Africa 54, your daily news and feature magazine-style program, from the Voice of America. Host Esther Githui-Ewart and a team of correspondents zero in on the big stories making news on the continent and around the world with context and analysis. Top Stories: A video obtained by Reuters is purporting to show group of fighters from the Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram is pledging their allegiance to rival group the Islamic State West African Province just weeks after the former group's leader died. The video fuels fears that the Islamic State group is consolidating control of the insurgency in northeastern Nigeria following the death of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau last month. The Niger Delta region of Nigeria is endowed with oil which accounts for nearly 80 percent of the country’s wealth. For decades, however, tensions between militants and foreign oil companies have wreaked havoc for area residents. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed says his federal forces withdrew from Tigray's capital Mekelle because it was no longer the "center of gravity." But a spokesman for the Tigray People's Liberation Front says that's not true. The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations is calling on Russia to stop violence by "mercenaries working as an arm of Russia's Ministry of Defense" in Central African Republic. In a statement released Wednesday, Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Russia should hold accountable those responsible. The COVID-19 pandemic has strained families forced to work and study at home together with an added stress for couples who are also business partners. In Kenya, such life-work partnerships experience a struggle to not only earn a living but also to keep their families together. Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan marked her first 100 days in office this week with the announcement of new measures in combating the COVID-19 pandemic, including opening of several COVID-19 testing centers, calling for the coronavirus vaccine in the country, and asking people to wear masks during public appearances. The issue of reparations -- making amends for historical wrongs perpetrated against a group or population is highly controversial. But to the victims of atrocities like genocide and slavery, offering such compensation should be a no-brainer. VOA's Mariama Diallo looks at examples of reparations as they relate to the debate over reparations for African Americans in the United States. The African wild dog, or African painted dog, is one of the world's most endangered mammals with less than seven-thousand remaining, mostly because of human-wildlife conflict. In Zimbabwe, the Painted Dog Conservation group finds and removes thousands of snares every year that can kill or injure the dogs and turns them into crafts to raise funds for their protection. Columbus Mavhunga reports from Hwange, Zimbabwe. American comedian Bill Cosby became a free man Wednesday after the Pennsylvania state supreme court overturned his 2018 conviction on sexual assault charges and he was released from prison.