Internet shutdown in South Sudan amid protest call
Internet access in South Sudan has been severely curtailed and phone services limited as the authorities scuttle a planned nationwide protest against the country's political leadership.
Internet monitoring site NetBlocks confirmed the disruption.
There's a heavy deployment of the military in the capital Juba.
The People's Coalition For Civil Action Rights, which called for the mass action, accuses President Salva Kiir and Vice-President Riek Machar of failing the country and is calling for their resignation.
Several activists accused of having links to the group have been arrested in recent days.
Tunisia ex-presidential candidate seized in Algeria
Ahmed Rouaba
BBC News
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Mr Karoul is the leader of the second largest party in parliamentImage caption: Mr Karoul is the leader of the second largest party in parliament
Tunisian media mogul and ex-presidential candidate Nabil Karoui has been arrested in Algeria for illegally
entering the country.
Mr Karoui, who owns Nesma TV, was
arrested in the city of Tebessa on the Tunisian border together with four
others including his brother Ghazi who is a member of parliament.
Mr Karoul is also leader of the
second largest party in parliament Qalb Tounes (the heart of Tunisia).
In 2019 he was arrested in Tunisia during his presidential campaign - which current president Kais Saied won in a runoff with a landslide - and put in custody for more than six months.
He still is under investigation for money laundering and tax evasion after being released in June. He denies the allegations.
He is expected to appear before an Algerian court on Monday.
Nigerian state shuts markets over attacks
Ishaq Khalid
BBC News, Abuja
AFPCopyright: AFP
Zamfara state has seen an upsurge of attacks in recent timesImage caption: Zamfara state has seen an upsurge of attacks in recent times
The authorities in Nigeria's north-western state of Zamfara
have banned some economic activities in a bid to tackle armed
criminal gangs carrying out killings, kidnappings for ransom and cattle theft.
The state government has announced the closure of all
weekly markets and restricted the use of motorbikes from dusk to dawn.
It has also banned the transportation of livestock outside the state while those bringing them in must be investigated to determine the "genuineness" of the livestock.
The weekly open-air markets are usually operated in rural areas where people gather to transact on basic
goods including food items, livestock, farm inputs and
textiles.
The authorities have also ordered petrol stations not to
sell more than 10,000 naira ($24; £18) worth of fuel (equivalent of about 61 litres) to commercial drivers at a given
time.
The authorities believe the armed gangs take advantage of these
economic activities to facilitate their violent attacks on communities.
Nigeria is grappling with a worsening wave of killings
and mass kidnappings for ransom by gunmen - and the authorities, communities and
families appear to be taking desperate measures in the face of the crisis.
Zambian president replaces army and police chiefs
AFPCopyright: AFP
The president said the new security chiefs “must have the interest of the people"Image caption: The president said the new security chiefs “must have the interest of the people"
Zambia’s new President Hakainde Hichilema has replaced the
country’s top military commanders and the head of the police - and signalled a focus on the security forces being more accountable to the citizens.
The president late on Sunday announced new commanders of the
Zambian army, the air force and the national service and their deputies, as
well as a new inspector general of police.
All regional police commissioners have been relieved of
their duties but their replacements have not been named.
Mr Hichilema said the new
office bearers “must have the interest of the people at heart and serve the
country diligently while ensuring human rights, freedoms and liberties are
respected”.
He said the police must carry out proper checks before
detaining suspects and that "no one should be arrested before
investigations are concluded".
Mr Hichilema, who was voted
in as president earlier this month in a landslide victory, has been the victim
of police brutality in the past.
He has been arrested and
detained multiple times in the past – and had promised to deal with the
heavy-handedness of the security forces.
Displaced residents return to Mozambique conflict-torn region
Jose Tembe
BBC News, Maputo
In northern Mozambique hundreds of internally displaced people who had fled jihadist attacks that began in 2017 have begun to return to their homes following military operations involving troops from Rwanda.
In recent weeks towns and villages in Cabo Delgado province that had been overrun by the Islamist militants have been recaptured.
In Rwanda local media has shown photos of the military helping displaced people set off in buses and lorries from displacement camps back to their homes.
The Mozambican authorities have however warned that some areas are still not ready to be repopulated as the jihadists destroyed basic infrastructure.
Close to three quarters of a million people have been forced to flee their homes because of the violence.
Ethiopia rebels accuse AU of bias
Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service
AFPCopyright: AFP
The African Union appointed Olusegun Obasanjo as mediatorImage caption: The African Union appointed Olusegun Obasanjo as mediator
Rebel forces from Ethiopia's conflict-hit Tigray region have accused the African Union of bias, days after the bloc appointed the former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo as a mediator.
A spokesman for the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), Getachew Reda, accused the AU of siding with the Ethiopian government and barely acknowledging the existence of the 10-month conflict.
On social media he said the TPLF was not against the appointment of a mediator but said it would be naive to expect the mission to work.
The Ethiopian government has repeatedly said it would not be willing to hold talks with the TPLF which it has described as a terrorist organisation.
Arrests ahead of S Sudan anti-government protests
Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
South Sudanese President Salva Kiir (R) shakes hands with First Vice President Riek MacharImage caption: South Sudanese President Salva Kiir (R) shakes hands with First Vice President Riek Machar
Rights groups in South Sudan say security
forces have arrested several people, including activists and a bishop, ahead of
planned protests on Monday. A police spokesman denied the arrests.
A coalition calling President Salva Kiir and Vice-President Riek Machar to step
down has called for the countrywide protests which the authorities have
banned.
The authorities in South Sudan are clearly
worried about Monday's demonstrations.
Civil society groups say a bishop
in the town of Yei has been detained for alleged links to the protest
organisers.
A radio station was also forced off air in Jonglei state over
fears it would be used to mobilise people.
Many in South Sudan
blame the feuding politicians for what's gone wrong since independence a decade
ago.
That includes the civil war and staggering levels of
corruption. The failure to implement a peace deal has also left the
country extremely precarious and still at risk of further conflict.
The
same politicians are keen to stop the protests gaining any momentum.
Businesses in states north of the capital, Juba, depend on the White Nile to transport goodsImage caption: Businesses in states north of the capital, Juba, depend on the White Nile to transport goods
Gunmen have kidnapped 15 traders in the oil-rich Unity
State in the northern part of South Sudan, local media report.
They are demanding a ransom of about $17,000 (£12,400) to
release them, the al-Maugif paper reports.
The local commissioner said the traders were abducted
while travelling on the White Nile River on their way to the capital, Juba, to
buy goods.
Slapdee says his tough start - his parents died in a car crash - helped fuel his musicImage caption: Slapdee says his tough start - his parents died in a car crash - helped fuel his music
Slapdee is one of the pioneers of hip-hop in Zambia. He started out in 2006, and he’s managed to stay on top ever
since.
He says it’s all about staying in tune with the younger ones, the future
fans.
“Every other artist will focus on the
people coming to their shows, but you need to also focus on the ones coming up
under them, the ones that can’t get in.
"They have more passion because
they are dying to see you, and the day they turn 18 or are legally able
to go to the clubs, you’re the first person they want to vibe to.”
Slapdee has been willing to change
his sound to appeal to his target audience, and doesn’t care too much about his
critics.
“Sometimes my own friends say: ' Yo,
Slapdee, why are you making this childish music?'
"And I’m like: 'Bro it’s
business!'
"You’ve got to know what you’re aiming for. For instance if you are
targeting ninth graders now, it’ll take another three years to see the fruits.”
Slapdee has children of his own now,
but when he was the age of the kids he is wooing, life was very tough for
him.
Both of his parents died in a car crash when he was very young, and
by the time he was 17 he was living independently in one of Lusaka’s roughest
neighbourhoods.
“I’ve done almost every street job
there is in Lusaka, I’ve sold fritters, ice blocks, you name it.
"I’ve done check
your weight where you just walk around with a body scale, I’ve stolen stuff,
I’ve done all the crazy stuff there is to do.
“I used to ask God like: 'Why would
you put me in this position?' I’d go into a corner and cry sometimes: 'Why me?'”
But Slapdee didn’t allow despair or
self-pity to swallow him up. He realised that he could turn his disadvantage
into an asset.
“That was all content. I think the
universe was preparing me for greatness - not that I am the greatest!
"My
first three albums were basically about my hustles, and to date I think the
influence I have is because of my story. It inspires people.”
You can hear my conversation with Slapdee on This is Africa this Saturday on BBC World Service
radio, partner stations across Africa and online.
Uganda funeral bomb plot: Islamist rebels blamed
BBC World Service
The Ugandan president has blamed a foiled suicide bomb attack at the funeral of a top military commander on the rebel Allied Democratic Front (ADF).
Officials said a man had been arrested in the northern town of Pader with an assortment of bomb-making materials ahead of Maj-Gen Paul Lokech's funeral.
President Museveni said the attack had been planned because Gen Lokech had overseen the recent arrest of suspects linked to the Islamist ADF group.
The government said he died last Saturday from a blood clot.
Last year, Gen Lokech was appointed Uganda's deputy police chief after working as a senior commander in the African Union force fighting Islamist militants in Somalia, where he was known as the "Lion of Mogadishu".
Ghana's chief imam donates to cathedral project
Thomas Naadi
BBC News, Accra
AFPCopyright: AFP
Sheikh Osman Sharubut is 102 and has led Ghana's minority Muslim community for 28 yearsImage caption: Sheikh Osman Sharubut is 102 and has led Ghana's minority Muslim community for 28 years
Ghana’s chief imam Sheikh Osman Sharubutu has donated more than $8,000 (£5,800) to support the construction
of a controversial national cathedral.
Ghana has a history of
inter-religious harmony, although the donation is regarded as unusual.
The 102-year-old cleric said the gesture was to
strengthen peaceful co-existence between Christians and Muslims.
The leader of Ghana's minority Muslim community has said before that he wants to ensure that his legacy is peace.
Two years ago, he attended an Easter Catholic Church service - causing a stir on social media.
The government recently launched
an initiative to encourage Ghanaians to donate money towards the construction of the cathedral.
It is to be built in the
capital, Accra, and is expected to cost more than $100m.
The complex, to be completed in
2024, is to include a Bible Museum and a 5,000-seat auditorium.
Although it will be privately
funded, many have criticised the project, describing it as a misplaced priority given
the current economic climate.
Tunisia's Paralympic shot put champion breaks record
Ahmed Rouaba
BBC News
Tunisia's Paralympic veteran Raoua Tlili has proven she reigns supreme by winning gold in the women's shot put F41 in Japan - and breaking a world record.
She produced the 10.55m record-breaking throw in the second round.
This is the 31-year-old's fifth Paralympic gold - following on from two at Rio in 2016, one in London in 2012 and her first Beijing in 2008.
It is also Tunisia's first medal at the Paralympics.
Paralympics: First medal for Algeria with judo gold
Ahmed Rouaba
BBC News
Algeria's Cherine
Abdellaoui has won gold in the women's 52kg judo event at the Paralympics in Tokyo.
The 22-year-old beat her Canadian opponent Priscilla Gagne. A perfect present on the eve of her birthday.
Judo at the Paralympics is only open to athletes with a visual impairment.
The official Paralympics Twitter account said it was a tough fight for Abdellaoui - who won bronze at Rio in 2016 - to win Algeria's first gold of the Games: