At the Women's IHF Trophy Zone 5 Africa in Dar es Salaam, the group stage at both the youth and the junior tournaments finished on Thursday 27 April. The best four teams in each age category progressed to the semi-final, while the other sides will play in the placement matches 5-8.

In Group A of the youth (U17) tournament, South Sudan defeated Djibouti 27:4, and Rwanda were given a 10:0 win against Tanzania. Rwanda (six points) and South Sudan (four) secured their semi-final berths, leaving Djibouti and Tanzania behind.

In Group B, Burundi ended the group phase with the maximum of six points after taking a commanding win against Somalia (40:1). In the other game, Kenya defeated Ethiopia 18:12, but Ethiopia finished second and progressed to the semi-final.

So in Saturday's semi-finals, Rwanda are set to play Ethiopia, and Burundi will meet South Sudan. The placement matches 5-8 will be held on Friday, as Djibouti meet Somalia, and Tanzania face Kenya.

At the junior (U19) event, Uganda snatched a hard-fought 28:26 win against Ethiopia in Group A, while South Sudan had the upper hand against Somalia (28:14). As a result, three teams finished the group stage with four points. Hence, the goal difference in their head-to-head encounters was a tie-breaker. Ethiopia finished first, South Sudan second, while Uganda and last-placed Somalia will fight for the places 5-8.

Tanzania finished top of Group B with the maximum of six points, beating Djibouti 53:10 on Thursday. On the same day, Kenya proved too strong for Burundi (38:4), and both rivals, as well as Djibouti, finished level on two points. Thanks to a better goal difference in mutual encounters, the Kenyans booked the second semi-final ticket, while Burundi finished third and Djibouti fourth.

The semi-finals will be held on Saturday, as Ethiopia face Kenya and Tanzania meet South Sudan. In the placement matches 5-8 on Friday, Uganda meet Djibouti, and Somalia play Burundi. 

Photo: Handball Federation Rwanda