A statement from Mr Museveni's media team referred to supporters whose accounts were suspended as "victims of Facebook"Image caption: A statement from Mr Museveni's media team referred to supporters whose accounts were suspended as "victims of Facebook"
President Yoweri Museveni has once again accused tech giant Facebook of being biased against Uganda's ruling party and its supporters.
At the time Mr Museveni accused Facebook of "arrogance" and announced a ban on the platform. The social media platform remains inaccessible unless using a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
In a Sunday meeting with "victims of Facebook" - NRM members whose accounts were suspended - the president told them they were better off without the platform.
"Ever since Facebook went, have you heard of any shortage of sugar in town? Do you not have clothes? Facebook will talk but we shall move, they are not God," Mr Museveni said.
He added:
Quote Message: This is the reason why in some countries they are not allowed, do they operate in China? Anyway, what I heard is that God is omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient. I never heard that Facebook fits in same category."
This is the reason why in some countries they are not allowed, do they operate in China? Anyway, what I heard is that God is omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient. I never heard that Facebook fits in same category."
Zambian court cancels state takeover of power lines
Kennedy Gondwe
BBC News, Lusaka
The High Court in Zambia has quashed a decision by the government to declare a private company’s electricity transmission lines as a common
carrier.
Energy Minister Matthew Nkhuwa last year declared
infrastructure owned by the Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC), Zambia’s
leading supplier of electricity to the mines, as “common carrier”.
It meant the company was under obligation to provide its
facilities to any entity that wished to use the transmission lines - provided
they agreed the terms and conditions with CEC.
But CEC sued the government, arguing Mr Nkhuwa’s decision
amounted to “expropriation” of its infrastructure.
“The respondent's decisions were illegal and tainted with
procedural impropriety,” Lusaka High Court Judge Elita Phiri-Mwikisa ruled.
“All in all, I find that the applicant has succeeded on all
grounds...I accordingly quash the decision of the minister of 29 May 2020, to
declare the applicant’s transmission and distribution lines as a common
carrier.”
Analysts had argued that the move was meant to aid Konkola Copper
Mines (KCM), the local unit of Indian mining giant Vedanta, which has been under control
government control since May 2019.
More African nations set to receive Covax vaccines
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Ivory Coast will on Monday start mass inoculation using the AstraZeneca Oxford vaccineImage caption: Ivory Coast will on Monday start mass inoculation using the AstraZeneca Oxford vaccine
Twenty-four African countries will soon receive Covid-19 vaccines from the UN-backed Covax programme.
They include Kenya and Nigeria that will receive the vaccines on Tuesday.
Kenya will get 1.25 million doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine and vaccinations are expected to start immediately, according to Health Minister Mutahi Kagwe.
Priority will be given to frontline health workers and the elderly.
Nigeria will receive 3.92m vaccine doses, becoming the third West-African country to benefit from the facility.
The country expects to receive a total of 16m doses from Covax in the next few months.
Ivory Coast on Monday became the first country to rollout vaccines offered by the programme.
Migrants rescued off Libya's coast
Almost 100 migrants have been rescued off the coast of Libya, with 15 dying at sea.
Most of those rescued on Sunday are African migrants from Cameroon, Sudan and Mali, the AFP news agency reports.
Many of the survivors suffered from burns and hypothermia, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM):
On Friday, IOM Libya said more than 150 migrants had been intercepted and returned to the country by its coast guard.
It noted that at least 3,700 men, women, and children have been returned to Libya this year - whose conditions have continued to worsen after being detained.
It’s a jab that could save your life - and yet, some people
still have misgivings about Covid vaccines.
“There’s a lot of misinformation and disinformation around
vaccines,” says the BBC’s Rhoda Odhiambo in Nairobi.
Vaccines are now being rolled out in parts of Africa,
but the logistics of getting millions of people vaccinated are enormous - a
real challenge to be reckoned with.
And health authorities worry that another problem might get
in their way - the misconceptions
and misgivings some people still have about the vaccines.
Subscribe to the show on BBC Sounds or wherever
you get your podcasts.
Covid vaccine won't 'wipe out the African race'
BBC World Service
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Ghana last week received 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccineImage caption: Ghana last week received 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine
As Ghana prepares to start its Covid vaccine rollout this week, President Nana Akufo-Addo has urged his people not to heed conspiracy theories casting doubt on the programme.
Mr Akufo-Addo said some doubted the efficacy of jabs, and others believed that vaccines were created to wipe out the African race, but this was untrue.
Mr Akufo and his wife are due to get their jabs on Monday, before Ghana's mass rollout begins on Tuesday.
A second wave of Covid has killed nearly 200 Ghanaians in the past month, almost a third of the total.
Ivory Coast to kickstart Covax vaccines rollout
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
The AstraZeneca vaccine doses arrived in the country last weekImage caption: The AstraZeneca vaccine doses arrived in the country last week
Healthcare workers in Ivory Coast city of Abidjan will be the first to be inoculated as the west African nation kicks off its Covid-19 vaccination campaign on Monday.
It is the first national rollout of the UN-backed Covax programme – the global vaccine sharing initiative to help poorer countries control the pandemic.
The programme will distribute an initial half a million doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine.
Ghana and Nigeria are also due to start their mass inoculations this week.
Covax is the biggest vaccine procurement plan in human history, designed to distribute two billion doses by the end of this year.
But this only covers 20% of the populations of developing countries. Most rich countries have ordered sufficient stocks to treat their entire populations.
Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine is in trouble over an alleged bullet-proof vehicle in his possession, according to a report by the Daily Monitor newspaper.
The vehicle has attracted the attention of the Ugandan authorities, with the Ugandan Revenue Authority (URA) saying its details had been misrepresented and thus undervalued.
The URA has therefore recalled the vehicle for re-inspection.
Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, has however declined to hand over the vehicle on grounds that the recall is not backed by law, according to a statement by his lawyer quoted by the newspaper.
“Much as it is true you have the powers under section 236(d) of the EAC Customs Management Act to examine goods, you don’t have automatic powers to reexamine goods which were in your custody (warehouse), were examined, assessed for tax, the tax fully paid and the goods released to the owner/taxpayer," it said.
The vehicle was originally imported and registered in Kenya last year and then re-imported to Uganda through the Busia border.
In a post on 21 February, Mr Kyagulanyi said that the Toyota Land Cruiser had been donated to him by his friends and supporters in Uganda and abroad:
Dr Okonjo-Iweala is the first woman and the first African to occupy the positionImage caption: Dr Okonjo-Iweala is the first woman and the first African to occupy the position
Nigerian-American, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, starts work as the new head of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on Monday.
A former Nigerian finance and foreign minister, she is the first woman and first African to run the WTO.
Dr Okonjo-Iweala has said that addressing the health and economic consequences of the pandemic would be a key priority.
There are concerns in Washington and other capitals about China’s trade policies and how well equipped the WTO is to deal with them.
Dr Okonjo-Iweala is known to be reform-minded, but will be constrained by the wishes of member countries.
South Africa eases restrictions as Covid cases drop
AFPCopyright: AFP
President Ramaphosa says previous restrictions succeeded in reducing infectionsImage caption: President Ramaphosa says previous restrictions succeeded in reducing infections
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that restrictions put in place to control the spread of coronavirus will be lowered to alert level one, from level three.
He said that restrictions put in place over the holiday period had succeeded in reducing infections levels - from 90,000 a week at the end of December, to 10,000 new infections last week.
Under level one, most remaining restrictions on economic activity will be lifted.
President Ramaphosa said all energy and effort must now go into growing the economy, whilst exercising extreme caution to prevent further spread of the virus.
He said the threat of a third wave is constantly present, as is the threat of new variants emerging.
He said social distancing, avoiding crowds and wearing masks, are more important than ever.
Mr Dillo said five members of his family had been killedImage caption: Mr Dillo said five members of his family had been killed
Officials in Chad say at least two people were killed when the security forces tried to arrest the opposition leader Yaya Dillo at his home in the capital, Ndjamena.
Mr Dillo said five members of his family had been killed, including his mother, but this has not been independently confirmed.
The government said the security forces came under fire from Mr Dillo's home. Internet services have been cut in Ndjamena.
Mr Dillo is running against President Idriss Deby in April's election.
He led rebels fighting against Mr Deby in 2006 before joining his government.
Russia warship docks in port Sudan
Mary Harper
Africa editor, BBC World Service
A Russian warship has entered a port in Sudan where Russia is planning to build a naval base.
Russia's Interfax news agency said the Admiral Grigorovich was the first Russian warship to enter Port Sudan.
Last November Vladimir Putin approved the creation of a Russian naval facility in Sudan capable of mooring nuclear-powered vessels.
The base will house about 300 military and civilian personnel.
This will be Russia's first military base in Africa.
Ten killed in DR Congo militia attack
Mary Harper
Africa editor, BBC World Service
AFPCopyright: AFP
A soldier of the FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo) takes position during exchanges of fire with members of the ADFImage caption: A soldier of the FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo) takes position during exchanges of fire with members of the ADF
The army in the Democratic Republic of Congo says at least ten people have been killed by a militia in the east of the country.
A military spokesman said the Allied Democratic Forces beheaded eight people in one village Boyo and shot two more in another nearby Kainama. They also burned down houses.
The ADF has stepped up attacks on civilians since the military launched an offensive against the group eighteen months ago.
The militia originated as an Islamist movement in Uganda, but has not staged attacks there for several years.
Live Reporting
Emmanuel Onyango and Basillioh Mutahi
All times stated are UK
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AFPCopyright: AFP A statement from Mr Museveni's media team referred to supporters whose accounts were suspended as "victims of Facebook"Image caption: A statement from Mr Museveni's media team referred to supporters whose accounts were suspended as "victims of Facebook" 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images Ivory Coast will on Monday start mass inoculation using the AstraZeneca Oxford vaccineImage caption: Ivory Coast will on Monday start mass inoculation using the AstraZeneca Oxford vaccine View more on twitterView more on twitter - Letter from Africa: Spare a thought for stranded migrants
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images Ghana last week received 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccineImage caption: Ghana last week received 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images The AstraZeneca vaccine doses arrived in the country last weekImage caption: The AstraZeneca vaccine doses arrived in the country last week - Covax: How will Covid vaccines be shared around the world?
View more on facebookView more on facebook - Bobi Wine: Uganda's 'ghetto president'
ReutersCopyright: Reuters Dr Okonjo-Iweala is the first woman and the first African to occupy the positionImage caption: Dr Okonjo-Iweala is the first woman and the first African to occupy the position 
AFPCopyright: AFP President Ramaphosa says previous restrictions succeeded in reducing infectionsImage caption: President Ramaphosa says previous restrictions succeeded in reducing infections - South Africa coronavirus variant: What is the risk?
BBCCopyright: BBC 
AFPCopyright: AFP Mr Dillo said five members of his family had been killedImage caption: Mr Dillo said five members of his family had been killed 
AFPCopyright: AFP A soldier of the FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo) takes position during exchanges of fire with members of the ADFImage caption: A soldier of the FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo) takes position during exchanges of fire with members of the ADF 
Latest PostMuseveni 'supporters better off without Facebook'
President Yoweri Museveni has once again accused tech giant Facebook of being biased against Uganda's ruling party and its supporters.
The social media platform suspended several accounts linked to the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party days to the January election, accusing them of being involved in Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour (CIB) in an attempt to influence public debate ahead of the poll.
At the time Mr Museveni accused Facebook of "arrogance" and announced a ban on the platform. The social media platform remains inaccessible unless using a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
In a Sunday meeting with "victims of Facebook" - NRM members whose accounts were suspended - the president told them they were better off without the platform.
"Ever since Facebook went, have you heard of any shortage of sugar in town? Do you not have clothes? Facebook will talk but we shall move, they are not God," Mr Museveni said.
He added:
Read more: Uganda social media ban raises questions over regulation in Africa
Africa’s vaccine rollout gathers pace
By Peter Mwai
BBC Reality Check
The Covax scheme for poorer countries has begun distribution in Africa but many countries are still waiting.
Read moreNgozi Okonjo-Iweala makes WTO history
By Kunle Falayi
BBC News, Lagos
The former Nigerian finance minister becomes the first woman, and the first African, head of the WTO.
Read moreZambian court cancels state takeover of power lines
Kennedy Gondwe
BBC News, Lusaka
The High Court in Zambia has quashed a decision by the government to declare a private company’s electricity transmission lines as a common carrier.
Energy Minister Matthew Nkhuwa last year declared infrastructure owned by the Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC), Zambia’s leading supplier of electricity to the mines, as “common carrier”.
It meant the company was under obligation to provide its facilities to any entity that wished to use the transmission lines - provided they agreed the terms and conditions with CEC.
But CEC sued the government, arguing Mr Nkhuwa’s decision amounted to “expropriation” of its infrastructure.
“The respondent's decisions were illegal and tainted with procedural impropriety,” Lusaka High Court Judge Elita Phiri-Mwikisa ruled.
“All in all, I find that the applicant has succeeded on all grounds...I accordingly quash the decision of the minister of 29 May 2020, to declare the applicant’s transmission and distribution lines as a common carrier.”
Analysts had argued that the move was meant to aid Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), the local unit of Indian mining giant Vedanta, which has been under control government control since May 2019.
Mixed fortunes for SA teams in Champions League games
There were mixed fortunes for South African clubs in two delayed African Champions League ties.
Read moreMore African nations set to receive Covax vaccines
Twenty-four African countries will soon receive Covid-19 vaccines from the UN-backed Covax programme.
They include Kenya and Nigeria that will receive the vaccines on Tuesday.
Kenya will get 1.25 million doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine and vaccinations are expected to start immediately, according to Health Minister Mutahi Kagwe.
Priority will be given to frontline health workers and the elderly.
Nigeria will receive 3.92m vaccine doses, becoming the third West-African country to benefit from the facility.
The country expects to receive a total of 16m doses from Covax in the next few months.
Ivory Coast on Monday became the first country to rollout vaccines offered by the programme.
Migrants rescued off Libya's coast
Almost 100 migrants have been rescued off the coast of Libya, with 15 dying at sea.
Most of those rescued on Sunday are African migrants from Cameroon, Sudan and Mali, the AFP news agency reports.
Many of the survivors suffered from burns and hypothermia, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM):
On Friday, IOM Libya said more than 150 migrants had been intercepted and returned to the country by its coast guard.
It noted that at least 3,700 men, women, and children have been returned to Libya this year - whose conditions have continued to worsen after being detained.
Read:
Why are some people sceptical of Covid vaccines?
Alan Kasujja
BBC Africa Daily
It’s a jab that could save your life - and yet, some people still have misgivings about Covid vaccines.
“There’s a lot of misinformation and disinformation around vaccines,” says the BBC’s Rhoda Odhiambo in Nairobi.
Vaccines are now being rolled out in parts of Africa, but the logistics of getting millions of people vaccinated are enormous - a real challenge to be reckoned with.
And health authorities worry that another problem might get in their way - the misconceptions and misgivings some people still have about the vaccines.
“The rejection of the pandemic itself amongst the populace is a huge concern,” says health journalist Moji Makanjuola, who played a key role in encouraging Nigerians to get immunised against polio.
“I’m sure that when people see the effectiveness of the vaccine, it will ginger more people to willingly take the vaccine.”
So, where does this scepticism stem from? And how can health authorities address those concerns?
Find out in Monday’s edition of Africa Daily.
Subscribe to the show on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.
Covid vaccine won't 'wipe out the African race'
BBC World Service
As Ghana prepares to start its Covid vaccine rollout this week, President Nana Akufo-Addo has urged his people not to heed conspiracy theories casting doubt on the programme.
Mr Akufo-Addo said some doubted the efficacy of jabs, and others believed that vaccines were created to wipe out the African race, but this was untrue.
Mr Akufo and his wife are due to get their jabs on Monday, before Ghana's mass rollout begins on Tuesday.
A second wave of Covid has killed nearly 200 Ghanaians in the past month, almost a third of the total.
Ivory Coast to kickstart Covax vaccines rollout
Healthcare workers in Ivory Coast city of Abidjan will be the first to be inoculated as the west African nation kicks off its Covid-19 vaccination campaign on Monday.
It is the first national rollout of the UN-backed Covax programme – the global vaccine sharing initiative to help poorer countries control the pandemic.
The programme will distribute an initial half a million doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine.
Ghana and Nigeria are also due to start their mass inoculations this week.
Covax is the biggest vaccine procurement plan in human history, designed to distribute two billion doses by the end of this year.
But this only covers 20% of the populations of developing countries. Most rich countries have ordered sufficient stocks to treat their entire populations.
Read more:
Uganda's Bobi Wine 'in trouble over armoured car'
Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine is in trouble over an alleged bullet-proof vehicle in his possession, according to a report by the Daily Monitor newspaper.
The vehicle has attracted the attention of the Ugandan authorities, with the Ugandan Revenue Authority (URA) saying its details had been misrepresented and thus undervalued.
The URA has therefore recalled the vehicle for re-inspection.
Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, has however declined to hand over the vehicle on grounds that the recall is not backed by law, according to a statement by his lawyer quoted by the newspaper.
“Much as it is true you have the powers under section 236(d) of the EAC Customs Management Act to examine goods, you don’t have automatic powers to reexamine goods which were in your custody (warehouse), were examined, assessed for tax, the tax fully paid and the goods released to the owner/taxpayer," it said.
The vehicle was originally imported and registered in Kenya last year and then re-imported to Uganda through the Busia border.
In a post on 21 February, Mr Kyagulanyi said that the Toyota Land Cruiser had been donated to him by his friends and supporters in Uganda and abroad:
Read more:
Okonjo-Iweala starts work as WTO chief
BBC World Service
Nigerian-American, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, starts work as the new head of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on Monday.
A former Nigerian finance and foreign minister, she is the first woman and first African to run the WTO.
Dr Okonjo-Iweala has said that addressing the health and economic consequences of the pandemic would be a key priority.
There are concerns in Washington and other capitals about China’s trade policies and how well equipped the WTO is to deal with them.
Dr Okonjo-Iweala is known to be reform-minded, but will be constrained by the wishes of member countries.
South Africa eases restrictions as Covid cases drop
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that restrictions put in place to control the spread of coronavirus will be lowered to alert level one, from level three.
He said that restrictions put in place over the holiday period had succeeded in reducing infections levels - from 90,000 a week at the end of December, to 10,000 new infections last week.
Under level one, most remaining restrictions on economic activity will be lifted.
President Ramaphosa said all energy and effort must now go into growing the economy, whilst exercising extreme caution to prevent further spread of the virus.
He said the threat of a third wave is constantly present, as is the threat of new variants emerging.
He said social distancing, avoiding crowds and wearing masks, are more important than ever.
Monday's wise words
Our African proverb of the day:
Click here to send us your African proverbs.
How Muslim worship helps quell Cape Town’s ganglands
A team of Islamic scholars in South Africa is on a mission to some dangerous and drug-infested areas.
Read more'Farms are going to need different kinds of robots'
By Bernd Debusmann Jr
Business reporter
A growing number of tech firms are helping farmers better look after their animals and crops.
Read moreTwo killed at Chad opposition leader's home
Officials in Chad say at least two people were killed when the security forces tried to arrest the opposition leader Yaya Dillo at his home in the capital, Ndjamena.
Mr Dillo said five members of his family had been killed, including his mother, but this has not been independently confirmed.
The government said the security forces came under fire from Mr Dillo's home. Internet services have been cut in Ndjamena.
Mr Dillo is running against President Idriss Deby in April's election.
He led rebels fighting against Mr Deby in 2006 before joining his government.
Russia warship docks in port Sudan
Mary Harper
Africa editor, BBC World Service
A Russian warship has entered a port in Sudan where Russia is planning to build a naval base.
Russia's Interfax news agency said the Admiral Grigorovich was the first Russian warship to enter Port Sudan.
Last November Vladimir Putin approved the creation of a Russian naval facility in Sudan capable of mooring nuclear-powered vessels.
The base will house about 300 military and civilian personnel.
This will be Russia's first military base in Africa.
Ten killed in DR Congo militia attack
Mary Harper
Africa editor, BBC World Service
The army in the Democratic Republic of Congo says at least ten people have been killed by a militia in the east of the country.
A military spokesman said the Allied Democratic Forces beheaded eight people in one village Boyo and shot two more in another nearby Kainama. They also burned down houses.
The ADF has stepped up attacks on civilians since the military launched an offensive against the group eighteen months ago.
The militia originated as an Islamist movement in Uganda, but has not staged attacks there for several years.
US 'gravely concerned' about Ethiopia atrocities
Human rights violations have taken place in Tigray region, Secretary of State Antony Blinken says.
Read more