BBC News Africa

Western diplomats in South Sudan have said the government should respect freedom of expression, including the right to peaceful protest.

Their joint statement follows the arrest of a number of activists in the wake of a call by a group calling itself People’s Coalition for Civil Action, which is allegedly planning an anti-government protest on Sunday.

The diplomats said freedom of expression was needed in parliament and in society at large, adding that freedom of assembly must also be protected.

They pointed out that these were universal rights enshrined in South Sudan's transitional constitution.

The government had reassured diplomats in July that it respected these rights.

"The recent actions taken by the government, including threats to use live ammunition against peaceful protesters, harassment of journalists and media organisations, arrests of civil society representatives and intimidation of the citizens, are not compatible with the government’s stated commitments," the diplomats said.

The government has not commented on the statement, which was signed by, among others, the embassies of the UK and the US as well as the EU delegation.

EU in LiberiaCopyright: EU in Liberia

The European Union’s representative in Liberia, Laurent Delahousse, has called on the authorities here to “take immediate action to issue an executive order” banning female genital mutilation and other harmful traditional practices.

Speaking at a human rights forum, the EU envoy also asked the government to relax laws that he said suppressed civil liberties such as a ban on same-sex marriages.

He said “the penal code of Liberia continues to criminalise” consensual sexual relationships by same-sex couples, something he argued violates international laws protecting the social rights of LGBT individuals.

There has been no reaction from the Liberian authorities but sodomy is a crime under the law.

Governments coming to power in Liberia have always avoided tackling deep-rooted traditional practices such as FGM for fear of getting into a confrontation with rural populations involved in those practices.

Fighting has broken out in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, between fighters backing the National Unity Government and others supporting the presidential council.

It is a sign that there are still divisions as the country inches towards elections scheduled for December.

The presidential council is in place until a new president is voted in and is supposed to be in command of the armed forces.

December's vote is aimed at ending more than a decade of violence and chaos in the country, which has seen rival governments and a plethora of militia groups battling each other.

Friday's exchange of fire is believed to have started when fighters backing the presidential council attempted to take control of a military camp south of Tripoli.

BBCCopyright: BBC

Yahanasu Rabilu Lawal has been grieving for her seven-year-old son Isma’il, in her one-bedroom house on the outskirts of the Nigerian capital, Abuja.

He died of cholera three weeks ago.

Mrs Lawal and her husband, a farmer, tried unsuccessfully to manage the disease at home, as they couldn’t afford to take her to hospital.

She says her son "continued to vomit profusely, through the mouth and through the nose. I then tapped him, calling him. But he didn’t respond. He was no more."

He is among the 2,000 people who have died from cholera since the start of the year.

Nearly 60,000 people have been infected with the disease, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

As the world grapples with the Covid pandemic, Nigeria is also struggling to deal with the deadly outbreak of cholera.

The nationwide outbreak has been reported in at least 24 of Nigeria’s 36 states – including the capital.

Nigeria is a cholera-endemic country, according to experts, with outbreaks occurring almost every year especially during the rainy season. But this year’s outbreak is seen as particularly worrisome.

Cholera is one of the deadliest water-borne diseases. People catch it by drinking contaminated water and because of poor sanitation and hygiene.

The UN children’s agency Unicef says only about a quarter of Nigeria’s population use improved sources of drinking water and sanitation facilities. It is also being made worse by people relieving themselves in the open.

Nigerian health authorities have been trying to control the spread by sending medical teams to the states as well as by treating water sources.

But experts say the authorities and the public must prioritise basic hygiene, sanitation and access to safe drinking water as long-term solutions.

Getty ImageCopyright: Getty Image

The Ethiopian president and prime minister have joined the tributes to singer Alemayehu Eshete whose death has been announced.

The performer, nicknamed the Ethiopian Elvis, was thought to be either 79 or 80. He died in hospital in the capital, Addis Ababa, "due to sudden heart attack", state broadcaster EBC reports.

Emerging in the 1960s, Alemayehu became an iconic figure on the Ethio-jazz scene and he performed right up until his last years.

In its notes about one of his albums, record seller Rough Trade describes him as a "soul singer in the classic tradition. He didn't so much sing to his audience as seduce it, working himself and his fans into a sweat-soaked frenzy."

Sending condolences to all Ethiopians, President Sahle-Work Zewde said his "melodious and didactic songs... will be remembered by generations", broadcaster FBC reports.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said that the country would always be honoured by his work.

"Those who worked for Ethiopia will never die, but will rest in glory,” he said in a tweet translated by FBC.

AFPCopyright: AFP

The Nigerian military says nearly 6,000 Boko Haram members including commanders, fighters and their families have surrendered to the authorities in the last couple of weeks.

Cameroon had also announced the surrender of hundreds of Boko Haram militants in the country recently.

In Nigeria, the mass surrender of the members of the militant group is a result of the intense military offensive in the north-east of the country, the army says.

The death of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau in May could be another reason.

Many of his followers have either surrendered to the authorities or switched their loyalty to rival group Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap).

The Nigerian authorities say they’re now profiling those who have surrendered for possible de-radicalisation and rehabilitation.

But some Nigerians are sceptical about reintegrating the former fighters back into the society - citing possible risks.

According to the UN the insurgency by Boko Haram that began in 2009 has caused the death of more than 300,000 people and the displacement of millions of others in Nigeria and several other countries in the Lake Chad region.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

Nearly 4,500 people have fallen sick in the south of the Democratic Republic of Congo following a toxic leak from a diamond mine in neighbouring Angola, the environment minister says.

Eve Bazaiba said 12 people had died.

She said the DR Congo would ask for reparations for the damage caused but did not specify an amount.

There has been no response so far from the mining company.

Last month's leak from a reservoir containing heavy metal by-products caused a river to turn red, killing fish, hippos and other animals.

Ugandan security forces are holding the vice-chancellor of the privately owned Victoria University over allegations of espionage and illegally staying in the country, army spokesperson Brig-Gen Flavia Byekwaso has said.

Dr Lawrence Muganga, who is of Rwandan descent, was picked up by plain-clothed officers from his office in Uganda's capital, Kampala, on Thursday afternoon.

It is unclear whether his arrest is linked to Rwanda, which neighbours Uganda.

Relations between the two countries are sometimes tense - with accusations of interference in each other's affairs.

Gen Byekwaso told the BBC that investigations had begun.

AFPCopyright: AFP

Environmental groups have warned of a climate and biodiversity catastrophe if the Democratic Republic of Congo lifts a moratorium on new industrial logging permits.

Last month, the DR Congo government said it planned to end the ban which was imposed 19 years ago.

Campaigners said more than one-million hectares (2.4 million acres) of forest growing on peat swamps could be handed over to loggers.

If disturbed the swamps could release more than 10-billion tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere, worsening global warming, they said.

Endangered species including gorillas, forest elephants and okapi would be under threat.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

The United Nations says a blockade on aid routes to Ethiopia's northern region of Tigray is bringing millions to the brink of famine.

A senior UN official said food supplies ran out two weeks ago.

He said 170 aid trucks were stranded outside Tigray and that none of the vehicles had been allowed to enter the region for the past 12 days.

The Ethiopian government denies it is blocking aid and says the vehicles are on their way to the region.

The US government's humanitarian agency says Tigrayan fighters have looted its warehouses in neighbouring Amhara region.

Rebels fighting in Ethiopia's Oromia region reportedly carried out an attack on police on Tuesday in East Wollega zone.

Medical sources said that more than 40 regional officers had been admitted to Wollega University Referral Hospital in Nekemte town, 330km (205 miles) from the capital Addis Ababa.

Most of them sustained injuries. It is not yet clear if there were any deaths during the attack by the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) rebels.

"They told us they were shot at," said a doctor who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Six of the officers underwent surgery, eight were waiting for surgery, and another six had been referred to the capital for treatment, the doctor added.

A spokesman for the Oromia regional government, Getachew Balcha, said he had no information about the attack.

The OLA has formed an alliance with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which is also fighting government forces.

Female sexual pleasure is a topic that is rarely discussed openly in many African communities, but increasingly young women are finding safe spaces online to have these conversations.

Ghanaian feminist and award-winning blogger Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah is one of them.

For the past 12 years, she and a friend she have been running a blog called From the bedrooms of African women.

What's more, she has written a book, The Sex Lives of African Women, which is now out. She's been telling BBC Focus on Africa radio's Audrey Brown all about it:

AFPCopyright: AFP

Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan has confronted an MP from her own ruling party who is known for his opposition to Covid vaccines.

President Samia introduced Josephat Gwajima, who is also a preacher with a large following online, at a public event in the main city Dar es Salaam.

She referred to him by a nickname, and asked: “Gwaji-boy, are we vaccinating or are we not vaccinating?”

Mr Gwajima just smiled and ignored the president’s question - focussing instead on praising her for the support she has given to his Kawe constituency.

The issue of vaccines has been politically sensitive in Tanzania, given the Covid-sceptic views of the late President John Magufuli.

The new president has changed his policy, and has rolled out vaccines.

The MP has been very vocal against the jabs, saying without evidence they are not safe and Tanzanians should reject them.

The MP was recently sanctioned in parliament for his comments.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

The gunman who killed four people near the French embassy in Tanzania's main city Dar es Salaam last week before being shot dead was "a terrorist", local police have said.

Investigations revealed that Hamza Mohamed had spent a lot of time on the internet, learning about the activities of militant groups such as al-Shabab and the Islamic State (IS), the director of criminal investigations, Camillus Wambura, told journalists.

Three police officers and a security guard were killed and six others were wounded during his shooting spree in the city's diplomatic quarter on 25 August.

Residents were quoted by AFP news agency as saying Mohamed lived with his mother in a flat about two kilometres (just over one mile) from where the shooting took place.

"I knew him since he was a young boy. There was a time he disappeared until he came back recently," taxi driver Omary Issa was quoted as saying.

"He was an ordinary person whom we interacted like any other neighbour. I was really shocked," he added