The girls from Zamfara state were released a few days after their dramatic abduction by gunmenImage caption: The girls from Zamfara state were released a few days after their dramatic abduction by gunmen
Nigerian children traumatised after their abduction need urgent
and specialised help to recover from their ordeal, UN experts say.
Their statement comes a day after 279 girls were released following their recent kidnapping from a school in north-western Zamfara state.
It was the third school kidnapping since December in
northern Nigeria by criminal gangs known to demand ransoms. In all three cases the pupils have now been freed.
“Social
inclusion of these children requires the provision of long-term measures aimed at
restoring their physical and psychological well-being,” the experts said.
They pointed to the mass kidnapping in December at a boys
boarding school in Kankara in Katsina state as an example of how things had gone wrong.
“There has still not
been an impartial, independent investigation into the abductions nor
specialised rehabilitation for the children after the incident," they said.
“Due to
such incidents, many children have not returned to class and some schools have
already closed down in the border areas out of fear of reoccurrence. This may
mean an end to education for these children.”
Kidnapping is a widespread criminal enterprise in Nigeria -
and happens on an almost daily basis.
The UN experts said this was of particular concern when it
came to abducted women and girls.
“We are alarmed at reports
that an unknown number of women and girls have been abducted in recent years,
and subjected to domestic servitude, forced labour, sexual slavery through
forced marriages, forced and unwanted pregnancies.”
They reminded the Nigerian
government that it had international legal obligations to protect the right to
life, liberty and security of a person “as well as the obligation to adopt
effective measures and policies to prevent exploitation”.
Senegal opposition leader 'arrested' after clashes
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Ousmane Sonko's supporters were throwing stones at the security forcesImage caption: Ousmane Sonko's supporters were throwing stones at the security forces
Prominent Senegalese opposition politician Ousmane Sonko has been arrested, his lawyer says.
He is accused of disturbing public order in the capital, Dakar, as he travelled to court for a hearing in a rape case.
His motorcade was followed by hundreds of chanting supporters, who were dispersed by police with teargas.
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Supporters of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko are angry about the rape allegationImage caption: Supporters of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko are angry about the rape allegation
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Gendarmes fired teargas to disperse Ousmane Sonko's supportersImage caption: Gendarmes fired teargas to disperse Ousmane Sonko's supporters
On Friday, Senegal's parliament voted to strip Mr Sonko of his immunity so the rape prosecution could proceed.
Mr Sonko denies he raped a woman at a salon where he went to get massages.
AFPCopyright: AFP
Ousmane Sonko finished third in presidential elections in 2019Image caption: Ousmane Sonko finished third in presidential elections in 2019
The 46-year-old, who heads the opposition Pastef party, says the charges are politically motivated to stop him running in elections in 2024.
Mr Sonko came third in the 2019 presidential election and has accused President Macky Sall of manoeuvring to run for an unconstitutional third term.
Nigeria kidnap gangs targeted in mining and jet ban
Chris Ewokor
BBC News, Abuja
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
The girls taken last week were reportedly made to walk a long distance into the forestImage caption: The girls taken last week were reportedly made to walk a long distance into the forest
Nigeria has announced a ban on mining and a no-fly
zone in the north-western state of Zamfara as part of efforts to clamp down on notorious
criminal gangs often involved in kidnapping.
Mining activities are believed to offer cover to these
groups, which often invade communities and abduct villagers - many of them for
ransom. Last week, 279 girls
were kidnapped from their boarding school before being released on Tuesday.
It is suspected that powerful figures engaged in illegal artisanal mining are arming the gangs.
“Private jets are being used to ferry arms to
Zamfara and then take gold to Dubai,” presidential spokesman Garba Shehu told
the BBC.
Saving Africa's vulture from an ‘extinction crisis’
Anne Okumu
BBC News, Nairobi
Conservationists and communities in central Kenya are working together to save vultures which are on the brink of extinction.
One species - the bearded vulture - has less than five individuals remaining according to conservationists.
Poisoning has been cited as the major cause of the vulture population's decline over the past three decades.
Watch how a conservation group, The Peregrine Fund, is working in Kenya’s conservancies through the Coexistence Co-op project to try and reduce human-wildlife conflict:
Video content
Video caption: Endangered vultures: A species on the 'brink of extinction' in KenyaEndangered vultures: A species on the 'brink of extinction' in Kenya
Tanzania nuns and priests dying 'with Covid symptoms'
Athuman Mtulya
BBC News, Dar es Salam
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
The Catholic Church in Tanzania has been outspoken about what it sees as a hidden epidemicImage caption: The Catholic Church in Tanzania has been outspoken about what it sees as a hidden epidemic
Sixty nuns and 25 priests
have died in Tanzania in the last two months after showing symptoms of
coronavirus, the Catholic Church in the East African nation says.
The church, which has been
outspoken about coronavirus before in one of the few countries in the world not
to publish its virus data, warned Tanzanians to take
Covid-19 precautions more seriously.
President John Magufuli has previously
played down the virus - and
last month the health minister said that Tanzania had no plans to
vaccinate.
But Father Charles Kitima,
secretary of the Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC) - an official assembly of Catholic
bishops, said the Covid-19
threat was alive in Tanzania.
“It is upon
every one of us to make sure that we take all the required precautions and
protect ourselves and others, especially the elderly and those with
pre-existing health conditions,” he told a press conference in Dar es Salaam.
TECCopyright: TEC
Fr Kitima said the church was not allowed to test for Covid-19 at its 500 health centresImage caption: Fr Kitima said the church was not allowed to test for Covid-19 at its 500 health centres
Fr Kitima said the church could not say whether the deaths of the clergy had been caused by coronavirus as they had not been tested, though they had all shown signs of Covid-19, including “respiratory challenges”.
“People are not tested. That’s a big challenge. The church has about 500 health centres across the country but we are not allowed to test and we don’t have the equipment to do so,” he said.
Fr Kitima said the church had noted a recent change in tone from the government as far as Covid precautions were concerned, but said that a number of people were still not observing the restrictions as no punitive measures were being taken against them.
This is the second time this year that the church has spoken out about the threat of the pandemic in the country, saying in January it had noticed a spike in deaths in its parishes.
Tanzania has not issued any statistics on Covid-19 since May last year.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has pleaded for the country to do so – and review its position on the vaccines currently being rolled out through the Covax distribution scheme.
The Covax scheme aims to reduce the divide between rich countries and poorer nations unable to buy doses.Image caption: The Covax scheme aims to reduce the divide between rich countries and poorer nations unable to buy doses.
Rwanda has received its first batch of Covid-19 vaccine doses from the UN-backed Covax distribution initiative which it will use to immunise people identified as priority risk groups.
The country received 240,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, and with a further
102,960 doses of Pfizer vaccine expected to arrive later in the day, according to the health ministry.
Doses of the two vaccines would be used to immunise a total of
171,480 from Friday, the ministry said.
Rwanda expects to receive the total of 1,098,960 doses of both the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines.
“Our target is to vaccinate 30% of our population by the end
of 2021, and 60% by the end of 2022," Health Minister Daniel
Ngamije said.
Rwanda has reported more than 19,000 cases of Covid-19 and
265 death.
Last month, the country started vaccinating “high
risks groups” using the Pfizer vaccine “acquired through international
partnerships in limited quantities”, the health ministry said.
Ambulance occupants killed in Burkina Faso landmine
BBC World Service
AFPCopyright: AFP
Attacks in Burkina Faso have caused more than 1,000 deaths and forced millions from their homesImage caption: Attacks in Burkina Faso have caused more than 1,000 deaths and forced millions from their homes
At least five people, including a pregnant woman, have been killed in Burkina Faso when the ambulance they were travelling in was destroyed by a landmine.
The ambulance was carrying the woman, her husband, a girl and two other women.
Officials say the incident happened in Gaskindé, close to the border with Mali - an area that has seen repeated attacks by militants linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
Jihadist violence in the north and east of Burkina Faso has taken more than 1,000 lives and forced about a million people from their homes in recent years.
In January a shipment of bananas arriving into Portsmouth from Ghana was charged a tariff of £17,500Image caption: In January a shipment of bananas arriving into Portsmouth from Ghana was charged a tariff of £17,500
Ghana and the UK have signed a new trade agreement worth £1.2bn ($1.6bn) that will allow free access and tariff reductions for certain goods between the countries.
Before Brexit, the UK was automatically part of any trade deal the European Union had negotiated with another country.
In its negotiations to leave the EU, the UK government managed to roll over most of the third-country trade deals it had as part of the union, but that did not include Ghana's - meaning importers faced tariffs and extra paperwork.
This meant the UK was no longer a profitable market for Ghanaian banana producers.
But now Ghanaian products including bananas, tinned tuna and cocoa will benefit from tariff-free access to the UK.
The UK's exports, including machinery, electronics and chemical products, will also benefit from a reduction in import duty taxes.
"This deal secures tariff-free access for products that British shoppers love - and supports jobs in Ghana - paving the way for further economic growth as we build back better from Covid-19," said Ranil Jayawardena, the UK's minister for international trade.
Tanzania probes firm 'buying pregnant women's urine'
The Tanzania drugs authority is investigating a company that has reportedly been collecting urine from pregnant women to make human medicine, local newspaper The Citizen reports.
The Tanzania Medicines and Drugs Authority (TMDA) is quoted as saying it does not recognise and has never registered Polai (Tz) Co Ltd - the company said to be behind the business.
The Citizen newspaper reported that its investigation showed the collection of the urine was being done secretly.
It quoted an employee of the company admitting to getting the urine from pregnant women for production of drugs to treat conditions associated with infertility.
There is no scientific evidence to show that urine has any medical benefits.
The TMDA said it would take necessary action once it completes investigations.
BBC reporter freed from Ethiopia detention
Catherine Byaruhanga
BBC News
BBCCopyright: BBC
It is not clear why the BBC's Girmay Gebru was detainedImage caption: It is not clear why the BBC's Girmay Gebru was detained
The BBC reporter in Ethiopia's conflict-hit region of Tigray has been released from detention at a military camp in the regional capital, Mekelle.
Girmay Gebru, who works for BBC Tigrinya, was released without charge and the BBC is not aware of the reason for his detention.
BBC
Tigrinya has also confirmed the release of local journalist, Tamirat Yemane, and two translators - Alula Akalu and Fitsum Berhane - who were working for the Financial Times and the AFP news agency, respectively.
The region in northern Ethiopia has been the centre of a conflict
between the federal government and its former ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
Nigerian violence 'forcing people to flee to Niger'
AFPCopyright: AFP
Violence in Nigeria has caused the exodus across the borderImage caption: Violence in Nigeria has caused the exodus across the border
Violence in north-western Nigeria is causing people to flee into neighbouring Niger, where violence is also on the rise, the United Nations has warned.
Fear of armed groups and communal clashes in Nigeria had sent nearly 7,660 Nigerians fleeing into Niger's southern Maradi region since the start of the year, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said
The Maradi region, in southern Niger, now hosts nearly 100,000 displaced people, including 77,000 Nigerian refugees, who have fled relentless attacks in Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara states.
Armed groups in the Sahel and Lake Chad regions have been fuelling one of the world’s "fastest-growing displacement and protection crises", with millions forced from their homes, the UNHCR says.
South Sudan plane crash kills all 10 on board
Nichola Mandil
BBC News, Juba
BBCCopyright: BBC
The authorities in South Sudan have confirmed
that a small plane crashed on Tuesday evening in the eastern Jonglei State, killing all the 10 people on board.
It happened at Pieri airstrip shortly after take-off while heading to the capital, Juba.
A team of investigators was being sent to the site of the crash to conduct preliminary investigations, Transport Minister Madut Biar Yel said.
The plane belonged to a local aviation company, the South Supreme Airlines. The firm has not yet issued a statement about the crash.
Jonglei State Governor Denay Jock Chagor said he received the news with "shock and horror" and sent condolences to the families
and friends of the deceased.
South Sudan's air safety profile is
not yet rated by the International Aviation Safety Assessment Programme.
But
the database on Aviation Safety Network (ASN) shows that at least 10 planes
crashed in different locations in South Sudan between 2018 and 2020, which
caused about 30 fatalities.
Egypt and Sudan back DR Congo to mediate dam dispute
AFPCopyright: AFP
Years of negotiations over the Nile dam row have failedImage caption: Years of negotiations over the Nile dam row have failed
Egypt and Sudan have backed the Democratic Republic of Congo
to lead negotiations on their row with Ethiopia over the mega dam on the Nile
River.
A joint statement by their foreign ministers affirmed their support for an “enhanced structure” of
negotiation sponsored by the African Union (AU) that include the US, the European
Union and the UN.
The ministers also noted that a unilateral filling of the dam for the second phase would be a direct threat to their countries’ water security.
Egyptian President President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, who met Sudan's Foreign Minister Mariam al-Sadiq, said the dam was a vital issue for both countries.
The plan for enhanced talks comes after Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi took over as AU chairman last month.
Years of negotiations over the dam have been fruitless, including recent ones hosted by the US and the AU.
Ethiopia
sees the $4.8bn (£3.2bn) Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam as crucial to producing electricity to power its economic growth.
But
it has led to bitter disputes with Egypt and Sudan, both of which are
downstream and fear the large dam will greatly reduce their access to water.
Ali Boumendjel's death had originally been attributed to suicideImage caption: Ali Boumendjel's death had originally been attributed to suicide
French President Emmanuel Macron has acknowledged Algerian lawyer and nationalist Ali Boumendjel was tortured and murdered by the French army during the Algerian War of Independence in 1957.
His death had originally been attributed to suicide.
Mr Macron made the admission on behalf of France in a meeting with Mr Boumendjel's grandchildren.
The act is one of a series of measures aimed at improving relations between France and Algeria and the way they remember the eight-year war that ended colonial rule.
The insects are able to eat their own weight in a dayImage caption: The insects are able to eat their own weight in a day
They move like thick, dark clouds, buzzing above your
head. Swarms of locusts have, once again, been tearing
through parts of East Africa… And they’re hungry.
They have been devouring crop after crop, putting food
supplies and farmers’ livelihoods at risk.
These invasions aren’t new - and yet, they now seem to be
happening more often than ever.
“It’s actually [because of] the change in climate,” says
Kenneth Mwangi, a Satellite Information Analyst in Nairobi, Kenya.
“Locusts that otherwise would have scattered for not having
vegetation to consume have... They are able to get lots of vegetation and it’s
food to them.”
But how did things get so bad? And can these locusts ever be
stopped?
Subscribe to the show on BBC Sounds or wherever
you get your podcasts.
More African nations receive first Covid-19 vaccines
AFPCopyright: AFP
Kenya was among the latest African countries to receive Covid-19 vaccinationsImage caption: Kenya was among the latest African countries to receive Covid-19 vaccinations
More African countries have received their first batches of the coronavirus vaccines under the global Covax scheme.
Kenya received more than a million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine on Wednesday, becoming the third East African country to benefit from the UN-backed distribution initiative.
The doses are enough to vaccinate
500,000 people in the first phase. Frontline health workers, teachers, police officers and the
elderly will be first in line.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Health Minister Eteni Longondo was at the airport on Tuesday night to receive 1.7 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The
DR Congo is expecting a total 6.9 million doses to be delivered from now up
till the end of May 2021.
Angola received 624,000 doses of the vaccine, while The Gambia received 36,000 doses on Wednesday.
The Covax scheme is a World Health Organization-driven strategy for a global and equitable distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine. It hopes to deliver more than two billion doses to people in 190 countries in less than a year.
Quote Message: To appreciate the taste of any food, it must have been introduced to you by your mother at tender age." from A Lozi proverb sent by Mubiana Gilliam Njamba in Lusaka, Zambia
To appreciate the taste of any food, it must have been introduced to you by your mother at tender age."
Live Reporting
Lucy Fleming
All times stated are UK
Get involved
ReutersCopyright: Reuters The girls from Zamfara state were released a few days after their dramatic abduction by gunmenImage caption: The girls from Zamfara state were released a few days after their dramatic abduction by gunmen 
ReutersCopyright: Reuters Ousmane Sonko's supporters were throwing stones at the security forcesImage caption: Ousmane Sonko's supporters were throwing stones at the security forces 
ReutersCopyright: Reuters Supporters of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko are angry about the rape allegationImage caption: Supporters of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko are angry about the rape allegation 
ReutersCopyright: Reuters Gendarmes fired teargas to disperse Ousmane Sonko's supportersImage caption: Gendarmes fired teargas to disperse Ousmane Sonko's supporters 
AFPCopyright: AFP Ousmane Sonko finished third in presidential elections in 2019Image caption: Ousmane Sonko finished third in presidential elections in 2019 
ReutersCopyright: Reuters The girls taken last week were reportedly made to walk a long distance into the forestImage caption: The girls taken last week were reportedly made to walk a long distance into the forest - Why schoolchildren are being abducted in Nigeria
Video caption: Endangered vultures: A species on the 'brink of extinction' in KenyaEndangered vultures: A species on the 'brink of extinction' in Kenya 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images The Catholic Church in Tanzania has been outspoken about what it sees as a hidden epidemicImage caption: The Catholic Church in Tanzania has been outspoken about what it sees as a hidden epidemic 
TECCopyright: TEC Fr Kitima said the church was not allowed to test for Covid-19 at its 500 health centresImage caption: Fr Kitima said the church was not allowed to test for Covid-19 at its 500 health centres - John Magufuli - the man who declared victory over coronavirus
ReutersCopyright: Reuters The Covax scheme aims to reduce the divide between rich countries and poorer nations unable to buy doses.Image caption: The Covax scheme aims to reduce the divide between rich countries and poorer nations unable to buy doses. 
AFPCopyright: AFP Attacks in Burkina Faso have caused more than 1,000 deaths and forced millions from their homesImage caption: Attacks in Burkina Faso have caused more than 1,000 deaths and forced millions from their homes - Burkina Faso's war against militant Islamists
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images In January a shipment of bananas arriving into Portsmouth from Ghana was charged a tariff of £17,500Image caption: In January a shipment of bananas arriving into Portsmouth from Ghana was charged a tariff of £17,500 View more on twitterView more on twitter 
BBCCopyright: BBC It is not clear why the BBC's Girmay Gebru was detainedImage caption: It is not clear why the BBC's Girmay Gebru was detained 
AFPCopyright: AFP Violence in Nigeria has caused the exodus across the borderImage caption: Violence in Nigeria has caused the exodus across the border 
BBCCopyright: BBC 
AFPCopyright: AFP Years of negotiations over the Nile dam row have failedImage caption: Years of negotiations over the Nile dam row have failed - Why the dam is so controversial
AFPCopyright: AFP Ali Boumendjel's death had originally been attributed to suicideImage caption: Ali Boumendjel's death had originally been attributed to suicide - The tale of Algeria's stolen cannon and France's cockerel
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images The insects are able to eat their own weight in a dayImage caption: The insects are able to eat their own weight in a day 
AFPCopyright: AFP Kenya was among the latest African countries to receive Covid-19 vaccinationsImage caption: Kenya was among the latest African countries to receive Covid-19 vaccinations - Africa's long wait for the Covid-19 vaccine
BBCCopyright: BBC 
Latest PostNigeria's freed schoolchildren 'need urgent help'
Nigerian children traumatised after their abduction need urgent and specialised help to recover from their ordeal, UN experts say.
Their statement comes a day after 279 girls were released following their recent kidnapping from a school in north-western Zamfara state.
It was the third school kidnapping since December in northern Nigeria by criminal gangs known to demand ransoms. In all three cases the pupils have now been freed.
“Social inclusion of these children requires the provision of long-term measures aimed at restoring their physical and psychological well-being,” the experts said.
They pointed to the mass kidnapping in December at a boys boarding school in Kankara in Katsina state as an example of how things had gone wrong.
“There has still not been an impartial, independent investigation into the abductions nor specialised rehabilitation for the children after the incident," they said.
“Due to such incidents, many children have not returned to class and some schools have already closed down in the border areas out of fear of reoccurrence. This may mean an end to education for these children.”
Kidnapping is a widespread criminal enterprise in Nigeria - and happens on an almost daily basis.
The UN experts said this was of particular concern when it came to abducted women and girls.
“We are alarmed at reports that an unknown number of women and girls have been abducted in recent years, and subjected to domestic servitude, forced labour, sexual slavery through forced marriages, forced and unwanted pregnancies.”
They reminded the Nigerian government that it had international legal obligations to protect the right to life, liberty and security of a person “as well as the obligation to adopt effective measures and policies to prevent exploitation”.
Senegal opposition leader 'arrested' after clashes
Prominent Senegalese opposition politician Ousmane Sonko has been arrested, his lawyer says.
He is accused of disturbing public order in the capital, Dakar, as he travelled to court for a hearing in a rape case.
His motorcade was followed by hundreds of chanting supporters, who were dispersed by police with teargas.
On Friday, Senegal's parliament voted to strip Mr Sonko of his immunity so the rape prosecution could proceed.
Mr Sonko denies he raped a woman at a salon where he went to get massages.
The 46-year-old, who heads the opposition Pastef party, says the charges are politically motivated to stop him running in elections in 2024.
Mr Sonko came third in the 2019 presidential election and has accused President Macky Sall of manoeuvring to run for an unconstitutional third term.
Nigeria kidnap gangs targeted in mining and jet ban
Chris Ewokor
BBC News, Abuja
Nigeria has announced a ban on mining and a no-fly zone in the north-western state of Zamfara as part of efforts to clamp down on notorious criminal gangs often involved in kidnapping.
Mining activities are believed to offer cover to these groups, which often invade communities and abduct villagers - many of them for ransom. Last week, 279 girls were kidnapped from their boarding school before being released on Tuesday.
It is suspected that powerful figures engaged in illegal artisanal mining are arming the gangs.
“Private jets are being used to ferry arms to Zamfara and then take gold to Dubai,” presidential spokesman Garba Shehu told the BBC.
More on this topic:
Uganda coach McKinstry told 'to step aside'
Uganda coach Johnny McKinstry is told 'to step aside' for the month of March by the country's football federation.
Read moreSaving Africa's vulture from an ‘extinction crisis’
Anne Okumu
BBC News, Nairobi
Conservationists and communities in central Kenya are working together to save vultures which are on the brink of extinction.
One species - the bearded vulture - has less than five individuals remaining according to conservationists.
Poisoning has been cited as the major cause of the vulture population's decline over the past three decades.
Watch how a conservation group, The Peregrine Fund, is working in Kenya’s conservancies through the Coexistence Co-op project to try and reduce human-wildlife conflict:
Video content
Produced, filmed and edited by Anthony Irungu
Ighalo considering Nigeria return
By Oluwashina Okeleji
Football Writer, Nigeria
Former Manchester United striker Odion Ighalo says he is taking his time to consider a return to the Nigeria national team.
Read moreTanzania nuns and priests dying 'with Covid symptoms'
Athuman Mtulya
BBC News, Dar es Salam
Sixty nuns and 25 priests have died in Tanzania in the last two months after showing symptoms of coronavirus, the Catholic Church in the East African nation says.
The church, which has been outspoken about coronavirus before in one of the few countries in the world not to publish its virus data, warned Tanzanians to take Covid-19 precautions more seriously.
President John Magufuli has previously played down the virus - and last month the health minister said that Tanzania had no plans to vaccinate.
But Father Charles Kitima, secretary of the Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC) - an official assembly of Catholic bishops, said the Covid-19 threat was alive in Tanzania.
“It is upon every one of us to make sure that we take all the required precautions and protect ourselves and others, especially the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions,” he told a press conference in Dar es Salaam.
Fr Kitima said the church could not say whether the deaths of the clergy had been caused by coronavirus as they had not been tested, though they had all shown signs of Covid-19, including “respiratory challenges”.
“People are not tested. That’s a big challenge. The church has about 500 health centres across the country but we are not allowed to test and we don’t have the equipment to do so,” he said.
Fr Kitima said the church had noted a recent change in tone from the government as far as Covid precautions were concerned, but said that a number of people were still not observing the restrictions as no punitive measures were being taken against them.
This is the second time this year that the church has spoken out about the threat of the pandemic in the country, saying in January it had noticed a spike in deaths in its parishes.
Tanzania has not issued any statistics on Covid-19 since May last year.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has pleaded for the country to do so – and review its position on the vaccines currently being rolled out through the Covax distribution scheme.
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Rwanda receives first batch of Covax vaccines
Samba Cyuzuzo
BBC Great Lakes
Rwanda has received its first batch of Covid-19 vaccine doses from the UN-backed Covax distribution initiative which it will use to immunise people identified as priority risk groups.
The country received 240,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, and with a further 102,960 doses of Pfizer vaccine expected to arrive later in the day, according to the health ministry.
Doses of the two vaccines would be used to immunise a total of 171,480 from Friday, the ministry said.
Rwanda expects to receive the total of 1,098,960 doses of both the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines.
“Our target is to vaccinate 30% of our population by the end of 2021, and 60% by the end of 2022," Health Minister Daniel Ngamije said.
Rwanda has reported more than 19,000 cases of Covid-19 and 265 death.
Last month, the country started vaccinating “high risks groups” using the Pfizer vaccine “acquired through international partnerships in limited quantities”, the health ministry said.
Ambulance occupants killed in Burkina Faso landmine
BBC World Service
At least five people, including a pregnant woman, have been killed in Burkina Faso when the ambulance they were travelling in was destroyed by a landmine.
The ambulance was carrying the woman, her husband, a girl and two other women.
Officials say the incident happened in Gaskindé, close to the border with Mali - an area that has seen repeated attacks by militants linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
Jihadist violence in the north and east of Burkina Faso has taken more than 1,000 lives and forced about a million people from their homes in recent years.
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Ghana and UK sign post-Brexit trade deal
Banana growers had been hit by stiff tariffs
Ghana and the UK have signed a new trade agreement worth £1.2bn ($1.6bn) that will allow free access and tariff reductions for certain goods between the countries.
Before Brexit, the UK was automatically part of any trade deal the European Union had negotiated with another country.
In its negotiations to leave the EU, the UK government managed to roll over most of the third-country trade deals it had as part of the union, but that did not include Ghana's - meaning importers faced tariffs and extra paperwork.
For example, in January a shipment of bananas arriving into Portsmouth from Ghana was charged a tariff of £17,500.
This meant the UK was no longer a profitable market for Ghanaian banana producers.
But now Ghanaian products including bananas, tinned tuna and cocoa will benefit from tariff-free access to the UK.
The UK's exports, including machinery, electronics and chemical products, will also benefit from a reduction in import duty taxes.
"This deal secures tariff-free access for products that British shoppers love - and supports jobs in Ghana - paving the way for further economic growth as we build back better from Covid-19," said Ranil Jayawardena, the UK's minister for international trade.
Ghana’s largest exports to the UK include mineral fuels and oil, preparations of fish, fruit, cocoa and cocoa preparations, a statement from the UK government website noted.
Its top imports from the UK include textiles, machinery and mechanical appliances, and chemical products.
Tanzania probes firm 'buying pregnant women's urine'
The Tanzania drugs authority is investigating a company that has reportedly been collecting urine from pregnant women to make human medicine, local newspaper The Citizen reports.
The Tanzania Medicines and Drugs Authority (TMDA) is quoted as saying it does not recognise and has never registered Polai (Tz) Co Ltd - the company said to be behind the business.
The Citizen newspaper reported that its investigation showed the collection of the urine was being done secretly.
It quoted an employee of the company admitting to getting the urine from pregnant women for production of drugs to treat conditions associated with infertility.
There is no scientific evidence to show that urine has any medical benefits.
The TMDA said it would take necessary action once it completes investigations.
BBC reporter freed from Ethiopia detention
Catherine Byaruhanga
BBC News
The BBC reporter in Ethiopia's conflict-hit region of Tigray has been released from detention at a military camp in the regional capital, Mekelle.
Girmay Gebru, who works for BBC Tigrinya, was released without charge and the BBC is not aware of the reason for his detention.
BBC Tigrinya has also confirmed the release of local journalist, Tamirat Yemane, and two translators - Alula Akalu and Fitsum Berhane - who were working for the Financial Times and the AFP news agency, respectively.
The region in northern Ethiopia has been the centre of a conflict between the federal government and its former ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
Nigerian violence 'forcing people to flee to Niger'
Violence in north-western Nigeria is causing people to flee into neighbouring Niger, where violence is also on the rise, the United Nations has warned.
Fear of armed groups and communal clashes in Nigeria had sent nearly 7,660 Nigerians fleeing into Niger's southern Maradi region since the start of the year, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said
"Most of the refugees are women and children, displaced following recent attacks in Nigeria’s Sokoto state," UNHCR spokesperson Boris Cheshirkov said.
The Maradi region, in southern Niger, now hosts nearly 100,000 displaced people, including 77,000 Nigerian refugees, who have fled relentless attacks in Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara states.
Armed groups in the Sahel and Lake Chad regions have been fuelling one of the world’s "fastest-growing displacement and protection crises", with millions forced from their homes, the UNHCR says.
South Sudan plane crash kills all 10 on board
Nichola Mandil
BBC News, Juba
The authorities in South Sudan have confirmed that a small plane crashed on Tuesday evening in the eastern Jonglei State, killing all the 10 people on board.
It happened at Pieri airstrip shortly after take-off while heading to the capital, Juba.
A team of investigators was being sent to the site of the crash to conduct preliminary investigations, Transport Minister Madut Biar Yel said.
The plane belonged to a local aviation company, the South Supreme Airlines. The firm has not yet issued a statement about the crash.
Jonglei State Governor Denay Jock Chagor said he received the news with "shock and horror" and sent condolences to the families and friends of the deceased.
South Sudan's air safety profile is not yet rated by the International Aviation Safety Assessment Programme.
But the database on Aviation Safety Network (ASN) shows that at least 10 planes crashed in different locations in South Sudan between 2018 and 2020, which caused about 30 fatalities.
Egypt and Sudan back DR Congo to mediate dam dispute
Egypt and Sudan have backed the Democratic Republic of Congo to lead negotiations on their row with Ethiopia over the mega dam on the Nile River.
A joint statement by their foreign ministers affirmed their support for an “enhanced structure” of negotiation sponsored by the African Union (AU) that include the US, the European Union and the UN.
The ministers also noted that a unilateral filling of the dam for the second phase would be a direct threat to their countries’ water security.
Egyptian President President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, who met Sudan's Foreign Minister Mariam al-Sadiq, said the dam was a vital issue for both countries.
The plan for enhanced talks comes after Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi took over as AU chairman last month.
Years of negotiations over the dam have been fruitless, including recent ones hosted by the US and the AU.
Ethiopia sees the $4.8bn (£3.2bn) Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam as crucial to producing electricity to power its economic growth.
But it has led to bitter disputes with Egypt and Sudan, both of which are downstream and fear the large dam will greatly reduce their access to water.
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France admits 'torture and murder' of Algerian
BBC World Service
French President Emmanuel Macron has acknowledged Algerian lawyer and nationalist Ali Boumendjel was tortured and murdered by the French army during the Algerian War of Independence in 1957.
His death had originally been attributed to suicide.
Mr Macron made the admission on behalf of France in a meeting with Mr Boumendjel's grandchildren.
The act is one of a series of measures aimed at improving relations between France and Algeria and the way they remember the eight-year war that ended colonial rule.
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Why are locusts invading East Africa again?
Alan Kasujja
BBC Africa Daily
They move like thick, dark clouds, buzzing above your head. Swarms of locusts have, once again, been tearing through parts of East Africa… And they’re hungry.
They have been devouring crop after crop, putting food supplies and farmers’ livelihoods at risk.
These invasions aren’t new - and yet, they now seem to be happening more often than ever.
“It’s actually [because of] the change in climate,” says Kenneth Mwangi, a Satellite Information Analyst in Nairobi, Kenya.
“Locusts that otherwise would have scattered for not having vegetation to consume have... They are able to get lots of vegetation and it’s food to them.”
But how did things get so bad? And can these locusts ever be stopped?
Find out in Wednesday’s edition of Africa Daily.
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More African nations receive first Covid-19 vaccines
More African countries have received their first batches of the coronavirus vaccines under the global Covax scheme.
Kenya received more than a million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine on Wednesday, becoming the third East African country to benefit from the UN-backed distribution initiative.
The doses are enough to vaccinate 500,000 people in the first phase. Frontline health workers, teachers, police officers and the elderly will be first in line.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Health Minister Eteni Longondo was at the airport on Tuesday night to receive 1.7 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The DR Congo is expecting a total 6.9 million doses to be delivered from now up till the end of May 2021.
Angola received 624,000 doses of the vaccine, while The Gambia received 36,000 doses on Wednesday.
The Covax scheme is a World Health Organization-driven strategy for a global and equitable distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine. It hopes to deliver more than two billion doses to people in 190 countries in less than a year.
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HIV findings in DR Congo 'give hope for cure'
Scientists discover a high rate of people who suppress the virus without taking medication.
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