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South African president says violence was planned
At least 212 people are now known to have died in unrest sparked by the jailing of Jacob Zuma.
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South African president says violence was planned
At least 212 people are now known to have died in unrest sparked by the jailing of Jacob Zuma.

Is South Africa looting spree being secretly co-ordinated?
Some analysts say the violence wasn't spontaneous anger but a deliberate strategy of sabotage.

African countries destroy 450,000 Covid vaccines
WHO has blamed delayed shipment of AstraZeneca jabs for the situation.

Video 2 minutes 44 seconds
The green champion aiming for Olympic gold
Kenya's Taekwondo star Faith Ogallo hopes to win a medal in Tokyo - to raise environmental awareness.

Ugandan weightlifter missing ahead of Olympics
The Uganda Olympic Committee says a weightlifter is missing from a training camp in Japan ahead of the Tokyo Games.
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South African president says violence was planned
At least 212 people are now known to have died in unrest sparked by the jailing of Jacob Zuma.

Is South Africa looting spree being secretly co-ordinated?
Some analysts say the violence wasn't spontaneous anger but a deliberate strategy of sabotage.

African countries destroy 450,000 Covid vaccines
WHO has blamed delayed shipment of AstraZeneca jabs for the situation.

Video 2 minutes 44 seconds
The green champion aiming for Olympic gold
Kenya's Taekwondo star Faith Ogallo hopes to win a medal in Tokyo - to raise environmental awareness.

Ugandan weightlifter missing ahead of Olympics
The Uganda Olympic Committee says a weightlifter is missing from a training camp in Japan ahead of the Tokyo Games.

Is South Africa looting spree being secretly co-ordinated?
Some analysts say the violence wasn't spontaneous anger but a deliberate strategy of sabotage.

African countries destroy 450,000 Covid vaccines
WHO has blamed delayed shipment of AstraZeneca jabs for the situation.

Video 2 minutes 44 seconds
The green champion aiming for Olympic gold
Kenya's Taekwondo star Faith Ogallo hopes to win a medal in Tokyo - to raise environmental awareness.
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By Nick Ericsson
BBC News
By Shingai Nyoka
BBC News, Durban
Eswatini king calls anti-monarchy protests 'satanic'

Mary Harper
Africa editor, BBC World Service
Copyright: AFPIn his first public remarks since the anti-monarchy protests began last month, Eswatini King Msawti III has described them as "satanic".
He said they had taken the country backwards and he announced a $35m (£25m) fund to help pay for repairs to damaged property.
At least 50 people died in the disturbances in Africa's last absolute monarchy.
On Friday, police fired tear gas and water cannons at pro-democracy protesters in the second biggest city, Manzini.
Opposition supporters called for the demonstration despite being invited by King Mswati III to a meeting to discuss their grievances.
Jobs protest in Algeria's oil-rich region

Ahmed Rouaba
BBC News
Protesters in Algeria's oil-rich southern province of Ouargla have blocked roads and burnt tyres in the main city to demand jobs and development in the region.
Ouargla hosts 71% of the country’s oil reserves.
But the local population feel their region does not receive a fair share of development and public services compared to the northern parts of the country.
The protesters say state-owned oil company Sonatrach - the biggest employer in the south - hires most of its staff, including unskilled workers, from the north.
It is also estimated that poverty in the southern parts of Algeria is twice as high as the northern region.
Young and divorced in Egypt - 'I don't know you anymore'
The Comb podcast
Copyright: Getty ImagesLooking back, Baheyya says she was a different person when she got married.
At 22 she had fallen in love while at university in Egypt, and as a devout Muslim she believed that marriage was the only proper way to continue her relationship.
Although marriage wouldn’t have been her first choice at that point, she remembers her relationship as a true love story, and for the first couple of years she was happy as a wife.
But then things changed. Baheyya struggled with the pressures of motherhood, and as the Egyptian Revolution of 2011 opened up conversations in society, she started questioning some of her assumptions about what she could and should expect from life.
"I became a bit more liberal when it came to my spiritual beliefs [and] my political views. And he was still very conservative on both matters."
The relationship changed as Baheyya and her husband grew further apart, fighting not just about everyday issues, but big questions about life.
"I remember that he looked at me, he gave me a look and he said 'I’m not really sure I know you anymore'."
Eventually, the couple agreed that separating was the best way forward for them, joining the growing number of Egyptians who choose to get divorced.
A generation ago, in conservative societies in particular, women didn’t have the same freedom to end a marriage that men did. In cases where a marriage turned bad, wives were simply expected to endure it. Even now, Baheyya says she was lucky to have the financial independence that made divorcing possible for her.
A 2018 study found that one fifth of marriages in Egypt end in divorce each year. To some, this is a concerning trend, but to others - like Baheyya - it’s a sign of freedom.
- For more, listen to the latest edition of The Comb
Turkey denies supplying drones to Ethiopia

Ameyu Etana
BBC Afaan Oromo
Turkey has denied reports on social media that it has supplied drones to the Ethiopian military to aid in its fight against rebels in the northern region of Tigray.
"Allegations that have been circulating on social media that Turkey is supplying Ethiopia with drones are false," Turkey's embassy in Addis Ababa tweeted.
Turkey has been expanding its economic and military ties in Africa, and has expressed interest in mediating the simmering tension between Ethiopia and Sudan over their border dispute.
Following the hard line taken by the US government over the Tigray conflict, analysts say Ethiopia is looking for new allies.
Last week, Ethiopia signed a military cooperation deal with Russia.
Video content
Video caption: Tokyo 2020 Olympics: The Kenyan Taekwondo star seeking a good green fight Kenya's Taekwondo fighter Faith Ogallo is hoping to win a medal in Tokyo - and use the platform to raise awareness of environmental issues.
How did riots in South Africa get so bad?

Alan Kasujja
BBC Africa Daily podcast
Copyright: Getty ImagesImage caption: This level of violence is unprecedented in post-apartheid South Africa Looting and violence. What a week it’s been for South Africa.
Days of unrest have taken their toll on the country’s two largest provinces: KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
Rioting has left stores depleted.
“Because so many of the shops and so many of the malls have been looted, food is running out in some places,” says the BBC’s Vumani Mkhize in Durban.
Fuel shortages are also being reported.
On Wednesday, the South African government confirmed plans to deploy 25,000 troops to try and restore order.
“They’re going to try and wrestle back control of the situation, because the police have been heavily outnumbered,” says Mr Mkhize.
This level of violence is unprecedented in post-apartheid South Africa – and it has prompted much soul-searching in the country.
Where did it all go wrong? How did things spiral out of control?
I’ve been looking for answers in Friday’s episode of Africa Daily.
Subscribe to the show on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.
Let them eat roti - SA charity combats bread shortage
Copyright: Nelson Mandela Community YouthA local organisation and community members in South Africa's township of Chatsworth, just south of the Durban central business district, have been making rotis, an Indian flat bread, after the state hospital and an elderly peoples' home made a food appeal.
On Thursday the state government hospital and the Aryan Benevolent Home (ABH), said they had no bread to give to patients and residents, after days of rioting and looting in KwaZulu-Natal province.
The Nelson Mandela Youth Centre and community members came together to respond to the appeal by making a bread substitute.
“What an awesome fun day and learning experience it was for all of us as we rolled out and toasted over 500 rotis," said Clive Pillay, the organisation's director.
"We hope to do this daily with the guarantee of more rotis till the bread delivery situation stabilises.”
Nigerian army general shot dead in attack

Ishaq Khalid
BBC News, Abuja
A senior Nigerian army officer has been shot dead by gunmen while travelling from the central city of Lokoja to the capital Abuja.
Maj-Gen Hassan Ahmed was attacked in the late hours of Thursday. His wife, who was with him, was reportedly abducted by the attackers.
This is the latest high-profile killing as insecurity continues to deteriorate across the country.
The army has described the killing as a "sad incident".
Gen Ahmed was recently appointed a senior director at Nigeria’s army headquarters. It is not yet clear who was behind the attack or their motive.
Nigeria is grappling with worsening insecurity with various armed groups unleashing violence including killings and kidnappings for ransom. Both civilians and the security forces have fallen victims.
The authorities have been severely criticised for their failure to tackle the deepening crisis.
By Peter Mwai
BBC Reality Check
Eswatini police disperse anti-monarchy protesters
Police have dispersed supporters of the main opposition group in Eswatini holding an anti-monarchy protests in the country's largest city of Manzini, privately-owned Swazi News has reported.
The newspaper tweeted a video of protesters running in the streets;
The protests were being held in defiance of an open forum between King Mswati III and his subjects which is ongoing.
The talks aim to discuss issues that led to the civil unrest which began last month and claimed the lives of more than 50 protesters.
It will also be the first time the monarch is commenting on the violent protests.
Kenyan leader condemns killing of environmentalist

Mercy Juma
BBC News, Nairobi
Copyright: Joanna StutchburyKenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta has condemned the killing of Joanna Stutchbury, a Kenyan environmentalist and activist.
Ms Stutchbury, 64, who had been very vocal about the conservation of forests and particularly the protection of Kiambu forest on the outskirts of Nairobi, was shot dead by unknown people on Thursday afternoon at her home.
Ms Stutchbury had long campaigned to save Kiambu forest which has been invaded by squatters and was being cleared by private developers.
The forest belongs to the Kenya Forest Service but has not been officially designated as a forest.
Ms Stutchbury led environmental campaigns, including tree planting, in several forests.
President Kenyatta said the government would track down her killers, calling them cowardly enemies of the nation.
Ramaphosa says South Africa protests were planned

BBC World Service
Copyright: AFPImage caption: President Ramaphosa said those responsible for protests were being pursued South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa, has described the violent unrest that swept the country over the past week as an assault on democracy.
He was speaking on a visit to the worst-hit province of Kwazulu-Natal, where almost 100 people were killed.
Mr Ramaphosa said it was clear the violence and looting had been planned and instigated - and those responsible were being pursued.
He said his government would not allow anarchy and mayhem to triumph.
The president also praised ordinary citizens who had mobilised to protect their areas and property.
He admitted some of the violence could have been avoided if security forces had acted faster, but said the priority had always been to avoid deaths.
"Yes, we could have done better but we were overwhelmed by [the] situation... [and had to] make sure that we did not get into a situation which could have resulted in more mayhem," he said.
The violence was triggered by the arrest of the former president, Jacob Zuma. About 25,000 troops have been mobilised to restore order.











































