( CNN ) -- While the French offensive to flush out Islamists in northern Mali dominated media coverage this week , news from other African nations certainly has n't stopped . Here are five other stories you might have missed : . 'State funeral ' for hundreds of Kenyan lawmakers . Throngs of Kenyans wearing black marched down the streets , coffins perched on their shoulders , crooning altered dirges in a mock funeral for lawmakers . When the march came to a halt outside parliament offices in downtown Nairobi , hundreds of caskets lay charred , a defiant message against a recent hefty retirement package lawmakers passed for themselves . The Kenyan president rejected the package , which included a bonus of $ 110,000 each and a state funeral for lawmakers , an honor reserved for presidents and high achievers . The mock caskets were a spoof on the state funerals . Major newspapers in the nation heaped praises on the president and criticized the lawmakers , who had attempted to pass another retirement package in October . `` Africa 's big men behaving badly , '' an editorial in the Daily Nation newspaper screamed . `` Drama as civil society members bury greedy MPs , '' a story in the Standard read . Good news for Mubarak . Former President Hosni Mubarak , once a powerful figure in Egyptian politics , will get a new trial after an appeals court tossed out his life sentence . A judge overturned his conviction for failing to stop the killing of hundreds during the uprising in 2011 . He will remain in prison as he awaits his next court date , likely in April . Compared to the defiant riots that erupted during his trial in June , Egyptians appeared to welcome the news Sunday with shrugged shoulders . During the trial , both sides lunged at one another in court as fiery supporters and foes clashed outside . The nation has spent the last year mired in protests , prompting the Economist to describe it as a `` Dilemocracy . '' 20 years and over $ 1B later , U.S. recognizes Somalia . After pouring more than $ 1 billion in aid to Somalia , the United States officially recognized the nation 's government for the first time in more than two decades . American officials have not recognized it since warlords toppled dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991 . Clan warlords and militants battled for control , sparking a civil war and mayhem nationwide . Two years later , militants shot down Black Hawk helicopters and killed American forces attempting to raid a warlord in the capital of Mogadishu . U.S. applauded Somalia 's progress , citing its first democratically-elected government and its successful efforts to push out al Qaeda-linked militants . `` We provided more than $ 650 million in assistance to the African Union Mission in Somalia , more than $ 130 million to Somalia 's security forces , '' Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said . `` In the past two years , we 've given nearly $ 360 million in emergency humanitarian assistance and more than $ 45 million in development-related assistance to help rebuild Somalia 's economy. `` Global uncertainty amid Algerian hostage crisis . Algerian forces stormed a gas facility to free foreign hostages without warning other governments , leaving leaders in a series of capitals scrambling to get information on their citizens ' fates . Heavily armed fighters attacked the remote BP facility in the desert this week , holding workers from various nations hostages . Attackers said the raid was a result of the French offensive against Islamist militants in northern Mali . Captives included Americans , Japanese and Britons . Hours after the raid , it was unclear how many hostages had been let go , killed or still held captive . Analysts say Algeria raided the complex to salvage its tough military 's reputation after militants attacked with security forces nearby . `` The temptation to show its strength first and foremost must have been overwhelming for a regime that showed as little weakness in the face of the Arab Spring , '' the Telegraph 's Richard Spencer said . The nation has a massive military budget , which makes it influential in stabilizing the region , Anouar Boukhars , a scholar in the Carnegie Endowment 's Middle East program , said in an editorial in The New York Times . Roaring success for South African musician . Your African culture may be your ticket to Hollywood , according to a famous South African musician . Lebo M put his stamp on `` The Lion King , '' his powerful opening vocal sequence contributing to its appeal as a popular culture phenomenon . More than two decades later , the singer and songwriter still has a passion for what he does . His arrangements captured the spirit of Africa -- and the politics in his home country at the time . `` That 's the hardest thing to do right now -- to tell young people in Nigeria , in Johannesburg , in Ghana that the African in you is your ticket to Hollywood , '' he said this week . Before he got the gig , the movie 's producers scoured his hometown of Soweto , looking for him . `` They looked all over , '' Lebo said . `` At the time , there was no iPhone ... to find somebody in Soweto , good luck ! ''
More than $ 1 billion later , U.S. officially recognizes Somalia . Your African culture may be your ticket to Hollywood , singer says . Kenyans hold 'state funerals ' for hundreds of lawmakers . Comment: