Africa live: At least 34 migrants drown off Djibouti's coast

1. Tens of thousands of migrants are trapped in Yemen

Nigerian minister denies links to Boko Haram

Nigeria's Communications Minister Isa Pantami has dismissed reports that linked him to Boko Haram.

The minister called out media outlets that published the reports.

"My lectures against the doctrines and all other evil people have been available for over 15 years, including debates that endangered my life against many criminals in Nigeria," he tweeted.

Mr Pantami has already written to the publication that first wrote the story.

He said all other major outlets that published the story would "meet his lawyers in court":

At least 34 migrants dead in Djibouti boat tragedy

At least 34 people have drowned after a boat capsized off the coast of Djibouti, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has said.

The boat "operated by people smugglers" was carrying about 60 migrants escaping conflict in Yemen and who were on their way to Djibouti, according to the IOM.

It is not known what caused the vessel to capsize, it said.

The organisation has expressed concern over the tens of thousands of young African migrants making the dangerous journey from the Horn of Africa to the Gulf states in search of work.

It said Covid-19 has forced many to return to their countries because many borders had been closed because of the pandemic.

The IOM said thousands are trapped in Yemen, many living in "dangerous conditions" - and were being forced to pay smugglers to get back home.

Last month, at least 20 migrants died after smugglers pushed 80 of them from a boat off the coast of Djibouti.

Tuesday's wise words

Our African proverb of the day:

A wife's words are not listened to until the next day."

A Kikuyu proverb sent by Mary Njuguna in Kenya.

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

Saving the home of the 'Octopus Teacher'

Scroll down for Monday's stories

That's all from BBC Africa Live for now. Keep up-to-date with what's happening across the continent by listening to the Africa Today podcast or check the BBC News website.

A reminder of today's wise words:

When your brother has, you hope."

A Beti proverb sent by Christian Messina Mvogo in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this interesting angle from Kenya:

Somali lawmakers vote to extend president's term

Bella Sheegow

BBC Somali, Mogadishu

Getty Images

President Farmajo welcomed the resolution which approves keeping him in power for two more years

Somalia’s Lower House of Parliament has voted to approve a bill to extend President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo’s term in office by two years.

The controversial special election bill was overwhelmingly approved by 149 members. It needs to be approved by the upper chamber before becoming law.

Mr Farmajo welcomed the passing of the bill in the lower chamber, adding that after two years the Somali people will finally be able to elect their own president.

But opposition candidates and some of the regional state leaders have rejected the resolution.

Former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khayre, who is now part of an opposition coalition, said the country is in crisis and urged the international community to urgently intervene.

Before the session began, Banaadir region police commander ordered all roads that lead to the parliamentary complex to be closed in a bid to stop lawmakers from attending the session.

He said his forces were against what he called a "term extension" for the president, whose mandate had expired on 8 February.

However, he was immediately fired.

Twitter to set up Africa HQ in Ghana

The micro-blogging site Twitter has announced that its Africa head quarters will be in Ghana.

Fittingly, the company's co-founder Jack Dorsey made the announcement on Twitter:

Keeping to the theme, Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo replied on Twitter, revealing that he and Mr Dorsey had had a remote meeting last week.

African technology commentators may have bet on Twitter choosing Nigeria, Kenya or South Africa as all three countries have more established tech hubs.

But Mr Dorsey said in his Twitter blog that Ghana’s recent appointment to host the secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area "aligns with our overarching goal to establish a presence in the region that will support our efforts to improve and tailor our service across Africa".

African Muslims to observe second Ramadan in pandemic

Farah Yussuf

BBC Monitoring

Getty Images

Egypt banned large groups at mosques as a cautionary measure

Muslims across Africa will begin observing the holy fasting month of Ramadan starting on Tuesday.

For the second year, restrictions are in force in some countries during the month.

Egypt has banned congregational prayers in mosques.

Tunisian Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi backpedalled on Sunday on a decision to extend the hours of a nightly curfew, following concern for people’s livelihoods.

Mr Mechichi, who has long been at odds with President Kaïs Saïed, had on 7 April announced that a curfew aiming to curb a spike in Covid-19 cases would start at 7pm local time (18:00 GMT), instead of 10pm ahead of Ramadan.

Two days later, Mr Saïed called on the prime minister to review the decision, to avoid the loss of thousands of jobs during the holy month in which Muslims fast until sunset.

Last year, African leaders sent special Ramadan messages of hope to Muslims on the continent amid unprecedented restrictions to counter the spread of the virus.

Musa close to short-term deal in Nigeria

By Oluwashina Okeleji

Football Writer, Nigeria

'Incredible Tigers' to help tackle Nigeria insecurity

Chris Ewokor

BBC News, Abuja

Getty Images

Separatists, who are active in the region, have protested all over the world - including at this protest in South Africa in 2019

State governors in south-eastern Nigeria have announced they will create a joint force code-named Ebube Agu (Igbo for "Incredible Tigers") to help tackle rising insecurity in the region.

In a statement at the end of a security meeting on Sunday, the governors said the new force would help co-ordinate security activities in the area.

More than 15 policemen were killed while nearly 2,000 inmates were released in a recent jailbreak in Imo state.

The separatist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob), has been active in the region, fighting to establish a separate state.

In recent weeks, unidentified gunmen have targeted police stations, killing policemen and carting away arms and ammunitions.

The governors also announced a ban on open grazing.

Local farmers and cattle herders have had running battles in many communities over grazing rights.

The south-east governors are the second group to set up a regional security force following mounting security challenges.

Last year the south-west part of Nigeria set up a regional force called amotekun, which is the Yoruba word for leopard.

Read more:

• The 'leopard unit', vigilantes and Nigeria's kidnap crisis

Raja beat Pyramids to advance in Confederation Cup

SA rapper AKA 'inconsolable' at fiancé Anele Tembe's death

Pumza Fihlani

BBC News, Johannesburg

South Africa’s police are investigating the circumstances around the death of a 22-year-old woman, Anele Tembe, identified as the fiancé of popular rapper AKA, after a fall from the 10th floor of a Cape Town hotel on Sunday.

AKA, whose real name is Kiernan Forbes, is said to be inconsolable following the death of Ms Tembe.

The pair had been visiting Cape Town when the incident happened.

The details around her death will form part of a police inquest.

But reports in local media suggest that Ms Tembe is believed to have taken her own life.

Public broadcaster SABC is reporting that in December police intervened when she had attempted to jump from a hotel building in Durban.

She is believed to have had depression, local media say.

The Forbes and Tembe families have not confirmed these claims.

In a joint statement they said they were shocked by the “untimely passing” of their daughter.

They described Ms Tembe as an exceptional and gifted young woman who had a promising life ahead of her - and have asked for privacy to mourn the loss.

Kanoute 'I was forced' into being an agent

Comoros president gets Covid jab 'to set example'

Yasine Mohabuth

Port Louis, Mauritius

AUC

Mr Assoumani said he wanted to be the first to get the Sinopharm vaccine

Comoros President Azali Assoumani, First Lady Ambari Azali and several high-status public officials have received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Mr Assoumani said that he wanted to set an example and be the first to be vaccinated with the Sinopharm vaccine made in China.

"By proceeding today to launch the vaccination campaign against Covid-19 in our country, we are taking a new step in our fight against the pandemic," said Mr Assoumani said as he received the jab on Saturday at the El-Maarouf hospital.

“The vaccines will be administered, in the first instance, to medical personnel, teachers, military and paramilitary forces, the elderly and those with co-morbidities,” he said.

"We are continuing our efforts with our partners to acquire doses of other vaccine to reach the vaccination target of 60% as soon as possible."

The Chinese ambassador to Comoros, He Yanjun, said "China is firmly at the forefront of international cooperation on vaccines".

A Chinese medical aid team arrived in Moroni last month, bringing a batch of 100,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines and medical materials donated by China, to help the country fight the pandemic for three months.

Comoros experienced a second wave of the disease with more than 146 deaths in less than three months between the end of December and the beginning of March.

The pandemic seems to be somewhat under control now, with 66 active cases at the national level, according to the latest statement from the health ministry.

Somali police boss sacked after suspending parliament

Abdi Dahir

BBC Monitoring

Somalia's police chief General Abdi Hijar has sacked Mogadishu police commander Sadaq Omar Hassan, popularly known as Sadaq John, after he announced that he stopped the country's parliament from holding a session on delayed elections.

Minutes before his sacking, Mr Hassan appeared on the privately-owned Universal Somali TV channel to announce that he had suspended the parliamentary meeting.

He said there should be "no power grab" and the Somali lawmakers should go back to their constituencies and seek re-election.

Shortly after he made the remarks, the Somali police chief sacked him.

"Lieutenant Colonel Farhan Mohamed Adan (Farhan Qarole) has been appointed as the new commander of Banadir region. Farhan Qarole has also been promoted to the rank of colonel," the state-owned Somali National News Agency said in a tweet.

Somali army and police officers have ramped up security in the capital ahead of the special parliamentary session to debate elections that are months behind schedule.

The term of the Somali parliament ended in December 2020 and that of President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo on 8 February.

Indirect parliamentary and presidential elections that should have followed are being derailed by political disagreements.

Tanzania opposition seeks meeting with new president

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Chadema chairman Freeman Mbowe says he has written a letter to President Samia

Tanzania's main opposition party Chadema has requested a meeting with President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

Chadema chairman Freeman Mbowe said he had written a letter to President Samia asking for a meeting to find solutions to various challenges, which would bring happiness, justice and stability to the nation.

"We have all learned, if there are problems in government, the whole country is affected," Mr Mbowe said while speaking to the media on Sunday.

"This does not mean that we are offering blind support to President Samia. It's our challenge to put more effort in to make our policies better and win based on issues."

Mr Mbowe said they are hoping to offer and explain suggestions on how best to start afresh and to "build stability of the country".

He added that they believed she would recognise the role of opposition parties.

"We cannot not wish her ill just because she is a product of CCM [the ruling party]. But we should put more effort and knowledge to offer constructive opposition and not to tear her down."

"We are praying for her to do well as a leader for the good of our nation," Mr Mbowe said.

SA documentary My Octopus Teacher wins Bafta

Reuters

Pippa Ehrlich, centre, struggled to catch her breath after the announcement

A South African documentary about a friendship between a diver and an octopus has won a British Academy Film Award - known as a Bafta - at Sunday's ceremony.

The documentary My Octopus Teacher followed South African free diver Craig Foster as he tracked a young octopus in her den in a kelp forest off the coast of Cape Town for nearly a year.

The film beat the veteran natural history broadcaster David Attenborough to the best documentary award at the UK's highest status film awards for the British Academy of Film and Television (Bafta).

Director Pippa Ehrlich was visibly shocked at the announcement and couldn't quite catch her breath.

Read more: The Bafta winners and nominees in full

South Sudan leader replaces army chief

Nichola Mandil

BBC News, Juba

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has dismissed the army chief and reassigned him as the country's ambassador to Belgium.

Gen Johnson Juma Okot, who was the head of the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF), was replaced with Gen Santino Deng Wol.

The president did not give the reason for the move.

President Kiir also dismissed Gen Ruben Malek Riak from his position as deputy minister of defence and replaced him with Lt-Gen Chol Thon Balok.

In a mini reshuffle in the intelligence services, President Kiir also replaced Gen Thomas Duoth Guet as the director-general of the intelligence wing of the National Security Service (NSS) with Maj-Gen Simon Yien Makuac.

The president promoted Akol Khor Kuc, the head of the internal security wing of the NSS to the rank of first lieutenant-general, while maintaining his position.

The deputy minister of defence and Gen Guet have been reassigned as ambassadors to Eritrea and Kuwait respectively.

Why is there violence in West Darfur?

Getty Images

Darfur’s recent history is one of violence.

But, after Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir was ousted from the presidency in 2019, there was hope.

A transitional government was formed – and with it came promises of stability.

A peace agreement was signed with rebel factions that, for years, had fought the government.

And yet, despite those deals, a new wave of violence has hit West Darfur.

“Two years on from the revolution that, we hoped, was going to bring a lot of change, on the ground, people in Darfur still don’t have any security,” says Mohanad Hashim, a journalist in Khartoum.

In a series of clashes last week, dozens of people were killed.

“Majority [of the victims] are young, but we also have elderly people and children,” a doctor in the state capital, El Geneina, told me.

So, who’s behind these attacks? And how did the violence come about in the first place?

Find out in Monday’s edition of Africa Daily.

Subscribe to the show on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.

Chad counts votes as Déby seeks to win sixth term

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Chad's provisional results are due on 25 April, and final results on 15 May

Votes are being counted in Chad following Sunday's presidential election in which incumbent Idriss Déby is largely expected to win.

The ballot counting started soon after voting closed in the capital N’Djamena, the Reuters news agency reported.

Some seven million Chadians were eligible to vote in the election.

Mr Déby, in power for 30 years, was facing six weaker candidates after the major opposition leaders either boycotted or were barred from running.

The BBC's Killian Ngala said not many people could be seen on the streets as the blistering heat kept voters largely indoors.

He said voters expressed mixed concerns, some saying they were not sure the election would be free and fair, with others saying there was no need to vote because the results might have been predetermined.

One woman told the BBC that she was happy to have performed her civic duty, and hoped the elected president would resolve such basic problems as ensuring better healthcare for the population.

Provisional results are due on 25 April, and final results on 15 May.