Public Health.

In response, civil society groups are calling for the implementation of a National Early Childhood Policy. Advocates argue that such a policy could help address the developmental obstacles faced.

“If we had a law, we would have all the guidelines on how we could have a programme, financing, a communication system and how to involve parents and guardians in order to provide children with better security,” explained Gertrudes Noronha, representative of the Early Childhood Development Network.

The Ministry of Health, Gender, Children and Social Action and partners met in the capital, Maputo, on Thursday to seek answers to early childhood development problems, which is the period from birth to eight years of age.

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Rwandan President Paul Kagame has appointed a senior military official as a minister of state for regional cooperation despite the fact he been accused of working closely with a Congolese rebel group.

General James Kabarebe, who has for decades been a close ally of Mr Kagame, retired from the military last month.

UN experts published a report in June accusing Gen Kabarebe of playing a leading role in coordinating operations by the M23 rebel group in eastern DR Congo. Rwanda has denied that its military has supported the M23.

Since the group relaunched a rebellion almost two years ago, hundreds of thousands of civilians have been forced from their homes.

DR Congo accuses Rwanda of backing the M23 - an allegation denied in Kigali.